48/24
Abrams’ “Lost” almost had a completely different cast
Synopsis
Survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island. J.J. Find out which A-listers got lost on one of the most popular TV shows of all time.. The character of Sawyer was originally supposed to be an older, smart-alecky, suit-wearing urban con artist from Buffalo, New York. However, when Josh Holloway forgot a line during his audition and subsequently kicked a chair in frustration and cursed loudly, the writers liked the edge he brought to the Sawyer character and decided to write Sawyer as a darker, Southern drifter instead. Jin and Sun are married and share the last name “Kwon,” which becomes a major plot point in the final season. However, when Koreans marry, the wife never takes the husband’s last name.
Edited for Lost: The Journey (2005)
In fact, in Korea you are not even allowed to marry someone with the same last name, except in rare circumstances.. [repeated line] Desmond Hume: See you in another life, brother.. The weird opening credits were drawn by J.J. Abrams on his laptop in black and white as an homage to The Twilight Zone. With so many high-quality shows having ended or been canceled recently (Friends, Frasier, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) and the decline in quality of many others (The West Wing, Smallville), not to mention the huge increase in turgid and cheesy “reality” programming, I could almost rule out TV as a medium for entertainment. I was seriously considering ditching my cable and TV subscription in favor of my computer screen and broadband Internet connection. Then came “Lost.” I missed the first few episodes, but managed to catch up thanks to BitTorrent.
2) Rich, complex characters
Now I’m hooked. There are many things I love about this show, but here’s a short list: 1) Great, clever, layered writing. There are many mysteries here, and for every answer we get, new questions emerge. Just when you think you’ve nailed a character, you discover something new about them that is often surprising or even shocking. I love watching the various relationships emerge and develop. 3) Great performances. It’s an amazing cast, mostly professional actors with a couple of newcomers, and they are all becoming stars.
Mira Furlan, Victoria Hamel)
There are also some cameos from talented, recognizable actors (e.g. 4) A mysterious, fascinating setting. Of the four main elements of story you learned in school—plot, character, theme, and setting—setting is often the poor, overlooked cousin. Not here. The island is dangerous, beautiful, creepy, and undeniably intriguing. It’s like a character in itself. Part of the fun of this show will be unraveling the secrets of the island.
I’m grateful to see this show be a success
5) Thematic depth. This isn’t just a soap opera about a desert island. There are rich metaphors and themes to be mined here, such as the challenges of morality; the nature of communities and civilization; our relationship with nature/the environment; and spirituality, even mysticism. Too often lately I’ve committed to a quality show from the start (“Wonderfalls” being the most recent and much-lamented example) only to see a Nervous Network prematurely cancel it. I hope “Lost” has a long run of success: if its creators, cast, and crew maintain the level of quality they’ve shown thus far, I’m sure it will.