Damon Lindelof

An early boost to Lindelof's writing career came in 1999, when he was selected as a semifinalist for a Nicholl Fellowship for his screenplay Perfectionists.[9] Before this, he had worked on reviewing scripts at Paramount, Fox, and Alan Ladd studios.

In 1999, Lindelof began his professional career as a writer on the drama series Wasteland and the anthology series Undressed. He received further attention as a writer on the CBS crime drama series Nash Bridges, which he worked on from 2000 to 2001. He then wrote and produced the NBC crime drama series Crossing Jordan, which he worked on until the end of its third season.

In 2004, Lindelof received further recognition and success as an executive producer and showrunner (alongside Carlton Cuse) on the drama series Lost. The series was praised for its unique brand of storytelling and strong characters. The first two seasons of the show were ratings juggernauts and the show never fell out of the Top 30 throughout its six seasons on the air. Lindelof's work on Lost garnered numerous awards and nominations throughout its run, including winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2005.[10]

Lindelof and the Lost writing staff won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Dramatic Series at the February 2006 ceremony for their work on the first and second seasons.[11] He was nominated for the WGA Award for Best Dramatic Series a further three times. At the February 2007 ceremony for his work on the second and third seasons,[12] at the February 2009 ceremony for his work on the fourth season[13] and at the February 2010 ceremony for his work on the fifth season.[14] Lindelof and his co-writer Drew Goddard were also nominated for the WGA Award for Best Episodic Drama at the February 2008 ceremony for writing the episode "Flashes Before Your Eyes."[15]

Lindelof at WonderCon, 2012

Lindelof and co-showrunner Carlton Cuse have been heralded as two of the first to truly embrace the changing times with things such as their daily podcast and being active in the fan community. A majority of the six seasons were met with critical praise, however, both Lindelof and Cuse were not afraid to address critiques on the show, be it through the podcast or other forms of media. However, Lindelof said in late 2013 that he would no longer be addressing those displeased with the way the show ended, stating:

"And what do I do? I jump at the opportunity to acknowledge how many people were dissatisfied with how it ended. I try to be self-deprecating and witty when I do this, but that's an elaborate (or obvious?) defense mechanism to let people know I'm fully aware of the elephant in the room and I'm perfectly fine with it sitting down on my face and shitting all over me... And here's my part: I will finally stop talking about it. I'm not doing this because I feel entitled or above it — I'm doing it because I accept that I will not change hearts nor minds. I will not convince you they weren't dead the whole time, nor resent you for believing they were despite my infinite declarations otherwise."[16]

Lindelof was featured on a December 2008 episode of The Write Environment, a public television series featuring in-depth, candid one-on-one interviews with some of TV's most prolific and well-known series creator and writers. The interview is also available on DVD.

While approaching the end of Lost, it was rumored that Lindelof and J. J. Abrams would write and direct a film adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. Lindelof dismissed this in a Q&A with USA Today in late 2009. He commented, "After working six years on Lost, the last thing I want to do is spend the next seven years adapting one of my favorite books of all time. I'm such a massive Stephen King fan that I'm terrified of screwing it up. I'd do anything to see those movies written by someone else. My guess is they will get made because they're so incredible. But not by me."[17] Lindelof later served as co-producer on the 2009 science fiction action film, Star Trek, which was directed by frequent collaborator J. J. Abrams.

In 2011, Lindelof aided in development of the fantasy series Once Upon a Time, which was created by former Lost writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. He was not officially credited in the pilot.[18] Also in 2011, Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci, and several other writers, contributed to the screenplay of the film version of the comic book series Cowboys & Aliens.

Lindelof co-wrote the screenplay for Ridley Scott's science fiction film Prometheus, which was released in June 2012 to commercial success. Lindelof also produced the 2013 science fiction action sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, and cowrote its screenplay with Kurtzman and Orci. Also that year, he co-wrote the screenplay for the action adventure film World War Z.

Lindelof at the Peabody Awards, 2016

He co-wrote the screenplay for the science fiction adventure film Tomorrowland with director Brad Bird, based on a story by Lindelof, Bird, and Jeff Jensen. The film was in development for many years before being released in 2015.[19][20]

In 2014, Lindelof co-created the HBO supernatural drama series The Leftovers with Tom Perrotta, based on Perrotta's novel of the same name.[21][22] He also served as showrunner and executive producer throughout the show's three seasons.[23] The series received widespread critical acclaim. Many critics referred to The Leftovers as one of the greatest television series of all time,[24][25][26][27][28] with particular praise for its writing, directing, acting and thematic depth. Despite receiving average Nielsen ratings throughout its run, the series has developed a cult following.[29][30][31]

In August 2018, it was announced that Lindelof would be adapting Alan Moore's Watchmen as a series for HBO. He had previously been quoted as saying it was his favorite graphic novel and a huge inspiration on Lost.[32] The series, which features an original story set after the events of the graphic novel, premiered in 2019 to critical acclaim. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a 95% "certified fresh" rating based on 112 reviews, with an average rating of 8.58/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Bold and bristling, Watchmen isn't always easy viewing, but by adding new layers of cultural context and a host of complex characters it expertly builds on its source material to create an impressive identity of its own."[33] While HBO had not confirmed a second season following the show's broadcast, Lindelof stated that if there were, he would not likely be back for it, but instead have another producer step forward to tell another story set in this universe. Lindelof said he felt that the show was "not my story" and that "These nine episodes are sort of everything that I have to say at this point about Watchmen".[34] He created the first season to be a complete story.[35]

In 2019, Lindelof joined a host of other writers in firing their agents as part of the WGA's stand against the ATA and the practice of packaging.[36]

In 2020, Lindelof wrote and produced the horror thriller film The Hunt. The film attracted some media controversy for its political subject matter,[37] and received mixed reviews upon release. After a wide release run for almost a week, COVID-19 regulations forced theaters to close, and the film subsequently played almost exclusively at drive-ins.[38]

Lindelof frequently collaborates with a tightly knit group of film professionals which include J. J. Abrams, Adam Horowitz, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Edward Kitsis, Andre Nemec, Josh Appelbaum, Jeff Pinkner, and Bryan Burk.[6]

Lindelof is a self-professed Stephen King fan and has placed many references to King's work into Lost, as well as mentioning within the Official Lost Podcast that The Stand serves as a huge influence. Lindelof has been quoted as saying that the graphic novel Watchmen, written by Alan Moore, is the greatest piece of popular fiction ever produced, and its effect on Lost is evident many times in the show. He has also mentioned David Lynch's Twin Peaks as a big influence for Lost.[42]

J. J. Abrams had often cited Patrick McGoohan's similarly allegorical sci-fi/spy series The Prisoner as another major influence on Lost. Lindelof lists his favorite six films, in no particular order, as Touch of Evil, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Pulp Fiction, The Shining, Bambi, and The Godfather Part II.[43] Lindelof is a fan of the television series The Wire, Breaking Bad, and Battlestar Galactica.