Reception
Part one made a ratings record for a pilot episode, with 18.6 million viewers, and part two scored 10.5/17 on the Nielsen ratings, watched by 17 million viewers. Both parts were aired on the same night for its first UK broadcast on Channel 4, August 10, 2005, and it became an instant hit. It was the second most watched programme for Channel 4 for that week, with ratings of 6.75 million, second only to Big Brother.
Reviews were favorable upon release. IGN gave it a 10/10 score declaring that Lost "delivers on every promise it makes to its audience." In IGN's 2008 series of "Flashback Reviews", IGN's Chris Carabott changed the scores; he gave part one a 9.5/10, saying that the show's mysteries "would keep many of us captivated for the next four years"; he gave part two a 9/10, saying that "It really is a roller coaster of emotion and that sense of dread that sets in here is brilliantly portrayed." Entertainment Weekly gave an A stating that even non-science fiction and fantasy fans can like it, and USA Today gave it 4 stars praising the cast. The Futon Critic later chose the pilot as the fifth best TV episode of 2004. TV Guide ranked the episode No. 5 on its list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time".
At the 2005 Emmy Awards, J.J. Abrams won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the pilot, with Mary Jo Markey winning Outstanding Editing for a Drama Series, and additional nominations to Sound Editing and Writing for Drama Series. Casting director April Webster won an Artios Award for her work in the pilot. The pilot also won two Golden Reel Awards for Best Effects and Foley, and a VES Award for visual effects. The episode was also nominated for an Hugo Award and awards from the American Society of Cinematographers, Art Directors Guild and Directors Guild of America.
Read more about this topic: Pilot (Lost)
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