An Armani-clad man awakens in a dense jungle. Disoriented, he stares down at a Labrador bearing an equally quizzical expression. He follows the dog onto a gorgeous beach. The pristine sands are littered with plane wreckage and passengers running around helter-skelter. Our hero surveys the carnage, and without further thought, leaps to action. His name is Dr. Jack Shephard.

If you like titillation (and who doesn’t?), then you’re probably addicted already, but addiction never looked so good. Created by J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber and Damon Lindelof, Lost kicked off on ABC in September ’04. We’ve been engrossed in the ongoing saga of the Oceanic 815 survivors ever since.

With enigmas wrapped in mysteries cloaked in puzzles, the head-scratching mix of sci-fi, philosophy, lit and drama unfolds like an academic master’s class. Only Lost is infinitely more entertaining. Playing off a hefty combo of suspenseful cliff-hangers and insightful flashbacks, each episode’s deceptive smoke and mirrors only deepens and compels us to watch more.

Despite its tropical milieu, it’s ironic that Lost is a show about doorways. Some have answers, and some lead to dead ends. The picking and choosing is sometimes willful and sometimes not. But it’s in these doorways that the characters — lost in both the literal and figurative sense — are desperately seeking some semblance of self-fulfillment and escape.

OK, all intellectual babble aside, it’s answers to the mysteries we crave. Who are “the others”? What is the Dharma Initiative? What is the smoke monster? And most importantly, what/when is the island? These are the debates surrounding water coolers across the country.

Equally, if not more impressive, are the number of fan sites, blogs and archives dedicated to unraveling the complexities of Lost and its intriguing characters. It’s a pop culture phenomenon, single-handedly causing a resurgence in obscure novels and philosophy; that is, as long as they yield answers to the stymieing questions.

A rippling yarn can’t be told without great characters. We know them like family members. Some are dashing and noble (Dr. Jack), others are hot (yeah, you, Kate), one is fat (Hurley) and some are downright creepy (Ben and Juliette). And we’ve invested so much in them that even ones like the lovable con artist, Sawyer, could be a guy you’d share a beer with.

If you haven’t started watching, shell out some cash, and pick up the DVDs. There’s no shame in joining the “legions of bandwagoneers” (my mother’s phrase) that have discovered TV’s most mystifying series. For now, don’t be afraid to overload your TiVo.

Showrunners Lindelof and Carlton Cuse announced the series will culminate in the sixth season, so we can expect more enigmatic flash-forwards and at least one more mind-melding mystery. Hopefully we can count on some answers in the finale. Until then, I’ll be eagerly awaiting every Thursday night.