LOST is a show about a plane crash on a mysterious island. 48 people survive, but the show centers around 14, all with secrets. At first, there is confusion. But as the show goes on, friendships develop, and we learn that there is more to the island than what it seems...
I watched the pilot of this show and for the first 15 minutes my jaw was hanging by a thread. I have never seen a more intense, gripping sequence in my life. The woman screaming and main character wandering around clueless were brave, effective choices to show the absurd realities of trauma. And just when it can't get any worse, women start having babies and things start blowing up. And then the trees are crushed by some...thing....which the characters avoid for the next 45 minutes.
Add the mysterious elements of the island and give the victims of the plane crash a reason to be afraid (of more than just the idea of being stranded there for who knows how long), and you have a very gripping TV Series.