Making the Show
How Lost got made: casting, the writers room, the network fights and the Hawaii shoot.
The mark: A clapperboard under a palm: a network drama shot on a beach in Hawaii.
Contains spoilers for the whole series.
- Damon Lindelof Disagreement With ABC Over Show Ending ↗
Complex · Article · complex.com
Damon Lindelof talks about his fight with ABC over setting an end date for the show. He wanted a short, planned run, and the network wanted more seasons.
- Lost Ranks #1 on Nielsen Acquired Series List ↗
Collider · Article · collider.com
Lost lands at number one on Nielsen's list of acquired series, based on how much people streamed it on Netflix and Hulu.
- Lost at 20: When a TV Show Asked Deep Questions of Life ↗
Angelus News · Article · angelusnews.com
A look back at how Lost brought big philosophical questions to network TV, written for its 20th anniversary.
- Lost: Will ABC Ever Reboot It? ↗
The Hollywood Reporter · Article · hollywoodreporter.com
The Hollywood Reporter on whether ABC would ever bring Lost back, with Carlton Cuse saying any reboot would need new characters.
- 17 Years! Tribute to Lloyd Braun & The Origins of Lost ↗
Reddit r/lost · Fan discussion · reddit.com
A fan thread thanking Lloyd Braun, the ABC executive who came up with the stranded-island idea and got Abrams and Lindelof together.
- 20 Years Ago: Lost Premiered and Changed TV ↗
Reddit · Fan discussion · reddit.com
Fans look back on the September 2004 premiere and how it changed serialized drama on TV.
- 23 Facts About Lost - Mental Floss ↗
Mental Floss · Article · mentalfloss.com
Trivia about Lost, including casting changes, budget struggles and behind-the-scenes surprises.
- 815: The Story of the Lost Pilot ↗
kuhpunkt (YouTube) · Video · youtube.com
A video on how the $13 million pilot got made.
- ABC Extends Lost Series Finale by 30 Minutes ↗
Fox News · Article · foxnews.com
News that ABC added 30 minutes to the May 2010 series finale.
- All Awards and Nominations of Lost ↗
Filmaffinity · Data or archive · filmaffinity.com
A list of Lost's Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG nominations and wins.
- Awards - Lost Overview ↗
Television Academy · Data or archive · televisionacademy.com
The Television Academy's record of Lost's Emmy nominations and wins across all six seasons.
- Damon Lindelof Reveals Original 3-Season Plan ↗
Collider · Article · collider.com
Lindelof explains his original plan for three seasons, before the network pushed for more.
- Finale of Lost Historic Footprint in TV Ratings ↗
Radio & Television Business Report · Article · rbr.com
Ratings and ad numbers for the Lost finale, and where it landed in TV history.
- Finding Filming Locations for Lost on Oahu ↗
Go Visit Hawaii · Article · govisithawaii.com
A guide to finding the real Oahu spots where Lost was filmed.
- François Chau - Actor Profile ↗
Lostpedia · Wiki page · lostpedia.fandom.com
Lostpedia's page on François Chau, the actor who played Dr. Pierre Chang.
- Michael Giacchino's Original Soundtrack Score ↗
Reddit r/lost · Fan discussion · reddit.com
Fans talk about Michael Giacchino's orchestral score for the show.
- It's an Absolute Miracle That the Lost Pilot Got Made ↗
Collider · Article · collider.com
How the Lost pilot got made against huge time and money pressure.
- J.J. Abrams Unpacks Memorable Scenes ↗
Television Academy · Article · televisionacademy.com
J.J. Abrams walks through the choices he made directing the pilot.
- Lost - Golden Globes Database Entry ↗
Golden Globes · Data or archive · goldenglobes.com
The Golden Globes record for Lost, including its nominations and the Best Drama win.
- Lost - Rob on Location Filming Locations Database ↗
Rob on Location · Data or archive · robonlocation.com
A database matching Lost scenes to their filming spots on Oahu.
- Co-Creator Reveals Length Dispute With Network ↗
ScreenRant · Article · screenrant.com
How the showrunners and ABC disagreed about how long the show should run.
- Lost TV Show Ratings Graph (2004-2010) ↗
Rating Graph · Data or archive · ratingraph.com
A chart of viewer ratings across all six seasons.
- Lindelof on Original 3-Season Plan and Ending ↗
Collider · Article · collider.com
An interview about Lost's pacing and how the writers planned the endgame.
- The Vilcek Foundation Celebrates International Artists of Lost ↗
Vilcek Foundation · Article · vilcek.org
A Vilcek Foundation catalog celebrating the international cast and crew of Lost.
- Story of Jeffrey Lieber & Early Lost Pilot Drafts ↗
Reddit r/television · Fan discussion · reddit.com
The story of Jeffrey Lieber's original script, Nowhere, before Abrams and Lindelof rewrote it.
- Places Lost Fans Can Visit In Hawaii ↗
TheTravel · Article · thetravel.com
A traveler's guide to the Lost filming spots you can actually visit on Oahu.
- Where Was Lost Filmed? Every Major Location ↗
SlashFilm · Article · slashfilm.com
How Hawaii's landscape stood in for places all over the world.
- Where is the Cast of Lost Today? ↗
Entertainment Weekly · Article · ew.com
Where the main cast ended up after the finale.
- IMDb Production & Series Overview Listing ↗
IMDb · Article · imdb.com
A note pointing to IMDb's production listing for Lost.
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Lost Series Entry ↗
Encyclopedia Britannica · Article · britannica.com
A note pointing to Britannica's entry on Lost's TV history.
- The Wrap: 20th Anniversary Retrospective ↗
TheWrap · Article · thewrap.com
A note collecting pieces written for Lost's 20th anniversary.
- DarkUFO: The Lost Fan News Blog ↗
DarkUFO · Article · darkufo.blogspot.com
The fan blog that tracked Lost as it aired, with promos, set photos, scripts, deleted scenes, cast interviews and weekly recaps. Our catalog of its posts is linked from the Library page.
- America's Most Wanted: Kate Austen [Flash-Sideways] ↗
YouTube · Video · youtube.com
A flash-sideways promo made to look like an America's Most Wanted segment.
- LOST - Exodus Deleted Scene (Joke Scene) ↗
YouTube · Video · youtube.com
A joke scene the crew shot during the Season 1 finale.
- List of Lost Episodes - Wikipedia ↗
Wikipedia · Wiki page · en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia's list of all 121 episodes across six seasons.
- Lost - The Official Magazine Archives ↗
Internet Archive · Data or archive · archive.org
An archive of the Lost magazine published by Titan.
- Lost - The Script Collection Archives ↗
Internet Archive · Data or archive · archive.org
A set of the original scripts, including the pilot and the finale.
- Lost Season 1 - Wikipedia ↗
Wikipedia · Wiki page · en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia's overview of Season 1, covering how it was made, its ratings and its reviews.
- Pilot (Lost) - Wikipedia ↗
Wikipedia · Wiki page · en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia's breakdown of both parts of the pilot.
- LOST: The Making of the Pilot ↗
RandomThingzHD (YouTube) · Video · youtube.com
A half-hour behind-the-scenes look at how the two-part pilot was shot on location in Hawaii.
- The Lost Chronicles: The Official Companion Book ↗
Lostpedia · Wiki page · lostpedia.fandom.com
Mark Cotta Vaz's official companion to the first season, published by Hyperion on September 28, 2005, with a behind-the-scenes DVD.
- Lost Encyclopedia ↗
Lostpedia · Wiki page · lostpedia.fandom.com
DK's official illustrated encyclopedia of the show, published October 18, 2010, after the series ended.
- Lost: Messages from the Island ↗
Lostpedia · Wiki page · lostpedia.fandom.com
Titan's June 30, 2009 collection of the best of the official magazine. The magazine itself began on October 4, 2005, with a newsstand cover and a collector's cover for each issue, and a German edition ran five issues from late 2006.
- New TV show 'Lost' is found filming on Oahu ↗
Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Tim Ryan, March 18, 2004) · Article · archives.starbulletin.com
Local reporting from the week the Pilot's plane arrived on Oahu: 18 shipping containers of a cut-up L-1011, split between a Mokuleia beach and Heeia on the Windward side, and the crew rebuilding it as a crash site.
- The 'Lost' airplane made 28,822 flights before its 'crash' ↗
Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Tim Ryan, June 14, 2005) · Article · archives.starbulletin.com
The life story of N783DL, the Lockheed L-1011 that became the Flight 815 wreck: Eastern and Delta service, desert storage, its sale to ABC, and the five days it took to cut it up in Mojave.
- Get Lost, plane geeks ↗
The Herald, Everett (Michelle Dunlop, January 31, 2008) · Article · heraldnet.com
An aerospace reporter in Boeing's home town tells aviation fans why Lost is worth watching: the crashed plane is a Boeing 777, with an L-1011 standing in for some of the wreckage.
- Lockheed L-1011 TriStar - Wikipedia ↗
Wikipedia · Wiki page · en.wikipedia.org
Reference for the three-engine Lockheed airliner whose retired Delta airframe became the Flight 815 wreck on the beach.
- Boeing 777 - Wikipedia ↗
Wikipedia · Wiki page · en.wikipedia.org
Reference for the two-engine Boeing airliner that Oceanic Flight 815 is in the story.
- L-1011: Luxury Among the Clouds ↗
Lockheed Martin · Article · lockheedmartin.com
Lockheed Martin's own history of the TriStar: first delivered to Eastern Airlines in 1972, built until 1983, 250 made.
- Lost Oceanic Flight fuselage to headline charity sale with $3,000 minimum bid ↗
Paul Fraser Collectibles (September 3, 2014) · Article · paulfrasercollectibles.com
A section of the Flight 815 fuselage, with the Oceanic logo and five windows, goes back on sale for charity after selling in the official 2010 Lost auction.
- New series gives Hawaii 3 TV shows in production ↗
Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Tim Ryan, May 17, 2004) · Article · archives.starbulletin.com
The week ABC picked Lost up: 11 more episodes on top of the two-hour pilot, and the pilot reported as the most expensive in ABC history at $10 million to $14 million.
- 'Lost' finds security on ABC's schedule ↗
Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Tim Ryan, October 22, 2004) · Article · archives.starbulletin.com
ABC orders a full first season. Episodes cost $3 million to $4 million each, the pilot as much as $14 million, and most of the money is spent in Hawaii.
- TV's 7 Priciest Pilots ↗
The Fiscal Times (September 26, 2011) · Article · thefiscaltimes.com
A 2011 round-up of the most expensive television pilots, from The Fugitive to Terra Nova, with Lost's $10 million to $14 million opener among them.
- Westworld ratings and budget ↗
/Film (October 2016) · Article · slashfilm.com
HBO's Westworld pilot reportedly cost $25 million, a quarter of its first season. A benchmark for how far pilot budgets rose after Lost.
- Why HBO Canceled Martin Scorsese's Vinyl After One Season ↗
/Film · Article · slashfilm.com
The two-hour Vinyl premiere reportedly cost $30 million, one of the few pilots to cost more than Lost's even before inflation.
- Game of Thrones final six episodes will each cost $15 million ↗
/Film · Article · slashfilm.com
Per-episode budgets of the most expensive shows of the 2010s, with Lost's pilot and Boardwalk Empire's as earlier outliers.
- LA's share of TV pilot production drops to a historic low ↗
Benton Institute, summarizing the Los Angeles Times (June 2014) · Article · benton.org
A 2014 snapshot of pilot season: a television drama pilot cost about $6 million to $8 million to make.
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) ↗
US Bureau of Labor Statistics · Data or archive · data.bls.gov
The official US inflation index we use to put the Pilot's 2004 budget and later pilot budgets into today's dollars.
- Lost (Michael Giacchino) soundtrack review ↗
Filmtracks · Article · filmtracks.com
A long review of Michael Giacchino's Lost scores: the trombones-only brass, the harp and strings, and percussion that included banging on airplane wreckage.
- Pilot of new drama filming at Mokuleia ↗
Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Tim Ryan, April 7, 2004) · Article · archives.starbulletin.com
A visit to the pilot's beach set: a quarter-mile of highway buried in sand, the fuselage recarpeted and burned to match the Los Angeles interior, a wing dropped by crane, and a schedule of six-day weeks.
- Hawaii back in spotlight ↗
Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Tim Ryan, April 25, 2004) · Article · archives.starbulletin.com
Oahu's 2004 TV boom, the day after the Lost pilot wrapped: local crew numbers, the scramble for sound stages, and Damon Lindelof on rain at Kualoa Ranch and why Hawaii beat New Zealand.
- Family-safe thrills in store for isle-based Lost ↗
Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Tim Ryan, July 16, 2004) · Article · archives.starbulletin.com
The day series filming began at Mokuleia: the pilot's estimated cost and the producers' plans to trim its scariest scenes for an 8 p.m. slot.
- High filming costs force ABC network executives to consider relocating ↗
Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Tim Ryan, January 26, 2005) · Article · archives.starbulletin.com
What the first season cost in Hawaii, what each episode cost, how much ABC said it was losing, and the tax credits that fell short.
- 3 series set isle film record ↗
Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Tim Ryan, July 14, 2004) · Article · archives.starbulletin.com
Lost's series soundstage in the old Xerox building on Nimitz Highway, and the fuselage moved a few hundred yards along the beach before series filming.
- J.J. Abrams Unpacks Some of Lost's Most Memorable Scenes ↗
Television Academy (September 20, 2024) · Article · televisionacademy.com
Abrams for the 20th anniversary: the eleven or twelve weeks from outline to finished pilot, shooting in the real cockpit, and the falling engine whose cables snapped.
- Lost's Damon Lindelof on Writing the Pilot and Why ABC Killed the Show (But Changed Their Minds) ↗
Television Academy (September 23, 2024) · Article · televisionacademy.com
Lindelof for the 20th anniversary: writing audition sides before a script, ABC passing after the first screening, and the test results that changed its mind.
- Lost: How It Began ↗
Entertainment Weekly (May 7, 2010) · Article · ew.com
An oral history of the pilot from the people who made it, including the producers who bought and shipped the L-1011 and the day the burning engine fell.
- WandaVision Production Designer Compares Series to LOST Experience ↗
ComicBook.com (February 10, 2021) · Article · comicbook.com
Production designer Mark Worthington on building the Flight 815 crash in Hawaii in about four and a half weeks.
- Battle Brews for Wednesday Night ↗
TVWeek (September 27, 2004) · Article · tvweek.com
Nielsen numbers for Lost's premiere week: 18.65 million viewers, and ABC's first outdoor ad buys in five years.
Photos: Damon Lindelof by Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0; Carlton Cuse by David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0; J.J. Abrams by Montclair Film Festival, CC BY 2.0; Jack Bender by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0; Michael Giacchino by Dgoldwas, CC BY-SA 4.0; Bryan Burk by Christopher Michel, CC BY-SA 4.0.