they are stretching new episodes thin so they don't have to shoot many more of them. Because somewhere down the line it has to be all about spending less money. In the meantime viewers are becoming more and more disgusted with all the repeats. After one of their many hiatuses I didn't bother to tune in because I assumed it was going to be another re-run. This happened to me twice and I missed those rare new shows. I'm not ready to give up yet but sheesh I hope they manage to pull a good amount of fresh episodes out of their hat. We need better continuity. Talk about lost!

I hear ya!

I was watching something else during one of the new shows and I have it taped. However, I have yet gone back to watch it. I don't really care if I see it or not. The reruns have really killed it for me and the new episodes that I have watched just doesn't seems to have the "darkness" that the first season had.

Damon and Carlton addressed these rerun gaps in the most recent podcast. They say the production company is incapable of producing more than 24 episodes in one year.

The "television season" runs for about 40 weeks. ABC demands new episodes in September, November, February and May for the Nielsen "sweeps" ratings periods that measure viewership and allow the network to set advertising rates.

With 24 episodes over 40 weeks, and a mandate to deliver fresh material in four different months, they only have two options: reruns of LOST or some other filler.

Unfortunately, we have to live with it. Perhaps next season ABC will understand we need a LOST fix more than they need ratings. Perhaps not.

Well, that's stupid. I think the regular networks need to start thinking more like cable and drop this whole working around the advertising agenda. If all the networks start organizing and doing things in a different way, then advertisers would follow suit. Besides which, if viewers are getting turned off, then they aren’t going to even watch for sweeps and then the network will not get the ratings it needs to get higher advertising fees. It’s a pretty dumb system if you ask me.

I really like the way cable does their shows. Like Monk, or Dead Zone, 6 Feet Under, Sopranos... They all run pretty straight through then take a couple of months off. It's very satisfying to the viewer.

I too have LOST a lot of interest in LOST because of all the interruptions. It's like after a few weeks of no new show, out of sight out of mind, and I'm starting to think about just waiting for the DVD's to come out. Then I can watch it as I please.

Wednesday morning I heard a commercial for Lost on the radio. I don't remember the exact wording, but basically it was promoting the "mystery" of Lost. Only the mystery isn't the island, others, black cloud, etc. The "mystery" they were advertising was "Will it be a new episode tonight? Yes!"

I found it amusing that the ad execs apparently find the sporadic new episodes hidden amongst reruns to be of more interest than the show itself.

Sorry, I gotta disagree with you on this. I was so looking forward to watching Lost after my Tivo records it. Now I'm going through my Tivo suggestions first before watching Lost. I'm just so not into Lost anymore because of all these breaks and repeats. Top it all off, I'm finding myself fast forwarding OFTEN throughout the show. Lost is in danger of being deleted off my Season Pass - sorry...

An arkiegrl siggie

Stamps feet
yanks out handfuls of hair
rolls around on ground kicking feet
screams ARGHHHHHHHHHH
froths at mouth
Stands up
brushes self off
wipes chin
That's what I think of LOSTS scheduled repeats & gaps.
But it's not enough for me to toss out my lifesize Sawyer cardboard cutout.

I'm just chiming in to say that I haven't seen a new episode in months. During the Olympics I missed a week thinking there'd be a break, then the following week (after the Olympics were over) I tuned in hoping to see a new episode and it was a re-run. My husband (who is in Iraq) is a big fan of the show and I had been taping it for him, so I figure we'll just wait until it comes out on DVD and watch it together when he returns.

I have missed far too much of this season now to have any clue what's going on. The uncertainty of when new episodes will air got to be too much for me.

The uncertainty of when new episodes will air got to be too much for me.

Wow! If they've lost you, a superfan, then how do they expect the general viewing public to hang on.

TriGirl raises placard and chants "No More Reruns".