Posted on: Tuesday, May 18, 2004

'Lost' can be found on TV's fall lineup

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

The famine is over. This fall, Hawai'i's TV industry feasts.

ABC is scheduled to announce its new fall lineup today, including "Lost," a castaway drama shot on O'ahu.

The show has been picked up for 11 episodes, in addition to the two-hour pilot filmed here last month, said a source affiliated with "Lost," who asked not to named because ABC has not made an official announcement.

Along with NBC's "Hawaii" and Fox's "The North Shore," that makes three new Hawai'i-based television series picked up by the major networks — a phenomenal bounty after a three-year drought.

Hawai'i Film Office manager Donne Dawson said she had not received official word on ABC's pick-up of "Lost," but said, "if it's true, it's fantastic for Hawai'i's film industry and unprecedented for Hawai'i."

Dawson said Hawai'i hasn't had more than one series shot on location since 1998, when ABC's "Fantasy Island" remake and NBC's "Wind on Water" had their brief runs. "Baywatch Hawaii," the last series to be filmed in Hawai'i, was canceled in 2001.

"Lost's" cast includes Dominic Monaghan ("The Lord of the Rings") and Matthew Fox ("Party of Five).

"Hawaii," a police drama based on O'ahu, is scheduled to air on Wednesday nights on NBC. The series stars Michael Biehn ("The Terminator," "Aliens"), Sharif Atkins ("ER"), Ivan Sergei ("Crossing Jordan"), Eric Balfour ("Six Feet Under").

"The North Shore," a hotel drama, was picked up for 13 episodes last month by Fox. The cast includes stars Kristoffer Polaha ("America's Prince") and Rob Estes ("Melrose Place").