WOULD IT WORK TODAY?

Could LOST be sold to network television today?

Maybe. JJ Abrams still gets his shows picked up off the pilot heap each year.

Science Fiction TV-shows airing in 2013 as well as those in pre-production:

Warehouse 13.
This show starring Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelley is well into its fourth season but critics find the plots and characters muddled and uninspired so the series limps along.

Person of Interest.
Critics have found some upside to the stories of Mr. Reese (James Caviezel) and Mr. Finch (Michael Emerson) when they contrast the realism and action sequences to that of other sci-fi efforts such as Alphas or Revolution. However, the science fiction elements are thin and inconsistent to be a solid sci-fi show.

Continuum.
Some critics believe the only current  hard-core Science Fiction series airing at the moment is Continuum. It’s relatively short first season was tightly written though it had a hard time deciding whether it would be procedural in nature akin to Person of Interest or more of a serial drama such as Revolution as a mixture of  Sliders and Total Recall.

Revolution.
Expectations for this series was high, but  it's plot has been weak, its mythology underdeveloped and its characters bland. Former LOST cast member Elizabeth Mitchell plays Rachel Matheson whose character has changed from damsel in distress to a harder, action figure.  Abrams is the producer of the series, but  it has no resemblance to Lost when it comes to the quality of narrative or driving story lines.

Tron: Uprising.
This anime show on Disney XD  has good overall quality  but the ratings have been quite abysmal. The criticism is that episodes tend to  jump the shark to keep the action going.

Haven.
Haven is more of a ‘supernatural’ show than science fiction, an issue that most networks consider to be the same type show/audience. BBC America has its own show called  ‘Supernatural.’  Haven has a lot of mystery and mythology building behind which was thematic of LOST. But again, the series fails to connect any dots or explain itself in a coherent fashion.

Dr Who.
Dr. Who is the longest running science fiction series in television history. This season marks the 50th Anniversary. As a British show, it's American revival on BBC America has drawn in the Comic-con crowd into the stable mythology of the show about the last Time Lord saving planets and species from disasters and monsters. For fans of the series, it is the British cousin to Star Trek series.

There are other shows on the fringe of pure sci-fi, including Fringe, Arrow, Orphan Black, Being Human and other Abrams projects such as Defiance and Human.

The problem with selling a long serial science fiction series is that viewers are less and less engaged in viewing series as a collective fan base. They have shorter attention spans. The internet, tablet games, web surfing, on-line gaming and texting divert attention required to really watch and digest complex shows (with highly theoretical elements such as quantum physics, time travel, etc) such as LOST. In this weakened attention span of viewers, many networks (including SyFy) have defaulted to the reality show format. One, it is cheaper to produce. Two, people seem to like one shot episodes that have resolution at the end so they don't have to be lost if they miss an episode or two in a season.

The other alternative/fad in the entertainment industry is the franchise brand. Networks are more comfortable throwing out a series based on something well known like a famous comic character or old movie (such as Tron or Star Wars) because their is an audience that may gravitate toward it based upon past experience. Most of these reboots are weaker, diluted creative projects but that is the standard for most television series.

Further, the changing dynamic of how people consume their entertainment (video streaming, binge viewing, time shifting DVR) makes it difficult for a network to commitment a series for several seasons. Network executives are shuffled in and out of power more quickly these days. Project loyalty is tenuous at times.

So if LOST was pitched as a Survivor Meets Science Fiction Mystery series today, I don't know if it would get green lighted since so many current science fiction programs fail to deliver the basic solid sci-fi story telling that most fans of Twilight Zone, Star Trek, etc. are used to and expect. Sci-fi shows historically have a lower viewer base than a regular sit-com. It is a tougher sell even if the market is trending toward fantasy super hero franchises. And even if the first season was made today, I don't know if new fans would have the time and energy to make it into a cultural icon.