Close-up shot of an eye opening as its pupil shrinks against a bright light. The camera zooms out to reveal a man, stranded and alone in a jungle with no idea where he is or how he got there. For fans of Lost, this is how the entire saga begins, introducing audiences to protagonist Jack Shephard and the mysterious island he’s about to call home. But if you’re in a distinct corner of YouTube, this striking visual marks the start of one YouTuber’s magnum opus. “Yeah, this is Billiam,” he says to the camera. “I’ve been gone for a while. I got a little lost in my work.”
So begins a multi-hour series exploring the creation of Lost, which Billy Thies (aka Billiam) launched in 2021 with a three-hour video titled “LOST Was Weird: A Show No One Wanted To Make.” In the years since, he’s released three additional videos about ABC’s hit sci-fi series. (The most recent one is more than six hours long and focuses on the show’s time-travel elements.) He recently teased a final entry focused on Lost’s divisive sixth season.
