Lake Bell’s underrated sci-fi TV series streams for free on an underutilized service

In 2005, NBC premiered the first episode of “Surface.” Starring Lake Bell of “Boston Legal” fame, “Surface” was a science fiction mystery series about apparent monsters emerging from the ocean. It’s a series with a lot of beach-related mysteries, so it’s found itself on the wrong side of countless “Lost” comparisons. TIME Magazine’s James Poniewozik disdainfully called it “the wettest of ‘Lost’ wannabes,” although he argued that the series’ attempts to capture the magic of director Steven Spielberg are where it failed the most:

“It clumsily aims for a sense of wonder, with so many fake Spielbergs – a boy hiding a creature in his house, a la ‘ET’; an average guy who becomes obsessed with secrets, a la ‘Close Encounters’ – that NBC might as well have called it ‘Jaws: The Series.’ not understand how this hodgepodge could have been broadcast.

Ten episodes into NBC’s first season put “Surface” on temporary hiatus, which is never a good sign. The series returned in January for five more episodes, then was put on hold again due to the 2006 Winter Olympics. It never returned and was officially canceled a few months later.

It was a sad ending for the series, although at least “Surface” is now easier to find than other canceled series of its era. Today you can watch the show for free on Fandango at Home. If you want to watch it ad-free, you can pay $1.99 per episode or $19.99 for the entire season. This may not seem like the best deal, but, as someone who still can’t find a copy of the 1996 “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” series anywhere, I’ll take what I can get.

While it might seem unfair to call “Surface” a “Lost” ripoff, it’s easy to see why critics were so quick to pull that card. “Surface” was greenlit midway through “Lost’s” hit first season, and when it premiered, it aired alongside ABC’s “Invasion” and CBS’ “Threshold,” two other mystery shows that also seemed to be shamelessly trying to cash in on “Lost’s” success. None of these three shows made it past their first season.

The trend of so-called “Lost” rip-offs didn’t disappear until at least the mid-2010s, when networks began trying to cash in on the success of shows like “The Walking Dead” and “Game of Thrones.” But as “Lost” gradually faded from the zeitgeist, it became easier to appreciate shows like “Surface” on their own terms. Perhaps that’s why “Surface,” despite its 20% positive score among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, has a much higher 82% positive score among general audiences. Almost all of the critics’ ratings are limited to that 2005 period, whereas regular audience members can watch and rate the series years later, at a time when no one is buzzing in their ears about how much better “Lost” did.

Of course, none of the overlooked “Lost” doppelgangers are as good as 2009’s “FlashForward,” a mystery drama in which everyone on Earth suddenly blacks out at the same time and has a vision of their future. That show was also canceled after one season (after its own sudden mid-season hiatus), and it still stings fifteen years later. “Surface” is a decent replacement series for “Lost,” but if your favorite part of “Lost” was the musings on fate versus free will, “FlashForward” is definitely the series for you.