'Lost' creator Carlton Cuse explains what he's learned and how his new sci-fi show is different

USA Network's latest show, "Colony," has two very clear connections to "Lost": Carlton Cuse is a cocreator and Josh Holloway is a star of the sci-fi series. Both served the same purposes on "Lost."

But that's not where the similarities end.

"I think that your experience all through life helps to grow, and the more you write, the better you get," Cuse told Business Insider.

"You learn from everything you write," he continued. "I feel like 'Lost' was an incredible experience. This show is not at all meant to duplicate 'Lost.' There are obviously, because Josh is in it, comparisons, but I think they are very different shows."

"Colony" centers on a family, led by Holloway and "The Walking Dead" alum Sarah Wayne Callies, as they struggle to survive in Los Angeles in a futuristic world occupied by aliens. While some choose to collaborate with and benefit from the new order, others rebel and suffer the consequences.

"'Lost' was this overarching mystery about these people who were stuck on this deserted island," Cuse explained. "Why were they stuck there? The show was really about people who were lost on a deserted island, but more importantly people who were lost in their lives and searching for redemptions and answers. I think this show is a little bit more direct. There isn't some great single mystery that is looming to be answered."

What it does have in common with "Lost" is the storytelling technique. Cuse referred to it as "playing the world closed."

"It just felt like what we didn't want to do was just have this giant expositional dump in the first episode or the first couple of episodes of the show," he said. "It would be far more compelling to have the characters only know a limited amount and have the audience know only what the characters know, and the mysteries of this world, like what is going on here, would unfold over time."

There's at least one mystery "Lost" tried to uncover during its run that isn't in the cards right now for "Colony," but that could change.

"In the case of 'Lost,' we made 121 episodes of that show," Cuse said. "So talk to me again in season nine and God will probably be very much on the agenda."