Producers reflect on 'Lost'

Lost's executive producer Carlton Cuse has said that writing the show has been "extremely liberating".

Discussing some fans and the disbelief in the series, Cuse said: "The fact that no one believed Lost was going to be successful in the beginning was enormously liberating.

"So we set out to make 12 episodes of what we thought was the coolest TV show we could come up with and in so doing we violated a lot of the traditional rules of television narrative."

Speaking to Variety, co-creator J.J. Abrams added that he is amazed the pilot ever got made into a full first series.

"We were just desperate to get the pilot made," he admitted. "Looking forward meant the next day of shooting, not 100 episodes down the line."

The cult show has come under criticism, with fans suggesting the writers are unsure where the show is headed. Lost's other executive producer Damon Lindelof reveals: "Over the first three seasons, the audience was literally asking us, 'Do you know what you're doing? Is there a plan?'"

Cuse added: "We needed to express to the audience where the bookmark was in the novel. By announcing the end date, we signaled yes, we have a game plan, so you can rest assured that your investment in the show is going to pay off."

Lost is due to wrap up in May 2010 at the end of season six.