Netflix Loses ‘LOST’ Streaming Rights To Hulu

In 2018, if a TV series isn’t available to stream, it might as well be nonexistent. Luckily, the ground-breaking sci-fi fantasy drama LOST won’t be forgotten with its departure from Netflix, as Hulu has snagged the rights to the ABC series.

The series, which was created by Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams andDamon Lindelof, debuted in 2004 and ran for six seasons. Throughout its 121 episodes, the series explored a group of passengers who survived a plane crash and became stranded on an island. Far from being a Gilligan’s Island ripoff, audiences witnessed Smoke Monsters, time travel and mysterious organizations pulling the strings.

The show’s many mysteries and rise of social media changed the ways audiences interacted with a TV series, expanding the concept of a “water cooler” conversation to include the furthest reaches of the internet, allowing everyone in the world to engage with one another regarding theories surrounding the show.

In the years since the show has concluded, the creators have gone on to explore mysteries with a variety of other properties, so don’t expect Hulu to create new episodes anytime soon.

“Damon and I are pretty adamant about the fact that we don’t have any intentions of rebooting LOST,” co-showrunner Carlton Cuse told a crowd at New York Comic Con. “I know that there are a lot of shows that have been rebooted lately, but we are not on that path.”

Despite none of the creators necessarily being interested in pursuing a reboot of the series, they might not get the final say in the matter, as contractual loopholes could lead to a series revival without their direct involvement. Were this the case, Lindelof at least had some suggestions of how the series could return.

“[I] hope that when that happens, whoever is doing it, doesn’t take the characters from the original LOST and put them in the new one,” Lindelof told TV Line. “Because we worked so hard to end that show and to give [the survivors] some level of closure. I know there was some debate as to whether or not there was enough closure.”

All episodes of LOST are currently streaming on Hulu.

[H/T Variety]