Re-watching the first few episodes of Lost, I realize again what makes a good TV show is more even than well-considered dialogue or plot, at least for me: it must spend time with its characters.

Not in the sense of even the direct interactions of the characters, or even the time spent on screen, but how the director holds the shot to reveal crucial information.

Too many directors, perhaps raised on the hyperactive jump-cut MTV video culture, cut the shot much too soon. That rarely happens in Lost. There is always some little flourish or grace note that reveals facets of a character that would be omitted from most TV shows and movies.

Being that it pervades each episode of the show through multiple directors, this must have been a diktat from the producers or show-runners.

And it really works. Lost would not have been really as good or as compelling without this. It’s one of the reasons Lost feels like Lost.

In many parts, it’s more like a play than a movie or show. It has such a different atmosphere for just this reason.