ABC mulls 'Lost' wrap-up

Producers try to decide show's end date

Variety.com
Posted: Sun., Jan. 14, 2007, 10:00pm PT

By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

ABC, Touchstone TV and the producers behind "Lost" are actively discussing how and when to retire the hit castaway drama.
According to "Lost" exec producer Carlton Cuse, picking an end date for "Lost" would help the show's creative team to map the next several seasons as they plot the show's thick mythology.
"It's time for us to find an endpoint to the show," said Cuse, speaking Sunday at ABC's portion of the TV Critics Assn. press tour. "It's a struggle for us, because we don't know if we have three years, four years or more to go. If we had an endpoint, then we could figure out where everything goes."
Such a move would placate fans of the show, who frequently gripe that they have no indication whether the show's ever-increasing mysteries will pay off. A set timetable would send a message to viewers that all of their questions will be answered eventually.

Old news by now, but I missed this story when it appeared last week. Good for them, a show like 'Lost' needs a well-defined story arc before it devolves into tedium or becomes a joke.