If the characters on ABC's "Lost" feel as if they're stranded on a not-quite-deserted island, so do viewers. The unlikely hit series about airplane crash survivors beached on a mysterious and dangerous island is taking the nation on a rollercoaster ride — and we don't even know where the amusement park is located.

"Lost" has become the favorite Thursday-morning water cooler topic of conversation and has spawned an Internet frenzy of speculation (our favorites are recapped later).

Seems we all love a good mystery, which is probably why television attempts them so often. Unfortunately, the only mystery on most shows is why the people who thought them up were allowed out of their padded rooms. But not so with "Lost." We're hooked and hooked good.

While we await our next tantalizing clue, let's pay tribute to the shows like "Lost" that kept us tuning in and, more importantly, trying to spoil the ending to the bitter end.

"The Prisoner," June 1968-Sept. 1969

The back story: Supercool Patrick McGoohan plays a spy who seems to be fraying at the edges. He resigns, then finds himself kidnapped and taken to a weird compound where he is known only as Number 6. The village where Number 6 and all the other numbers are held is a spider web of deceit, trickery and brainwashing, all controlled by the mysterious Number 1.

The mystery: What exactly is this place, and what is its purpose? Will Number 6 ever escape? Is there a hidden meaning to the ubiquitous farewell often uttered: "Be seeing you." Why is Number 2 constantly being replaced?

The payoff: There wasn't one. In the end, his captors admit defeat, unable to break Number 6, and offer him the position of Number 1. When he's taken in to meet the big guy, he figures out it's a trap and finally manages his escape. The village compound is destroyed, and along with it, all the answers. Be seeing you.

"Twin Peaks," April 1990-June 1991

The back story: Cherry-pie-loving FBI agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) arrives in Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of 17-year-old homecoming queen Laura Palmer. He encounters the Log Lady, a dancing dwarf and the oddest assortment of people this side of Dr. Moreau's island. And for a sweet, wholesome kid, Laura sure was involved in a lot of unseemly extracurricular activities. But then, so is most of the town.

The mystery: To say "Who killed Laura Palmer?" is to oversimplify the plot by a magnitude of at least 10. There are spooky things going on in Twin Peaks, what with Laura's missing diary and the letter found imbedded under her fingernail.

The payoff: Her daddy did it, but it wasn't really his fault. He was possessed at the time by an evil entity known as BOB. Daddy dearest dies in Agent Cooper's arms before he can appear on an episode of "Law & Order."

"The Fugitive," Sept. 1963-Aug. 1967

The back story: Respected doctor Richard Kimble is convicted of bludgeoning his beautiful wife to death. But Kimble didn't do it. It was the mysterious one-armed man. Kimble escapes and spends the next four years working odd jobs, befriending people and searching for the mysterious one-armed man.

The mystery: Never a doubt that Kimble is innocent, but will he ever be able to find the real killer?

The payoff: Viewers are rewarded with a two-episode ending. Kimble confronts the one-armed man on top of a tower. The federal marshal who's been pursuing Kimble hears the man's confession before shooting him.

"The X-Files," Sept. 1993-May 2002

The back story: FBI agents Mulder and Scully have a ho-hum government job chasing down paranormal events that sometimes turn around and chase them. Just routine stuff. You know, invasions, global conspiracies, evil clone children.

The mystery: Viewers never knew what genetic mutants, killer insects or hostile aliens would be threatening the Earth from week to week. And the Cigarette Smoking Man was just plain creepy.

The payoff: The truth is out there, and apparently, it's in Roswell, N.M. But the real payoff was withheld in the light of future movies.

"24," Nov. 2001-?

The back story: CTU's top agent, Jack Bauer, has a thing for pulling all-nighters. In the first "24," Jack tracks clues, shoots bad guys, saves his family, shoots more bad guys, saves his daughter (again), blows up bad guys, saves his daughter (yet again) and kills a few more bad guys in an attempt to foil a plot to kill presidential hopeful David Palmer. Palmer's scheming wife and Jack's infidelity get rolled into the plot for good measure.

The mystery: Will Jack's daughter ever learn to just stay home? Will Jack ever manage to get some shut-eye? Why is Nina speaking a foreign language? Oh, no! Is Nina really going to shoot Jack's wife? Why couldn't she shoot the daughter instead?

The payoff: Except for the fact Jack ends up a widower, happy endings all around. The show broke new ground by playing out in real time, an hour at a time. We were hooked from the first minute, and this season, with a terrorist plot to control nuclear power plants afoot, we're still breathless about Jack.

"Survivor," first season, May 2000

The back story: Sixteen "castaways" are stranded on a rat-infested island and every three days they must vote off a member until the last person standing takes home $1 million.

The mystery: Could these people sink any lower? Even though it soon became apparent that one team was the strongest and would pick off the opposition one by one before devouring each other, we were still on edge to see what outlandishness would come next.