Netflix To Show Original Lost Finale After Complaint From Damon Lindelof

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Netflix users who viewed the Lost finale were very disappointed to find they didn’t get the full story. But now there is a ray of hope for them, as the streaming service giant vows to fix the problem.

Lindelof “befuddled” by error

On Reddit, some of the viewers noticed that Lost two-part show closer on Netflix was 18 minutes shorter than what aired six years ago on ABC. Until now, this blunder from the streaming service giant was not noticed by Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof, who now wants Netflix to correct the error urgently.

Lindelof, who is totally “befuddled” by this error, said in a statement to EW, “Love it or hate it, the finale that aired is the definitive finale and to alter it in any way defies explanation. Something tells me that this isn’t Netflix’s fault.” Lindelof believes it is an “honest mistake” that occurred because something was “mis-communicated,” and said that he seems to “remember ABC had to make an edit for rerun airings that tightened the show into ‘format’ (42 minutes to accommodate commercials)” and somehow that version has been wrongly sent to Netflix.

Lindelof further said that it sometimes happens with their finales – the company asks ABC for some extra time to which it agrees to air, but it forces them to do another “tighter version” for “subsequent airings and/or international markets.” Editors are responsible for making cuts to a show, Lindelof said.

Similar error from Netflix before

In response, Netflix tweeted that the shortened finale was an honest mistake, and promised to stream the uncut version very soon. “Error on our part and fixing it right now– the uncut version was accidentally swapped out and will be back ASAP,” noted a tweet from the streaming firm.

This is not the first time that the company has made a noticeable mistake. In the past, Netflix UK received a letter from Mommy director Xavier Dolan complaining that the company had altered the film’s 1:1 aspect ratio for streamers. Netflix soon responded to Dolan’s tweet, and restored Mommy to its correct aspect ratio.

On Thursday, Netflix shares closed down 2.65% at $114.56. Year to date, the stock is up just 1%, while in the last one-month, it is down almost 9%. In pre-market trading Friday, the stock was up almost 2%.

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