The beginning of the end for the Emmy award-winning sci-fi serial “Lost” kicked off last night with a two-hour mind-blowing premiere episode that showcased characters living parallel lives … or as the show’s producers are calling it “flash sideways.”

The show’s ratings, which had declined as its mythos grew more intricate, increased for the first time since season two’s debut, drawing in 12.1 million viewers. The “Lost” clip-show special brought in 9.9 million viewers.

“Lost” co-creators and producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse joined Jimmy Kimmel last night to discuss the show’s premiere and answer what sequences were coincidence or intentional.

Lindelof and Cuse also talked about a recent “Lost” art show and announced that Sunday, May 23 will be the show’s end date.

ABC held a premiere party for cast, crew and fans of “Lost” on Saturday at Waikiki Beach. The event provided an estimated 15,000 Losties the opportunity to meet and chat up stars Michael Fox, Josh Holloway, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O’Quinn, Michael Emmerson, Naveen Andrews, Jorge Garcia, Nestor Carbonell, Harold Perrineau, Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim, Henry Ian Cusick, Jeff Fahey, and Ken Leung.

The following is a gallery of the shindig:

[Show as slideshow]