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Nearly 16 years after its series finale, Lost remains in a league of its own. Arguably ABC’s biggest show to date, Lost followed a ragtag group of survivors who find themselves trapped on an island following a plane crash. Yet, there’s an inexplicable, almost uncanny edge to their fight for survival, with the island itself feeling like a supernatural entity.
Across six seasons, Lost changed the sci-fi genre forever as a meticulously-crafted mystery box series. Despite starting with a deceptively simple premise, Lost built an entire mythology surrounding the island, sending each viewer down a labyrinthine rabbit hole. While most fans merely rewatch Lost to get their mystery fix, however, many shows have emerged as hopeful replacements since it ended.
Travelers
Special Agents From The Future Travel Back In Time
In the distant future, a quantum computer known as The Director heads a task force of trained agents— the eponymous travelers— as they take over host bodies in the past. The travelers assume the identity of their hosts like parasites, ranging from young athletes to high-powered officials, while secretly working to maintain the world’s homeostasis and avoid complete societal collapse.
Despite being canceled after a mere three seasons, Travelers is a must-watch post-apocalyptic story and one of Netflix’s most intriguing forays into science fiction. The series seamlessly blends mythology with technology, crafting truly engrossing lore to explain how The Director and the travelers came to be. Nevertheless, its run was sadly cut short before the show could reach its prime.
Yellowjackets
A Soccer Team’s Plane Crash Lands In The Canadian Wilderness
When the Yellowjackets— the titular high school girls’ soccer team— boards a plane to compete in a national championship, a group of young teens and their coach wind up stranded in the Canadian wilderness. Soon, the team are forced to suspend their own humanity as murder, cannibalism, and a cult mentality become their only means of survival.
Beyond Yellowjackets‘ talented cast and iconic needle drops, the psychological thriller has garnered a devoted following thanks to its convoluted mysteries. Like Lost, Yellowjackets fan theories run rampant, ranging from the identity of the “Pit Girl” to the true nature of the wilderness and its potentially supernatural properties. Regardless, Yellowjackets‘ success is a drop in Lost‘s bucket.
Person of Interest
One Man’s Terrorism Defense Turns Into A Dangerous Surveillance Tool
For a speculative sci-fi drama, Person of Interest‘s relevance grows exponentially with each passing year. The CBS hit followed reclusive software engineer Harold Finch (Michael Emerson), a billionaire who created a powerful AI to detect possible terrorist threats. Unfortunately, the technology falls into the wrong hands and is turned against the unassuming public.
Furthermore, the AI— aptly titled The Machine— develops a chilling sentience that makes its all-seeing programming feel almost mystical. Over time, The Machine morphs into an inscrutable, Godlike figure that the main characters either rebel against or kneel to. While it shares some similarities with Lost— including J.J. Abrams’ magic touch— Person of Interest is another beast entirely.
Fringe
A Group Of FBI-Backed Investigators Take On Fringe Science
Fringe may have started out as a typical— if not quirky— procedural, but the drama quickly developed into its own spin on the mystery box formula. By the final season of Fringe, the show’s mythology had taken root and the federal Fringe Division was a far cry from the average investigators of season 1.
From parallel universes to a mysterious language made of glyphs, Fringe slowly but steadily built its fascinating overarching narrative. Even as episodic storylines prevailed, the hidden meaning behind every scene became a point of fascination for the serial’s cult following, which juxtaposed its middling critical reception. Nonetheless, Fringe remains a widely misunderstood hidden gem in sci-fi circles.
Silo
In A Dystopian Society, People Are Confined To A 144-Level Silo
Similar to Lost, Silo starts out with a classic survival thriller feel. The series is named after the central location, a silo that was built deep underground centuries prior to the first episode. Just like Lost, however, the remaining residents of the silo begin to uncover a vast conspiracy that makes the viewer question everything they think they know.
Silo is based on Hugh Howey’s novel trilogy of the same name, composed of Wool (2011), Shift (2013), and Dust (2013).
The terrifying world of Silo hinges upon trust and the lack thereof. Due to a supposed rebellion decades prior, there are no historical records remaining to explain the silo— meaning the people trapped in the silo have no idea why, how, or even when exactly their society came to be. Without question, the Apple TV series is a delightful conundrum.
The OA
A Multi-Dimensional Mystery Following A So-Called Original Angel
Shortly after her 21st birthday, Prairie Johnson (Brit Marling) mysteriously disappears. Upon her return seven years later, the woman has been permanently changed, from the deep scars on her back to the unexplained cure of her lifelong blindness. Though her loved ones celebrate her return, there’s no question something nefarious happened to the self-proclaimed Original Angel (the titular “OA”).
The OA only got better with time, attracting more and more fans as the sci-fi’s true story began unraveling. Just when the series started diving deeper into its most interesting subplots and dimension-hopping science, however, the series was sadly canceled. The OA‘s cliffhanger ending devastates viewers to this day, as it never had the chance to see its story through.
From
A Small Town Is Terrorized By Mysterious Creatures At Night
From is the closest thing younger generations have to Lost, but it suffers from one harsh reality: the modern television landscape leaves very little room for smash hits. The MGM+ supernatural mystery centers on a town with a horrific past and an even worse present, as each night, shape-shifting monsters approach to hunt anyone lacking a protective talisman.
Critical Response To From | |
|---|---|
Season | Rotten Tomatoes Score |
Season 1 | 96% |
Season 2 | 93% |
Season 3 | 100% |
Season 4 | TBD |
Ironically, From is connected to Lost via Jack Bender, who directed some of the best episodes of both series. Plus, with each season, From only strengthens its engrossing, utterly original lore. Sadly, far too few know the mystery even exists, though it’s just as good— if not better— than its spiritual predecessor.
The Leftovers
An Exploration Of Those Left Behind After A Major Supernatural Event
Following the “Sudden Departure” of over 100 million people, The Leftovers explores the fallout of those who weren’t taken. HBO’s supernatural masterpiece shifts the focus from the inciting incident to the aftermath, as the new factions formed by the survivors drive the plot rather than typical bids to understand the departure or why it happened.
The Leftovers allows viewers to feel the palpable tension of a world where everything has changed, but nothing has changed enough…
By starting in medias res, The Leftovers allows viewers to feel the palpable tension of a world where everything has changed, but nothing has changed enough. With standout performances by Liv Tyler (Meg Abbott) and Justin Theroux (Kevin Garvey), The Leftovers had its fair share of star power. Nevertheless, the three-season story ended before it could truly make its mark.
Manifest
The Passengers Of Flight 828 Slip Five Years Into The Future
Out of the countless mystery box shows to release following Lost‘s 2010 finale, Manifest is the most obvious title that drew direct inspiration from Fox’s seminal classic. In place of Lost‘s Flight 815, Manifest centers on Flight 828, which lands five and a half years after it first takes off.
Although the NBC original attempted to add a unique spin by giving its survivors prophetic “callings” and moral dilemmas, the harsh reality of Manifest is that it has always been dismissed as a wannabe Lost. The series has a sizable fan base regardless of the criticism, but there’s no denying it will likely live in its inspiration’s shadow in perpetuity.
Dark
A Confounding Mystery Box That Will Stump Every Viewer
It’s exceedingly rare to find a sci-fi story that both entertains and confronts the viewer with a mental quandry, but Dark is confusing in the best way possible. The German thriller focuses on the quiet town of Winden, which falls into disarray as children begin disappearing. The truth behind Winden’s residents, however, is the crux of a fascinating philosophical debate.
10 Best Mystery Box Shows Of All Time
The mystery box genre is one of the hardest to get right on television, but these shows tackle the questions, intrigue, and complex storytelling well.
In the flawless Netflix original series, a group of time travelers access a wormhole to try and fix their biggest mistakes— yet, as they eventually learn, they can change the circumstances but never change themselves. With zero plot holes, infallible acting, and a narrative that takes multiple watches to truly understand, Dark is the best show you’ve probably never seen.
