'Lost' and Found

All About

Lost

Get the latest photos, news, and more

Those conversations could prove tricky. ABC may have come up with the concept for Lost, but it was co-creator J.J. Abrams, Lindelof, and Cuse who managed to make something artistically and financially remarkable out of it. And with their deals set to expire after season 3, Lindelof and Cuse have more than a modicum of leverage. Negotiations with the producing pair are said to be friendly, although with other Lost writers recently renewing their contracts, a contingency plan may be in the works. Asked if he's prepared to continue Lost without the duo, McPherson says, ''We'll keep them as long as we possibly can. We're going to lock Damon and Carlton in the basement.'' (Okay, but isn't that what the hatches are for?)

Among the cast members, there is actually considerable support for the idea of losing their jobs sooner rather than later. Establishing a farewell date ''is really necessary for our enthusiasm as actors,'' says Lilly. ''The idea that the show could go on ad nauseam is very crippling as an actor, because then you start to degrade the idea of the material in your mind.'' She adds that if ABC agrees to wrap the show at a creatively optimal (if financially premature) time, it sends a message that ''Lost didn't just set out as a precedent-setting television show, it's going to finish as one.''

And that's essentially what Lindelof and Cuse want: a happy ending to their trippy, trying, triumphant fairy tale. For Cuse, it looks like this: ''We get to end the show on its own terms. Whether other people like what we've got planned is TBD, but we think our ending is cool, and that's always been our criterion.'' Adds Lindelof: ''Then we want a big parade, like when John Glenn comes back from space in The Right Stuff.'' You deliver on your promises, guys, and we'll take care of the confetti later.

(Lost executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse sifted through more than 2,000 queries from EW.com readers; see their answers to the most pressing of those questions here.)