The 21st century has brought about a new Golden Age of Television, and stars like Jeffrey Dean Morgan have benefited from it. Where once movies dominated the entertainment industry, recent advances in technology have allowed feature film-style productions for the small screen. Studios have approved increased budgets for prestige TV shows, alongside hiring better stars, featuring more fantastical situations, and offering greater quality visual effects. That has given space for the development of some truly incredible TV shows, which have completely redefined Hollywood's direction in recent years. In fact, streaming platforms have even improved the audience's ability to interact with these shows.
The new Golden Age was brought about by shows with increasing prominence, including The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Band of Brothers, and HBO's Rome. By the 2010s, there were new franchises coming to the small screen and dominating the entire industry. Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and The Walking Dead proved to have far greater reach than many of the high-budget shows that came before them. Yet, while Morgan certainly owes much of his prominence to TV's dominance, there is one show that helped him even more than all the rest, and it remains unfortunately controversial.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan Is a TV Legend
He Has Led Multiple Popular Franchises
While he is best known for his TV work, Jeffrey Dean Morgan has also taken opportunities on the silver screen. He was a major character in Zack Snyder's Watchmen (2009), in Rampage (2018), and in 2025's Neighborhood Watch. Still, Morgan's best roles have always been on TV. After debuting in the cinema in 1991, Morgan first began appearing in serialized TV in 1995, and he would eventually find his way to some of the more popular on-screen franchises. He played a crucial part in Supernatural as John Winchester, and he would also find his way to a constant role in Grey's Anatomy as Denny Duquette.
The 2010s were the period in which Morgan finally began to break out, however. He claimed a major role in The Good Wife, Extant, and Magic City. The Walking Dead, however, finally revealed Morgan's immense skills. He began appearing in the show as Negan, a semi-villainous leader with little regard for the lives of anyone who refused to obey him. He was also cast in The Boys as Joe Kessler, and he also earned a place in Prime Video's Invincible as the monstrous Conquest. While he is not necessarily the most prolific actor, he loves finding roles in science fiction and fantasy TV shows, which explains why he has so much sympathy for an often-criticized fantasy show from 2004.
Morgan Had Nothing But Praise for Lost
The Show Remains an Incredible Accomplishment
"I'm going to say Lost... Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood. Those are all great."
While The Sopranos, The Wire, and Deadwood would not necessarily be controversial, Lost remains a divisive series. It first premiered in 2004 and bore a shocking budget for its time. After all, the two-part pilot cost a staggering $14 million ($24 million today), which was completely unprecedented in the TV landscape. It certainly drew attention, as the show debuted with nearly 19 million viewers tuning in for the first episode. As viewers watched the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 come face-to-face with a variety of supernatural threats, they were captivated by the strong performances, the thrilling stakes, and the underlying sense of mystery.
Lost Still Suffers From a Controversial Legacy
The Ending Ruined Lost's Reputation
While the first few seasons were undoubtedly successful, the final seasons were mired by criticism. After all, the show ended with the bizarre revelation that its deceased characters were all in Purgatory, waiting for the others to die so that they could all move on together. While Lost's ending has improved since it was first released, it was initially considered extremely confusing, as viewers believed the cast was dead the entire time. The final season's reception was so poor that it nearly earned negative scores from critics, and it also saw its worst reviews since the show began. Check out the chart below, which showcases the rise and fall of Lost's Tomatometer and Popcornmeter scores on Rotten Tomatoes:
Unfortunately, Lost's ending continues to mar the entire show's reception. During its run, it was considered to be one of the best shows on TV, but it no longer maintains that reputation. Just as Game of Thrones' lost much of its prominence after the disappointment of its eighth season, Lost is rarely considered the best TV show of its era today. Even HBO's Rome maintains a better reputation, and both shows peaked at around the same time. Rome ended on a positive note, which helped it maintain its good legacy, even if it is not remembered quite as widely, but Lost is no longer what it was.
Part of the allure of the show was the fact that audiences loved engaging with Lost-related fan theories. It was the perfect series to disassemble around the water cooler in an office, allowing immense engagement from audiences around the world. Unfortunately, when the ending failed to live up to expectations, that was stripped away from viewers. The fact that Morgan continues to believe that the show is one of the greatest in TV history is a sign that he may have enjoyed the ending. At the very least, he refused to allow it to hinder his perception of the series. Rather than criticizing Lost, as many others do, Jeffrey Dean Morgan embraced it and continues to hail it as one of the greatest shows of all time.
