‘Lost’ rediscovered

“Lost” PLAYED it forward this year, and it paid off.

The ABC drama is back in the best drama race after a critically acclaimed season that turned the show’s signature flashback storytelling device on its head and began spinning tales into the future.

“Lost” won an Emmy in its freshman year in 2005 but was left out in its second year, possibly because of a change in the nomination process (since altered). Last year, the series was snubbed again, with Emmy voters seemingly agreeing with TV critics and viewers that the mystery island series had lost its way a bit creatively.

“We were excited and frankly a bit shocked because it hasn’t gone our way in the last two years,” executive producer Carlton Cuse said Thursday. “We’re happy to be back in the hunt.”

Cuse and fellow executive producer Damon Lindelof took a chance with the episode they submitted for consideration, “The Constant,” which tracked Desmond’s “consciousness bouncing back and forth over 12 years,” Lindelof said. The episode was received well by TV critics and fans but could have put off judges who do not regularly watch the series.

“It showed the marriage of what we feel the show is: Something weird was going on, but at the end of the day, the weird thing was secondary to the emotional,” Lindelof said. “For some reason, this episode transcends its own weirdness and is one of the greatest romantic stories we’ve ever done.”

The whole season arguably was a gamble.

“We decided to try the flash-forward thing even though we were not sure it was going to work,” Cuse said. “So it’s enormously gratifying to see how people have responded and that the show is nominated again.”

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maria.elena.fernandez@latimes.com