The Future of Lost

This weekend, at the Television Critics Association tour, the Powers that Be (Lost producers Damon Lindeloff and Carlton Cuse) again brought up their hopes that Lost will be given a definite endpoint in the not too distant future, allowing the writers a roadmap to avoid the appearance of creative stall while they wonder how long they have to string out their master plan. Unlike prior such comments, which seemed to be an attempt to rally the public behind the idea of a firm end date, now the network has gotten involved and a decision seems likely to come soon. As reported by Entertainment Weekly:

"ABC confirmed that discussions were ongoing, but nothing has been finalized. Obviously, a lot rides on the strength of the net's current crop of shows and whether its 2007-08 dramas can someday take the place of a strong performer like Lost, which remains ABC's third-most-watched drama behind Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy. Lindelof has said he hopes Lost will sunset after 100 episodes (they're producing No. 62 now). 'We look at The X-Files as a bit of a cautionary tale,' adds Cuse. 'That was a great show that probably ran two seasons too long. Lost has a much shorter shelf life.'

Meanwhile, it appears likely that ABC will avoid rerun breaks next season and run back-to-back episodes of Lost in either the fall or spring of 2008. The network had considered running the current season without an (interminable) down period over the holidays, but it needed the show in the September to launch The Nine, which bowed with critical acclaim but still faltered in the ratings. (Ultimately The Nine was yanked and canceled after 13 episodes, some of which have yet to air). 'Now our Sundays and Thursdays are really strong, so we'll run 22 straight through either in the fall or the spring,' said ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson."

So at some point next year (either from May 2007 to January 2008 or from February 2009 to September 2009), we'll have a very long Lost break, but, a la 24, it won't be midseason. You can read EW's full coverage by clicking on the title to this post.

My take? As much as I love Lost, this is a good thing. A story is only as good as its ending. If the Powers that Be can determine when that ending will come, they can more effectively pace the plot points and big reveals to get to their rumored pre-planned finale. I'll miss Lost when it's gone (my guess would be after Season 6, in a compromise with the network, but the writers seem to prefer Season 5 for the finale), but better to have it end well than run too long.

Of course, given the scope of the mythology and the world-shaping nature of the Dharma Initiative and the Hanso Foundation (not to mention the Lost Experience, which in story time takes place two years after the crash of flight 815), I see no reason the Powers that Be couldn't work in a jump-off point for some sort of spin-off...