Co-creators Damon Lindelof and J. J. Abrams from ABC’s “”Lost”” set a new precedent last year when they unleashed its “”Lost Experience”” to the public. Not knowing how much frenzy it would actually cause among its audience, it has proved to be one of the largest and most elaborate marketing campaigns, consisting of millions of participants across the globe.

“”Heroes”” eventually launched its own “”Heroes Experience,”” which has done just as well. But it now seems that many spectators in this multimedia collaboration have taken it a step further and believe the two shows may be related.

It all started with a fake TV commercial. The Hanso Foundation, the fictional company featured on “”Lost,”” aired its own pseudo-commercial directing fans to the company’s Web site. Fans would then begin their long journey into the underground story narrative that would eventually emerge.

The search consisted of text messaging services, downloadable videos, books, magazines, Web pages and everything else in between. Fans, in essence, got a chance to be involved in the show in a way that would change the way television is viewed.

After the triumph of this multimedia campaign, other shows began to follow this example, the biggest and most victorious one since “”Lost”” being “”Heroes.”” Viewers of the superhero drama were likewise directed to the Web site of a paper company featured on the show. In this interactive story, the user applies for a job and awaits contact via cell phone, but fans know the paper company on the show is not really a paper company, but rather a secret organization that serves a purpose, which is still unclear.

With two shows enshrouded in so much mystery and enrapturing fantasy, it seems reasonable that fans of both would like to see the two merge. According to some, there is already proof.

On “”Lost,”” nothing is really known about the island except that it is special in certain ways. On “”Heroes,”” it is not really known what the goal of the aforementioned paper company is or how the heroes got their powers. But supposedly, Nathan Petrelli made a link during episode 11 of “”Heroes”” between the shows with a statement regarding the threat of people finding out about their powers: “”they could round us all up and stick us in a lab on some island.””

After this, the TiVo-crazed screen-captioning fans who loved to take clips out of “”Lost”” and analyze each frame began to do the same in full force on “”Heroes.”” They came up with some more evidence, too. Or so they think.

A sun catcher seen depicted in the background of a trailer in “”Heroes”” is also seen in a torture video on “”Lost.”” Similarly, Hiro is seen holding a pamphlet for Gannon Car Rentals on “”Heroes,”” and an identical one appears with Hurley on “”Lost.”” Is the evidence circumstantial, or is there any truth to it?

The shows’ producers had some things to say. It wouldn’t shake a fan’s belief in the theory even if its creator told him it wasn’t true, but Carlton Cuse, executive producer for “”Lost,”” made an interesting observation to the Boston Globe.

When it comes to clearing things for legal use on the show, it was learned after the show’s creation that Oceanic Airlines, the name of the airline the plane crash survivors were flying, was also unknowingly featured in the movie “”Executive Decision”” with Kurt Russell. Does this mean the world of “”Executive Decision”” must occur in the same world as “”Lost?”” It’s a huge leap.

The shows do have a bit of a history, though. “”Heroes”” creator Tim Kring worked with Damon Lindelof on “”Crossing Jordan”” for two years before Lindelof was asked to meet with Abrams about a new show involving a plane crashing on a mysterious island. Kring was very excited and helped Lindelof get started. In a similar fashion, Kring approached Lindelof some years later to exchange ideas for his new show about people with super powers.

So it’s not as if the two shows have different roots. But even if the writers like the idea, that doesn’t change the fact they are on two separate networks, are owned by two separate studios and have their own mass of lawyers. Hurdling the red tape for a crossover of this magnitude would be unbelievably difficult.

But as Kring noted in a Boston Globe article, “”if we could convince them to do it, we’d do it.”” Alas, there is hope for some.