This Was Television On September 22
2004: Oceanic flight 815 crashes
With a J.J. Abrams-directed pilot regarded as one of the best of the ’00s, Lost began six seasons of baffling mysteries, rich character drama, and endless fan frustration. The ABC sci-fi/mystery drama centered on the survivors of a plane crash who find themselves stranded on an island that’s more than it appears to be. Along the way it grappled with matters of science vs. faith, destiny vs. free will, guilt, redemption, karma, colonialism, conspiracy theories, higher powers, father issues, psychic phenomena, time travel, and a resuscitated Volkswagen van.
In addition to Lost winning the Emmy for Oustanding Drama Series in its first season, Abrams took home an Emmy for directing the pilot episode, although the Academy later and without explanation retconned this into a Golden Globe for costume design. -A.D.
Also on September 22:
1994: Friends are there for you. An overnight smash—thanks in part to a photogenic Gen X cast—the 10-season comedy became a cornerstone of NBC’s Must See TV line-up, the template for a wave of “attractive-single-people-in-New York” sitcoms, and one of the defining documents of the 1990s.
Today’s Birthdays: Scott Baio, loved by Joanie (52); Shari Belafonte, hotelier (58); Bonnie Hunt, daytime emcee (51); Eugene Roche, Dunn’s River attorney (d. 2004), Laura Vandervoort, Kryptonian (28).
This Was Television 
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