10 TV Shows That Ruined Other TV Shows

10. Lost RUINED Most Mystery Shows

No matter your own feelings on Lost, it's tough to deny the influence it had on small-screen mystery dramas.

One of the quintessential "water cooler" TV shows of the last 20 years, Lost was on everybody's lips during its first few seasons, and though its ending remains hugely polarising to this day, it captured the public's imagination in ways that few shows ever have.

It also threw the gauntlet down and challenged every network to try and make "the new Lost," ensuring that just about every promising mystery show with a large ensemble cast from the last 15 years has had that crushing pressure placed upon it.

Lost also confirmed how difficult it is to conclude mystery shows in a manner that satisfies most, and so, with Lost's divisive ending being so firmly rooted in the public consciousness, any time a new mystery series shows potential, it's tough not to pessimistically consider how clunky its ending will be.

As such, there's an honest argument to be made that you just shouldn't ever watch Lost because it'll forever taint your perception of serialised mystery TV.

Even with shows like Severance and From ranking among the most tantalising mystery series of recent years, it's hard to take them entirely on their own terms and not within the shadow of J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof's iconic sci-fi drama show.