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'Lost' vs 'Earth 2' - ripoff or coincidence?

posted 18 years ago by bnotvik
71 replies | jump to latest

I've posted this on the "Lost"-message board as well, but chances are greater that readers of this board have watched "Earth 2". I've watched the whole season of "Earth 2" and I've noticed a lot of similarities with "Lost". Here's what they have in common:

A sci-fi series about a group of people who crashlands on strange, deserted place.

Less than 50 survivors, men and women of different ages and ethnicities, focus on 10-12 main characters.

The season begins with a double episode about the crash, then episodes told from each of the main characters' point of view.

We gradually learn more about the main characters' past as the story progresses.

One of the central themes in the series is redemption/second chances.

A male survivor dies a few days after the crash.

Another male member of the group who has been sick/disabled suddenly gets well and is able to walk again.

One of the main characters is a doctor who is at odds with a character played by Terry O'Quinn.

Another main character is a military handyman with long, curly hair.

There's a single parent who has a son with mystical powers tied to the strange place they're in.

There's a married couple who fight all the time, one of them is from the upper class and one from the lower class.
(The man also has a difficult relationship with his father-in-law.)

They set up camp at a place where they find two human skeletons.

A woman has transmitted a message in a loop for approximately the last 20 years.

They encounter a crazy person with long frizzy hair who has been alone the past 15-16 years.

The survivors were spread out during the crash and they discover fellow passengers who've landed other places.

They encounter another group of wild, murdeous people who have been stranded on the place a long time.

There are mysterious monsters and one of the survivors has a special connection with them.

Something about the place they're in causes strange dreams/hallucinations.

[–] mhoden 18 years ago

You may be on to something! I love "Lost" but never thought about this until today.

[–] thepriddler 18 years ago

I love both E2 and Lost. I haven't seen E2 since it aired, so I hadn't remembered the details. Its no wonder I watch lost.

I think more people should know how close the 2 shows are.
You are totaly onto somthing.

[–] kritterkeeper 18 years ago

You are right, there are a lot of similarities. Has anyone checked to see if any of the writers on lOST were on Earth 2?

Frankly, I think Earth 2's story lines are done much better. The LOST writers seem to think they need to keep inventing riddles with no answers to keep the viewers hooked. I think it's a shame the network that first showed Earth 2 placed it opposite XFiles in an attempt to dethrone XFiles.

I am also disgusted with ABC/LOST for doing re-runs as often as they do, and act like they're doing the viewer a favor doing it. Season one their excuse was A. ABC originally signed up for 13 episodes, so they had to re-run while they wrote new ones. and B. They re-ran to catch the newer "fans" up with what is going on.

So far they haven't offered any excuse for not running more than 4 new episodes in a row.

I think Earth 2 needed a better FX department, and a smarter network and it could have gone for a good 7 years.

There was no good reason for Voyager to last more than 1/2 a season. But it ran on Paramount Network. And it was a Paramount production.

[–] ARH 18 years ago

"Frankly, I think Earth 2's story lines are done much better. The LOST writers seem to think they need to keep inventing riddles with no answers to keep the viewers hooked. I think it's a shame the network that first showed Earth 2 placed it opposite XFiles in an attempt to dethrone XFiles."

TV networks in all their infinate wisdom think that's a good way to "poach" viewers rather than build an audience for their show.

After Earth 2 was cancelled Debrah Farentino appeared in a great crime drama called "EZ Streets" and CBS put it againse Law & Order to attract their viewers!

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] thepriddler 18 years ago

Started watching Earth 2 again... great show... slightly cheesy, but none the less classy in its own way

[–] duden1983 18 years ago

my parents bought this season DVD just before christmas, and I started watching it now that I've been home for christmas break, and the first thing I thought was that there were many similiarities, and I'm glad I'm not the only one!

I'me not halfway through the season though, and as I progress through the episodes I remember bits and parts of the series (I watched it on SKY ONE when it originally aired there many years ago, when I was 10-12 years old and watched with my parents!)

c",)

[–] kornkid36 18 years ago

I used to love Earth 2 and recently decided to rent the DVDs to re-watch the show. As I started watching I started noticing the similarities to Lost as well. I looked to see if the creators or writers were the same for both shows, but they are not. It is crazy how similar the shows are. In addition to the list above, both shows have beginings starting with "Previously on... (Lost/Earth 2)."

[–] IdigN1 17 years ago

My first message in imdb.com. There really are many similarities between the two shows. And I've got two more. Clancy Brown who plays Danziger (Earth 2) and Kelvin (Lost). Also both shows have the same looking grey-haired man with an eye-patch.

[–] idliketothank41 16 years ago

Okay I just found this and wondering what the Lost fans, who might have read this on the Lost message board, thought. But the Lost board has more topics being dicussed and while there are about 40 pages worth of discussion, they only go back to Nov 2007. Since this was originally posted in 2005 on this board I'm assuming it was posted on the Lost board in 2005 also. So there no way for me to find out what they of these coincidences and I was really interested to see if the rabid Lost fans were insulted that anyone could imply Lost was a ripoff. Does anyone who read this when was orginally posted know what said over on the Lost messge board?

[–] kritterkeeper 14 years ago

The most important difference between the two is that Earth 2 didn't get bogged down the soap opera of who is the frail gonna f$$% this week. Also, writers didn't punish characters for getting romantic by killing off the women who were involved in romance.

Earth 2 wound up a story line each episode, while continuing the main story line of how the people were going about surviving on their planet. They didn't have unsolved mysteries either.

I have no idea why Earth 2 was cancelled. I can't remember if who ever ran it did it to knock out "XFiles" or not. American Gothic failed because of that.

I didn't like all the hype connected with LOST. It was ridiculous.

[–] laurealinde 18 years ago

"Another main character is a military handyman with long, curly hair." - Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! But Danziger's not a military man.

I'll admit, when I got the boxed set, one of the first thoughts I had was, "Wow...This has a lot of similarities to Lost" (I hadn't come up with nearly such an exhaustive list as you) "I bet Earth 2 would have a better shot at making it if it aired today."

As for the comment about NBC possibly picking this show up again, I don't think we can go back. You'd seriously have to redo the entire series; you couldn't just pick up with season 2 with new people--or, almost worse yet, the same ones who'd mysteriously aged 10+ years.

[–] leclerc-patrick 18 years ago

I just wanted to inform you all about a new discovery I made that includes another similarity between the two shows, however, this could just be a wild coincidence.

As most of you may have realised, the "excavation vehicle" used in Earth 2 was a fictional large red Hummer (You can't miss it, both the car and logo are huge), though what makes this relevant is when you look at Lost when there is a flashback of Hurley...

...And you realise he's driving a Hummer with his aunt!

Again this could just be a wild coincidence.

[–] Zaxzar 18 years ago

Yes, too much for a coincidence. I noticed the similarites before I re-watched Earth 2. Also, I know this was mentioned but not in this exact way: Child who is special (or has special powers) kidnapped in both shows.

[–] Zaxzar 18 years ago

Also another similarity between Yale and Locke. Yale is sort of healed while on the planet. He regains his pre-cyborg human memory and relizes he's not a criminal. Locke is healed while on the island. He regains use of his legs and thinks he's realizing his destiny.

[–] information_police 18 years ago

And "Yale" is a company that makes Lock(e)s!

[–] gregbarnes 9 years ago

Touche!

[–] webmaster-1205 18 years ago

I just checked out Clancy Brown's official website (www.clancybrown.com) He's doing a guest appearance on Lost soon. Maybe he can rig them up a solar powered boat and they can get off the island? Naaaah.

[–] psychomahfocka 18 years ago

Can't believe no ones mentioned that the actor who plays Locke (Terry O'Quinn) is actully on Earth 2 for several episodes... the episodes where Dr. Heller is reporting back to the council her contact is O'quinn..

[–] SoloFlyer 18 years ago

I noticed that one right away. Locke looks so much younger in Earth2. I think he looks much cooler on LOST though. It doest seem a bit strange seeing him in this...

SoloFlyer

http://www.coolmunity.com

[–] leclerc-patrick 18 years ago

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to inform you that I found yet another resemblance (or coincidence depending on your point of view). First off, for those who watch LOST, you would probably be able to recall one of "The Others" that claimed to be Ethan Rom* from Ontario that later went to kidnap Claire, the pregnant woman (some of you may have realised that his name is an acronyme for "Other Man"). I was on my way to downloading the Season 2 promo and decided to read some information on the Season 2 cancellation.(http://www.earth2tv.com/information/secondseason.html)
It was then that I realised this following paragraph of the planned changes for the season:

"A new, teenage cyborg - named Rom* - would be introduced to take Yale's place. He would be a troublemaker, and lead True and Uly into all kinds of mischief. Shades of Wesley Crusher and Lucas Wolenczak."