The Most Influential Show That Changed Modern TV Was Canceled After The Pilot
Lost just celebrated its 20th anniversary, and series writer and showrunner Damon Lindelof recently sat down with the Television Academy to discuss the revolutionary series that changed TV. Reminiscing on the pilot, Lindelof reveals how the legendary series almost never was.
In fact, for 48 hours, studio execs canceled all plans for Lost after viewing the pilot episode.
Lost Was Too Expensive
According to Damon Lindelof, ABC didn’t necessarily dislike the idea, but in financial terms, they didn’t think Lost would be worth it. “It’s really great, and we can’t do it,” Lindelof remembers the studio saying.
And Lost was indeed very costly to film. Shooting in Hawaii was not cheap, and it’s reported that the pilot alone cost between $10 and $14 million to shoot – which is a massive amount for a pilot that hasn’t yet been picked up. At that time, it was reportedly the most expensive pilot ever shot.
Help From The Head Honcho
On top of the cost of producing Lost, Lindelof feared that the ambiguity of the pilot was also enough to scare ABC away. “There was just so many reasons for them to say no. It was just so much easier to say no than it was for them to say yes,” Lindelof said.
Luckily for Lindelof, J.J. Abrams, and everyone else involved with Lost, the studio changed its mind. ABC tested the pilot and to their surprise, the tests went over well with audiences.
On top of that, Lost had some behind-the-scenes luck with the man in charge of everything. Lloyd Braun served as the chairman of ABC Entertainment Group and had a big say in getting the pilot off the ground. Even when he was replaced by Steve McPherson, Braun’s persuasion prevailed through the new lead.
The Pilot That Changed Everything
The Lost pilot starts with Matthew Fox’s Jack—who we are unfamiliar with at this time—awakening in the middle of a jungle. Finding his way to the island’s beach, viewers are shown the destruction of Oceanic Flight 815 and the survivors strewn across the beach. The next few minutes would hook viewers, and the pilot ending, in which Dominic Monaghan’s Charlie utters, “Guys, where are we?” would ensure viewers came back for more.
One Of The Most-Watched Premieres Ever
Looking back two decades later, it’s easy for anyone to see that ABC made the right choice when they changed their minds about Lost. Some 18 million viewers tuned in on September 22, 2004, to watch the two-part premiere, which saw a handful of strangers survive a plane crash on a mysterious island.
The pilot episode goes down in history as one of the most-watched series premieres.
Still Holds Up
Lost’s unique storytelling style, featuring flashbacks (and eventual flash-forwards and even flash sideways) and strange island happenings that left viewers counting down the days until the next episode, is now credited for changing modern TV. And while the show ended on a sour note, we can say that 20 years later, the Lost pilot still holds up.
Source: Emmys
