Damon Lindelof on the Original Three-Season Plan for 'Lost' and the Negotiation to End the Series

Damon Lindelof details the original three-season plan for the hit ABC series 'Lost,' and what the ultimate negotiations with the network to end the series.
Part of our exclusive Collider Connected interview, about Damon's career highlights, including 'The Leftovers' and 'Watchmen.’
#Lost #DamonLindelof #JJAbrams
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[@clauditorium]

When you consider everything the show runners were up against, it's a bloody miracle they accomplished as much as they did. People should be able to forgive a few missteps. The degree of difficulty here was sky-high.

[@MrFrankello]

No ibdont thinso Shut up fanboy

[@someguy42093]

But that ending was pretty much a giant middle finger to the audience.

[@danwats2380]

@@someguy42093if you think that they were dead the whole time then you’ve just completely not paid attention. There is literally a line where Christian tells Jack that everything that happened was real. If you can’t understand that then I don’t know what to tell you

[@robchuk4136]

"We're gonna have to take the boy."- "I was wrong."- "We have to go back!"- Each year L O S T had probably the best season finales I can remember. This show revitalized serialized Tv, popularized mainstream genre fare (with diverse ensembles), and was groundbreaking with the endgame format- that now everybody does. So much of the TV we love today owes alot to L O S T.

[@travisspazz1624]

I still remember my jaw literally dropping when he said "we're gonna have to take the boy". So deeply unsettling!

[@donbagert]

"Not Penny's Boat"

[@carybeweary7209]

"I think I crashed your plane!"

[@AlanHoey86]

“we have to move the island”

[@FringeMusic107]

The island: **bloop**

[@robotsex111]

Lost is my favorite show of all time. I'll never forget while I was in college we would have Lost watch parties every week and then discuss the show. It was amazing. Sure, the show had a little bit of a dip in quality in the beginning of the third season (which Damon addresses here), but once they committed to an ending, the show was fantastic again. The second half of the third season on was just incredible. And I love the ending, too. To this day, I have never cried so hard over a piece of media than when I cried during the finale. And that emotion is what makes Lost so special to me.

[@EB-bl6cc]

the last season (and parts of a couple other seasons) was very flawed but still in my top 3 shows for sure, for everything else it did so incredibly.

[@sidolanters1394]

Thank you! I love the ending too, and season 6 (unpopular opinion but idgaf) is incredible. It's my favorite season. Watched the show 5 times in its entirety and I will watch again. Best show ever.

[@mattstanislen3165]

what about that season 2 finale man.. SOO GOOD.

[@maddieowen6172]

I actually love the first part of the 3rd season. It showed us what the others were truly capable of and you got some really great acting from everyone. My favourite episode is season 3 episode 6!

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

The 2 shows that made me cry the most (at the finale) were Supernatural and Lost. Supernatural had 15 seasons so saying goodbye was incredibly difficult. Lost had a similar impact in 6. I didnt watch lost in real time or it might have been even worse.

[@muddi900]

'Season 4 was not that great' Have you guys not seen The Constant, one of the greatest episode of TV ever.

[@slow17motion]

You can pull out individual episodes that were good--or even great. However, every season got progressively worse. The first season was clearly the best. The final season was clearly the worst. However, the time travel stuff in season five gives season six and its pointless alternate universe/afterlife "flash sideways" a run for its money.

[@caloomface]

@@slow17motion that's just like... Your opinion.

[@quirk8841]

@@caloomface That opinion is shared by many people. Out of everyone I know that was watching _Lost,_ I was the only one who watched it all the way through. Everyone else gave up on it after season three because they felt it was a waste of time. After watching the show to its conclusion I can say they were correct.

[@DapperDano]

Quirk Nah

[@thefran901]

@@slow17motion Season 3 was better than season 2 though.

[@VinAbuqrq]

"I am not sorry for this. I am proud of this. I did not ask for six seasons, but it was given to me nonetheless. And with it, I did my best."

[@carybeweary7209]

Nice Mr Ecko reference!

[@chicagodino]

Watching the show as it aired , I was disappointed at the ending. But binge watching it over a few weeks I was floored on how good it was.

[@kenlieberman4215]

It was always hard to keep up with when it was airing There were alot of threads that you missed because of all the gaps, so t felt like there was much less there than there actaully was.

[@blarneystone38]

Totally agree and it really shows how ahead of its time Lost was. It came out before streaming was really a thing but it totally foresaw what the future of TV was going to be. It's much stronger as an experience if you sit down and watch the entire thing in a binge compared to watching it on TV one a week. Most popular streaming series today owe a huge debt to this series and what it accomplished.

[@tony.g20]

About to start my 11th rewatch soon

[@2WheelsTrav]

@@kenlieberman4215 exactly! That why i never finished it originally. But now that i own all the seasons and covid i just started watching last week. Just started season 2 tonight. So excited to see where it goes. Im totally in the dark lol

[@JediBob]

@@2WheelsTrav just curious did you finish LOST yet?

[@lizziebooth5397]

"You don't end shows people are watching" vs every British sitcom

[@SpudIllusionPictures]

Where are my fellow IT Crowd fans at

[@HardestManInTarot]

The Office British Episodes: 14 US Episodes: 210

[@pts5217]

Hardest Man In Tarot I feel like one of the only ppl to love the UK and US versions (although the US series shouldve ended after season 5). Its like a fancy meal at a 5 star restaurant vs a burger and shake from a great fast-food place. Both are great in their own ways. Similar but different.

[@jefflittle8913]

@@HardestManInTarot "The Office British Episodes: 14 US Episodes: 210" I think you either just proved that the British are more creative or that the British are less creative.

[@user-zd2kl9yg4v]

@@jefflittle8913 British create dozens of shows each 6-12 episodes, while american will milk one show until it dies.

[@TheKosiomm]

Lost is a True Miracle that would never happen again in a milion years. There is just too many unique ingredients in it that can't be repeated no matter what. It's like the energy from the sun, there is no substitute for it. All these actors, writers, directors, producers, cameras, music, all the people involved in it and all the chemistry between them makes this film so remarkable and unique and that's why i believe there is no way in milion years to watch anything with similar energy to Lost. It's just perfect team, perfect time, perfect execution.

[@teamgamers1250]

Melhor série da história, fabulosa e parece que Deus ajudou a fazê-la.

[@vasopel]

what are you talking about? that show was a waste of time, my friends were calling me stupid for only watching the recaps of seasons 3,4 and 5 and telling me that I was missing a lot of stuff, well I didn't miss anything! almost nothing was important, the whole series should have been 4 season tops! people like you are in denial, the show was a waste of time...

[@KingKeshane]

Yeah too great, from the score, to the literature references, to slow build ups, easter eggs, scientific/religious themes. It was a perfect storm

[@boussalembahaeddine815]

@@vasopel Then why are you watching this interview?

[@vasopel]

@@boussalembahaeddine815 youtube recommended the video.

[@slenderfoxx3797]

I still think all 6 seasons have their great moments and charm and mystery. Honestly season 6 is the only one that is fairly iffy. Season 4 and 5 were pretty solid but a lot of people didnt like how more focused on sci-fi it got.

[@wariolandgoldpiramid]

Season 5 is my favorite season. As for Season 6 - I loved it originally, but in retrospect, the island story was a bit too unfocused. Flash Sideways were amazing though.

[@brianlaudrupchannel]

The island story in season 6 is pretty poor

[@slenderfoxx3797]

@@wariolandgoldpiramid yes I enjoyed the flash sideways but some of Jacob and island stuff was a bit too abstract, unfocused or cheesy. They tried to explain the background of how some of these things came to be and it just didn't make sense and would have been better off as a unsolved mystery.

[@mixlexic]

Lost while not without its flaws is one of the greatest shows of the past 20 years. The characters and mysteries were utterly compelling.

[@j.m.w.5064]

The way it ends and the way nothing makes sense at all is the biggest letdown in television history. it's as worse as the GOTH finale. I would sign your statement for the first two or three seasons.

[@mattstanislen3165]

@@j.m.w.5064 Why didn't you like the ending and what specifically didn't make sense to you, maybe I can be of help?

[@Northbirdy]

You can't even remotely compare it to the utter shitshow that was the GOT finale. At least Lost had heart and respected its characters.

[@luciole4540]

@@j.m.w.5064 Did you understand the ending? The ending was perfect

[@j.m.w.5064]

@@luciole4540 Well, If you consider... several seasons of piling up unresolved mysteries just to cover them up with more mysteries, replacing characters whose stories went nowhere, a pointless parallel universe/ purgatory with a harbinger Desmond, halfbaked biblical references, inconsequential dark vs light metaphors, then retorting back to the first next best fan theory since season one and finally finishing off in a cheesy as f*** church scene the imagery of which had nothing to do with series at all yet attempts to backtrack the whole show as a quasi religious allegory of the shallowest kind.... if you consider that perfect, then there is absolutely nothing I can do for you. Apart from recommending to read and watch more approved classics - not out of snobbery and elitism but to realize that the sense and meaning provided by good writing does not stem from somebody claiming those things after the fact in order to hide the fact that they fucked up royally. Btw, if you enjoyed it, fine. Nothing wrong with that. Cheers.

[@EvanFowler]

This was pretty fascinating.

[@tfpp1]

I was already a massive LOST fan since the beginning and loyal to the end. But man, I have a whole new level of respect for the show runners. They really were like trend setters in this current age of television. Ending a show after the story is done, who knew! It's only natural that "in the beginning" this was gonna be a tough sell to shift an entire industry's way of thinking.

[@gateauxq4604]

Im so happy to hear this! Damon finally has enough industry credits that he can say this openly and not be concerned about being blacklisted. This sounds very accurate since season 4 and on was kinda similar to Supernatural post-season 5-the creators had satisfied their goals with their shows but the network wanted their cash cows. Thats the exact opposite of Game of Thrones lol 🤬

[@illyillyill]

When they started flashing sideways i knew something was up. lol It was the writers literally saying EF you to the producers. lol Supernatural literally became a Bible Story after a point, and it stayed that way for like 10 seasons. BUT i love Supernatural. because of the characters/actors.

[@quirk8841]

@@illyillyill _Supernatural_ is in no way a Bible story. lol. Although it does accurately represent Biblical angels as warriors and a separate species that humans do not become after death.

[@samanthab1923]

I'm glad he's admitting to something we all thought, but there are a lot of behind the scenes stuff that still goes unanswered.

[@LuisSierra42]

You say that HBO wanted to end GOT?

[@alexanderarea6157]

@@LuisSierra42 no showrunners. Hbo offered them more money to keep the show

[@afnanbogey]

Respect to Lindelof and crew for a watershed moment for tv and writers. The show wasnt perfect but it did its thing. I think a lot of modern quality shows with predetermined limited runs can thank Lost for the lessons it taught.

[@eon001]

Times like this I admire Nickelodeon's decision to end Avatar the Airbender after 3 amazing seasons. They could have dragged it out and watered down Aangs journey, but they ended on a perfect high note. They could have followed Avatars formula and do spin offs and back stories for different characters, but dragging out Jack's story was a bad idea.

[@nsetho]

Nickelodeon learned their lesson very early, it was a time when syndication was king so they requested episodes that people could watch without much context, enter The Great Divide which was the worst received episode because it did nothing for the overarching story. Luckily for them that was season one. Compared to Stranger in a Strange Land, which is LOST's worst received episode by fans for being inconsequential, which happened in season 3 and Damon's story makes a lot of sense.

[@Digger-Nick]

Avatar was so anti-climactic

[@erin_3569]

i would have liked a fourth season centered on Azula's redemption

[@LuisSierra42]

I would watch a show about the next avatar after Korra and the next and the next

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Gravity Falls was another great example. The Shows creator fought SO hard to not let Disney ruin this show by letting it run for too long but just for as long as the story was allowing to be. And now we have a nearly perfect completed show that can be seen as a modern classic and rightfully so.

[@jayreede6451]

Best television drama of all time. By far.

[@nabilbousabir6793]

I have yet to watch a show as brilliantly creative, philosophical and consistently captivating as Lost. By far THE BEST tv series of all time!

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

The Good Place is really really good. (It's not as ambitious as lost but it does have a lot of what you mentioned. It also has zero filler episdes and a fantastic arc.

[@YouTw1tFace]

Have you seen Lindelof’s other show called The Leftovers? It’s very philosophical and really good.

[@rickycouture7224]

I was extremely late to watching (and completing) Lost for the first time, primarily because of just how critical every single person I knew who had finished it was of the final seasons. As a series, Lost became synonymous with "sh*tty ending", which basically rendered even giving it a chance obsolete. I mean, why invest in a series that is unanimously regarded as disappointing? But I did finally give it a go, and did watch it until the very end, and Lo and Behold my final thoughts on the entire series were vastly different from the majority. I absolutely loved every minute of it, and I say that as someone who thoroughly gave up on watching the Walking Dead after the writing had gone down the toilet. I've given up on countless series over the years for a drop in quality, but Lost never made me feel the way that it seems to have made others feel. Does this mean that I don't understand why the first season is regarded as the greatest of them all? Definitely not! The first two were outstanding, and especially the first, but I can honestly say that I still love each season afterwards -- and could not be happier with the finale. I just got done re-watching the series just a few days ago for the second time, and even on the re-watch was expecting to like it far less than I did the first go around. Instead, though, I loved it even more. Even the parts I didn't like the first time were somehow less egregious on the re-watch, in large part because the character narratives still remained so compelling. IMO, though, a person's response to Lost comes down to this; Are you in it simply to uncover the mystery or are you in it for the journey? If you're a mystery person then you will inevitably be disappointed, but if you're a journey person then you will forgive every transgression the series makes from a mystery perspective for all that it offers as a character rich saga. Each time I've watched the finale, I balled like a baby. Not sure why, but I just did. There's something so rewarding about this group of people you've grown to love all coming to this place of peace as they enter death together, having faced so much hardship and confusion in the final years of their lives. The symbolism in that is so heavy, especially with the existential fears we all face as human beings. To connect with these characters and empathize with their emotions at the very end is nothing short of cathartic. It's what we would hope real death would be like; That we wouldn't be alone and that our own journey would not be in vain. Lost delivers so strongly in this area that I don't think I could ever not love it. How others respond to it is up to them, but for me there is just nothing else like it. It's a special series and I think those that are disappointed with it are really missing the bigger picture. Maybe it's because I've come so close to death a few times in my life, and am facing a terminal battle right now at the age of 32, but Lost's final message is a powerful one. At least in my eyes.

[@Tina-dg3tq]

Absolutely agree with you on all points! I had a similar experience with Lost and was also late to the party (watched it for the first time last summer) but I also loved it! Hands down the best writen characters I've ever seen! I'm not a mystery person so I didn't care that much about the plot holes but the human relationships and the journey every character was one (except Kate in S3 and 4 maybe) was fascinating and so well done! My favourite show!

[@Christopher-md7tf]

Props for this long, very well-written commment. You obviously seem to connect with the show and its themes on a deep, personal level. I wish you all the best. I don't know what battle you are facing exactly, but I'm rooting for you to overcome it!

[@caloomface]

You learned a valuable lesson in not opinion-adopting. I would say, however, that the majority didn't in fact dislike the last season/finale. The opinion went out there on Twitter, but you have to remember that Lost was the first show people took to social media about AS both the show and social media imploded in a new way. People just tacked onto the negativity because that's what people do. If you watch it for yourself, without preconceived hate, you'll always end up enjoying it, unless its just not your thing.

[@vasopel]

no you are all wrong, you just don't see it because you are very easily entertained, like...children.

[@rickycouture7224]

@@vasopel: It's amazing how quickly a person can expose their own narcissism! Perhaps you struggle uniting the emotional and creative parts of your brain with the parts responsible for deep critical thinking, but others may not. Just because a person reserves judgment for the sake of exploring complicated themes or ideas doesn't mean they can't think critically. Some nights I will literally spend listening to theoretical physicists give lectures on quantum entanglement on KZbin. Others I will read old essays by James Baldwin on the conditions of race and politics in America. Then when my brain is overloaded with things just at the edge of my comprehension, I will indulge in a television show that gives me a sense of mystery, hope and community. All these things, while very different, are in no way, shape or form mutually exclusive. Human beings, the well-adjusted ones at least, embrace all aspects of the human condition. Just because some of them happen to be imaginative or exist outside the boundaries of what we think is possible -- or even sensible -- doesn't mean that they don't offer something to us psychologically, or even intellectually. ... But hey, close yourself off from creative series and programs because they conflict with your ego if you so choose. If you have that much riding on how others perceive you, so be it! Just don't trick yourself into actually believing that this kind of approach to life is a healthy one, because it isn't. Human beings need some form of catharsis, otherwise we wind up aged and ignorant, and spiteful at those capable of expressing deeper emotions all because we refused to foster them while we still had them.

[@reinormand]

First 2 seasons of Lost were masterpieces

[@jayreede6451]

All 6 were

[@maulcs]

If only it had actually ended at 3, would have been so much better.

[@JediBob]

Personally think the whole show was great

[@andymaggie7137]

I have rewatched the entire series a couple of times. Yes there are some flaws. Some things never got addressed. However, the reason the show works so well is the characters. You get so invested in them. Rewatching only solidifies that point. You pick up so much more of the nuances that just come down to good writing.

[@hanburgundy4317]

I wish I could rewatch it - it was my favorite show of all time and I loved the characters, but to know that literally nothing they see or do matters or has any meaning and that it was all fabricated to keep you watching is a deal-breaker, for me. I don't care who the characters are if they're just gonna spend six seasons giving us hollow mysteries then throw them all together at the end with "magical brothers and a literal cork".

[@EB-bl6cc]

Yes this is why it's one of the best shows of all time. Character building that has rarely been matched.

[@brianlaudrupchannel]

​@@hanburgundy4317everything happened happened

[@bettersecret1499]

I just wanted to say that I have learned English because of Lost. I just couldn't wait months for the episodes to be translated and I also wanted to participate live in all the craziness going on like the dharma initiative. I started the second season with subtitles in my language, then the third season with English subtitles then no subtitles at all. People who are finding out about Lost now will never now how much fun and electric that period was, with websites and games and secrets and the all world playing and investigating at once. Unforgettable

[@Lost_theothers]

no way, this is totally me!!. I was 14 when lost aired and I just needed to understand what people was discussing on the forums so I watched the show with english subtitles at first and started to use the translator on the forums to learn new words. By the end pf season six I had friends all over the world, my english at school got better, I was able to have a conversation in english and I got to be one of the best students for that particular class. Philosophy class was my favorite too because I already knew all about the philosophers as Locke, Hume, etc. People now will never understand how this show affected us the fans who watched it between 2004-2010. All the craziness that involved the show and we invested a lot of time on it.

[@TheChrisHype]

Lost is my favorite TV show of all time. I followed it from beginning to end, and frankly, I think Season 5 is INCREDIBLY underrated. I’ve always been a “it’s the journey, not the destination” kind of guy, so if you take the show for more being about the experiences and less about being force fed answers, it’s amazing. Lost was never designed to be a show that’s wrapped up nicely in a bow, and that pissed a lot of people off, and those pissed off people kinda made the entire show become looked at poorly, and that’s a damn shame.

[@hanburgundy4317]

I'm the opposite - if the means don't justify the end, I don't like it. They made mysteries just for the sake of making mysteries; they kept you guessing to keep you watching, but none of the mysteries had any meaning in the long run - that, or the original meaning got lost along the way as they kept limping the show along. As someone who got reall, really into the mysteries, I was beyond let down to realize they meant nothing. To me, the show has zero re-watchability.

[@lordseaworth6055]

what do you expect from a show that got boring after season 2?

[@Pedro_The_Neco]

Season 5 is my favourite

[@jeffreyv8306]

Season 5 of Lost is my favorite season of any television show ever

[@mikieson]

best tv drama to have ever been on tv..LOST4LIFE!

[@maskelibalon]

Thank you Damon. You did your best means you did the one of the best show ever. Every season has its own beauty, even though my favourite one is season 2, without season 6 Lost might not be LOST for me. Thank you for the wonderfully great ending!

[@victorsixtythree]

OMG, I LOVE Lost and I've bee waiting for TEN YEARS for this interview. Ever since Lost ended I've been so curious to know how it came to be, how the writers came up with the whole story. Between what the writers wanted to do, what the network wanted, actors leaving the show, etc. I'm fascinated how it all came together as it did. Great interview!

[@caloomface]

You should absolutely watch Kevin Pollack with Damon Lidelof. It's a 2 hour talk and goes waaaay into detail on lost

[@victorsixtythree]

@@caloomface Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely check it out!

[@ahngulsib78]

TV is a fickle medium in which to tell a multi-season story. So much can change. We didn’t get Eko’s true story, but at the same time, if everything was planned to the smallest detail, we probably don’t get Ben. It’s gotten better with the 10-12 episode type seasons, but still a process. Lost was at the end and beginning of eras. Had some of the benefits, some of the downsides. Always wonder what Lost would’ve been on cable/streaming, 12 episodes per year. Is it better? Worse? Certainly different.

[@cobrakaiisback4709]

Michael Emerson was a fantastic addition and breathed new life into the show. So was elizabeth mitchell in season 3.

[@DanY-gx2dv]

LOST on cable was The Leftovers.

[@judithcardoso6682]

@@DanY-gx2dv And wasn't that sublime?

[@squamish4244]

Better. Way less need to stretch things out and tell meandering stories that leave all the unresolved plotlines that LOST did. Still room for new characters or plots if they arise. Generally just a lot less strain on writers.

[@EB-bl6cc]

I think better in some ways and worse in others. Seasons 1 and 2 if they were any shorter you would miss out on a lot of great world and character building. So that would suffer. I don't know that I would want to shorten those. But obviously 3 and onward needed to be more concise and planned. @cobrakailSBACK yeah elizabeth mitchell s3 was a good addition. What an opening scene to a season, by the way. Wow.

[@hamsandwichson]

Revenge of the Jedi poster. Noice.

[@qqqfuzion2582]

ooooooh nooice

[@LastBastian]

Have that one in my man cave aka: " nerd cave" lol

[@spacemansabs]

He’s got all three original posters on that wall

[@remchaill9898]

The fact that he thinks that's a movie poster worth owning explains a lot tbh lol

[@santishorts]

One of those posters was given as a present by JJ Abrams shortly after they first met (to work on the Lost pilot)

[@mulder006]

Even though I wanted more episodes from The Leftovers, it was perfect and ended just about as perfectly as a show can. I still love LOST. It was so new and intriguing. Almost every other day, I hear: "We have to go baaaack, Kate!"

[@rgr4929]

Thank you Damon for make my life happier! Each new LOST episode was such an experience and a rollercoaster of emotions I never had again. I have seen the whole show 8 times.

[@visitorzeta1669]

Honestly, I gave the show Lost a lot of flack for dragging stuff out and making it up as it went, but I have a new sense of respect for Damon Lindelof and the other writers of the show, who did want the show to end, but couldn't since the network was ultimately in control.

[@slow17motion]

They had a literal cork in an island preventing evil from spilling out. They are the worst.

[@hanburgundy4317]

The problem is that they set out to make a show - they didn't set out to tell a story. The story suffers because of this. They did a really good job with JJ's Mystery Box concept, but there was never anything inside so there's little reason to rewatch unless you just want to see the characters again. As much as I liked the characters, watching them do anything is meaningless, to me, because what they DO is meaningless. The show took a solid scifi premise and pivoted _hard_ into religious fantasy, throwing every mystery into the same pot of garbled stew that no one wanted to eat.

[@lordseaworth6055]

So some guy trying to shove the blame to the network gave you a new sense of respect? lol

[@visitorzeta1669]

@@lordseaworth6055 Yep, I have respect for him and all the writers of Lost. They were doing 22+ episodes a season for the first 3 seasons in a serialized format. Most shows nowadays are 10-13 episodes in this format. Some shows even struggle filling 13 episode seasons with enough story. Had the Network been able to let the show go and agree to end it after 4 seasons I think it would have worked better for the show's reputation in the long run. Did the show get absolutely ridiculous? Yep. Not denying that. As for Damon Lindelof, I feel he's proved himself as a strong, capable writer with his work outside of Lost. I thought The Leftovers was an amazing show, kind of underrated and I think a lot of people were put off by it since it involved him.

[@Cthulhu013]

The flashbacks definitely drag down some of season 3 early on. And yet, somehow it still all comes together in the end for an amazing finale leading into the twist flashforward.

[@jonthegeologist616]

I loved and still do love Lost But I feel bad for Damon Lindleloff, I feel like he let all the criticism get to him and he was being kind of hard on himself in this interview. Was the show perfect? No, there were things that could have been done better, but hindsight is 20/20 And I think the writers, and the cast did a great job and made a fantastic show

[@mxbravo3108]

I was completely out of the loop of Lost until after the fact. Luckily I wasn’t spoiled and got the complete box set to binge. I really enjoyed it and look forward to diving into it again in the future. Damon seems like a great guy and I am glad he got his deserved praise for Watchmen. He seems like a great guy, who works hard and truly cares about his stories. 👍

[@samanthab1923]

Didn't they cancel Watchmen?

[@marcusjensen7874]

@@samanthab1923 Watchmen finished its story with one season. HBO wanted to do more if Lindelof had more story to tell.

[@alexanderarea6157]

Damon's greatest work is the Leftovers. Watch it.

[@connor56347]

I 2nd Alexander's recommendation, The Leftovers is a modern masterpiece and is one of the best piece of television ever made.

[@mxbravo3108]

@@alexanderarea6157 ​@Connor Evans thanks, guys - I'm on it, it's awesome.

[@jal2550]

Lost is my favorite show of all time. ALL seasons were great!

[@winkiesdiner8238]

He’s so humble and yet so talented. He’s not talking about the end but I know he still defends it no matter what everybody thinks and that’s a great spirit.

[@jonathonvandenhombergh4684]

Isn’t that sort of the opposite of humility? If he defends the end no matter what everybody thinks, then he’s not humble enough to acknowledge that they might be right and he might be wrong.

[@winkiesdiner8238]

Loving or hating the end has nothing to do with being right or being wrong, an opinion is not true or false. Lindelof respects the different opinions about the end but he doesn’t have to apologize if you didn’t like it because that’s the end he wanted to make.

[@lwaves]

@@jonathonvandenhombergh4684 I don't believe the OP is saying he's humble because he defends the ending. They are two separate points being made. He's humble because of being willing to accept that they did make mistakes along the way. Lindelof defending the ending has nothing to do with humility, it's his opinion of it as the co-creator of that ending. As the OP said, there is no right or wrong here beyond personal opinion. It's also not 'no matter what everybody thinks', there are many, many people that liked and enjoyed the ending as well as those that didn't. It was very divisive and as the ending drew closer, the creators kept saying there was no way they could please everyone, no show ever does and it certainly wasn't going to be Lost.

[@ROArecords2]

@@lwaves Right, the ending was not "Game of Thrones" bad. In fact I liked the ending. The problem with people not liking it was that many people stopped watching several seasons earlier and then just watched the finale. To them, they didn't get answers and they didn't understand the ending. There are still a LOT of people who think they were in limbo the whole time which is not what happened.

[@ssl3546]

@@ROArecords2 I watched the show religiously during its original broadcast run, listened to the podcast and comiccon panels, and followed the show online. I was absolutely convinced that I was watching a sci-fi show about a mysterious island. Then the show ended with the whole cast in a church walking into the light. Turns out I was watching a tropical soap opera with religious overtones, where the creators were actively lying to the watchers to keep interest up. All the things I thought were entrees into an interesting story (e.g., the egyptian references) were just set dressing to make the island seem old and mysterious. All that is to say, thanks for putting words into my mouth, assclown.

[@vibesmom]

Personally I feel like you hit the perfect balance Damon. LOST was fantastic, one of my top 5 shows of all time.

[@Observette]

It’s still one of the top 3 best network shows of all time! One of the best shows in general.

[@jayreede6451]

It beats the living piss out of every painfully overrated cable drama borefest of the past decade

[@JamieBarrington]

LOST had its flaws, but it was still such an amazing show. Sure, the final season didn't answer all the questions the way most of us wanted, but it had so much heart. The finale was so beautiful and everytime I see it, it brings tears to my eyes.

[@lordseaworth6055]

It was one of the worst ending after two great first seasons that buildup. Then after season 2 it all started to go down. Every new season onwards was just more terrible then the previous..

[@brianlaudrupchannel]

Them first 6 episodes in season 3 are underated

[@illyillyill]

I've blamed them for years for what happened with Lost. I should have known it was studio execs that hurt the show horribly. It's the same with some movies that come out. (like the new Hellboy)

[@samanthab1923]

I still blame him. He took all the accolades, wants none of the blame. What about the writers strike?

[@fuzzymohawk478]

its always the execs, its not the creators

[@illyillyill]

@@samanthab1923 Yeah, and that Podcast they had talking about the secrets, and mysteries and fan theories was still an insult. They said for years that the island wasn't purgatory(which it wasn't, i know), and then they end the show in purgatory. The Video game Assassins Creed has a better explanation.

[@samanthab1923]

ILLAngel101 I rem

[@samanthab1923]

ILLAngel101 I remember a panel discussion they had with Stephen King. JJ was there also. Swore to him it wasn't Purgatory, I know it's the sideways episodes that are. Semantics. Also said they had the ending all figured out, unlike Twin Peaks. Lies!

[@max-fj7np]

Rewatching LOST for the first time 10 years later and it feels like such a different show now rather than when it aired on TV. Im able to watch episode after episode at my own leisure now, but back when it was on TV it was 1 episode a week with super long breaks at different points throughout the year. Episodes sort of blend together watching it on Hulu where originally my friends and I would talk about the show episode by episode every week as it aired and it felt almost more like an event when a new episode aired.

[@nuncaleite]

Lost ending of Season 3 "we have to go back" is the best season finale ever. I wish it ended there.

[@rockraven2159]

Yes. I was stunned, sitting there staring at the credits in awe. Like, did that just happen? Holy shit!

[@hanburgundy4317]

Honestly, knowing that none of it matters anyways, I agree. It's not like we ever got the answers we were promised.

[@mattstanislen3165]

@@hanburgundy4317 like what? most things were answered

[@hanburgundy4317]

@@mattstanislen3165 Walt's (and the other kids') powers, what Dharma and that black guy (been years, so I forget his name) wanted with Walt, why Dharma was training animals, the implied multiple smoke monsters occurring after pressing the button and being summoned, the circle of ash and the moving cabin, the ghosts, the giant green bird that yells "Hurley" - dude, there's dozens. I'd have to watch the show again to remember them all, but I'm so angry with how they took the series to ever give it another shot - especially after knowing that they just planned mysteries for the sake of JJ's mystery box bullshit to play the audience and none of it had any merit.

[@trollolkid]

@@hanburgundy4317 Most of those actually got answered. They fucked up with Walts story because they planned to do a lot with it but he grew up so fast they had to cut him out pretty much. I don't remember anything about multiple smoke monsters being summoned you might have mis remembered that. The circle of ash keeps the smoke monster out. The ghosts and the whispers are people who can't move on after death because of what they've done like Michael. I think the bird didn't actually say Hurley and was just a red herring. I'm pretty sure the animals thing got answered too in the epilogue episode but I can't remember what they said from the top of my head lol.

[@SergiMedina]

I LOVED every second of LOST and I still think it's the best TV show ever. Thanks.

[@erikfruits6733]

Damon mentioned something studio excecs get wrong. "why would we end a show people are watching" unless it is news programming or something similar no show can really last forever. I think it would be better if shows had planned ends and then new shows created with a tag line "from the creators of ________ (name of successful show)".

[@samanthab1923]

But there are very few hour dramas that are on for that long,

[@JohnDoe-sr3qz]

I now I am in the minority. But for me the series ended in a great way. It is a TV Series about a group of man and women, their past and there present. Not so much about the island. I am much into deep charackters and brilliant writing in that regard. In a way the island was just the perfect vehicle or medium for it. The last scene of Lost alone is priceles. The dialogue between Father and Sun, the connection between life and afterlife and suffer and salvation. Just brilliant. But maybe it´s because I am a man of faith.

[@theotang681]

i love lost. i love breaking bad. see you in another life brothers and sisters!!!

[@davidrich27]

Interesting to hear that. Even if all the "mystery boxes" weren't explained, I always thought that if they had just been rescued during the episode Charlie sacrificed himself would've been perfect.

[@Cthulhu013]

The mystery box was explained. It was mostly a metaphor to explain Jacob's will and power.

[@magnificcenTCG]

@@Cthulhu013 not just Jacob, the island's will itself, It's how Jacob get's his intuition from, similiar to how when Jack became the new Protector he immediately started to know things he didn't know before, like how to kill MIB, how to pass protectorship to Hurley, etc.

[@verinonrenthar9176]

Anyone who expects TV writers to plan out every single moment of an entire TV show before the pilot episode even airs are just plain ignorant, and clearly have never written out a dramatic story with a beginning, middle, and end before. The Lost writers had a vague plan for the major story beats of the show, and when you're not even sure your show is going to get cancelled or not, that's about the best you can hope for.

[@eeeezypeezy]

I'd put Lost up there with the original run of Twin Peaks as one of TV's great, flawed masterpieces. I'm loving all these recent reassessments of Lost and its legacy, makes me wonder if somewhere they're planning some kind of a return to that mythology. Twin Peaks: The Return showed that with an uncompromising vision from creators with clear ideas, it can be done and done beautifully.

[@nyonsmith6621]

Never knew Damon and Carlton's contract was only for 3 seasons. Interesting.

[@josephvanwyk2088]

Lost is one of thee best character studies in all of TV history. I do however think they could've redesigned the final season. I respect them trying to push the envelope with the flash-sideways, but it all came crashing down. Personally Lost ended for me when Jack closed his eyes, the rest after that is just null & void. Personally I would've wanted season 5 and 6 to play off in the 70s - that would've made perfect sense for the show to end.

[@MatiZ815]

Part of me wants to thank ABC because I love all 6 seasons and season 5 is my favorite season of television ever.

[@mannyverse6158]

Yeah season 4,5,6 are all rich with amazing content, so clearly abc knew they could push him to come up with stuff. Damon also ended watchmen. Damon I think is very very hard on himself, but when he's pushed, he can do it.

[@joshhunt4146]

Season 5 is fantastic. One of the most tightly written seasons of television. Every episode is important and the twists are insane

[@MatiZ815]

@@joshhunt4146 As if I was hearing myself.

[@slow17motion]

Jesus. There is something wrong with you. That is arguably the worst season.

[@slow17motion]

@@mannyverse6158 Watchman was an abortion, much like most of the stuff after season three of Lost.

[@hello50881]

I loved it to the end - started watching at 12yo when it came out

[@VARMOT123]

Lost is my all time favorite show. Such a great show .supernatural +science fiction

[@modernorpheus]

This is why the end of THE GOOD PLACE is so satisfying. They had a four-season plan, and they didn't do any more than that.

[@DaichiS4815162342]

Interestingly, The Good Place was heavily influenced by LOST.

[@themanwithoutaface2260]

I wish Lost would have never ended at all. Five thousand seasons would good, I think.

[@Tacochamp123]

It worked perfectly. I’ve watched it 4 times now. That’s about 450 hours of my life spent watching this show 😂

[@jimmybailey7198]

Bring up twin peaks as an influence on your mystery problem, no sarcasm the best answer I've ever heard, relatable. "Sorry my shit didn't resolve, my influences didn't resolve either lol" I love it lol

[@MichaelCharles2011]

Considering all the bs ABC placed on them, it’s a miracle the show works as well as it does. Still one of my favorites.

[@sarahnugent1702]

THANK GOD Damon and Carlton didn't leave after season 3

[@maximusaurelius9906]

Thanks. This interview helps to bring some clarity to some of the issues surrounding the production of Lost. I wonder why they couldn't simply walk away the way the show runners of Smallville or Supernatural did? Tell your story and get out. If the network execs want to keep going afterwards let them. Whether they sink or swim is up them and whoever they bring on to replace the original show runners. Lost still has one of the best first episodes of TV I've ever seen and some of the best first 2 or 3 seasons of TV out there.

[@Dagenspear]

The showrunners of Smallville, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, left in season 7. The show was run after that by other people.

[@alexandriaocasio-smollett5078]

What he’s describing about the strife/schism between the show runners/writers and studio/network executives, along the incredibly difficult and consequential issues that presents, is something Jerry Seinfeld talks about all the time in regards to when and how to end Seinfeld. It’s a fascinatingly multilayered/nuanced topic.

[@Jaqueli9er]

And I think it's amazing that we are still talking about Lost. Also makes me think if things are changing in the industry, especially when I look at Fleabag and how Phoebe Waller-Bridge accepted to do a 2nd season but said that that was it and that was it (and it was amazing and I don't feel like we need more, even tho Fleabag is amazing)

[@travisspazz1624]

Lost, The Leftovers, and Watchmen. Sorry, but Lindelof only does great finales!! One of my favorite television writers.

[@savage7ecneek437]

And Prometheus was pretty good.......I wish they kept going with that

[@jasondaly4922]

I respect your opinion, but I actively avoid anything with this guy's name tied to it. My absolute least favorite writer.

[@Neotoribaru]

@@jasondaly4922 Have you seen The Leftovers ?

[@Digger-Nick]

Watchmen was embarrassing and Lost had an awful ending. Is this a troll post?

[@jasondaly4922]

@@Neotoribaru I watched most of season 1. Felt a similar frustration I had with LOST, and only then learned who the writer was. Made a similar mistake with Watchmen, but only got 2 episodes in. Many like his writing. Many think it's absolute trash. To each their own.

[@frenchcoupon3391]

A genius screenwriter and show runner. Time will show, trust me.

[@lordseaworth6055]

lol. You must be living in a dream world.

[@johnchedsey1306]

I like how forthcoming he always seems to be in interviews either about Lost or other projects he's worked on. Plus he's not too proud to admit some of the mistakes they made with Lost. To be fair, a show with such a massive concept like that was going to have some troubles sticking the landing, so count me as one of the people who doesn't hate the ending. (Far better than how Star Trek Enterprise or Dexter ended)

[@ThereIsNoLord]

Fucking Dexter. What a train wreck.

[@Jasper118]

It’s amazing the execs didn’t absolutely didn’t destroy this show despite all their efforts

[@Derekivery]

Wow he's super honest, you don't hear that from Network people often, it's usually "Yeah that was the best thing every from beginning to end"

[@cobrakaiisback4709]

Lost reruns never worked because people would dvr the episode and watch it 3 or 4 times that week (at least a lot of the lost nerds on messageboards back in the day in which I was one of). Lost is a show that was made for binge watching in an era before binge watching became a thing. I think the season 3 finale at first i was pissed because great another jack flashback who gives a crap but I realized about 40 min into the episode before the episode ended wait a minute this is not a flashback this is a flash forward. I do not know how I figured it out but I could just tell certain things during the flash forward and of course when kate gets out that car at the end of the episode its like holy hell wow they had balls to do this (as in getting some of them off the island). This also created the who is in the casket subplot of season 4 and I was certain it was going to be Ben. The big flaw I still have with some lost writing is jack tells kate at end of season 3 a lot of bad stuff happened and its all my fault. Then when Locke gets off the island and goes to visit Jack I felt that whole story was just so rushed imo. It felt like the story was going thru the motions a bit. Also in season 3 when ben takes lock to meet jacob in some cabin in the woods or whatever you see a figure in old clothes briefly if you freeze your screen. Then later on they never really come out and explain that it was never jacob at all in that cabin but it was the man in black. Ben was getting orders from the man in black pretending to be jacob? Wtf was jacob doing on the island? Twiddling his freaking thumbs for years and scratching his ass? Well he was doing pretty much that when we finally see the man in black pay jacob a visit at end of season 5 thru impersonating locke. Then jacob basically says to ben I dare you to kill me or something to that affect not even trying to prevent his own death. It was as if jacob was bored out of his mind and was ready to die I guess. The supernatural stuff on lost was cool and interesting bu they clearly had no idea wtf they were doing in terms of the supernatural stuff. Also why do show runners who are making a show decide ok I have don a few seasons of this now time to go do another show. Especially with something special like lost why not stay and finish the job? You could literally do an entire ben focused season about how he became the leader of dharma from as a kid to how he rose up in the ranks. You could do a whole season of sawyer conning people off the island and I would watch that. Lost was built to have 3 or 4 fun spin off shows imo but the audience just grew tired of it as the season 1 season finale had like 22 million people i think watch it but the series finale only had 11 million people. Factor in the cost of the sets production costs expansive cast etc I dare say abc lost money on the final season. Anyways sorry for my long rant.

[@MikeHutnan]

Highly doubt ABC lost money on the final season. In addition to record breaking viewership numbers for the finale (some people literally just coming to see how it ends too); the ads were booked like they would be for the Superbowl. I get thay advertising for the final season costs a lot of dollars... but for what ABC charged for commercials just in the finale alone, I cannot fathom how it would have lost money between this and the higher viewership.

[@sihollett]

"Lost is a show that was made for binge watching in an era before binge watching became a thing." - if you could watch the next episode right away, rather than waiting a week, you wouldn't watch the episode multiple times a week to try and glean clues and so on. It worked really well as a weekly show - the suspense, the hunting, the shock when even all that meant you didn't get the twist. But because people had the space and time to come up with their own answers to the mystery box meant that the ending was always going to be controversial due to not living up to the stuff we'd all made up...

[@hanburgundy4317]

@@sihollett No, they literally made it up as they went; the whole Jacob and Smokey and the magical cork in the island shit was NOT planned from the beginning. They just used JJ Abram's "Mystery Box" concept and ran with it; there was never anything inside, but the boxes kept you watching to see what was and they kept adding new boxes. Eventually, as Damon mentioned, they all piled up and the pile was empty.

[@Romans8-9]

I agree with you about binging. The problem with Lost is that it doesn't really fit the TV format very well, that's why I think it hasn't done well syndicated on tv channels but probably has done better as a streamed show. For me personally, I gave up on it when it first aired on TV because you would get lost if you missed an episode but gave it a second chance by downloading it online after a friend said it was good. After that I only ever watched Lost by dvd or online download.

[@ZachBobBob]

Is there a full version of this somewhere?

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

And no, everyone did not die in the plane crash. It's easy to think that but I'm glad they didn't go that route. The writing on that show, even at its worse, was still so much better than just about anything else on television at the time.

[@johncaiwa]

Just before 7:56, he talks about ending the show at season 4. Getting off the island, etc. That explains the whole runway digging plot.

[@magnificcenTCG]

Runway digging plot? you mean in season 3 when Ben instructed the others to build the runway? yea, that was Jacob who passed off those instructions as he knew the runway was needed for the Ajira flight to land in season 5. Most of the show is a closed time loop, some of the losties on Ajira ended up in the past from that flight (Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid) and Jacob obviously knew about them being on the island in 1977. Because every thing needs to happen a certain way for these events to take place as it happened, basically everything that happened in s1 to s5 right up to incident needed to happened, as that incident was in part caused by the actions of the LOSTIES, and eventually it ends up being the swan station where the button needs to be pressed in the early seasons. Another random note about our losties having an impact on the past, when Sawyer holds onto the rope as Locke falls down the Well into the chamber to push the frozen wheel, sawyer is left holding that rope in his hands as they flashed to another point in time long in the past. The Well doesn't exist at time, and that rope is now stuck there in the ground forever starting at that point in time. When the Egyptians are on the island, that's how they find the pocket of energy in the first place, they wanted to know where the rope led to, so they dug.

[@everdash]

Greatest television show of all time.

[@tomfastic4]

I think they did a great job, even if they were stretching it out. Season 4 is my favorite, and I love all of the characters it introduced.

[@DanY-gx2dv]

I concur!

[@verihuskabogadi7968]

Lost is the greatest show ever!!! Love it! 🥰

[@lunedog794]

This is a bit of a cop out really from Damon. He’s blaming the network but in reality they were just making it up as they went along. Michael Emerson was only supposed to be in a few episodes, so the Benjamin Linus character was never planned. Don’t get me wrong, I do love Lost, and season 2 is the best TV I’ve ever seen, but it’s obvious they didn’t know where it was going. The Wire on the other hand ran for 5 seasons and each season was planned out from day one. So that proves that TV shows can work that way. For me, Lost would’ve been better without the time travel & moving island elements and without Jacob and the MIB characters. Those 2 characters were not needed at all. And by the way, I did love the “flash sideways” in season 6 and it pains me that some people didn’t understand it. Because that was what the show was really about: human connections. But all the stuff on the island in season 6 was just plain silly.

[@hanburgundy4317]

Exactly my problem: none of it made any sense. None of it mattered - the mysteries were just there to keep us watching and never had any real answer or connection. They also changed concepts; the smoke monster(s) (because yes, they were plural) were originally implied to have been the results of pressing the switch, releasing the built up energy etc. which is why Ben was able to "summon" one of them at will, why they made mechanical sounds, and why the energy fences worked to keep them out. Everything was implied to be about DHARMA and the island and Walt and the scifi aspects, but then they just threw all of that out the window and made up some fantasy religious crap to explain it all away. I loved the characters, but knowing that everything they did and saw had no meaning gives the show zero re-watchability.

[@c_huntermc]

@@hanburgundy4317 Yeah, so many of the explanations we finally got didn't make sense. Like, all of the ghosts on the island were just the man in black? Even if some of them seemed genuinely benevolent? And the whispers were just them hearing voices from events in the past?

[@isaiahthompson2134]

I think in general since a season of television should play out like a long movie with a contained and completed story/stories (and then connective tissue for the next season) ordering 20+ episodes where each is 40+ minute long for 1 season is laughably too much time to tell a cohesive story.

[@isaiahthompson2134]

Then add in the fact the episode lengths are inorganic because there has be sufficient commercial break time and you just have a disaster waiting to go wrong

[@lunedog794]

huntermc The whispers were people who died on the island but couldn’t yet “move on”. Michael explained that, although he died on the freighter; so that didn’t make any sense. The MIB being the ghosts was also massively flawed to me when they revealed the second John Locke body. I would go as far to say that was the dumbest thing in Lost full stop considering Jack’s dad’s body was never found and same with Mr Eko’s brother.

[@crayfishtelevision2894]

Netflix' "Dark" shows how to end a show on its highest success to become a legend. They could do more seasons but the creators always had three seasons in mind.

[@joshhunt4146]

It’s a different time now. If Dark had come out when Lost did and was as successful there is no way the network would let it go. Lost was the first show to actually schedule its end date. It just wasn’t done! So for Dark being so perfect and complete you have Lost to thank :)

[@dansanfrisco]

@@joshhunt4146 Incorrect. Netflix has stated due to data that their branded series will run 3-4 seasons and no more due to audience fatigue. Also there are quite a few shows that ended before a network cancellation due to creators (or actors) wanting to end the series. A few off the top of my head are MASH 1972, Cheers (due to star Danson) 1982, Seinfeld 1989 and Breaking Bad 2008. These shows ended when they were still popular with viewers and when most serials longevity were based purely on ratings and ad dollars before the internet blew up. Also the LOST creators did not have a plan from the beginning as they stated previously since Lindelof in this interview just said during season 3 is when they got a "general" idea of how to end the core six storyline. They were making it up as they went along like most.

[@joshhunt4146]

Dan Frisco okay it was maybe not the first every show to do it but it definitely was one of them. Maybe the first show to schedule its end date a few years in advance at least. I didn’t know that about Netflix tho so that’s interesting :) and Lindeloff said that they were talking of the ending when they were doing the pilot. They had it in mind but how they got there was up to them. There is no such thing as a show that has everything planned out from the beginning. Just doesn’t happen like that

[@diegoadriandlc5273]

@@joshhunt4146 The number 3 was relevant for the show and also the director said that was the initial plan.

[@quirk8841]

@@joshhunt4146 _Bablyon 5_ (1993 - 1998) was planned out from the beginning. The writer came up with a story for 1,000 years previous to the first episode, and 1,000 years past the final episode.

[@carybeweary7209]

Damn,Damon loves Twin Peaks? Awesome! I love Lost and Twin Peaks!

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

Now, Netflix actually makes shows more to this type of formula (planned to be only about 4 seasons or whatever), so they can create shows with the end game in mind. The Good Place is a fantastic example of this.

[@xtremegt2]

I could only imagine how great a 4 season run would’ve been with the pivotal moments of 4-5-6 all happening during season 4. Damn.

[@elliest55]

See, whenever I describe The Leftovers to people I say it's "everything LOST would have been if it had been done right" and it's clear to me that this brilliant - from start to finish - series is the work of people (Lindelof primarily) who have learned from past mistakes. I'm glad this interview confirms my thoughts.

[@Spermofdog]

I've had exactly the same thoughts. Everything about The Leftovers made me wanting to vomit: from Damon Lindelof as showrunner to the typical JJ Abrams-style plot about mysterious event that changed lives of many people (Flashforward, Revolution and several other shows with the same premise). But then someone on Twitter wrote that The Leftovers is the best TV show right now (it was during season 2) and I've waited a whole year to watch three seasons without interuptions. While first season was pretty difficult to watch because of the misery porn tonality, the show was trying to find it's identity and shaping it's characters, seasons 2 and 3 felt exactly like you said - like it's Lost done right. The most surprising for me was the conscious/subconscious metanarrative about all these shows with mysterious events at the center of the plot - like people really want to know what is the answer, but they really don't want to know at the same time. Mystery excites you, stimulates your imagination, gives you food for thoughts, the answer just makes you forget about the mystery at the same second you get it (basically it's what David Lynch said about revealing the mystery of Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks). And The Leftovers just doesn't give you answers and it felt great! Feeling like your are losing your mind simultaneously with the characters is precious and makes you like them even more. Watching Lost after season 3 was like "they have no idea what they are doing but I'll watch it so I know how it ends" and watching The Leftovers after season 1 is like "I have no idea what they are doing, but I want it to continue".

[@EB-bl6cc]

Lost does a lot of things better than The Leftovers, though. More interesting plotlines, better variety in tone, better action, better mystery. More entertaining and easier to watch, for sure. Watching Leftovers was like "hey let me take my medicine, and eventually it will be good" whereas Lost you wanted to watch. Leftovers does have some great aspects to it, though, if you can stick around.

[@Romans8-9]

​@@EB-bl6ccI agree. The cast of Leftovers just can't Lost and Lost has infinite rewatchability.

[@janickna]

I remember rumblings when the season 5 finale was nearing that the final surprise of the show was going to be them ending an entire season early. Still wish it had happened that way. They could have just ended the s5 finale with the first few minutes if s6 and it. would. have. been. Perfect. Change my mind.

[@bobmorr2892]

It's the greatest TV show ever made. Thank goodness we got six seasons, I wish we had 10 or more. During the last season ABC kept running promos saying we're going to get the answers. But there are numerous things that were never answered but that's okay. The problem was the network promising something that going to happen. I've watched the entire series seven times so far. The best stories the best love affairs the best characters the most characters the greatest music of any TV show by far the most beautiful sets the most interesting stories the best sci-fi the best mysteries the greatest back stories of all time the most diverse cast. My wife and I cried and laughed dozens and dozens of times. Almost threw up a couple of times especially when Ana Lucia and Libby were shot. I could go on and on and on. The greatest drama Lost, the greatest sitcom Seinfeld have made the bar very very high and several shows have tried to reach it but they haven't. Game of Thrones was really trying but they really choked at the end. The last season was a catastrophe.

[@Carlixyz]

Now this is a real answer, no mistery hook bullshit.

[@RobbyHuang]

Thank you for doing this! Really wanted to know the backstory about this for years

[@joeloguirato7012]

Was there more to this interview it feels like there was more??

[@kristofferrosvall8709]

I'm surprised so many in the comments are surprised by what Lindelof tells here. It was years ago he told the story about the studio not wanting to end Lost and that they had to stretch the story in a way that affected the quality. He also said he and Cuse were ready to leave at the end of season 3 but when the 6 seasons deal was made they agreed to stay. He did go into a bit more of detail here but nothing that changes my perception of the making of Lost.

[@lordseaworth6055]

He's just trying to shove the blame to someone else. Season 1 & 2 were fine. Since season 3 it was going on a horrible path.

[@nj9766]

Such a great interview! Love Damon’s insight!

[@fuzzyvisions]

Awesome interview. I loved LOST

[@yajisc]

I am happy they went for more than 3 seasons because may favorite episode is in season 4, The Constant

[@grimmsolo]

Just another example of studios and networks getting in the way of a great story.

[@George-nx8zu]

I vaguely remember news about the show runners negotiating after Season 3. I thought the negotiation was over money, but Damon's explanation makes way more sense. It sounds like ABC wanted to turn Lost into Grey's Anatomy, basically run it dry for three hundred episodes until there was no life in the show left and then syndicate it.

[@TJMalana]

They tried to pull that same thing when “Desperate Housewives” was still on the air. The creator Marc Cherry had plans to end it after season 7 but the Network wanted more seasons and negotiate for 9 however it didn’t work out the way they wanted and decided to end the show after season 8. The theme of this entire problem is greed.

[@JeremyDuncan]

Many people give the second half of the show a lot of crap, but I loved it. True, My first experience with lost was glances of the second season because i went to wednesday night church, but the first time lost interested me was the season 4 finale when Ben moved the island. I was CAPTIVATED. Great stuff.

[@jasonreynolds6643]

loved every season

[@troubleondemand7703]

I WANT MOAR

[@colleenmahony8803]

I felt that the writers' strike was a much bigger contributer to the end of the show than they are letting on here. It really interrupted the flow, and there was so much confusion.

[@FullTiltClownShoes]

love seeing new Lost content

[@klausgartenstiel4586]

reflective "return of the jedi" picture frame in the back added some unexpected "depth" to the interview. i love it.

[@BreMue]

Revenge of the Jedi - even more impressive

[@Selahsmum]

I think Damon is a little hard on the show. I was a fan then, I've rewatched it several times, and I think it was great all the way throughout. I liked the evolving flashbacks. There were a few stinker episodes, like Jack's Tattoo, and the last season's flash sideways had a disappointing resolution, overall the show was great. One of the best things ever on the small screen.

[@mutantdog.]

I've since grown to really appreciate Damon's style through Leftovers and Watchmen. He's far more about the mystery than the explanation and I think he's really worked out how to get that across in a way that leaves satisfaction in not knowing and not really needing to know. Unfortnately for Lost that just wasn't the case back then, nor was it the right sort of show to attempt such a thing. The first season was genuinely great TV and i think limiting it to 3 or 4 could have worked better but there were some really bad ideas as it progressed (killing Locke off in the way they did was just lame) and that final "save the island" arc seemed like the most generic way to end a show that had inspired such creative speculation among fans. Damon's a great writer when given full creative control but Lost wasn't that show and, given some of his other early writing credits, i'm not sure he was really ready back then to attempt some of the more ambitious aspects that came to define the shows strengths and its failings.

[@rxtsec1]

My favorite show