Michael Emerson Reveals What It Would Take For A Lost Revival To Happen - Exclusive

For many, the final episode of "Lost" left a lot to be desired. After six seasons and multiple water-cooler-moment mysteries, the cult-hit ABC series ended with main protagonist Jack (Matthew Fox) dying and reuniting with all of the other "Lost" characters in the afterlife — a kind of purgatory where they had to reconnect in order to "move on." It was an ending as nuanced as the show itself, yet it left most people feeling swindled. So it's not surprising that more than a decade after that final episode, in an era in which reboots and remakes are all the rage, rumors of a "Lost" revival are swirling. But could something like that ever really take flight?

It's an idea that surprised "Lost" star Michael Emerson during a recent exclusive interview with Looper, in which he also spoke about his latest series, "Evil," that's now streaming on Paramount+. The actor, who won an Emmy for portraying manipulative bad guy-turned-morally ambiguous ally Benjamin Linus, was taken aback at first by the thought of resurrecting the show in some form, but then seemed to relish giving it some consideration. Here are his thoughts on what it would take for a "Lost" revival to actually happen.

Michael Emerson admits that a revival would be "tricky" to pull off, especially if it involved the "Lost" original cast. "I couldn't name you a handful of the original actors that would do it," he said. "Maybe I'm wrong about that. But I think I could speak for anyone else that was in that original show that it would have to be a hell of a new take on it, a hell of a new angle. We would all have to be playing something kind of brand new. So, I don't know."

But if, say, all or most — or even just some — of the original "Lost" cast were to sign on, there's still the question of what the storyline would be. "What would it be? A prequel? A sequel? I don't know," Emerson said. "It's interesting. It's food for thought. What would it take? What would I have to see on the page to say, 'Let's do that again'? Here's the thing, though, you would never get that duo of writers to do it again, I don't think."

Working in favor of a revival, though, is that the show went in multiple directions — flashbacks, flash-forwards, and even flash-sideways segments. Any of which could offer fodder for a new "Lost" series. "I suppose there's a way, if the writing was good enough, to pick up one of the 'Lost' threads," Emerson said. "You know, pick up on that idea of Hurley and Ben ruling the island for a period of time. And what if the show was then more funny? Serious, but more light-hearted. I don't know. It's an interesting question."

Season 2 of Emerson's latest series, "Evil," is now streaming on Paramount+, with new episodes airing every Sunday.