Original: Lost (ABC,  2004-10)
Now we come to the big kahuna. This acclaimed sci-fi mystery drama is without a doubt the most widely duplicated show in TV history. Lost centered on a group of plane crash survivors stranded on an unknown island with mysterious, supernatural aspects. The show had a deep and intricate mythology, filled with flashbacks, diverse characters (led by Matthew Fox’s troubled but heroic doctor), philosophical elements and complex themes. After Lost‘s high ratings sent shockwaves through all the major networks for six television seasons, dominating both the pop culture conversation and critical top ten lists, every network rushed to try to replicate its success, some with more success than others.
Rip-Offs: Invasion (ABC, 2005-06), Heroes (NBC, 2006-10), FlashForward (ABC, 2009-10), The Event (NBC, 2010-11)
Invasion
This 2005 ABC serial was the first to attempt to capitalize on Lost‘s success; the alien invasion drama featured a rich mythology, heady themes about humanity and a host of morally ambiguous characters. Set in a small Florida town where water-borne extraterrestrials begin taking over the bodies of local residents, Invasion attempted to combine the meditative sci-fi of Lost with the classic alien flick Invasion of the Bodt Snatchers. Sadly, it only lasted one season due to low ratings. One of the more well-made copycats on this list, Invasion was beloved by critics and its small fanbase, though many of them noted the show’s close ties to Lost.
Just How Bad Is It? 5/10
I’m inclined to cut Invasion some slack because I enjoyed the show immensely, but it did have a lot in common with Lost, though mostly in terms in tone. Invasion undoubtedly attempted to conjure up a Lost-esque vibe of mystery and intrigue, but it lacked the compelling questions and characters that Lost had in spades. It’s far from the worst of the shows heavily influenced by Lost, but it gets 5/10 mostly for being so immediately and obviously a copycat show. ABC even tried to show viewers how similar the shows were by airing it immediately after Lost episodes, but viewers evidently balked at the idea of watching two mythology-heavy sci-fi dramas in a row. Low ratings and a host of other Lost-esque pilots in ABC’s development pipeline guaranteed Invasion a swift death.
Heroes
Undoubtedly the most successful Lost rip-off, NBC’s sci-fi serial focused on a diverse group of characters fielding unexplained new abilities, navigating a strange new world riddled with conspiracies. Closer in spirit to superhero comics than Lost-style dramas, Heroes nonetheless owed a great deal to that ABC show. Like it, Heroes featured a bevy of complex twists, overlong story arcs and philosophical ideas. Though neither its writing or acting were ever at Lost‘s caliber, Heroes achieved a great deal of success initially, picking up multiple Emmys and a large audience. However, its writing soon became increasingly muddled and Heroes‘ popularity sank. It ultimately lasted four seasons but never lived up to the promise of its first few episodes.
Just How Bad Is It? 3.5/10
Similarly to Invasion, the main reason Heroes can be considered a Lost rip-off is its heavy reliance on many of the same tropes: an ensemble cast of reticent individuals, far-reaching government conspiracies, densely contemplative story arcs and an extremely ambitious central premise. Many characters were remarkably similar to faces from Lost, and many of the conspiracy plotlines in Heroes also felt like second-rate Lost knock-offs.However, though the advertising made Heroes appear to be the next Lost, it soon evolved into a very different kind of show, more packed with heroism and action sequences than head-scratching logic puzzles.
