Is NBC's 'Revolution' a worthy successor to 'Lost'?

NBC's upcoming fall debut "Revolution" has more than a few things in common with "Lost." Like the now-ended ABC cult favorite, "Revolution" is executive produced by J.J. Abrams. It also co-stars "Lost" alumna Elizabeth Mitchell (who will be taking over a role played by Andrea Roth in the pilot -- in fact, she starts pilot re-shoots on Wednesday (July 25)). And, well, it's a genre show involving a plucky band of survivors on a quest.

So when Zap2it sat down with "Revolution" creator Eric Kripke at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, question No. 1 was obviously, "Is this the show that 'Lost' fans have been waiting for? (Because "Alcatraz" -- the last best hope -- wasn't.)

Kripke's response: "I hope so."

And what right-minded showrunner wouldn't want a rabid fan base?

"J.J. and those guys arguably created the gold standard in ensemble genre series and you know it's very useful to sit with them in the development of the project and series and really hear the insider view of what worked with 'Lost,'" Kripke tells Zap2it. "But at the end of the day, though, it's something that seems self-evident -- so many genre shows aren't successful because they don't put the character first. It seems simple, but many genre shows don't do it."

And true -- "Lost" did do that. We cared about Juliet (Mitchell's character) and Jack and Sawyer and even Kate and the long-awaited (and possibly over-hyped) finale provided emotional closure for fans in the form of character arcs being tied off and tears (because who didn't cry when Vincent licked Jack's face?). But the mythology of "Lost" -- not so much. Many "Lost" faithful still consider the shows deeper mysteries unsolved. It turns out they were so mysterious that answers eluded even the writers' room.

"I think genre audiences are some of the greatest, most passionate intelligent audiences and they challenge you," says Kripke.

And that's why he won't make the same mistake.

"What I have is the answer to all the questions and I know where the show goes," he says. "I have first season mapped out, some really solid game plan for season 2 and notions for season 3. And all of it god willing -- knock on wood -- in the sense that it all comes to a head and what that looks like."

But is Kripke just saying that because to not say it would be, you know, far too Lindelof-ian an answer? Maybe not...

"My own particular taste as a showrunner is that I don't like mysteries without answers," he says. "I don't like stories without knowing how they end. I think if an audience is going to make an investment in a series and take an hour out of their busy week to watch this story, we have an obligation as storytellers to know where it's going and not make it up as we go."

Which is why viewers may just like where "Revolution" is going.