Most know Conan O’Brien as a legendary late-night host, comedy writer, and podcaster. But in 2001, he quietly stepped into a different role: executive producer of a short-lived NBC reality competition series called Lost — not to be confused with the hit sci-fi drama that came years later. This Lost lasted just six episodes before disappearing into obscurity.

Conan’s First Production Credit

Produced by O’Brien’s company Conaco, Lost marked its first-ever production credit. The concept was a blend of The Amazing Race and Survivor: three two-member teams, given only basic essentials, were dropped into an unknown country and tasked with reaching checkpoints until finally arriving at the Statue of Liberty in New York City for a $200,000 prize.

Unfortunate Timing and Format Flaws

The show premiered on September 4, 2001 — one day before The Amazing Race debuted and a week before the September 11 attacks changed the media landscape. While Race thrived, Lost struggled with low ratings and awkward pacing. Without a host, narration was handled by sports broadcaster Al Trautwig. Contestants were randomly paired, had no specific challenges, and simply had to find their way to the final destination. The lack of structure left both contestants and viewers feeling, well, lost.

A Survivor–Race Hybrid That Didn’t Stick

The format borrowed from Survivor with its “stranded in a foreign country” angle and from The Amazing Race with checkpoint travel, but without the on-screen charisma of a Phil Keoghan or Jeff Probst. The result was a competition series that felt unfocused and failed to connect with audiences.

Conan’s Role and Legacy

O’Brien himself never appeared on screen, and his producing role may have been minimal. Still, Lost remains a curious outlier in his career, foreshadowing his later interest in travel and cultural exploration with Conan O’Brien Must Go. Conaco would go on to produce shows like Andy Barker, P.I., Eagleheart, and The Pete Holmes Show, cementing its comedy credentials.

Why It’s Forgotten

With its poor reception, bad timing, and lack of a compelling hook, Lost quickly faded from memory, surviving only in low-quality VHS uploads online. Even O’Brien rarely, if ever, mentions it — perhaps preferring to leave this early-2000s relic buried in TV history.

While Lost was a flop, Conan’s subsequent producing career has been anything but. From The Simpsons to late-night and beyond, the brief misstep is just a footnote in the legacy of one of television’s most inventive comedic minds.