It's been 15 years since Lost ran for six seasons after premiering in September 2004, and there have been few, if any, shows like it since. While some shows have approached that "water-cooler" level where it seems like every week, just about everyone has seen the latest episode and can't wait to discuss, Lost was a different beast. Particularly those first few seasons gripped the pop culture conversation like almost nothing before or after.

As famous as Lost was, it was always going to be a tough ending to pull off. While Damon Lindelof, Jeffrey Lieber, and J. J. Abrams posed plenty of questions in Lost, they didn't always answer them as well as fans may have hoped. Despite how the show ended, Lost is still an intriguing, moving, and beautifully told story that offers endless puzzles and questions to ponder, even if the show itself gives up on answering them. For those interested in something similar, here are a few series to catch.

8 The Good Place (2016-2020)

A Sweet And Comic Version Of Lost

On the surface, The Good Place may not seem to be very much like Lost. Coming from Michael Schur, The Good Place is filled with the wacky humor and outsized characters found in other shows he worked on, like Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Office. However, both series are very interested in the afterlife, and what it means to repeat events over and over again, and whether you can actually learn anything by doing so.

The "Good Place", or the "Bad Place" as it were, is quite similar to the island in Lost. Those who go there find it difficult to escape; there are already people there who are not who they seem; and there is some higher power puppeteering everything. In both shows, the higher power, Michael (Ted Danson) or Jacob (Mark Pellegrino), is also grasping for answers. These philosophical series take different avenues to ask similar questions.

7 Outer Range (2022-2024)

A Science Fiction And Western Mashup

Outer Range is a science fiction neo-Western series that stars Josh Brolin as Royal Abbott, a Wyoming rancher fighting to keep his land. He discovers a large black void on his property in conjunction with a mysterious young woman named Autumn (Imogen Poots). Royal soon learns that this void is the portal to a parallel universe, and he and his family are roped into an incredible and dangerous journey. There are a lot of subplots to juggle, just like in Lost, but the setting and story are so unique that it's worth investing the time in Outer Range​​​​​​.

The series is a bold and odd mixture of Western and science fiction, and the mashup pays off.

The series is a bold and odd mixture of Western and science fiction, and the mashup pays off. The human storyline of the Abbotts desperately trying to keep their ranch works well alongside the heavy science fiction elements and ensures that when things start getting too confusing, there's a foundation of emotion to rely on.

6 Fringe (2008-2013)

J.J. Abrams' Mindbending Science Fiction Thriller

As Lost was wrapping up, J.J. Abrams began working on his new replacement series, Fringe. In Fringe, which lasted for five seasons, the newly formed Fringe Division of the FBI is created to use fringe science in order to investigate inexplicable and strange events across the United States. They soon come to learn that these events are a result of a parallel universe. It's a mind-bending series with constant twists and questions, and Abrams puts what he learned in Lost to good use here.

While there is an overarching storyline to Fringe, there's also a mystery-of-the-week structure to the series not found in Lost.

While there is an overarching storyline to Fringe, there's also a mystery-of-the-week structure to the series not found in Lost. At least for the early seasons, Fringe is a little closer to the X-Files. However, the show's commitment to exploring its characters and their histories certainly puts it in the same category as Lost.

5 The Wilds (2020-2022)

A Group Of Teenagers Is Stranded On An Island

Amazon Prime's The Wilds has flown under the radar but is absolutely worth watching, particularly for fans of Lost. The Wilds follows a group of teenage girls who are stranded on a desert island when their plane crashes. Unbeknownst to them, they are part of a social experiment. Like in Lost, the lives of each character are revealed in flashbacks, and each bit of history we learn colors the show even brighter.

It's like Yellowjackets meets Lost with some Swiss Family Robinson mixed in. It's not quite as mysterious and philosophical about the world as Lost, but it does pose a lot of questions about what isolation and danger do to civilized people. The Wilds is a fascinating series with just enough questions to keep you invested, but not so many that you'll become confused if you turn your head away from the screen for a moment.

4 Mrs. Davis (2023)

A Bonkers And Brilliant Science Fiction Series

Mrs. Davis is Damon Lindelof's most recent TV show, and it operates in the same mysterious, almost surreal world as Lindelof's other shows. However, this is his most surreal series, and also his most comedic. While there are certainly heavy, dramatic moments and some real thrills involved, it's the humor that's the standout in this series. The show is set in an alternate future where the Holy Grail is real, artificial intelligence makes sure the world operates smoothly, and Betty Gilpin is a nun caught in the middle of everything.

Religion, history, philosophy, and science fiction once again come together in Mrs. Davis, and with only one season, it's a quick watch. There's also a lightness to Mrs. Davis not found in Lindelof's other shows, so it never feels as stressful or intense a watch. It's a beautifully filmed show too, with fantastic uses of color, and the dialogue is crackling and witty.

3 Dark (2017-2020)

A Twisting And Complex Time Travel Thriller

The German-language Netflix series Dark is often considered one of the best-written science fiction series ever, and for good reason. The show is set in a fictional town in modern-day , where the tragic disappearance of a child leads four dysfunctional families to stumble upon a sinister time-travel conspiracy that has been affecting them for generations. Dark faces the implications of time travel and free will head-on and is unafraid to explore questions that other shows would find too knotty.

Dark is Netflix's first German-language original series.

It's also a deeply philosophical affair, which elevates it above other typical time travel stories. The characters involved are just as important as the surreal situations they face. It's an incredibly complex story that rewards multiple viewings. Unlike Lost, however, Dark ends on a very strong note, and the answers posed throughout the series are all answered or at least dealt with.

2 Watchmen (2019)

A Probing Look At America And Heroes

Damon Lindelof's TV show, Watchmen, is easily the best adaptation of Alan Moore's groundbreaking comic book and serves as both a sequel to the comics and Zack Snyder's 2009 movie. Watchmen's cast is incredible, with Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Andrew Howard, Jeremy Irons, Jean Smart, and Hong Chau all in the main cast. Beyond its excellent casting, Watchmen is a poignant look at racism in America, love, and the responsibility of heroes.

Smart, savvy, hilarious, and simply put, "cool", Watchmen is a superhero show that manages to avoid celebrating superheroes without making them caricatures. The haunting score makes for scenes as powerful as any in Lost, and the tight storytelling means few strands are left unresolved, and those that are, feel purposeful in their ambiguity. Each episode offers an intriguing mystery, and you never have to wait long for a solution.

1 The Leftovers (2014-2017)

Damon Lindelof's Masterpiece

The Leftovers is what Damon Lindelof tried to make with Lost, though money, network requirements, and just the fact that he was a younger, less experienced writer meant he had to wait until 2014 to put everything together for his real treatise on human nature. The Leftovers is a beautiful series that anyone with even a ing interest in Lost should watch. Following the events on Earth after 2% of the population suddenly disappears, The Leftovers is a moving and wise portrait of people collectively dealing with trauma.

The music, the setting, and the worldbuilding are cleverly used and created, and the story is intricately told. You end The Leftovers with few questions about the show, but with plenty of questions about the afterlife, philosophy, and human nature. Filled with fantastic performances by a cast that has only gotten better with time, The Leftovers is standout television and one of the best shows of the 21st century that will leave you intrigued every episode, and satisfied by the end. It's a must-watch for Lost fans.