According to him, talk about the final of the project sounded even during the creation of the pilot episode. Channel Abc I wanted to know the authors’ future plans, trying to understand what they would do when they revealed all the secrets presented.
Lindelof explained that in this case, the scriptwriters will add new secrets as the story progresses. Now he admits that they were not able to maintain the right balance, so the riddles of the series literally began to interfere with each other.
However, the company itself was to blame, as Lindelof and screenwriter Carlton Cuse wanted to complete the series in the third season.
We told them: “The answers to these questions will be in the first season, others will be revealed by the end of the second season, and after the third year the show should end.”
Damon Lindelof
Representatives of ABC did not like this idea.
“Why do you want to end the series? Why end the series that is actively watched?”
Abc
After completing work on the second season, the authors again began negotiations with ABC and even intended to leave the project in case the channel did not want to complete the series after the third season.
At this point, new screenwriters had already begun working on Lost, to whom, according to Lindelof, it was possible, in which case, to transfer the reins of government. They planned to make such a candidate Jeff Pinkerwho worked on “Spy” – by the time this series was over, and its audience partially “flowed” to the ABC project.
Already at that time, Lindelof and Cuse saw potential problems with a large number of flashbacks in the series.
Flashbacks are running out. You can do about three stories about Jack’s self-destruction and drunkenness, Charlie’s relapse or Kate’s escape from the marshal chasing her.
Damon Lindelof
But in total, the first flashback is intended to tell about the hero, while the rest are already repeating the idea somewhat. Therefore, the scriptwriters tried to introduce new characters with different stories – but people were interested in the fate of the old ones.
We saw a plan for eight chess moves forward, and its ending was not positive. But the representatives of the studio did not agree with us.
Damon Lindelof
After the third season was divided into two parts and the first six episodes were aired, the ABC finally saw that the plot was starting to have problems, as the authors warned.
And the studio finally agreed to complete the project. True, the proposal turned out to be a trick.
I told the ABC president: “Thank you. This is the best development for the series.”
And he replied: “We were thinking about 10 seasons.”
Damon Lindelof
According to Lindelof, such a proposal was still felt like they didn’t want to complete their series – after all, not every one of them lives up to such indicators. By the third season, the scriptwriters hoped that they would be able to complete the story in the fourth, because they knew the fate of the main characters.
They had to leave the island, spend an unhappy life outside its shores, and then return to the finals. But it was not there.
And they are: “How about nine seasons?”
Damon Lindelof
As a result, the parties agreed to six, reducing the total number of episodes – as much as a result, the project went on.
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