NBC Battles for Former Lost Fans with Persons Unknown

There are many fans of Lost out there still debating the series finale and wondering what they are going to do to fill their time now that their favorite series is over. Networks of all kinds and in all places are now feverishly trying to convince those fans that they have something they will love. So far, the wannabes have been disappointing to say the least. The list of dead and dying series that have attempted to be the next Lost is growing almost daily.

NBC, however, seems to have reached a concept that might work. On June 8 they debuted a mini-series that will run all summer long called Persons Unknown. The ads have already positioned it as the anti-Lost by stating that "by the end of the summer all of the answers will be revealed." In short, you Lost fans who were disillusioned by the nebulous and confusing events that ended the series you loved so much will have as much fun here and not be so frustrated.

The concept is very simple. A group of people who seem to have no affiliation with each other are all kidnapped. When the series opens we are following the beautiful young mother and her cute-as-a-button toddler. Suddenly the mother is knocked unconscious and dragged off, leaving her fragile daughter wondering where mommy went.

She awakens in what appears to be a hotel room. The door is locked. Then she hears voices and realizes she is not alone. More importantly, someone knocks on the door and tells her there is a key in the bible that unlocks the doors. Slowly, eventually, the rest of the cast appears. All of them were taken from their normal lives and all of them seem to have pretty normal lives. One is a business man. Another is wearing a military uniform. Another is wearing a bathrobe and seems like she was taken in her sleep. What is going on?

To fans of the 1960s BBC series The Prisoner, there are things here that will seem startlingly familiar. For example, when the cast members exit the hotel and find themselves in what seems like a small village. There is a gazebo in the middle of the town square. There is a Chinese restaurant. There is a clothing shop. There is a hardware store. There is a sheriff's office with old typewriters and phones that don't work.

Then, when the hostages try to leave they suddenly fall unconscious. A closer inspection shows that each of them has something implanted under their skin on the backs of their thighs. If they try to leave, a release of chemicals knocks them out.

Well, all of that is very intriguing. It is very mysterious. It raises a lot of questions. But is it any good?

Well, the first thing to realize is that this is NOT Lost. The writing and characters are nowhere near as intense or interesting as those from that show. However, if every show that proposes to bring a little bit of mystery and intrigue has to be compared to that show, there will never be another show that anyone who enjoys that in their shows will want to watch again.

The first show does what a first show should do. It establishes the premise. It establishes the mystery and the intrigue. It then leaves you wanting more. What more could you ask for? Has it been done better? Probably. But this is summer we are talking about and that is a period filled with mostly reality shows and leftover junk that the networks hope might get a few ratings points if they bury it in the summer.

All in all Persons Unknown seems like an interesting show and worth checking out. The good thing about it being only on for the summer means it gives you something to watch without wasting a huge amount of your time. It has the potential to truly become something memorable and remarkable. They have set up the base coat nicely with the first episode. Now they need to pay off and pay off well.