JJ Abrams' Best Movie Started A 121-Episode TV Franchise

J.J. Abrams’ directorial career feels like a lot of wasted potential. He’s a known filmmaker with the clout to get anything made, so he could’ve been enjoying the freedom of Christopher Nolan or Ryan Coogler or Quentin Tarantino. But, out of the six feature films he’s directed since 2006, only one of them — 2011’s Super 8 — is an original story ripped straight from Abrams’ heart and soul. Everything else is either a reboot or a sequel; two-thirds of his movies are either Star Trek or Star Wars, and he hasn’t directed a movie since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.

With his next film, Abrams is looking to finally turn that around. After he brought the Star Wars sequel trilogy to an end with a whimper, not a bang, Abrams finally left those familiar franchises behind and went back to the drawing board to tell his first original story since Super 8. The Great Beyond — set to be released on October 1, 2027 (following a recent delay from its initial 2026 release date) — will star Jenna Ortega, Glen Powell, and Samuel L. Jackson. It’s about a fantasy author who’s surprised to find that the world he created is real.

The premise sounds ominously similar to Argylle (which also featured Sam Jackson in a supporting role), but I have faith in Abrams’ imagination. If it’s anything like Super 8, The Great Beyond could finally redeem years of disappointment. The last few entries on his filmography might not show it, but Abrams is a great director. In fact, the best movie he ever directed isn’t even recognized on his filmography.

Lost's Pilot Episode Is A Cinematic Masterwork

Long before he graduated to the big screen, Abrams made his name in television. He created Alias, he co-created Felicity with Matt Reeves, and he co-created Lost with Jeffrey Lieber and Damon Lindelof. Abrams, Lieber, and Lindelof all came up with the story for Lost’s pilot episode, then Abrams and Lindelof wrote the actual teleplay, and finally, Abrams brought it to life from the director’s chair, and I’d argue it’s his best movie. The Lost pilot technically isn’t a feature film, but it’s the best feature-length thing Abrams has directed.

With a running time of 83 minutes and a production budget that an entire family could retire on, the first episode of Lost feels more like a movie than a TV pilot. From its opening scene, where Jack Shephard awakens disoriented in the jungle, stumbles out into the flaming wreckage of his plane, and scrambles to save as many of his fellow passengers as he can, Lost has you on the edge of your seat, dying to see what happens next. It’s a helluva way to begin a series.

And the rest of the episode maintains that level of excitement and engagement. The sprawling ensemble of lovable characters arrived fully formed, and mysteries like the polar bear and the smoke monster had us hooked from the jump.

JJ Abrams Left Lost Early On, But His Stamp Remained Until The End

While Abrams’ name is intrinsically tied to any mention of Lost, either positive or negative, he actually left the series really early on. Abrams is credited as a writer on 13 episodes of Alias and 23 episodes of Felicity, but only three episodes of Lost. He jumped ship from Lost during its first season when he got the offer to direct Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible III, which became his feature directorial debut and led to his work on Star Trek and Star Wars (and his rare original stories).

After Abrams left, Lindelof and Carlton Cuse took over as Lost’s showrunners, and stuck with it to the bitter end. But, despite Abrams’ absence for five-and-a-half of its six seasons, his unmistakable stamp remained on Lost to the very end. His signature “mystery box” storytelling style defined the show right up to the end.