# Lost

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

- Owner: ABC / Touchstone Television (Disney)
- Kind: Series
- Sector: Entertainment
- Seed date: 2004-07-24
- Peak proxy date: Week of May 24, 2010
- Date basis: Proxy date; not a directly measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 49 (Notable, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Mystery & lore, Fandom mobilisation, Platform jump, Controversy

## Summary

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.

## Timeline

- 2004-07-24 — ABC / Comic-Con International (TV) — ABC previewed the Lost pilot for the public at San Diego Comic-Con.
- 2004-09-22 — ABC (TV) — Lost debuted on ABC to 18.65 million viewers after a campaign that bought cable, print and outdoor media.
- 2004-09-23 — Variety (Press) — Variety reported that Lost gave ABC its largest drama debut audience since Murder One.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/lost-tv-series

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Lost.” Case HIS-01437. Spread Score v1.3: 49/100. Updated 2026-10-23. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01437