How ‘From’ Carried On the Legacy of ‘Lost’ for a New Generation

In Partnership with Stan 

When “Lost” premiered back in 2004, something very special happened in television. The survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 kept audiences gripped for years, with six lengthy seasons of fans theorising answers to the mysteries of the island they were deserted on. When “From” launched almost two decades later in 2022 to fast acclaim, fans were quick to draw parallels between the two series, with many connections between the mystery box shows — some obvious, others surprising.

Created by John Griffin (“Crater”, “Magic: The Gathering”), “From” centres around a town that traps all those who enter it. Residents have to dodge torturous creatures that come out at night, and, like the passengers of “Lost”, there is no way of leaving their nightmare — they must instead work with a diverse group of strangers to ensure their survival. While the shows are, of course, uniquely different, both feed off the drama, romance and conflict of the survivors as they embark on their journeys to find answers and — hopefully — make it out the other side.

Of course, the proof is in the literal credits when it comes to the crew on “Lost” and “From”, with both shows executive-produced by Jack Bender and Jeff Pinkner. Within each, there are themes of acceptance of the horrific situation they are in. Yes, there is a desire to seek answers and understand why they were fated to be where they are — and this drives the fandoms surrounding them — but there is also an understanding that they need to get through one day at a time. These conditions force the characters of both shows to be fully present, and, in a lot of ways, do the same thing for the viewer, who does not know what’s coming for them.

For the average viewer, perhaps the most obvious connection between “Lost” and “From” is the casting of Harold Perrineau. While the actor has flashy acting credits such as Mercutio in Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet” (1996), “Lost” fans will recognise him immediately as Michael Dawson. In “From”, Perrineau plays his first leading role in a series as Sheriff Boyd Stevens, restoring order in a world threatened by the deadly creatures that surface at night. While different in characterisation and prominence to the storylines, both are roles of a father seeking redemption.

The characters and casting are what keep viewers invested in both “Lost” and “From”. Each person who was trapped on the island, or town, was dealing with, or running away from, an undesirable situation, like divorces, grief, addiction and illegal activity. Whether it was “Lost’s” Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly) running from the law as a fugitive or “From’s” Tabitha Matthews (Catalina Sandino Moreno) avoiding the grief of her son and disintegrating marriage, it’s as if their new circumstances are a physical manifestation of internal baggage. And while their new mystery environments and neighbours give them an opportunity for a fresh start, they are given no choice but to stay put, and not run away from their problems — consistently haunted by past traumas or decisions.

While there are similarities when it comes to character arcs, cast and crew and general themes, it’s really the investigative mindscrew on the audience’s side that marries “Lost” and “From”. For fans who watched “Lost” episodes with investigative eagerness, this sense of curiosity hasn’t piqued until “From” arrived. Every scene, character and minute detail encourages the audience to examine it as a piece of the overall puzzle.

In today’s streaming climate and content overflow, it’s so easy to divert your attention when watching a show or movie. Reports even suggest that streaming services are cutting complex dialogue for viewers on their phones while watching. But with mystery box dramas like Lost and From, it forces viewers to be truly present, only reinforced by “From’s” rolling credits of “Que Será, Será (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” — an eerie cover performed by The Pixies to subvert the optimism.

This audience call to action, to be part of the problem-solving, is something we didn’t even know we were missing since investigating the DHARMA initiative — a fact particularly true for generations that weren’t around for the “Lost” phenomenon. Or for a world where Instagram didn’t exist. But if there’s one piece of technology we should be grateful for when it comes to “From’s” reinvention of a nostalgic cult phenomenon, it’s streaming.

With “From”, viewers can join the fan theories easily after catching up on Stan — Seasons 1 to 3 are available, and Season 4 episodes are dropping weekly from Monday, April 20, 2026. While “Lost” could boast up to 25 episodes a season, “From” is an easily bingeable ten episodes per season, meaning there’s plenty of time to join the hundreds of thousands of others theorising on subreddits by the time the next episode rolls around.

The brand new season of “From” is streaming now, only on Stan.