10 Shows To Watch if You Love ‘Lost’

The thing about Lost was that it was a little bit of everything, for better or worse. It began as a show about survivors of a plane crash trying to get by on a strange island, with things only getting stranger the longer they were stuck there. There was a ton of mystery and continually weird things that were uncovered and, as a result, Lost ended up being a combination of just about every genre under the sun.

That makes it easy to compare other shows to it, given that there’s a lot to Lost, and so parts of the show can be pretty simply compared to other television shows out there. The following TV shows probably scratch the itch Lost scratched most thoroughly, since some are also focused on survival, some have strong mystery elements, and others work as thrilling blends of science-fiction, fantasy, and action/adventure genres.

10

‘Dark’ (2017–2020)

Created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese

One of the best mind-bending TV shows of the streaming era, Dark managed to do a great deal within its three seasons (comprising less than 30 episodes in total). Things kick off with various children going missing, and that prompts a search that reveals continually troubling things, and then those things have consequences that end up lasting for generations.

So, Dark covers a great deal of time, and on top of telling a compelling story, it’s also keen to explore various complex ideas relating to philosophy, human nature, and time itself… and the same can potentially be said about Lost. There are also plenty of things that set these two one-word-title shows apart, but if you like some of the more ambitious parts of Lost (especially in its later seasons), Dark is easy to recommend.

9

‘Under the Dome’ (2013–2015)

Developed by Brian K. Vaughan

Given there’s difficulty in adapting some of Stephen King’s longer novels to film or TV (look at The Stand and The Dark Tower series, for two examples), it’s understandable that Under the Dome mostly just took the basic premise of King’s mammoth novel of the same name and did its own thing. There are similarities beyond the set-up, sure, but it’s not intended to be a direct adaptation by any means.

That premise involves the people of a small town getting cut off from the outside world after a large dome mysteriously appears overhead, completely trapping those unlucky enough to be in town at the time. It’s about trying to discover the origins of the dome, and is also focused on survival, and that puts Under the Dome kind of in step with Lost… or, at the very least, the earlier/more survival-focused seasons of Lost.

8

‘Black Mirror’ (2011–2025)

Created by Charlie Brooker

Because of how wild and unpredictable Black Mirror can get, it’s hard to say that the show as a whole is entirely reminiscent of anything else. The anthology format makes that inevitable, given just about every episode of Black Mirror is self-contained, but most of them are dark, focused on sci-fi concepts, and generally pessimistic in how they unpack the potential future of humanity.

Perhaps the earlier seasons of Black Mirror were a little more unpredictable, but there remain continual attempts to surprise and unnerve throughout the less consistent later seasons, too. Anyone wanting a strong overarching storyline clearly won’t get that here, but if you like the heavier/more intense episodes of Lost that are also willing to explore strange sci-fi concepts, then perhaps you could do worse than giving Black Mirror a shot.

7

‘Stranger Things’ (2016–2025)

Created by The Duffer Brothers

In some ways, Stranger Things is a milder show than Lost, given it (at least initially) focuses on younger characters, and serves mostly as a coming-of-age story that gets progressively darker and more gruesome as the seasons progress. Things kick off with the disappearance of a young boy and the discovery of a young girl with psychokinetic powers, with eventual revelations that link these two things together.

There was sometimes tension within Lost, from a writing perspective, when it came to branching out into new areas while maintaining something of a status quo, and Stranger Things has had a similarly rocky progression overall. But just as the instability of Lost kept things engaging, on one level, so too has the wildness and increased scope of ambition made the Netflix series a continual phenomenon throughout the late 2010s and into the early 2020s… but if they don’t stick the landing come Stranger Things‘ 5th season, please disregard such positive comments.

6

‘The Good Place’ (2016–2020)

Created by Michael Schur

Without getting too detailed about spoilers, Lost was a show that frequently had death and/or the idea of an afterlife on its mind, but not to the extent that The Good Place did. The latter was a show all about the afterlife, focusing on a woman who ends up in some version of heaven she doesn’t believe she belongs in, especially because the “soulmate” she’s given doesn’t seem like a good fit for her at all.

Like with Lost, there are some pretty earth-shattering plot twists and turns found in The Good Place; in fact, a surprising amount for a show that could be called a sitcom. The Good Place goes to some unexpected and even profound places as it approaches its final episode, and the wild ride is easy to recommend for those who favor a lack of predictability in the shows they watch.

5

‘Twin Peaks’ (1990–2017)

Created by Mark Frost and David Lynch

While great television did exist before 1990, there’s an argument to be made that Twin Peaks really elevated TV as a whole, rewriting what could be done on a network TV show. It took certain risks narratively, thematically, and visually, in turn inspiring plenty of dramas that followed in its wake. Lost probably took network TV to its limits, but Twin Peaks pretty much got the ball rolling in the first place.

Like Lost, Twin Peaks has an effective hook in its opening episode; the question of “Who killed Laura Palmer?” But the show is so much more than just a murder mystery, because the world of Twin Peaks grows, becomes more frightening, and gets increasingly surreal as things go along. It would’ve been wonderful if Twin Peaks got to stay on the air for six seasons or so, like Lost, but at least there was a long-awaited third season in 2017, Twin Peaks: The Return, which concluded the show overall, in some ways, while unapologetically confounding and adding complexity in other ways.

4

‘Fringe’ (2008–2013)

Created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci

J.J. Abrams’ involvement with Lost tends to get a bit overestimated, because while he co-created the show and was an executive producer throughout, he only ever directed the two-part pilot, and was credited as a co-writer for three episodes in total. He was a little more active as a writer for two of his previously created shows, Felicity and Alias, but those weren’t sci-fi or fantasy shows like Lost was. Alias was, after all, a show about a spy.

So, the other show Abrams was involved with, in some capacity, that is worth comparing to Lost is Fringe, which even had some overlap as far as airing went, given Fringe debuted in 2008, ending in 2013, while Lost was on the air between 2004 and 2010. Fringe also has strong mystery elements and ambitious themes alongside a premise that allows for the exploration of many sci-fi concepts, so it’s definitely a little bit Lost-esque, at times.

3

‘Westworld’ (2016–2022)

Created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy

Though it was canceled before it could get a proper conclusion, there’s enough good stuff found in Westworld to make it worth recommending, especially because its first season was quite strong. It combines Western and science fiction elements into the one show, feeling surprisingly coherent, and often relishes the opportunity to pack as many plot twists as possible into the proceedings.

It’s a show that wants to surprise you, and some might even argue that Westworld tries a little too hard to be shocking and unpredictable. But the ambition to do things that are weird and unexpected is admirable, and it puts Westworld in line with something like Lost, because even the biggest fans of the latter will likely concede that it sometimes went a bit far with the plot twists and intended surprises.

2

‘The Leftovers’ (2014–2017)

Created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta

Like J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof was a co-creator of Lost, but his involvement was more hands-on, given he was also one of Lost’s showrunners, and ended up being credited with writing 45 of its 121 episodes. So, looking at his body of work is a good place to start for anyone who’s finished Lost and wants something comparable, with The Leftovers probably being the ideal starting point.

It’s another show Lindelof was involved with where you could argue more questions are raised than answered, but the whole thing revolves around 2% of the world’s population mysteriously disappearing, so confusion, anguish, and uncertainty are appropriate emotions here, all things considered. The Leftovers is a bit darker and arguably more ambitious than Lost, and it’s not as broad, approachable, or entertaining… but it does hit hard and explore a unique premise well, all the while feeling like a more mature effort from Damon Lindelof (he was credited with writing or co-writing almost every single episode in the show’s three seasons).

1

‘Watchmen’ (2019)

Created by Damon Lindelof

Two years after The Leftovers concluded airing its third and final season, Damon Lindelof was behind another HBO drama series: Watchmen. It sets itself apart from the film adaptation released in 2009 by kind of being a sequel to the original story, while also kind of doing its own thing with the source material: Alan Moore’s comic book limited series of the same name, which was published between 1986 and 1987.

2019’s Watchmen has a little by way of science fiction elements, perhaps like Lost and The Leftovers, but such things are more subdued here, as Watchmen functions mostly as a drama. It’s dark at times, and often proves hard to predict, in turn having things to offer fans of the comic book series, the 2009 film, and newcomers alike.

NEXT: The Biggest Mysteries in ‘Lost,’ Ranked