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The limitations of network television can be hampering for showrunners. From mandating episode counts to requiring ad breaks at the same point every night, it can be stifling. One way it limited the people behind Lost was by not letting them swear as much as the situation called for. It is one of the ways the show would have changed if it had been made today for a streaming service like Netflix, but who would have taken advantage of the laxer censorship? Which Lost character would have the worst potty mouth?

During a discussion about the show’s legacy and some choice fan theories back in 2020, Lost showrunner Damon Lindelof was asked that very question and he came up with a surprising response. “Certainly, Sawyer would have had a more colorful vernacular than he already had, but I think there were just certain instances in the show, like Dr. Arzt blowing up that would have called for Hurley to just say, ‘Shit!’ you know? Or ‘Jesus Christ!’” Like, that’s just what any real person would say in that moment.”

Poor Hurley had to deal with a lot of weird stuff on the island, but we don’t think his profanity would have been nearly as consistent or as interesting as Sawyer's. Throughout the show, we got the feeling he was holding back some expletive-laden rants for the sake of keeping Lost from running afoul of the censors at ABC, but that’s what happens when you’re on a network owned by Disney, right? I mean, twenty years later and they’ve just now gotten on board with an R-rated film, so they definitely weren’t going to let Sawyer drop a few choice F-Bombs on the air.

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