Alcatraz - Interview with J.J. Abrams about Alcatraz, Fringe, Serialized Storytelling & Upcoming TV Projects

How did you find out about this series?
J.J. ABRAMS: Well, what happened was that we received the original script that was written by Steven [Lilien] and Bryan [Wynbrandt], who are the creators with Liz Sarnoff. They wrote a great script. The premise was awesome. It was one of those things where I heard Alcatraz, and I thought, “What the hell. How could there never have been a show about this before?” It immediately made me lean forward. And then, when we heard the premise, we wanted to keep working on it and keep developing it. Lost was ending, so I called Liz Sarnoff and begged her to read it and come on board, and she did and helped the pilot get to a place that I thought was extraordinary and really cool.

So, we got to make this pilot, and then it went from there. Knowing the changes and things we wanted to do, Liz ultimately chose to step down because she didn’t feel like she was the right person to make all the changes we wanted, but she was running the show, at that point, with Jennifer [Johnson]. So, Liz decided to help out and stay on board, but Jennifer has been running the show, and Dan Pyne came on, who has been extraordinary, as well.

How do you feel about doing another show on an island?
ABRAMS: The thing is that, in theory, any land mass is an island, so you could argue that every show ever made [is about an island]. The Mary Tyler Moore Show is much like Lost, as Alcatraz is, honestly. Jorge [Garcia] was the first person cast in Lost, and he was the first person that was cast in Alcatraz. When I met Jorge, the weird thing is that his girlfriend was obsessed with Alcatraz and was talking a lot about it because she was writing a book, and we were developing this show. I was going to talk to him about it, and she was going on about Alcatraz, so I said, “That’s cool because we’re actually working on a show. Jorge, would you want to be in this show Alcatraz?” And, he was like, “That’s cool.”

Source: Full interview @ Collider