'Lost' may have sparked growth of sci-fi shows

"I don't want to sort of wax philosophical on why people are sort of looking for these kinds of shows for some kind of cathartic experience, but I think we have a lot of questions about the world in which we live," Tassler said. "I think that there are a lot of interesting ideas and metaphors explored in 'Threshold.' And I think it's a way for us to perhaps work out some anxieties that we may have, project certain things onto the show. But I think we are at a point in time where people are interested and curious about, and perhaps even confronting, some of their fears."

"We're living in an aftermath world," Cassidy said. "When I was a kid, the big, scary monster was the bomb's going to come and that's going to be the end, and the bomb didn't come. And very, very, very terrible tragedies have come, and there hasn't been a rulebook for the aftermath."

Cassidy would only say, "maybe" that played a part when he was creating "Invasion." "That may have been something that was in my subconscious when I was working on it. It may explain why there are more shows that are in the genre arena this season.

"But, again, I think the hard-and-fast answer is because 'Lost' is a hit."

IMITATION MAY BE the sincerest form of television, as Fred Allen once said, but it's not necessarily the quickest road to success. Just because new shows are patterned on a hit doesn't mean they'll also be hits.

"I think there is a danger, when shows succeed, that people start to try to pick them apart and find out the secret to them," McPherson said. "And the fact is that a lot of it is lightning in a bottle. It's a combination of a multitude of elements."

"People make the mistake on 'Lost' of saying, 'Oh, it's a sci-fi show, so we'll do sci-fi rip-offs,' " he added. "I think at the heart of 'Lost' is great character work" — something he believe 'Invasion' also has. It's not about scary creatures. It really is about the human condition. . . . And, to me, that's what people come back to television for."

CBS's Tassler said she's "very excited" about both her sci-fi/fantasy shows, "But I think it's ultimately about the production value (and) the relatability of the characters."

AND JUST BECAUSE there are a lot of sci-fi/fantasy shows on the networks' schedules right now doesn't mean that will be the case in a few months (or even a few weeks).

"Ultimately, the best shows will survive," said "Threshold" executive producer David Heyman. "Ultimately, the audience will decide that. Clearly, all four or five, however many there are, won't survive. And our challenge is just to make the very best show that we can."

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