9. Lost
First Episode: September 2nd, 2004 Final Episode: May 23rd, 2010 Theres a wonderful moment in the second season of Community. A Claymation Abed Nadir struggles through a hallucinogenic Christmas world. His final lesson appears in the form of a Lost DVD set. Its a metaphor, he says. It represents a lack of pay-off. Few finales get the bulls**t! declaration that Lost does. Certain matters are explained poorly. The final twist has no bearing on anything else. Throughout the series, the mantle of protagonist gets passed around clumsily, so when its finally time for Jacks big moment, you dont really care. Any time the main hook of your show is a big mystery, youd better know what waits behind the curtains. The nature of TV means that usually the creators start a series without knowing how it ends. Still, with certain premises youve got to at least know where youre headed. At the time of broadcast, further hampering the sixth season of Lost was the fact that season three of Breaking Bad was airing simultaneously. Every week, Vince Gilligan showed Abrams and friends what pacing was all about. Its safe to assume that Breaking Bads finale will continue to teach Bad Robot such important lessons.