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Get "Lost" Hopes were not terribly high for "Lost," the action-drama about a planeful of castaways lost on a tropical island. "Gilligan's Island" all over again? Not quite. This mysterious show rapidly turned itself into a runaway hit. Mystery, drama, the supernatural and horror seep into this series, turning it into one of the most intriguing shows on television. The series opens with a wrecked plane on a beach, surrounded by panicking people who manage to escape the wreckage. Jack (Matthew Fox) manages to group the refugees into a makeshift camp on the shore -- but soon they hear strange noises and see palm trees being trampled by a gargantuan monster. And when he ventures into the jungle, with the mysterious Kate (Evangeline Lilly) and junkie rocker Charlie (Dominic Monaghan), they find the still-living pilot. The pilot reveals that they are hundreds of miles off course, and no one will be able to find him. Then he gets eaten by an unseen monster. Now the island is occupied by a motley band, including a strange warrior-sage with a knife-throwing knack, a traumatized con man, a pregnant girl whose baby holds a secret, a secretive Korean couple, a snobby rich girl and her exasperated brother, an Iraqi ex-soldier, and a "dude"-talking chubby guy who has a dark secret of his own. Despite Jack's best efforts, the group splits into two camps, and tensions grow between them. And there are even worse things coming -- the survivors are not the only ones on the island. A possibly crazy Frenchwoman (Mira Furlan) is hiding somewhere in the jungle, and the murderous "Ethan" kidnaps and nearly kills two of the survivors. The island itself has mysteries -- mysterious monsters, voices in the woods, radio towers, a metal hatch in the jungle ground, and a string of numbers that bring madness and ill fortune... Yes, it's a weird show. But in the midst of shallow sitcoms and endless reality TV, it's refreshing to see a twisty-turny show like this one. J.J. Adams, best known for "Alias," outdoes his first hit TV show with something totally different. The best way to describe it is as "Swiss Family Robinson," as written by Stephen King. The gorgeous Hawaiian landscape is a contrast for such a dark storyline. Adams never reveals everything, which keeps up the suspense -- the mysterious monster (a dinosaur?) is only briefly seen by the characters, and nobody knows exactly what it is. Nor are we sure who has been there, or what is up with the island. Adams keeps viewers guessing by slowly peeling away the layers. What's really interesting is that "Lost" is truly an ensemble show -- Adams gives every character a chance to shine, and flashbacks reveal what makes them tick. Some, like ex-con Kate, are a bit more mysterious than others, but some like the Korean marrieds and the haunted, smart-alecky Sawyer get a lot more dimension and humanity. Matthew Fox is given a lot of attention, and he is a good actor. But it's the secondary actors that really catch your attention: Dominic Monaghan gives a simply amazing performance as Charlie, especially when Charlie goes through withdrawal, Jorge Garcia is equally good at comedy ("Dude, that was a Jedi moment!") and drama, and Terry O'Quinn is stellar as the enigmatic cubicle-worker-turned-jungle-warrior. Evangeline Lilly gives the debut performance of a lifetime, as tormented criminal Kate. "Lost" is a well-written, well-acted show that brings a bit of mystery back into prime-time television. Creepy, funny, romantic, tragic and sometimes just weird, it's definitely worth checking out.