Storytelling Lost: How the Era of Filler Episodes is Fading in Modern TV
Remember when TV shows had 20 episodes per season, each 40 minutes long? Lately, I’ve noticed that shows have fewer and fewer episodes per season -Television has significantly changed its runtime. Let's compare Game of Thrones to Lost. Each episode was about 50 to 82 minutes, with about ten episodes per season; the total runtime of the entire show is about 69 hours and 45 minutes. Lost's runtime is about 91 hours; that's a 22-hour difference. Another example is Gilmore Girls, which has a similar season length as Lost, plus one more season; it comes to about 153 hours. It does not include the spin-off show, which only adds about two hours. Compared to the Game of Thrones, that is an 84-hour difference.
In conclusion, bring back filler episodes! These episodes might seem pointless since nothing significant happens (or if something important does happen, it's at the very end to lead up to the next episode where all the action will take place). Still, filler episodes are so important to TV shows. They help the audience understand the characters better, fully flesh out storylines and create funny moments that make the show more watchable.
Over the summer, I started watching Lost for the first time. It was one of those shows that was really popular, but I had never thought to watch it. One of my friends told me how obsessed she was with it, and it piqued my interest. So, for about a month, I binged Lost. I actually watched the first episode on a plane, which was terrifying. The first episode featured a plane crash. I was absolutely hooked from then on. I would cancel hangouts with friends to watch the show, and when I got to the last episode, I texted all of my roommates that the one reason they should knock on my door or talk to me in any way was if the house was burning down. But after I finished, it was sad; I had just spent so much of my time invested in this show, and now it was over.
(Spoilers ahead!)
Lost ran for six seasons, with about 20 episodes per season. While I watched the first season and was continuously annoyed by certain characters' actions (I am a John Locke hater to my core), occasionally, I would get bored of the repetitive storyline. In season 2, however, the passengers finally get inside the bunker and find that there is a set of numbers that need to be entered every 108 minutes, or else the world will end. There were several moments throughout the season where they argued over whether they should keep the timer going and if it was really actually going to end the world. This plot line ran several times throughout the season, with them finally letting the clock hit zero at the end of the season after about 24 episodes. Every single episode of that season led to the finale and was entertaining to watch, but that is what's excellent about filler episodes; they create more intriguing storylines that make audiences want to watch. Now, when I watch a TV show, I expect it to be about ten episodes and for each season to take about two years to film.
With Lost, the number of episodes made the show more compelling. In those episodes, we learned more about the character's backgrounds, why they were on the plane, and, for some, why they are happier to be on the island than in the "real world." It helped us understand the characters better. With the shorter seasons of many new shows, a lot of that character-building has to be developed behind the scenes, while in Lost, each episode tells the audience more and more about the island, making us want to keep watching. I remember at the beginning of the show, I hated Sawyer. I thought he was annoying and kept hoping he would get killed off. But in the end, he became one of my favorite characters, and I was rooting for him. I would never have gotten over my initial hatred if they hadn't spent so long developing his character. Filler episodes are so crucial for character and story building, and many of our favorite shows today would be improved by the addition.