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LOS ANGELES - The head of prime-time television programming for ABC has some big news for fans of the hit castaway thriller Lost -- Michael will be back for the show's upcoming fourth season.
Actor Harold Perrineau is rejoining the cast as reluctant father turned devoted dad Michael
Dawson, who escaped the island in a boat with his son, Walt, after betraying fellow Flight 815 survivors to the mysterious group known as the Others.
Walt, played by Malcolm David Kelley, has made fleeting, unexplained appearances on the island since then, but Michael has not been seen on Lost since his departure at the end of the second season.
His impending return was revealed by ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson before a gathering of TV critics in Beverly Hills. No other information about Perrineau's comeback was given.
Plans for his return were only grudgingly revealed after arm-twisting from several critics who complained when McPherson initially insisted on holding the announcement until a separate ABC event scheduled for Thursday at the Comic-Con comic books convention in San Diego.
McPherson's attempt to save the Lost scoop for Comic-Con reflects the growing importance of the annual trade show as a promotional platform for major TV networks and studios, which see it as a chance to generate advance online "buzz" for certain programs among the internet-savvy crowd in attendance.
According to Daily Variety, the agenda for this year's four-day convention includes nearly 100 television-focused events, including special Fox screenings for the pilot of its new Bionic Woman series and a Star Wars-themed episode of its animated comedy Family Guy.
The broadcast industry is tapping into a newfound overlap between the comic book fans who flock to such conventions and devotees of a new wave of sci-fi and fantasy-based TV shows inspired by the success of Lost.
Lost producers announced in May that they would end the series after three more seasons, each consisting of 16 consecutive episodes, allowing the show to conclude with a decisive finale during the 2009-2010 broadcast year.
While the Emmy-winning show lost some ratings momentum last season, it remained a key part of ABC's prime-time lineup, averaging roughly 15 million viewers a week. It also ranks as one of the most recorded shows on television and is a popular draw for online streaming on ABC.com, iTunes downloads and DVDs.
- REUTERS/Nielsen