‘Lost’: The end is near!

The producers of Lost have been reading too much Harry Potter. And they watched too many episodes of The X-Files. Unlike X-Files, the don’t want to outstay their inspiration and run the series into the ground. Like author JK Rowling, they want to set an end to the story. So they and ABC are in talks to set a date for the very last Lost episode– the end of the series!

Announcing a plan like this is not the norm for a hit network series. Especally one that’s a hit. Even one that’s seen its ratings slip some in Season 3. No timeline’s been set yet, but the date will set a limit to the number of Lost seasons to come– and it will be announced to fans.

The show’s producers talked about the plan while onstage at the TV Critics press tour in Pasadena. Their reasoning?A conclusion date “will bolster fan confidence in the series’ narrative.”

“It’s time for us now to find an endpoint for the show,” said executive producer Carlton Cuse. “JK Rowling announced there were seven books in the Harry Potter series. The X-Files was a cautionary tale for us. It was a great show that ran two seasons too long. Lost has a short-half life.”

Executive producer Damon Lindelof added: “None of us want to be doing the stalling show. We don’t want them to be building sandcastles next week.”

Lindelof suggested the series might cap at 100 episodes, which would mean only two more seasons.

ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson tried to downplay the talk, insisting that “we’ve had those discussions for the past two years.”

The suit also said he agreed with critics’ complaints that the first six episodes this season pulled the story too far from the group dynamics. He stood by his decision to schedule a four-month Lost break this season (little did he know he’d give the producers to much time to make other plans), but says he plans to run next season’s episodes without a break or repeats, launching in the fall or spring.

–Tabloid Baby