Who's not coming back for Season 6?

As we all know, every former cast member from past seasons of the show has been approached to return in some capacity for the final season, likely reprising their characterizations from Season 1. But E! Online is reporting that somebody’s not willing to play ball.

The wording of Kristin’s post at E! suggests that the one person so far to turn down their offer to return is an “original cast member,” which would mean it’s a Season 1 player, if true. Let’s see if we can figure it out…

Now we know for sure that series regulars Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway, Terry O’Quinn, Naveen Andrews, Jorge Garcia, Yunjin Kim, and Daniel Dae Kim are all back. Emilie de Ravin is back as a full time regular this season. And we know from news to spill out from the set in Hawaii that gone-but-not-forgotten Season 1 stars Dominic Monaghan and Ian Somerhalder are both returning. Who does that leave? Harold Perrineau, Maggie Grace, and Malcolm David Kelley.

Kelley’s involvement would be sketchy at best, since the show has essentially let Walt off the hook for any further story needs, and the actor is too old now to pull off his Season 1 persona. And while no official word of Maggie Grace returning has been heard, Grace has expressed a strong desire to go back one last time. That just leaves Harold Perrineau.

Why wouldn’t Perrineau want to return? He was publicly displeased with the way his character’s arc ended in Season 4, but he’s always shown nothing but respect and appreciation for the show’s producers. And if he’s still bitter about Season 4, why not go back for a better sense of closure?

Of course, all of this is conjecture based on Kristin’s hearsay comments. It’s possible her wording has been misunderstood, and she could have been referring to a star from a later season, like Cynthia Watros, for example.

Image: Walt Disney Home Entertainment.