Lost

Lost showrunner Damon Lindelof once said, "We did 121 hours of Lost. Arguably only 15 to 20 of them were subpar, bordering on turds." While that might be true when it comes to some episodes (Jack's tattoos, anyone?), 'Lost's pilot? It's as damn near as perfect as any two hours of television could be. And it's the subject of our latest episode. 'Lost' had an origin story rivaling the Island itself. An idea born from a network executive — and executed last-minute by J.J. Abrams, without any notion of what the Island, smoke monster, and polar bears would even mean for the show — the series should have crashed and burned harder than Oceanic Flight 815. Yet, it's a rare TV masterpiece that could be described as cinematic, and, no matter how you feel about the ending, a screenwriting feat that should be celebrated. Grab your Dharma beers and listen in!