SciFi Wire reports that the current season’s final batch of new episodes will unspool a story arc based on a plan devised in anticipation of the writers’ strike.

“The last two weeks before the strike, we actually sat down and said, ‘Here is what we want to tell for the rest of the season,’” Kitsis said in an interview. “We all sat down, and the entire staff came up with a battle plan in place.”

When Lost returns in late April, it will wrap up the fourth season with five episodes, three fewer than planned before the strike took place. “We got to tell a little more story this season than we anticipated,” Kitsis said.

“It’s really worked out well. We came back from the strike, and everyone is just really excited, and I have to say, creatively, every day has been a pleasure. Everything we’re doing right now is exciting, and every script that is going out, you’re jealous if you didn’t write it.”

As for the missing episodes? “I feel that the three missing episodes will be made up over the course of the next two seasons,” Horowitz said. “Seasons four, five and six are meant to encompass 48 episodes.”

Kitsis added: “I have a feeling it will mean more, like, two-hour shows as opposed to more episodes, but those are decisions above our pay grade.”

Season four has so far been marked with a continuation of the “flash-forward” storytelling technique introduced in the finale of season three. “This just seemed like the most interesting way to tell the rest of the story of the show,” Kitsis said. “When we realized that we were only going to do three more seasons, it enabled us to starting thinking a little more out of the box in how we want to tell the remaining story that was left. The flash-forwards are, I think, just a great way to keep the show energized and tell the story in an interesting way. It was a brilliant idea by [executive producer] Damon [Lindelof].”

Lost returns with new episodes on April 24 in its new Thursday timeslot at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

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