Who directed the pilot episode of the TV series Lost?

J. J. Abrams directed the pilot episode of the TV series Lost.

The two-part pilot introduced Oceanic Flight 815’s survivors, the island, and the ensemble cast. Abrams also co-created Lost with Damon Lindelof and Jeffrey Lieber, helping establish its cinematic visual style and mystery-driven storytelling.

The pilot was unusually expensive for television because it required a real aircraft fuselage, extensive location shooting, and large-scale crash imagery. Its production helped convince ABC to make Lost a major launch for its 2004–05 schedule.

Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse later became the show’s principal showrunners, so viewers sometimes associate them with the pilot’s direction. Abrams directed the opening episode but did not direct every major episode or serve as the series’ sole creative leader.