ABC captures Lost’s Carlton Cuse

US broadcaster ABC has secured the services of Lost showrunner Carlton Cuse by signing him to a four-year overall deal.

Carlton Cuse

Cuse, who joins following a three-year development deal agreed with A+E Studios in 2014, is returning to ABC seven years after the end of Lost and less than a week after Shonda Rhimes revealed she would be joining Netflix.

The Bates Motel exec producer will develop projects for US networks, cablers and streamers through his prodco Genre Arts. He was at ABC for six years on Lost and has since worked on series including A&E drama Bates Motel, The Strain on FX and Jack Ryan with Amazon.

Patrick Moran, president at ABC Studios, described the deal as “a major victory” for the company.

Rhimes and producing partner Betsy Beers, makers of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, left ABC for Netflix a week after the broadcaster’s parent Disney said it would be pulling its movies from the US streamer.