“All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues”

Abstract

Moving from discussion of larger programmatic patters to analysis of specific televisions shows and subgenres, Chapter Four focuses on the social commentary present in ABC's Lost (2004-2010). This essay looks specifically at the way this program reflects the changing status of fathers and authority figures in the 21st century. Given that over sixty episodes were devoted to damaged or deceased dads, this chapter analyzes the ways in which the Lost's parent-child relationships comment on shifting conceptions of masculinity and, on a more metaphoric level, the eroding faith in governmental father figures in the era of the (endless) war on terror.