But First
What made Lost so successful? It became a beloved water-cooler show during its first season in 2004 due to its highly complex storyline and interwoven characters. It’s easy to spend hours debating the meaning of various easter eggs, and the show is chock full of head-scratching riddles like, “What lies in the shadow of the statue?”
Created by J. J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and Jeffrey Lieber, Lost is known for its fluid timeline, with flashbacks and flash-fowards that explain how characters’ backstories are interconnected. Its huge ensemble cast featured Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Terry O’Quinn, Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim, Naveen Andrews, Emilie de Ravin, Harold Perrineau, Dominic Monaghan, Ian Somerhalder, Maggie Grace, Henry Ian Cusick, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Michael Emerson.
Though the plot became more convoluted as the seasons went on — and many have criticized the series finale — Lost expertly weaves supernatural and science fiction elements in with its compelling commentary on human nature.
Here are the 12 best Lost episodes, starting with the twelfth best and building to the best. We’ll consider two-parter episodes as one episode for these purposes.