While fascinating TV dramas are readily available for the public, there are some shows that thrive on mystery and confusion. One of the most infamously confusing TV series is ABC's Lost, which aired for six seasons. With time jumps and high concepts at play, fans were expected to live with a certain level of confusion. As far as current TV shows, HBO's Westworld is probably the closest thing to Lost's tone, ambitiously playing with time and theme. But it turns out that Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy also sees what makes them fundamentally different. Namely, that Westworld is more thought out and purposeful with its mysteries-- which will all eventually be explained.
In Lost, they really believed in the mystery box and not looking too much inside the mystery box. It was some kind of idea generator that you didn't need to dissect and open up. And that's absolutely fascinating and an engaging way to tell a story. But for us, you know, I think we are interested in dismantling the mystery box, opening it up, looking at what it is, putting it together like it's some kind of LEGO, seeing how it works and really questioning and exposing that. The questions that we tee up, we do try to address. We have an answer for all of them.
While Lisa Joy seems to have great reverence for what Lost was able to do during its long run, it looks like Westworld may be a slightly more organized version of chaos. Because the series isn't working within the confines of network TV, Westworld can be plotted out and planned from an early point. Hopefully this results in a run that is a bit more consistent than Lost's.
Lisa Joy's comments to CNET are sure to be a relief to Westworld fans who might be a bit confused at the moment. The sci-fi drama featured plenty of twists and turns, and sometimes requires viewers to embrace their ignorance. The series has been great about eventually answering the fandom's questions, although Westworld is definitely going at its own pace. The confirmation that The Park's secrets would eventually be revealed proves there's an end game in mind, and that the acclaimed series hopefully won't jump the shark anytime soon.
During Westworld's first season, there were a ton of questions about Dolores and the show's overall timeline. This confusion was eventually alleviated in the season finale, where it was revealed that William and the Man in Black were one in the same. Conversely, Lost had its series finale without answering all of the show's many questions. It's come out in the years following that Lost was stumbling through its seasons, without a concrete plan of action set.
Lost is available in its entirety on Hulu, and you can catch new episodes of Westworld Sundays on HBO. In the meantime, check out our summer premiere list to plan your next binge watch. Plus our Amazon premiere list and superhero premiere list to ensure you don't miss a single episode.
