Day Break premieres tonight on ABC at 9PM, with the unenviable task of replacing Lost. Starring Taye Diggs, Day Break has the same plot as "Groundhog Day", only if Bill Murray had to keep Andie McDowell from dying instead of making himself a better person. The reviews for Day Break have been okay, nothing special, but the promos have looked pretty interesting. If anything, Diggs is a quality actor who seems like the right guy for the "My girlfriend keeps dying and I'm waking up to the same day but I have to remain strong and figure out what the hell is going on" character. To me, the real question here is "Does it matter what show replaces Lost?" I'm not sure it does, especially given the special circumstances of Lost's hiatus.
I love the idea behind ABC's move. Day Break's story has been constructed to last only thirteen episodes and will wrap up nicely right in time for Lost's return. As far as I know, this is unprecedented. ABC has given viewers a specific time slot that, by the end of the year, will produce 35 original episodes of television. Crazy, right? Unfortunately, I don't think anyone will be watching Day Break. Not because of a lack of quality (we don't know how good it will be), but because no one wants to make a thirteen week investment to an unproven show. Yes, networks have begun airing shows in unbroken runs, unhindered by weeks of reruns, with good results. But, networks only do this with established hits like 24 and Lost. It has not yet been attempted with a brand-new program. Lost fans, if they want to watch Day Break, have this decision to make: "Do I want to make a 13-week commitment to Day Break, knowing that I'm already going to commit to the sixteen straight weeks of Lost when it returns?" That's 29 weeks of having to be at your television on Wednesday nights. ABC had a good idea with what to do in Lost's hiatus, but success may not be forthcoming. But it's not Day Break's fault. Mostly, Lost is to blame. It's just too good. -Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer