10 TV Shows That Were Saved By One Genius Tweak

In an all-time classic example of executives making a smart call that arguably saved a show - or at least massively improved it - J.J. Abrams' original outline for Lost's pilot had protagonist Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) die half-way through the episode.

Initially, Abrams and company planned to hire an A-list actor in the role - Michael Keaton was interested for a time - whose death would shock the audience and layer the remainder of the season with an air of unpredictability.

However, network ABC strongly disagreed with the idea, feeling that it would simply piss invested audiences off, that a character as so easily likeable as Jack was taken off the chess board immediately.

And so, Jack was given a stay of execution, at which point Keaton departed the project - having no interest in committing to a larger part - and Matthew Fox was eventually cast as his replacement.

Given that Jack quickly established himself as one of Lost's most potent characters, and enjoyed quite the complex arc throughout the show's run, it would've been a massive mistake to kill him at the outset.

In Jack's absence, the role of the survivors' leader would've reportedly gone to Kate (Evangeline Lilly), and as great a character as she was, it just doesn't feel like a natural fit for her.