All 6 LOST Seasons Ranked From Worst To Best

LOST was one of the biggest hit shows on network television during its run and the show grew a strong fan base who watched along throughout all the seasons… and have strong opinions on how to rank the seasons of the show. The shows had dwindled in popularity over the years, partially as a result of what many fans at the time believed to be a disappointing series finale, however, with the recent release of LOST on Netflix the show is seeing a resurgence in popularity. This article will be ranking all six seasons of LOST from best to worst - and it may not stick to what popular rankings of the seasons of the show typically follow with season 1 being ‘the best’. It is worth noting before kicking off this list that LOST was an incredible show and that even the worst season on this list has numerous standout episodes which would rank among the top episodes of the show.

6. Season 6

It is popular for season 6 to be ranked last from all the seasons amongst fans and there is good reason to do so. Despite the great run of the last few episodes of the season, season 6 suffered from major pacing issues. Most notably, the first six episodes - known as the ‘temple arc’ - where the plot seemed to stand still and many characters were left with nothing of importance to do. This arc introduced many new characters who would soon be killed off within a few episodes which left many viewers with the feeling that the episodes were purely ‘filler’ with very little being learned about the characters.

5. Season 3

Season 3 has some of the best episodes of the show (including the season finale), however the season got off to a weak start with what felt like messy story telling to viewers with the many different story arcs for different characters becoming increasingly difficult to follow with multiple episodes passing before the continuation of certain plots. The focus on Jack, Kate & Sawyer while they are captured by the Others felt particularly slow, however, it did have its interesting moments and ultimately served as a great way of informing the audience on who ‘the others’ are.

4. Season 5

Season 5 of LOST is a fan favourite due to just how fun the season’s time travelling aspect was. This season acted as the perfect transition from a show about castaways with a hint of sci-fi to the full blown sci-fi fest which was season 6 which would allow the audience to finally get answers to many of the show’s mysteries. The highlight of season 5 is finding out more about the Dharma initiative, however, the major pitfall of season 5 is the lack of a storyline for many of the show’s characters including Ben & Sun who seem to… aimlessly wander a beach for a few episodes?

3. Season 1

Season 1 is quintessential LOST and is the reason the show found an audience early on which is why the writers of the show were able to create their fully fledged six season vision for the show. The season was highly rated amongst film critics at the time and the pilot episode is still rated by many as ‘the best of all time’.  The show introduced its characters effectively this season through the flashback formula of the show which proved to be a great tool for the writers as it allowed viewers to establish a fuller connection with the characters as well as pack some heavy hitting moments such as in episode 4 when it is revealed that John Locke was in a wheelchair before arriving on the island.

2. Season 2

The second season of LOST made for the perfect continuation from season 1 with the opening scene of Desmond in the hatch being one of the shows most iconic moments. Season 2 helped grow the mystery of the others as well as the Dharma initiative with ‘the hatch’ storyline taking centre stage for most of the season. The season introduced a few new characters who were on the tail end of the plane and had arguably faced a lot more struggles than their fellow passengers who were lucky enough to land with all the luggage on board. The highlight of this season is of course the twists that unfolded with Michael’s mission to save Walt, however, the pitfalls of the season also stem from these twists as the shock deaths left viewers disappointed as they felt the characters killed had more story to be told.

1. Season 4

Season 4 of LOST is the shortest season with an episode count of just 14 due to the ongoing writers’ strike at the time. The season greatly benefited from this reduced episode count with every episode of the season delivering a shocking ending - be it in the flash forwards or on the island. The switch to the flash forwards proved successful in helping to reengage viewers who had felt that the season 3 flashbacks proved that the flashback formula used throughout season 1 and 2 of the show was becoming tired. Episode 5 of the season stands out as one of the best episodes from the series and is a critic favourite with the episode being ranked no.39 on the Rolling Stone’s list of the best TV show episodes of all time.

Final Thoughts

LOST is one of the only network shows to not have a ‘fall off’ throughout the seasons with the storytelling remaining strong and engaging in every season. The show thankfully did not fall into the trap of what many shows nowadays do of never being able to replicate the magic of the first season. The incredible writing of the show’s characters is part of the reason why no season of LOST felt boring and viewers felt invested in the story that was being told over the course of the six seasons.