End date set for Lost

From Hollywood Reporter:

The Emmy-winning adventure series will run for 48 more episodes over three seasons. Each season will consist of 16 episodes, which will air uninterrupted.

Lost executive producers/showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, who have been vocal about setting up an endgame for the show, have signed on to stay for the remainder of the series' run. Their separate new eight-figure deals with Lost producer ABC TV Studio include their services on the show as well as multiyear development pacts set to kick in when Lost bows out during the 2009-10 season.

"Due to the unique nature of Lost, we knew it would require an end date to keep the integrity and strength of the show consistent throughout and to give the audience the payoff they deserve," ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson said. "Having Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse signed on to complete the journey of this show was critical to me and the network. Damon and Carlton have tremendous talent, and we're thrilled that they'll be with the show throughout its run."

Lindelof and Cuse praised McPherson and ABC TV Studio president Mark Pedowitz for "their bold leadership and vision in making this groundbreaking decision."

Having the end point in sight is "incredibly liberating," Lindelof said. "Like we've been running a marathon and we actually know where the finish line is for the first time."

Lindelof and Cuse said they've had "a road map for the series with all the major mythological milestones and the ending in place" for a while. "What we didn't know was how long we had to play the story out," Cuse said. "By defining the endpoint we can now really map out the rest of the series in confidence."

There will be some puzzle play, too.

"We sort of view 'Lost' as a mosaic," Cuse said. "Now there are only 48 more tiles that go into that mosaic, and we're figuring out, along with all the other writers, exactly where they all go."

In January, Lindelof and Cuse said that they envisioned the endpoint for "Lost" around episode 100. The agreement with ABC will bring the total number of episodes to 120.

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The whole thing actually excites me more, because unlike the wishy-washiness of Sopranos, we all know what's coming. It's focused, it's solid and there's no real pressure on the creators or the viewers anymore. Complain all you want, but I'd rather see it finish on its own terms (kind of) and not peter out like way too many shows do.