"Lost" was never intended for the faint of heart.

Just ask those responsible for the ambitious ABC drama's existence. Remembering how, in early 2004, the creative team had a mere 10 weeks to write, cast and shoot the entire pilot, co-creator J.J. Abrams is still amazed the show about plane crash survivors on a South Pacific island ever took flight.

"We were just desperate to get the pilot made," recalls the exec producer, who also directed the influential first episode. "Looking forward meant the next day of shooting, not 100 episodes down the line."

Flash forward five years as "Lost" reaches that milestone. An instant hit for ABC and an Emmy and Golden Globe winner, "Lost" now ranks among the most respected -- not to mention dissected -- dramas in TV history, thanks to its artful balance of complex mythology and nuanced character development. Then, of course, there are those patented whiplash-inducing plot twists.

"There's generally one point within each meeting where I'm like, 'You want to do what?'" says Stephen McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment Group, of his state-of-the-union sit-downs with co-creator/exec producer Damon Lindelof and exec producer Carlton Cuse,, who've steered the show together since the early days of season one. "The fact that they're not afraid to take those risks is what makes 'Lost' so innovative and exciting."

"Lost's" boldest development didn't play out on camera, however; it unfolded behind the scenes three years ago when the network announced that the series would wrap after six seasons in spring 2010. The move was almost unheard of in network television. Typically, networks milk a hit series until the ratings run dry, and at the time producers were in discussions with McPherson and then-ABC Studios president Mark Pedowitz, and "Lost" was perched comfortably in Nielsen's top 15 and dominated its timeslot in key demos....

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