Final seasons extended to make up for shorter run this year

ABC is making official what the producers of "Lost" have been saying for some time: Fans of the show won't be shortchanged any episodes.

The show will film 17 episodes for each of its final two seasons, instead of the 16 initially planned when ABC and the show's creative team hammered out a three-seasons-and-that's-it deal last year.

The extra shows in 2009 and 2010 will make up for the two episodes lost to the writers' strike this season, meaning the total number of episodes (48) isn't changing.

Executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have been saying as much for a while. In a conference call with reporters last month, Lindelof said they expected to deliver the two shows they couldn't this year in the future.

"I think it means there will be 34 left," he said. "We did 14 this year because of the strike, but we promised 16, which means we owe two more hours."

"We're not actually shortening the total number of episodes," Cuse added. "We're just deferring them into seasons five and six."

"Lost" has three episodes left this season, all of which Lindelof and Cuse consider part of the season finale. The first part airs Thursday, May 15, and the conclusion airs as a two-hour show on May 29. The show is taking May 22 off to make room for a two-hour "Grey's Anatomy" finale.