Lost
What an incredible feat Lost pulled upon its launch in 2004, eh? Pitched as a mystery drama series about a bunch of passengers stranded on an island after a plane crash, it soon unspooled into a surreal fantasy that featured everything from smoke monsters to time travel. Viewers who would never have given a fantasy show the time of day found themselves sucked in, and thus Lost became the biggest show in the world. Some may quibble with the ending, true, but you can’t deny it was a bloody good ride.