An era-defining sci-fi series is back on Netflix – and it's rated 100% at its best

It was only yesterday I was writing about how refreshing it is to see a new thriller series climb the Netflix chart – The Madness is a strong drama that sits above the obvious Christmas shows, which I can't wait to watch – but then I spotted an era-defining sci-fi series and it really took me back.

Lost is a six-season show that genuinely turned the rulebook on its head. It pretty much redefined the cliffhanger, it took sci-fi notions in all kinds of new directions – and I've only just realised that the full show is back on Netflix (which happened back in August this year, I just hadn't noticed!).

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It's fitting that the show is back on the best streaming service – as it's now 20 years since its 2004 debut (yes, two whole decades). When the show aired weekly back then it was a big deal – I remember people would stay up late to watch the early-hours airings and conspiracy theories were rife about the goings-ons.

The series is set on an island, where a plane-load of passengers crash-land – all of them 'guilty', if the obscure 2004 Dave LaChapelle UK teaser was anything to go by (yes, the one like a perfuse ad, if you remember that) – and in addition to the character-building backstories and relationships, there's a lot of unexplained peculiarities – which is where the sci-fi aspect comes into play.

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It was also a hugely well-received series – scoring 100% on Rotten Tomatoes at its bestfor season two. Even now the reviews of the first five seasons sit really high in people's estimations – it's only the frankly absurd (no spoilers!) final season that jumped the shark. Still, it's worth going back in for more, because I can almost guarantee there'll be a load of bits you've forgotten about.

Lost was also the show to catapult Matthew Fox into the spotlight – for a rather quick-lived lick of fame, it seems, as he was edited out of the limelight (and even literally from appearances – World War Z being the main example) and never quite made it back to the big time. The 2000s were a different world, eh?

I've put Lost onto my to-watch list, as despite its ups and downs I'm really curious to re-live the series by today's standards and escape the glut of Christmas-themed Netflix shows and movies. There is plenty more to watch, though, as you can read in our Top 5 Netflix Movies And Shows In December feature.