ABC announced Monday that is has renewed the addictive hit series Lost until May 2010, where the show will end.

There is a catch for fans of the show however. The next three seasons will be shortened to 16 episodes, beginning next February and it will air over consecutive weeks, no reruns.

This may be a problem for the show's Canadian carrier, CTV, however. Lost's season premiere in February 2010 will coincide with the network's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics. In all likelyhood, CTV will probably air a marathon of the first three episodes after The Games. ABC will air it against NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics as well.

This is the first time a network announced the end of a top-rated series so far in advance.

Full Story (Baltimore Sun)