Naveen Ponders Drop In Ratings

By ROBIN BROWNFIELD
Source: SciFiWire
Mar-28-2007

Was it the odd scheduling of episodes, or the change in start time to 10 p.m., the reason ratings have dropped for "Lost"?

Naveen Andrews, who plays Sayid on ABC's hit series, told SciFi Wire that he believes the network may be considering a later start for the fourth season, which would begin in January and run straight without a break, as has been done with "Alias" in the past, and Fox's "24."

"I believe that's the plan," Andrews said in a new interview.

In the current season, "Lost" premiered in the fall, but then ran for only six weeks before taking a 13-week hiatus and finally returning with new episodes in February. While the show continues to draw in viewers, it lost a significant chunk of its audience in that time.

"Lost" also moved to a later timeslot, Wednesdays at 10 p.m., which may have been a factor in losing a significant portion of its audience.

"I think they should make it sort of like what it was before," Andrews said. "I liked it when it started a little bit earlier, because a lot of the audience are kids, aren't they? I thought, 'Hmm.'"

ABC recently announced that it was renewing "Lost" for another season, but has not mentioned start dates or timeslots.

Another factor that some fans of the show attribute to the loss of viewers has been the lack of stories about characters other than Jack, Kate and Sawyer. The charismatic former Iraqi intelligence officer, Sayid, has barely been featured in the third season. "It would be nice if he were seen a bit more," Andrews said. "That's a start.

"I loved the first season," continued Andrews. "Now I'm really proud of it, and I put it up there with the work that I'm most proud of, and we'll always have it. They can't ever take it away. It'll always be there. And, you know, I'm not a writer. It's their choice to do what they want to with that show, and they will."

In addition to appearing on "Lost," Andrews can soon be seen in the sci-fi/horror movie, "Grindhouse," opening in theatres April 6.

"Lost" airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET. on ABC.

http://www.syfyportal.com/news423466.html

Hmm, he doesn't sound entirely pleased, still, he's been in it more recently, suppose it shows he cares about it anyway, if he's complaining!

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