Lost Update – Strike Controversy

Lost Update Season IV 12/20/2007

With the Hollywood writers strike still going on, (Talks have broken off and no further talks are scheduled in the near future) how will this affect the ABC series Lost and how will the network present the show for it’s fourth season?Initially, Lost was to air the first week of February and run 16 consecutive weeks finishing up at the end of May 2008 right before the Summer hiatus. With the strike halting all productions, when they return to work, will the production company have enough time to complete all 16 episodes?

The producers took a calculated risk early last year revealing that Lost will extend for a 4th, 5th, and 6th season airing 16 episodes per season for a total of 48 episodes remaining. No Lost reruns in the Summer or Fall lineup made it very difficult for viewers to get caught up and maintain interest in one of ABC’s most popular programs.

Rumor has it that only eight episodes are completed. If the writers do not return in time, will ABC shelf Lost for the season, or air the eight episodes completed and add the last eight to the 2009 schedule making 24 episodes instead of 16, or hope for the best that the writers return on time?

Every scenario has it’s pitfalls. If only eight episodes are shown in 2008, there will be no season finale, and whatever steam the first eight episodes created, will be lost, (Pardon the pun) leaving the viewers even more angry than they are now.

If they scrap the entire season and extend Lost through 2011, new contracts will need to be drawn up for the cast and crew. several key actors may be forced to leave due to future commitments. Not to mention that not a single episode of Lost would be seen for 21 months. That’s a long time to continue a series that is built on prior episodes to make sense.

If the writers strike continues for 60 more days, the next episode of Lost will be aired in February of 2009 which is 21 months in between the season three finale.

A huge mistake on ABC’s part. Huge. Almost as big as trusting Ben to do the right thing.

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