The writers of Lost originally planned to kill off their main character, Jack Shephard, in the pilot episode (and the show would’ve been much worse off if they had). When Lost was first in development, Michael Keaton was cast as Jack. In the original script, Jack was the pilot of the plane, not one of the passengers, and he wouldn’t survive the first episode. The idea was to shock audiences by killing off the biggest star in the cast — the one they were led to believe would be the lead character of the series — in the very first episode.
Ultimately, the writers decided against killing off Jack, because they feared that audiences would tune out if they became attached to a protagonist who didn’t even make it past the first episode. This caused Keaton to drop out of the role, since he didn’t want to commit to an ongoing TV series (one that would go on to last six years and 121 episodes). But despite costing the show its most famous cast member, this was arguably the right call. Lost wouldn’t have been the same without Jack leading the group — or Matthew Fox playing him.
It’s Impossible To Imagine Lost Without Matthew Fox’s Jack
Jack Became The Heart Of The Show
After Lost ran for six iconic seasons with Fox taking center stage as Jack, it’s impossible to imagine the show without him. It’s like picturing The Walking Dead without Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes or Peaky Blinders without Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby; they’re the charismatic star of the show, and the glue holding the sprawling ensemble together. Jack became the heart of Lost — he cared deeply for his fellow survivors and would do whatever it took to keep them safe, but he was also battling his own inner demons.
Jack was the closest thing that Lost had to an everyman protagonist, but Fox brought enough depth and nuance to the character to keep him consistently compelling. In the hands of a lesser actor, Jack could’ve been Lost’s most boring character, but Fox always ensured there was more to Jack than straightforward heroism. After Fox led the cast for its entire run, it’s hard to picture what Lost would’ve been like without him — but it probably wouldn’t have been as great.
What Lost Would Have Been Like Had It Followed Its Original Jack Plan
Kate Would’ve Become The Leader In Jack’s Place
If Lost had followed through on its original plan and killed off Jack in the first episode, then the survivors would’ve needed a different leader to take charge. This burden probably would’ve fallen to Kate. She’s arguably the second-most important character after Jack and the second-best fit to lead the group. Season 1 Sawyer was too much of a lone wolf to galvanize everyone, season 1 Hurley was well-meaning but pretty incompetent, and season 1 Charlie was going through heroin withdrawals, so it would’ve been up to Kate to become the leader in Jack’s absence.
Season 1 Sawyer was too much of a lone wolf to galvanize everyone, season 1 Hurley was well-meaning but pretty incompetent, and season 1 Charlie was going through heroin withdrawals, so it would’ve been up to Kate to become the leader in Jack’s absence.
But this would’ve made Kate a much less interesting character. As soon as the rest of the survivors found out Kate was a fugitive who was being transported to a prison sentence on the flight, they were wary about trusting her. Kate had to spend the entire first season earning the trust of her fellow survivors. But if Jack was killed off in the first episode and the plot required Kate to step up and lead the way, then the writers probably would’ve taken a shortcut to building that trust and it would’ve made for a far less compelling storyline.
Killing Jack In Episode 1 Would Not Have Added Much To Lost
It Would’ve Added Shock Value, But Would’ve Hurt The Show In The Long Run
Killing off Jack in the first episode of Lost wouldn’t have added much to the series beyond the initial shock value. In hindsight, the writers’ original reasoning for wanting to kill off Jack doesn’t hold much water. The idea was to show that anyone on this show could die, but that was never Lost’s biggest selling point anyway; shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead kept viewers on the hook with the promise that no character was safe, but Lost had its major characters defying death at every turn, so the show could keep them around.
Of course, Lost did kill off a lot of main characters along the way and got some of its most shocking moments out of those character deaths, but it wasn’t such a signature part of the show that it needed to be set up in the pilot. The mysteries of the island were a big part of the show’s appeal, but Lost’s popularity was really down to its lovable characters. If it had killed off those characters left and right, it would’ve been harder for the audience to make a lasting emotional connection with them.
