10 TV Shows Like Lost You Should Watch Next
Lost featured complex, intertwining storylines; more characters than anyone could reasonably expect to follow; and drawers full of secrets. Beginning with flashbacks revealing the personalities of plane crash survivors before diving headlong into surrealism, the series was an unusually clever network effort that rewarded attentive viewing. Whether it all proved profound or utterly absurd is always up to the viewer—but it remains one of the most talked-about and controversial series in modern television history.
Fringe (2008–2013)
We barely mention Fringe , the clever sci-fi detective series that became a true successor to The X-Files (and ended far more convincingly than that show, despite numerous attempts), or the weirder aspects of Lost , which foreshadowed the multiverse narrative before it became annoying. Beginning as a kind of weird mystery-of-the-week, the series soon reveals that all the strange events the characters investigate are connected to potentially universe-shattering intrusions across time and space. Watch Fringe on Hulu.
Survivors (2014–2017)
The premise of Lost is brilliantly understated: about two percent of the world’s population disappears without explanation, enough to upend almost everything. Politics has adapted to the new reality, religions have collapsed and been reborn, and families have had to come to terms with the inexplicable loss of loved ones. The first season revolves around the Garvey family, led by Kevin (Justin Theroux), a sheriff whose wife (Amy Brenneman) left him to join a cult, while subsequent seasons expand the scope, introducing other characters in different settings. Showrunner Damon Lindelof also co-created Lost , and the two shows share some similarities (including a relatively dark tone), but while Lost (arguably) spiraled out of control, Lost understood that a complex storyline and the search for answers is what it’s all about. Watch Lost on HBO Max .
Yellow Wasps (2021 – )
This time-traveling survival drama follows a group of teenage girls stranded in the wilderness in 1996, committing horrific acts to survive—the extent of which is only revealed through flashbacks to the present, where the events of 19 months spent in the wilderness continue to resonate. There are subtle hints of the supernatural, but also plenty of human horrors. The series touches on some of the same themes as Lost , exploring the morally ambiguous decisions we make in survival mode and cynically (but accurately) arguing that there’s a vast difference between the version of the past we talk about and the one that actually happened. Watch Yellowjackets on Paramount+ .
Darkness (2017–2020)
The series “Dark” began as a detective story about a missing child and, over three seasons, evolved into an incredibly complex plot: a time-travel tale exploring dark family secrets across generations. The German series is distinguished by its vibrant visual style and atmosphere, as well as an ensemble cast of teenagers and adults whose stories are skillfully intertwined. While the tone is arguably even darker than “Lost,” both series share a love of complex mysteries, time shifts, and strange inconsistencies.Watch “Dark” on Netflix .
From 2022 to present.
Travel to The Town, a place no one can escape. Residents and visitors alike are trapped, as if on a desert island, and are attacked by forest creatures that kill anyone outside after dark. The Matthews family learns this firsthand when they arrive in their RV and soon find themselves trapped with the local sheriff (Harold Perrineau, of Lost fame) just as darkness falls. The local monsters aren’t just mindlessly hungry—they’re cunning and sadistic, more than capable of murdering residents in bloody ways. It’s a supernatural take on the phrase “small towns are never what they seem.” Watch The Town on MGM+ .
Alice in Borderland (2020 – )
For the plane crash survivors of the Lost series, an island serves as purgatory, a world that, for these mostly middle-aged adults, can be both heaven and hell. A modern-day teenager’s equivalent would be Alice in Borderland , where kids find themselves in a world of secrets—a world that seems like a refuge until it isn’t. Arisu, obsessed with video games, gets his wish, in a sense, when he and a couple of friends are transported to an alternate, eerily abandoned version of Tokyo—Borderland, vividly brought to life thanks to clever green-screen work. The three are directed into an arena and given instructions for a game they’ll be playing, whether they want to or not. The first challenge involves a locked-room puzzle; if they fail, the room will catch fire with them—imagine Ready Player One , but with more deadly stakes. Games are held every evening, though the rules allow winners to take the night off. There are actually a lot of rules, but the games are cleverly and sadistically constructed.Watch Alice in Borderland on Netflix .
Battlestar Galactica (2003–2009)
While the original Battlestar Galactica series was a fun, mediocre mix of science fiction and dated kitsch, the 2000s reboot from ( Star Trek veteran and For All Mankind head) Ronald D. Moore and his team fully brought science fiction into the age of prestige television. Created as robot slaves to humanity, the Cylons rebel and launch a surprise attack on human colonies, leading to an exodus into space. Humanity’s only hope is to reach the mythical world of Earth. The monotheistic Cylons view their crusade as almost sacred, while the more rationalistic human refugees struggle to survive and find common meaning in an order that is crumbling by the day. Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell lead an impressive cast. Watch Battlestar Galactica on Paramount+ .
100 (2014–2020)
The 100 tells the story of the descendants of refugees who survived a nuclear holocaust, who return to Earth from space and encounter the remnants of humanity that survived. Naturally, the first people sent to investigate are juvenile delinquents (better them than me), and they discover that three civilizations have emerged from the apocalypse, all of them quite terrifying (including one populated by cannibals, of course). Perhaps more humane than Lord of the Flies, even while tackling similar themes, the series builds a compelling mythology throughout its runtime, leading to a finale that borders on the metaphysical. Buy The 100 on Prime Video.
Missing in Action 9 (2017)
Perhaps the closest analogue to the series “Lost” is this crazy South Korean drama. A plane crash leaves a group of (mostly) celebrities stranded on a mysterious island—at first, we learn much of the story through flashbacks from a stylist suffering from amnesia. Things get complicated when stories from other survivors emerge, and two people’s versions of events don’t match. The theme of fame adds an extra layer of mystery, as government investigators are willing to obfuscate the situation to minimize public outcry. We learn that the five people who never made it off the island survived the crash, and at least one of the others knows why. Watch “Missing 9” on Kocowa via Prime Video .
Silo (2023 – )
All the characters in this series live in the 144-story bunker of the title—a sealed structure that supports (or imprisons) the last remnants of humanity on a devastated Earth. Social politics intertwine with civilization-threatening secrets in a stunningly conceived dystopia—perhaps less mythological than Lost , but just as enigmatic. Based on Hugh Howey’s book trilogy , the series, in addition to a terrific cast (including Rebecca Ferguson, Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo, Common, and Tim Robbins), has at least one other advantage: unlike many prematurely canceled series, it will conclude as planned after being renewed for two more seasons. Watch Silo on Apple TV .