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Library/Series/Lost
Grade B25 sourcesHIS-01437

Lost

Series · 2004 · Notable

49Editable slideCertificate

Lost drew 18.65 million viewers to its ABC debut as fans decoded its mysteries online.

Trailer · Hulu on YouTube
Lost key art: the cast arranged around the LOST title
ABC / Touchstone Television (Disney)
The Lost title card, white letters on black
Kizar / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
Clues from The Lost Experience, the show's 2006 alternate reality game
Alexandra Jugovic / Hi-ReS!
Hurley, Sawyer and Kate on the island in a still from the series
The Hollywood Reporter
Matthew Fox at the Lost panel at Comic-Con, 2008
Ewen Roberts

Spread Score

How it works
ReachNo data yetContagion35Breadth60Velocity0Longevity10049

Numbers

Peak proxy date
Week of May 24, 2010
Jul 24 ’04 to Week of May 24, 2010
Platforms
5
Started on TV
Leverage
3.7×
$29.5M on $5M–$8M media spend

Mechanics

  • Mystery & lorePrimary
  • Fandom mobilisation
  • Platform jump
  • Controversy

How it spread

Trace the origin

ABC promoted Lost into a broadcast hit. Fans built theory sites and recaps; ABC added downloads, streams and an ARG. DVD purchases followed, the finale divided fans, and the series later returned to streaming charts.

Proxy date; not a directly measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Google searchesSep ’03Sep ’04Jun ’05OctJun ’06Jul ’07Nov ’08Feb ’10Feb ’13Aug ’17Jan ’22Apr ’25Peak proxyTVPressOpen webRetailYouTube
TVPressOpen webRetailYouTube

13 more events on this chart

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Timeline (16)

  1. July 2004

    ABC / Comic-Con International seed · Jul 24 ’04

    ABC previewed the Lost pilot for the public at San Diego Comic-Con.[1][2]

    Lost key art: the cast arranged around the LOST title
    Open the first post ↗

  2. September 2004

    ABC commercial · Sep 22 ’04

    Lost debuted on ABC to 18.65 million viewers after a campaign that bought cable, print and outdoor media.[3][4]

  3. Variety press · Sep 23 ’04

    Variety reported that Lost gave ABC its largest drama debut audience since Murder One.[3]

  1. platform jump · May 5 ’05

  2. commercial · Aug 10 ’05

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Why it worked

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Origin
Mixed
Sector
Entertainment
Region
US
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade B

Spread the same way

Series · Audio · 201442

Serial (podcast)

This American Life / WBEZ at launch; The New York Times since 2020

Serial became the fastest podcast to reach 5m iTunes downloads and streams.

Peaked at #1

1 / 8

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New cases, every week

How the next thing spread, the week it does.