Lost or Battlestar Galactica?

[Syrus614]

Wow really hard decision. I just got into BSG and bought the complete set last weekend. The show is great I'm currently only on season 2 though, so I dont know anything past that point. Now Lost on the other hand, I bought the complete set day 1 and had already been a fan of the show. I really like all the seasons (even the last couple) and the finale satisfied me (but not everyone). I have already watched all 6 seasons on blu and probably will again sometime in the next year. BSG so far seems to be the same kind of addictive series, if it continues that way this really is a toss up. If I had to decide between the two I think I would get Lost. Because there where 2 more seasons of Lost and that means there is more content, the BSG set does include 4 seasons and 2 movies though (but Lost is also more expensive). Also they both look great on blu, but Lost looks amazing on my set up. It all really comes down to what you are into more, a space military drama or castaways on a mysterious island (for lack of a better desciption). IMO get Lost but you cant really go wrong with either.

[Kyo28]

Short answer: get both!

Seriously, I've watched and bought both complete series and the writing in both is so strong, so character-driven, that I can't choose one over the other. Just save up and get both!

[BillieCassin]

LOST.

I like both, but LOST has a lot more re-watchability, and the packaging is way way cooler.

I don't have the Lost box set as I had all the seasons already, but although I watched all of BSG last year, I just didn't feel the need to own them and Netflixed them all.

I can't ever see myself rewatching BSG more than maybe once again, but LOST is like Buffy to me where I see something new every time, and I whip them out every year or so to rewatch.

As to the quality of the shows, both have reps of being "bad" sometime in the middle, I like most of Lost (although I would have done the last season differently), and the "bad" parts in Season 3 are only really a couple of unnecessary episodes (Locke as the grower, Jack's Asian affair) but by the end of the season the end-game is completely set up.

BSG, I get why people lost it in the middle - it does certainly become a different kind of show, but I still enjoyed it (though I went out of my way to watch a few of the "webisodes" that weren't on one of the releases, and I thought they were really unnecessary and didn't really add anything to the show. But again, I just don't think there are as many clever/hidden things in BSG as there are a show like LOST, so I would definitely go with LOST as it's just such a rewatchable show.

[Alpha]

Yeah, um...

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[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by Syrus614

Also they both look great on blu, but Lost looks amazing on my set up.

If that's a factor, then LOST all the way.

LOST is probably one of the three best looking things on Blu. I think a lot of it is the color - so many lush greens and deep blues on the Island. It's not often when I am watching something I just go, "Wow", but I wouldn't hesitate to use the word "breathtaking" when describing how it looks.

BSG looks great, but with all the digital noise (which they point out is how it was intended), I just don't get the "WOW" that I do on LOST. In fact, Netflix hadn't gotten one of the middle seasons on Blu yet when I was doing the series last year, and I ended up watching it on DVD instead for Season 3 I believe - and I could tell, but it wasn't THAT much different.

[Jacob6875]

I would vote for Battlestar Galactica. I sat down and watched the first 6 or 7 episodes of LOST one weekend and just couldn't get into it. I am currently watching BSG for the 4th time.


But I am a big fan of science fiction series based in space so you might like LOST more.

[oldgame]

I loved both. But go with Babylon 5.

[P@t_Mtl]

Yeah, Battlestar Galactica is a geek show full of fanboys because Lost sure is not full of fanboys who just can't see how truly bad it is

[KORIN]

Originally Posted by aporter727

I was completely sucked into the LOST hype train for quite some time. In my opinion the quality of the show gradually goes downhill starting with season 3. It completely fell short in many respects, and lost it's bearings when they introduced a buttload of unsolvable mysteries and characters that had no relevance.

I haven't seen a single episode of Battlestar Galatica, but I've heard it get praise from a lot of people. I've always wanted to get into the show, but can't manage it with all the new stuff that's on now.

I'd suggest, if you have Netflix, to check out the rest of LOST through that. I was able to stream it through my Xbox 360/PS3 in HD, and they had all the seasons with all the episodes. If you turn out to have a different opinion than mine, I'd purchase the boxset.

BSG for the reasons listed above by APORTER

[Wayfarer]

I love both dearly, but Lost is my all time favorite show.

The characters make the show what it is, despite everyone getting up in arms about the mysteries and the ending.

Don't get me wrong, the mysteries and the mythos behind the Island are definitely awesome and addicting, but the triumphs and tragedies of the characters are what won me over.

I'm a grown man, but no other show has made me cry as much as Lost does: the ending of Walkabout, pretty much every slow mo music montage, The Constant, the finale and so many others are just emotionally epic. Lost (and BSG) just has so much humanity and emotion it it.

[nametag]

BSG for me, without a doubt. I saw up to half way through season 3 and lost interest with Lost. Most people think that its first 2 seasons were the best, but for me they were merely watchable and on a completely different level to BSG. BSG had way more interesting ideas, characters, and was for more engaging. Lost always just seemed like 'lets make something weird happen for the sake of it and the audience will go WOWW THAT'S SO WEEIRD AND COOOL'. I found most of the characters irritating and the flashbacks tiring.

I'm not saying BSG was perfect, and there were obviously times when the showrunners wrote themselves into corners, but I feel like in doing so they did way more interesting and exciting stuff which was fueled by ideas as opposed to shock-value. But hey, I suppose I personally just find the concept(s) of BSG inherently more interesting than Lost's.

I won't comment on Lost's ending, as I haven't seen it, but I think criticism of BSGs as

[Show spoiler]religious/spiritual/leaving some things ambiguous is ridiculous since those themes and aspects were in the show from the very beginning and work within its context, regardless of what people think about religion in our world.

I'm not sure it's fair to say Lost would just appeal to more people though, it's just as much of a sci-fi as BSG even if it doesn't have the same sort of typical sci-fi tropes at the start. It was on ABC so of course it would have gotten higher ratings...

[mport5150]

I loved both Lost and BSG but if given Sodium pentathol I would say BSG was the better of the two series....

[Psychonaut]

Bsg!!

[Gamma_Winstead]

BSG is my alltime favorite show. So... That one!

[dag]

Originally Posted by oldgame

I loved both. But go with Babylon 5.

Babylon 5 was truly a great show!

Battlestar Galactica is a critically acclaimed series - powerful storytelling, hugely relevant and contemporary, deeply respectful of its audience. You MUST buy BSG!!

[JediFonger]

BSG by a long shot. Lost is a night-time soap disguised as a SciFi whatever. BSG is the real deal SciFi drama that paks a punch.

[Blu-ray1]

Thanks for the input guys. I've just ordered BSG the complete series. It should arrive tomorrow, can't wait . I'll get Lost when i've got enough.

[Kainefu]

Wow I can't believe anyone would think BSG was even close to Lost. The concepts, the writing, the acting, direction, the picture quality, the soundtrack...in every possible area it out distances BSG. I thought it was a fine show, but I thought the acting and writing were a bit sloppy on a regular basis, but I figured that's why it was on SciFi. I mean if you want straight up Sci Fi, yeah go BSG,but if you want in my opinion the greatest show of all time you gots to get Lost.

[JediFonger]

i assume you've seen both entirely (as i have). don't rag on shows you haven't seen.

[nametag]

Originally Posted by Kainefu

Wow I can't believe anyone would think BSG was even close to Lost. The concepts, the writing, the acting, direction, the picture quality, the soundtrack...in every possible area it out distances BSG. I thought it was a fine show, but I thought the acting and writing were a bit sloppy on a regular basis, but I figured that's why it was on SciFi. I mean if you want straight up Sci Fi, yeah go BSG,but if you want in my opinion the greatest show of all time you gots to get Lost.

I agree with everything you said if you replace every time you said 'Lost' with 'BSG' and vice versa (apart from picture quality which I wouldn't judge a show for...)

I don't think Lost was driven by many ideas other than a desire to fool the audience into thinking it was really deep. Perhaps I should watch more than half of it, but lots of people seem to tell me it was at its best in the first couple of seasons - is that not the common consensus? Is the latter half better?