Stephen King Meets Lost In This Terrifying Sci-Fi Horror Series

In 2022, the sci-fi horror series "From" premiered on EPIX (now MGM+). The show has so far never been a huge pop culture phenomenon, but it has amassed a steady following through its sheer consistency and ingenuity.

The show is set around a group of survivors stuck in an isolated town filled with monsters, and it's often been compared to the 2000s show "Lost." It makes sense: The town functions like the previous show's island, and both shows share a character-based, mystery-heavy approach. Both shows also feature Harold Perrineau as a major character, although thankfully "From" treats Perrineau's character far better than how "Lost" treated him. Making the "Lost" comparisons more prevalent is that two of the "From" creatives, Jeff Pinkner and Jack Bender, had helped develop the ABC show.

"One of the lessons [of 'Lost'] for me was pacing answers and having those answers lead to more questions," Pinkner told Pop Culture Principle in 2022. "Having a very purposeful deployment of those answers and making sure those answers lead to new questions and making sure the show is well aware of the questions that the audience is asking." While the "Lost" approach of raising lots of questions didn't go over well with every viewer (particularly once its controversial finale came around), for others, it made for a thrilling experience that few shows since have measured up to.

While "Lost" certainly had some spooky moments throughout its run, it was never as consistently scary as "From." It's with this quality that the show is often compared to a Stephen King novel, which is why it should be no surprise that King himself has sung its praises. "I'm three episodes in. Wonderful concept, beautifully handled," Stephen King tweeted about "From" in May 2023. In June that year he also wrote, "If you're a horror fan and not watching 'FROM,' you should get with it. Scary s**t."

"From" fans themselves have remarked on how similar the show feels to books like "'Salem's Lot" or "Under the Dome," shows about a single small town dealing with a terrifying high-concept premise. Perhaps the biggest similarity is the in-depth characterization; much like the "Lost" writers, King dives far more deeply into his characters' psyches than you'd expect for a genre writer.

"You can have the most clever twist or story or puzzle and the most ingenious mythology or mystery," said "From" creator John Griffin, "and none of it matters if you don't care about the characters." Griffin said this approach was something the "From" writing team also kept "at the forefront" of their minds, and it's definitely an approach that was shared by both King and the "Lost" writing team.

"From" has been renewed for a fifth and final season at MGM+, which has fans feeling a little worried about the ending. Not only did "Lost" have a famously controversial finale, but Stephen King has had quite a few controversial endings himself over the years. His 1978 epic "The Stand," which "Lost" creator Damon Lindelof often cited as an inspiration for his show, ends with a literal deus ex machina that disappointed fans who were otherwise loving the story.

While John Griffin has told Pop Culture Principle that "From" is a show that prioritizes the journey over the destination (a similar sentiment shared by both Lindelof and King), he did assure fans that his writing team isn't just winging it.

"A show like this is a like a contract that you are making with your audience because there is a large investment of time," Griffin said. "This is not going to be a journey to nowhere ... The only way we could make this show is if we knew where it was heading."