From J.J. Abrams, creator of TV-series Alias and director of Mission: Impossible III, comes an action-packed adventure that will bring out the very best and worst in the people who are lost on a mysterious deserted island.

The Lost characters.

This series begins on the beaches of an island where 48 survivors scavenge what they can from the plane for their survival. Some panic. Some pin their hopes on rescue. And a few find inner strength they never knew they had. The band of friends, family, enemies and strangers must work together against the cruel weather and harsh terrain. But the intense howls of mysterious creatures stalking the jungle fill them all with fear. Fortunately, thanks to the calm leadership of quick-thinking Jack, the survival instincts of Locke and level-headed Kate, they have hope. But even heroes have secrets, as the survivors will come to learn.

This excellent and very addictive series is filled with cleverly disguised references to games like Mouse Trap, classic novels like Watership Down and Lord of the Flies, TV-series like Star Trek and Gilligan's Island, and also films including Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Survivors on the beach.

For example; when Sawyer, Michael, Walt and Jin leave the island on a raft, (last episode of the first season) Sawyer frequently refers to Michael and Jin as "Han and Chewie". Making reference to The Empire Strikes Back in which the Millenium Falcon's pilot and co-pilot's repeatedly attempt to get their ship moving. This also refers to how Han Solo and Chewbacca are able to communicate with each other, while speaking totally different languages (Michael speaks English, and Jin only speaks Korean).

When Kingdom of the Crystal Skull filmed on the Big Island of Hawaii near Hilo in 2007, a short hop from the Lost set on Oahu, several cast members joined the production. Andrew Divoff (Mikhail Bakunin) played another Russian antagonist and Alan Dale (Charles Widmore) played General Ross.

Co-executive producer and writer of 39 episodes, Carlton Cuse, once partnered with Jeff Boam in the 1980's and did uncredited writing for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. When Lost ended in 2010, George Lucas congratulated the producers: "When Star Wars first came out, I didn't know where it was going either. The trick is to pretend you've planned the whole thing out in advance. Throw in some father issues and references to other stories — let's call them homages — and you've got a series."