With its release later this year, From season 3 can avoid a Harold Perrineau-related mistake made years ago by Lost. Perrineau formerly played the character of Michael on the acclaimed ABC television show Lost. Father to a young boy named Walt, Michael was one of the more compassionate characters on Lost, beloved by fans of the show.
Eighteen years after his 2004 debut on Lost, Perrineau began his role as Boyd Stevens on the MGM+ series From. Like Lost, From is also a sci-fi series with monster horror elements, this time tackling the story of a city in the middle of the United States that imprisons everyone who enters it. Instead of taking the backseat like he did while playing Michael in Lost, Perrineau plays the main role in From. However, as From continues into season 3, it can avoid major issues made by Lost years ago.
The first two seasons of Lost were purely stunning television. Told with ample flashbacks to create a mosaic of its main characters, Lost revolutionized network TV storytelling and had audience members hooked on the mystery of its main island. This changed in Lost season 3, which dragged on more than the previous seasons. With the exception of the classic “Not Penny’s Boat” finale episode “Through the Looking Glass,” Lost season 3 lacked the same energy that the mystery of the smoke monster or The Others created for Lost season 1 and season 2.
Though Lost picked up again in seasons 4 and 5, when the Oceanic Six leave and then return to the infamous island, Lost season 6 falls apart again. One could argue that Lost season 3 was the beginning of the end for Lost, which never restored the tightness of the first two seasons. In addition to Perrineau himself, the MGM+ show Lost includes several overlapping team members. This comes by way of the show’s producers, Jack Bender and Jeff Pinkner, both of whom also work on Lost.
Because of its shared genre and team, From offers a chance for a sort of do-over of where Lost went wrong. As the show enters season 3, the same point wherein Lost arguably lost steam, From is at a critical turning point. The first two seasons of From have scored 96% and 92% critics’ scores on Rotten Tomatoes, offering a promising start. Thus, From season 1 has the opportunity to curb Lost’s negative trend and maintain the already-strong quality of the series.
One of Lost’s huge decisions in season 2 was to kill off Perrineau’s character of Michael. Michael was a grounding force in Lost season 1 and 2, so his absence in Lost season 3 was definitely felt. Since his appearance on Lost, Perrineau has never made it to the third season of a sci-fi mystery show.
Thus, From season 3 will inherently be an opportunity for Perrineau to shine in a third season of a show of this genre. As the lead in From, Perrineau is unlikely to be killed off, so he will likely survive beyond season 3 too if there are to be more seasons of From. At the very least, From season 3 can undo Lost’s wrongs by maintaining its quality and by keeping a valuable actor, Perrineau, in the series.