'Lost' imitators go down the hatch

By BRIAN LOWRY

"SURFACE" HAS SUNK, possibly never to rise again. "Threshold" didn't meet CBS' minimum ratings threshold, "The Night Stalker" stalks its own burial plot, and the crowds for "Invasion" aren't exactly living up to the show's title.

The fall's mini science fiction invasion -- with the major networks all seeking their own "Lost," or in ABC's case, a companion to it -- has been repelled, leaving alien threats suspended in mid-assault, possibly for all eternity.

The genre's wipe-out should only heighten appreciation of ABC's sophomore sensation, which has stretched beyond its sci-fi underpinnings to become an award-winning, mass-appeal hit, even though the series has if anything grown freakier since that mysterious hatch opened.

"Lost's" surprising success emboldened the networks to explore these waters after years in which the specter of serialized mysteries like "Twin Peaks" hung over the development process, with good reason. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" has been remade several times as a feature, but nobody has been naïve enough to transform it into a series where a different neighbor turns zombie each week.

These newcomers, however, have pretty much done just that, while asking the audience to hang in patiently as they slowly pursue variations of the "There's something under the water" or "They're coming, we're just not sure who 'they' are and when they're getting here" theme.

Producers talked a good game last summer about keeping their plots advancing, but the splash made by "Lost" doesn't reduce this dive's degree of difficulty -- a conundrum that "The X-Files," almost as hot in its heyday as "Lost" is now, discovered in its later seasons. Once the Fox show established that alien forces were laying the groundwork to colonize Earth, it became hard to get quite as worked up over whether the leads hooked up, or the latest werewolf/doppelganger/astral-projecting killer. Saving the world takes priority.

"Lost," by contrast, has deftly managed to add layers to its intricate framework without detracting from the program's basic humanity. The strength of its characters and relationships also allow people to relate on multiple levels, so much so that an editor here questioned labeling it science fiction.

In some respects, that's true, since the back-story flashbacks play like any good drama. Yet at the same time, "Lost" has wholeheartedly embraced its "Twilight Zone" weirdness -- and I mean that in a good way -- with smoke creatures and a strange enemy that makes eerie noises and disappears into the jungle. Whether these crash survivors are in purgatory, an alternate dimension or some other fresh hell, it's pretty damn sure they're not in Kansas anymore.

As this is the thick of development season, the more pressing consideration is what lessons can be gleaned from the disappearance (or would that be abduction?) of this season's wannabes. Canceling such programs in midstream violates the unspoken pact between networks and viewers, who understandably resent investing in such an open-ended narrative only to be left dangling -- and if sci-fi fans know how to do anything, it's being a general pain in the butt when disappointed.

Still, the "Lost" audience's passion underscores that these are precisely the kind of franchises broadcasters desperately need -- properties that fans will eagerly watch, record and download across various media.

Programmers would thus be foolish to let a few setbacks prompt a retreat, but they need to plow ahead with eyes wide open, recognizing that these series are by far the hardest to create and maintain.

The good news is that even in today's fractured age, it can still be done. The bad news is that the development maze will run into plenty more dead ends before anyone finds another "Lost."

McDOWELL INC.: If Robert McDowell were a stock, I'd buy 500 shares right now.

Alas, McDowell is a 42-year-old telecom attorney, recently selected to fill the vacancy on the five-member Federal Communications Commission.

Assuming that he's confirmed as the third Republican appointee, McDowell will join an exclusive club that's historically been a ticket to years of gainful employment -- a reality that violates no laws in newly reform-minded Washington but reflects an ingrained "You take care of us, we'll take care of you" mentality.

Reinstating a Republican majority should set the commission into motion on several major issues that have languished, as big companies and wealthy people hope to grow bigger and wealthier depending on how these matters are resolved. That's why McDowell's journey through the commission's arches portends such a golden future, no matter whose billions wind up being served.