One unmade Lost spinoff would have perfectly answered some big questions left after the finale. After premiering on ABC in 2004, Lost came to an end in 2010 after six intense seasons of island adventures, and though only a few of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 actually made it off the mysterious island, their fates after making it back to safety are still completely unknown. Speculation about possible spinoffs have been circulating since the series came to an end, even though creators Damon Lindelof and J.J. Abrams, along with showrunner Carlton Cuse, have stated they have no plans to revisit the island.
In the final moments of Lost's season 6 finale, "The End," Jack defeated the Man in Black, masquerading as John Locke, enabling a small group of survivors to leave the island in the crashed Ajira plane. Alongside from Frank Lapidus, Miles Straume, and the now-mortal Richard Alpert, original Oceanic survivors Kate, Sawyer, and Claire finally found safe passage off the island and returned to their lives in the outside world. While the series was wrapped up nicely with the whole group finding each other in the afterlife and "moving on" together, no answers were given about what happened in the survivors' lives after their time on the island.
Now, in an interview with The Independent, Ken Leung, who joined Lost in season 4 as Miles, a crew member of the Kahana freighter, has revealed that plans were almost in place for a potential Lost spinoff focused on Miles and Sawyer. A True Detective-style spinoff was pitched which could have answered some very big questions about the fates of Lost's survivors, either following the story of Miles and Sawyer during season 6's "flash sideways," or continuing the narrative laid out in 1977 which saw Miles and Sawyer (then known as LaFleur) working as security officers for the Dharma Initiative. While this spinoff never actually materialized, it had the potential to be the perfect follow-on series for Lost.
There Could Have Been Answers About What Happened To Lost’s Survivors
Questions have always been asked about what happened to Lost's survivors after they eventually left the island, which this potential spinoff could have answered if it had carried on from where Lost left off. Aside from Miles and Sawyer, Claire would have been reunited with her mother and son, Aaron, who had previously been in Kate's care as a member of the Oceanic Six, with Kate probably staying close by since she was such a huge part of Aaron's childhood. Frank would have easily returned to his normal life, but after Richard spent almost 150 years on the island, he would need to cultivate a normal life from scratch.
Sawyer and Miles built a strong friendship while on the island, which is something that would probably continue after their return to the real world. Sawyer would potentially get back in contact with Cassidy and his daughter, Clementine, after Kate revealed to her the fact that he was still alive during her three years off the island. A potential Lost spinoff featuring Sawyer as a primary character could have investigated his new relationship with his daughter as well as delving deeper into his grief after losing Juliet in Lost's season 6 premiere, "LA X." Fans have been begging for these questions to be answered since Lost ended over a decade ago, a more down-to-Earth spinoff featuring these characters would certainly satisfy.
Sawyer And Miles Already Have Some Detective Experience
Before the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, James "Sawyer" Ford was a gifted con man, which made his transition in later seasons of Lost much more impactful. Season 5 saw Sawyer trapped in the 1970s with a few other survivors, who integrate themselves into the Dharma Initiative. He takes up the moniker of LaFleur and eventually becomes Head of Security, with Miles in tow as a security officer. His growth after the Oceanic Six leave the island and he steps up as the group's leader is great to watch, especially since he seems to have left his criminal past behind and finally lives a more honest life.
During Lost season 6's "flash sideways," Sawyer (now simply going by James) and Miles are shown to be partners in the LAPD, playing off their roles in Dharmaville as security workers. James and Miles seem to fit in perfectly as detectives in the police force, developing an entertaining buddy-cop relationship, meaning that a spinoff in the style of True Detective featuring the pair would be a great continuation of the Lost story. On top of this, Miles' ability as a medium would certainly make him a valuable asset in law enforcement, it would be interesting to see these themes played out in a gritty spinoff series.
A True Detective-Style Spinoff For Sawyer And Miles Would Have Been Perfect
Many have stated that a Lost spinoff would be a bad idea due to the series tying up most of the loose ends in its finale. If Sawyer and Miles were to receive their own separate show, there'd be more than enough distance from the story on the island so that the characters can develop and grow away from Lost's trademark sci-fi mystery. Since both Sawyer and Miles are a bit rough around the edges, their sarcasm and grit would fit perfectly into a darker-toned, detective-style spinoff show. This would be the perfect follow-up to Lost, focusing on characters from the main show but with an entirely new story.
Since the Lost creators have remained steadfast in their reluctance to return to these stories and characters, it's unlikely that a spinoff featuring Miles and Sawyer will actually happen. Even so, Lindelof, Abrams, and Cuse have all stated that if someone came along with a strong idea for a spinoff, they wouldn't stand in the way, and would even love to see the Lost story continued with a new creator's vision. So it's possible that, someday in the future, Sawyer and Miles could find themselves back in action.