I came up with what I think is the perfect analogy for the six seasons of Lost.

It's the plot of one episode that's in just about every family/teen based sitcom ever... You remember the one. That one episode where <the kid> wants the popular kid to come to his birthday party, so he lies and says that <insert cool band name here> will be at his birthday party... and the popular kid believes him and is excited to come to the party, and then the whole school hears about the <cool band>. The day of the birthday party comes up and <the kid> starts to freak out, because everyone will know he's a liar. Instead, he gets his older brother's garage band to make an appearance and maybe people will be pretty happy with that... And then the birthday party happens and <cool band> is nowhere to be seen. Everyone gets upset and goes from thinking that <the kid> is the coolest person at school to thinking that they are the most full of crap person at school.

That is what the show Lost now is to me.