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« WGA Post-Strike Watch: News About Returning Shows
Lost Stars At a Loss Due to Strike
Elizabeth Mitchell in Lost by Bob D'Amico/ABC
Perhaps no current series is in a stranger strike-induced limbo than ABC's Lost. While fall premieres at least got out of the gate and 24's own midseason return was officially postponed, Lost has eight episodes in the can but still, technically, awaits word on when they will unspool. "I think there's still a wonderful market for Lost and that it's a really good show, so I think [ABC is] going to have to play it by ear," Elizabeth Mitchell shared at Hollywood Life Magazine's Breakthrough Awards. "But from what I've heard, they want to see it back on the air."
Cast mate Jorge Garcia was a bit more assured of a scheduled February return, saying, "I do believe the plan is to definitely air them right now. I don't think they're going to save them." If anything, he says, the strike delay "is just going to throw off the original plan" to wrap up the series with three uninterrupted 16-episode seasons.
Until production someday resumes, many cast and crew members are left to bide their time, many of them in not-exactly-affordable Oahu. As Mitchell notes, "A lot of people are still in Hawaii because their kids are in school there, so they're all kind of… "stuck" in Hawaii is really the wrong thing to say, but a lot of people are there, so I have my fingers crossed. The crew's not getting paid, so you've got hundreds of people out of work right now. It's really hard." — With reporting by Carita Rizzo
Related:
• Exclusive: Is Lost Abandoning Wednesday?
More strike coverage:
• Heroes Scribe: Length of Strike "Isn't a Surprise"
• Cheers & Jeers strikes out at the strike
• Winter Press Tour Officially Struck Down by Strike
Countdown chart:
• How many new episodes are left of your favorites series? Check out Ausiello's (increasingly depressing) countdown chart.
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Dec 11, 2007 6:38 PM
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If ABC doesn't air these eight episodes of Lost in February, I will hunt Michael Eisner down and carve his eyes out with a spork. That's assuming he is indeed a human being and not some sort of robot/human hybrid created by Walt Disney before he passed.
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Dec 11, 2007 7:00 PM
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I'd be shocked if they didn't show the first eight, it's all but confirmed at this point.
They simply need new material to air, and this is one of the few things they have that will actually get decent ratings for the network. The alternative is giving refunds to the advertisers, as NBC has started doing already.
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Dec 11, 2007 7:04 PM
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Lost is one of the best things to happen to TV in the last few years. If this stupid strike kills the show I'll be forever ticked. I'm quickly losing patience. My understanding is that the major sticking points are 'future' issues -- possible income streams from new media viewings. Why can't this be worked out, in good faith, while everyone works. I used to feel sorry for the writers, now I feel sorry for the assistant to the assistant costume designer.
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Dec 11, 2007 8:10 PM
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I'm done w/ Lost. Sure, I'll probably watch it once it's back on but this whole 11 or 13 episode season (whatever!) is ridiculous...it's not that great of a show. Then to have fans wait until February. Who really cares any more when there is such other good shows on.
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Dec 11, 2007 8:43 PM
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@shancal, most of the greatest shows that have ever aired (Sopranos, twin peaks, most cable shows) have shorter seasons. Sopranos had a 2 year hiatus and people managed just fine. I prefer 16 tightly episodes to 24 episodes where alot of them are filler. You are also complaining for the sake of complaining, I can bet that next season you'd be here posting the same thing saying "I don't like or care about 16 episodes but I'll still watch them when they are on"
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Dec 11, 2007 9:28 PM
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I guess the strike is only "stupid" if it isn't your livelyhood that doesn't depend on it.
Aww...are you not able to watch all the new TV that you want? I'm so SOOO sorry for you.
Cry me a river, and then hope that the greedy producers who want to continue he trend of income leaping upward at the expense of 90% of Americans continues.
Perhaps you can light a candle at the shrine of corporate greed while you pray for new programming.
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Dec 11, 2007 9:31 PM
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Interesting article. I'm more ambivalent about Lost than I used to be, but I still watch it.
I'm disappointed, though, that in talking about how the production people are having a rough time in Hawaii (I'm sorry for that), these actors didn't express any sympathy or support for the writers. Considering the number of actors who are on the strike lines, it feels odd that they didn't... or was that something left out as irrelevant to this particular article? One would think they would at least say something since their writers are on strike, too.
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Dec 11, 2007 9:59 PM
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claybe83, Eisner hasn't been head of Disney for over 2 years. He doesn't have any place in the company. That said this is a perfect example of how the writers are being selfish. Even some series regular actors are just making it big now and don't have lots of money. They are messing with the livelihood of thousands of workers and doing so right before the holidays. It's not right
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Dec 11, 2007 10:55 PM
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obriensg1, how about this the writers agree to return to work if you go tell your boss you will work for peanuts for the rest of your work life, because you no longer feel you need to be paid a fair wage for your work. Oh an also tell your boss he can have your christmas bonus because he looks like he could use the extra money. That's not far off from what you're asking the writers to do albeit on a smaller scale. The writers would go back to work tommorrow if the producers would just agree to give the writers a fair share of the profits. So what's next for you? Advocating the return of slavery?
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Dec 12, 2007 12:00 AM
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The irony of this strike is that it really isn't helping either side. The producers (and the entire LA econonmy) is going to cost more than what the writers are asking for anyway. On the other hand, every day this strike lasts they are screwing the viewers over. And all you writer sympathizers may say boo-hoo... but you screw us over and we will screw you over. This strike is going to turn A LOT of viewers away from television (especially network television). So less viewers is going to equal less money for the writers. And do I think the writers are being selfish... a little bit. They are always claiming how their shows are their babies... and yet this is how they treat them? So if I was a father would I abandon my baby son just because my boss wasn't paying me enough? I think not.
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Dec 12, 2007 12:38 AM
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This strike is going to turn A LOT of viewers away from television
askmike1, seriously, you're going with that? I guess you haven't paid attention to ratings this season, even pre-strike. They were down already. There were no new hits at all during the fall launch. At least no hits by past years standards. Also returning shows numbers have been down as well. I think the trend extends back to the last few seasons actually, though it seems more extreme this year. The point is viewers were already tuning out before the strike and before a potential strike got much press.
Also I recall people making the same arguements about the the last baseball strike. Now baseball is setting attendance records. Will the same happen to TV? I doubt it, but it's because more people are not watching tv, but watching shows on DVD or online. Ratings would have continued to decline even without a strike. The only difference would be that a larger share of the profits would go to the studios as they rake in increased profits from DVDs and online viewing while the writers saw none of it. That's the reason for the strike, they want their fair share of the profits no matter where those profits shift to, in this case DVDs and online viewing. If you don't agree with that then go ask your boss to withhold some of your pay for him/herself. That's what you're asking the writers to do.
Also your analogy is to put it bluntly, stupid. While it's true that sometimes writers are also a shows creator there are many, many writers that work on shows but were not involved in the shows creation. Even if the assumption of your analogy, that writers only write the shows they create, was correct your analogy would still be absurd. Do you get paid for being a father? Is that your job you report to the IRS? Dad? If not then your analogy falls apart on that point too. And finally did you really equat an actual living person to tv show? Really? That's seriously messed up.
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Dec 12, 2007 1:31 AM
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"My understanding is that the major sticking points are 'future' issues -- possible income streams from new media viewings. Why can't this be worked out, in good faith, while everyone works."
Because if everyone just keeps working, there's no reason for the studios to negotiate at all (not that they are anyway).
Lost had a 16 episode season planned, not 11 or 13. Most shows do about 22, so it's not that much shorter.
"I'm disappointed, though, that in talking about how the production people are having a rough time in Hawaii (I'm sorry for that), these actors didn't express any sympathy or support for the writers."
Just because the brief quotes in this blurb didn't mention it don't mean those actors haven't talked about supporting the writers. In fact, some of the LOST actors have even walked the picket lines, Michael Emerson (Ben) comes to mind.
And askmike, you're REALLY starting to look like a studio plant.
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Dec 12, 2007 8:50 AM
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Ugh I hate comments such as the one from Shancal. Fine, you don't like the show. Why do we care? You need to be heard I guess. If their is a topic on a show I don't like I don't comment on it.
Anyway. I think they will air all 8 in February and then the other 8 next season with the remaining 16. Obviously airing all 16 would be better but at this point getting 8 will at least satisfy me for a while. This strike will be rough in early 08 and as much as I hope it gets resolved you have to give the writters a lot of credit for sticking up for what's right, especially during the holidays.
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Dec 12, 2007 8:56 AM
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gollysunshine, I admire your passion and enjoy reading your informed comments, but at times you're a little like a dog worrying a bone. The gist of Mitchell's comments was about those who are living in Hawaii. I might be wrong, but I don't think that the writers are required to live in proximity to the show, whereas the cameramen, lighting directors, hair and makeup people, etc., etc., etc., certainly are.
askmike, in the importance of people affected by the strike, we viewers are so far down the list that we don't even make it on. By that, I mean that while we're inconvenienced, our livelihoods, homes, ability to feed our families, and so on are not affected. Sure, I want my shows to return, but I think that it's selfish, greedy, and immature to demand that the writers get back to work and accept whatever the studios offer just so the viewers can have new episodes of (insert favorite show here).
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Dec 12, 2007 9:15 AM
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