Abrams’ “Lost” almost had an entirely different cast
Plot
The survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island. J.J. See which celebrities missed out on one of the most popular TV shows of all time. The character Sawyer was originally intended to be an older, dapper, suited-up city hustler from Buffalo, NY. However, when Josh Holloway forgot a line in his audition and subsequently kicked a chair in frustration and swore loudly, the writers liked the edge he brought to the character Sawyer and decided to write Sawyer more as a shady, Southern drifter. 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 her husband’s last name.
Edited from Lost: The Journey (2005)
In fact, it’s not even allowed in Korea to marry someone with the same last name, except in rare circumstances. [repeated line] Desmond Hume: See you in another life, brother. The eerie opening credits were designed by J.J. Abrams on his black and white laptop as an homage to The Twilight Zone. With so many high-quality shows ending or being 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 blatant rise of boring, tasteless “reality” programming, I had all but written off TV as a form of entertainment. I was seriously considering ditching my TV and cable subscription in favor of my computer screen and broadband Internet connection. Then along came “Lost.” I missed the first few episodes, but was able to watch it thanks to BitTorrent.
Now I’m hooked
There are a lot of things to like about this show, but here’s a quick list: 1) Excellent, clever, layered writing. There are a lot of mysteries here, and for every answer we get, more questions arise. 2) Rich, complex characters. Just when you think you have a character figured out, you discover something new about them that is often surprising or even shocking. I’ve enjoyed watching the various relationships emerge and develop. 3) Strong performances. This is a remarkable cast of mostly seasoned actors, with a few newcomers, and they all do a star-making job.
Mira Furlan, Victoria Hamel)
Even some of the guest appearances featured talented and recognizable actors (e.g. 4) A mysterious and fascinating setting. Of the four main story elements you learned in school—plot, character, theme, and setting—the latter is often the poor, neglected cousin. Not here. The island is dangerous, beautiful, frightening, and undeniably intriguing. It’s like a character in its own right. Part of the fun of this show will be unraveling the island’s secrets.
I’m grateful to see that this show is a success
5) Thematic depth. This isn’t just a soap opera set on a desert island. There are rich metaphors and themes to be explored here, such as the challenges of morality; the nature of communities and civilization; about our relationship with nature/the environment; and about spirituality, even mysticism, too. Too many times lately I’ve committed to a quality show early on (“Wonderfalls” being the most recent and much-lamented example) only to have a nervous network cancel it prematurely. I hope “Lost” has a long and successful run – if its creators, cast and crew maintain the level of quality they’ve shown thus far, I’m sure it will.