Alabama pops up in the strangest places — including a hit TV series set on a mysterious island in the South Pacific. We’re talking about “Lost,” of course, the sci-fi and fantasy juggernaut that captivated millions of viewers, earned a raft of awards and became a bona fide phenomenon for ABC, 2004-2010.

Fast-forward 14 years — a mere blip in the “Lost” universe — and all 121 episodes of the series are available for streaming on Netflix. “Lost” returned to Netflix on July 1, after a previous run there ended in 2018. As you might expect, viewers are once again enthralled by the adventures of Jack and Kate, Sun and Jin, Charlie and Claire, Sawyer and Juliet, Hurley and Locke, and more.

If you’ve never seen “Lost,” get ready for a bumpy ride. The acclaimed show follows a group of castaways who get stranded on a strange, uncharted island after a plane crash. But “Lost” is famous for an intricate, time-hopping storyline that stretches over six seasons and takes several loopy twists and turns. The smoke monster! The electromagnetic powers! The Dharma Initiative! The flash-sideways segments!

Many aspects of “Lost” have been obsessively explored by fans, who love sharing theories, categorizing trivia and probing for hidden meanings in the storyline. (See the extensive Lostpedia, for example.)

And that’s where Alabama comes in. We’re not exactly hardcore “Losties” over here at AL.com, but during a recent rewatch of the series, we noticed eight interesting connections to the state — via three people, three songs, one city and a classic piece of literature. Granted, it’s not the same as finding the entrance to a steel hatch that seems like a gateway to destiny, but we still felt a rush of discovery. Here’s what we found. (And yes, beware of spoilers ahead!)

‘You ever been to Jasper, Alabama?’

One of the most high-profile characters on “Lost,” James “Sawyer” Ford, is a charismatic con man. He’s a survivor of the plane crash that starts the series, and Sawyer (portrayed by Josh Holloway) immediately begins to stake out his turf when he finds himself stranded on the island. The character is brash, bold and belligerent. He’s also an Alabama native, born and raised in Jasper. That might sound like an incidental plot point, but Sawyer’s Alabama roots are crucial to his origin story.

As it turns out, Sawyer has been holding a fierce grudge since his childhood in Jasper, and with good reason. A con man seduced Sawyer’s mother and took her life savings in a scam known as the Pigeon Drop. When Sawyer’s father found out, he murdered his wife and killed himself. The con man, who called himself Tom Sawyer at the time, left Alabama with the money ($38,000). On the day of his parents’ funeral, young James Ford started writing a letter to “Mr. Sawyer,” vowing revenge for his family tragedy.

Ironically, however, young James Ford became a con man as an adult, adopting the name “Sawyer” but never forgetting what the other man had done to his family. In fact, Sawyer kept his childhood revenge letter, and when James “Sawyer” Ford arrives on the island in “Lost,” that letter comes with him. Sawyer, as played by Holloway, has some highly mixed feelings about his profession, and they’re a recurring motif for the character throughout the series.

In a Season 3 episode called “The Brig,” Holloway’s Sawyer (as an adult) encounters the bad guy who conned his family and ruined their lives. The man is a slick criminal who’s used many names, including the alias of Anthony Cooper. Suffice it to say that Cooper is magically transported to the island and tied up on an old ship, as the prisoner of another character. Holloway’s Sawyer heads to the ship’s brig and discovers Cooper’s criminal connection to his family. (“You ever been to Jasper, Alabama?” Sawyer asks.) As you might expect, a tense encounter ensues.

Watch a scene from “The Brig” in the video below, with Holloway as Sawyer and Kevin Tighe as Cooper. The line “You ever been to Jasper, Alabama?” shows up at the 4:16 mark.

“Lost” fans have noticed, by the way, that Sawyer also seems to have roots in Knoxville, Tennessee. Although Holloway’s character makes it clear the fateful scam happened in Alabama, another episode indicates that his letter to the con man was written in Knoxville. Perhaps this is a discrepancy in the plot, or as some fans have suggested, maybe young James Ford started the letter at his parents’ funeral in Alabama, then moved to Tennessee and finished the letter while living there. Either way, James “Sawyer” Ford claims Alabama as his hometown in “The Brig.”

Kim Dickens

Huntsville native Kim Dickens made guest appearances on four episodes of “Lost,” playing a character named Cassidy Phillips. Viewers first see Dickens in flashbacks, portraying a woman who gets involved with James “Sawyer” Ford, a skillful but conflicted con artist, in the years before he lands on the island. Cassidy has an affair with Sawyer and discovers what he does for a living. Looking for adventure, Cassidy asks if she can learn to be a con artist alongside him. In a Season 2 episode, “The Long Con,” Cassidy is betrayed by Sawyer — who has developed romantic feelings for her — and he steals $600,000 from her in an elaborate scam, making a guilty exit.

Watch a scene from “The Long Con” in the video below.

In a Season 3 episode called “Every Man for Himself,” viewers find out that Cassidy became pregnant during her affair with Sawyer and gave birth to his daughter, Clementine, after they split up. She visits Sawyer in prison — the law has caught up to him by this time — but he pushes her away emotionally and declines to have a relationship with the child. In another Season 3 episode, “Left Behind,” Cassidy encounters a second main character from “Lost,” Kate Austen (played by Evangeline Lilly), and the two become friends. Cassidy also shows up on a Season 5 episode, “Whatever Happened, Happened,” supporting Kate during a time of crisis.

Dickens is a familiar face to TV fans, via her standout roles on “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Deadwood,” “House of Cards,” “Treme,” “Friday Night Lights” and more.

Michael Emerson

As far as we’re concerned, the most compelling character on “Lost” is Benjamin Linus, played by Michael Emerson. He’s essential to the storyline, regarded by many viewers as a villain who manipulates the other characters and engages in a self-centered power trip. Emerson’s performance throughout the series is so masterful and nuanced, though, that we’re inclined to regard Ben as a morally dubious antihero.

The character shows up in Season 2, after being caught in a trap that leaves him hanging in a net from a tree. It’s game on from there, as Ben lies, cheats, steals, kills and does everything he can to advance his own agenda — which turns out to be very different from the ideas and goals held by the castaways from Season 1. He’s been on the island for decades, as it turns out, and is the leader of a group known as “the Others.”

“Though often a calm, eloquent antagonist, Ben’s insecurity and jealousies sometimes brought out a petulant, reckless side,” Lostpedia says. “He remained, however, an expert manipulator, a liar and a murderer, and he served as a main adversary for much of the series.”

Emerson reportedly was set to appear on just a few episodes of “Lost,” but he quickly made an impact and became a regular cast member in Season 3. Ben Linus emerged as the character fans loved to hate — the engaging “Big Bad” of the storyline — lasting through Season 6 and even starring in an epilogue titled “The New Man in Charge.” Emerson appeared in about 80 episodes overall, and was the featured character in “One of Them,” “The Man Behind the Curtain,” “The Shape of Things to Come,” “Dead Is Dead,” “Dr. Linus” and more.

Watch a scene from “The Shape of Things to Come” in the video below.

Emerson earned an Emmy Award in 2009 for his role on “Lost,” in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. He also received three more Emmy nominations and a nod for a Golden Globe.

Emerson has an Alabama connection that’s not widely known: He earned a master’s degree in theater at the University of Alabama in 1995, via the Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s acting program. Emerson also met his wife, actress Carrie Preston, while performing at the Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery.

Carrie Preston

Carrie Preston, an Emmy-winning actress, made a guest appearance on “Lost” during Season 3. The episode, “The Man Behind the Curtain,” focuses on the origin story of Benjamin Linus, a key villain on the series. Preston portrays Emily Linus, Ben’s mother, who dies as she’s giving birth to the child in Oregon. Later, Emily shows up as a ghostly apparition when young Ben is living on the island. This confuses the boy, but the vision offers comfort to Ben and encourages him to stay safe when he’s about to run into danger.

Watch a scene from “The Man Behind the Curtain” in the video below.

Preston is married to Michael Emerson, who starred as the adult Ben Linus on “Lost.” The two met in 1994, when they were performing in a production of “Hamlet” at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery. “I was pretty fascinated by Michael, mostly because he was so talented,” Preston said in a 2009 interview with AL.com. “Luckily, it was mutual.”

Preston, a Georgia native, has worked with Emerson on several projects over the years, and earned fame for her roles in “True Blood,” “The Good Wife,” “Elsbeth” and more. Her Emmy came in 2013, in the category of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, for her work on “The Good Wife.” Preston returned to Montgomery in 2019 to direct a play called “Buzz” at the Shakespeare Festival.

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’

Harper Lee’s enduring Alabama-set novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” gets a brief mention during Season 3 of “Lost,” and fans of the series have a few ideas about that. But first, let’s describe the scene in question, which shows up in an episode called “The Cost of Living.”

Dr. Juliet Burke (played by Elizabeth Mitchell) takes a TV set and wheels it into a room where the primary hero of “Lost,” Dr. Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox), is being held captive. The two characters are adversaries at the time, but Juliet is trying to help Jack. She tells Jack she’s going to show him the film version of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” (You’ll like this one, Jack,” Juliet says. “‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ it’s a classic.”) However, the video that plays on the screen shows Juliet holding cue cards that tell Jack not to trust Ben Linus, the man who’s holding him prisoner. The cards also tell Jack, who’s a spinal surgeon, that he should let Ben die while performing an operation to remove a cancerous tumor on Ben’s spine.

Watch that scene from “The Cost of Living” in the video below.

Some fans believe “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Lost” share several themes, such as free will, social tolerance and the fear of a strange and dangerous creature who’s rarely seen. (Yes, Boo Radley gets compared to the smoke monster.) We’re not sure what Harper Lee, a no-nonsense Alabama native, would say about that, but the sentiment expressed by Juliet is accurate: “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a bona fide classic.

‘Love Will Keep Us Together’

One of Alabama’s ties to “Lost” comes in a scene that involves Hugo “Hurley” Reyes, a beloved character on the series. During Season 5, Hurley (played by Jorge Garcia) and some other characters have traveled back in time to the late 1970s. In an episode called “Some Like It Hoth,” Hurley is riding in a blue van with Miles Straume (played by Ken Leung). The van is equipped with an eight-track player, and viewers can hear “Love Will Keep Us Together,” a 1975 hit for Captain & Tennille, coming from the van’s speakers.

Watch Captain & Tennille perform “Love Will Keep Us Together” in the video below.

The moment happens about halfway through the episode, as Hurley and Miles are delivering sandwiches to workers on the island, transporting a dead body — yep, a dead body — and discussing their psychic abilities. (They’re also talking about “Star Wars,” because Hurley is an aficionado.) Captain & Tennille’s bubbly song provides an interesting contrast to the situation and provides a reminder that the action is happening in the past.

Toni Tennille, the lead singer of Captain & Tennille, is a Montgomery native. She teamed with her then-husband, keyboard player Daryl Dragon, in the pop duo during the 1970s. Captain & Tennille released several No. 1 hits, including “Love Will Keep Us Together.” The song was written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, and originally recorded by Sedaka in 1973. Captain & Tennille turned it into a radio sensation, however, and the tune became one of their signature songs.

’I Shall Not Walk Alone’

The Blind Boys of Alabama can be heard on the soundtrack of “Lost” in its first season, during an episode called “Confidence Man.” A song called “I Shall Not Walk Alone,” written by Ben Harper, was recorded by the Blind Boys for a 2002 album, “Higher Ground.” Their cover is featured in the episode, emphasizing a moment when a key character on the island, Sayid Jarrah, temporarily leaves the other castaways.

Sayid (played by Naveen Andrews) has a complicated and troubled past that includes years as an interrogator in the Iraqi military. He used his violent interrogation techniques on Sawyer, torturing the other character and nearly ending Sawyer’s life. A repentant Sayid decides to take a solitary trek, exploring the island and pondering his actions. “Confidence Man” also puts Sawyer in the spotlight, developing his backstory.

Hear the Blind Boys of Alabama perform in the scene from “Confidence Man” in the video below. “I Shall Not Walk Alone” starts around the 1:11 mark.

The Blind Boys of Alabama, a harmonizing gospel troupe, was formed during the 1930s at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in Talladega. The group continues to record and perform, although original members such as Clarence Fountain and George Scott have died. Birmingham’s Jimmy Carter, a longtime member, retired in 2023 at age 91. The Blind Boys have six Grammy Awards to their credit, along with a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy and a spot in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

‘Coconut Telegraph’

Pop culture references abound on “Lost,” many of them tossed into conversation by Sawyer. The quick-witted character likes to create nicknames for the folks around him, typically linked to movies, songs, TV shows and more. Sawyer compares one adolescent character to Bobby Brady of “The Brady Bunch,” for example, and he calls another castaway “Scotty,” after the famed crew member on “Star Trek.” Viewers also know that Sawyer is familiar with “Little House on the Prairie,” “Mr. Ed,” “Gilligan’s Island” and the music of Jimmy Buffett.

Buffett’s 1981 album “Coconut Telegraph” gets a mention in Season 5 of “Lost,” during an episode called “LaFleur.” Sawyer is talking about gossip spreading among folks on the island, and he says the drunken behavior of a character named Horace Goodspeed will find its way to the community via “the coconut telegraph.”

Buffett, a Mississippi native who grew up in Mobile, wrote and recorded the song “Coconut Telegraph” as the title track of his 10th studio album. Part of the lyrics say, “The jungle drums are beating/With the tales from late last night/’Cause stories bear repeating/For everyone’s delight/You can hear ‘em on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)/Can’t keep nothin’ under their hat/You can hear ‘em on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)/ Sayin’ who did this and that.”

Listen to Buffett perform “Coconut Telegraph” in the video below.

Buffett recorded the “Coconut Telegraph” album in 1980 in Sheffield, Alabama, “at the 1000 Alabama Avenue location of Muscle Shoals Sound,” according to a Facebook post from the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Also, the cover photo for “Coconut Telegraph,” showing a pay phone near a pier and open water, was taken by Tom Corcoran in Point Clear, Alabama, in 1980, according to a fan post on Buffett’s Facebook page.