TV Line: 5 TV Shows That Adapted The Story of The Odyssey
5 TV Shows That Adapted The Story Of The Odyssey
BY MICHAEL BOYLE AUG. 20, 2026
5. Lost — Desmond Hume’s entire storyline
It’s easy to miss in the moment, but looking at the big picture of Desmond’s storyline, it’s shocking how much it parallels Odysseus’. Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) is trying to get home to his true love — a woman named Penelope — but he can’t because he’s trapped on a magical island. Like Odysseus on Calypso’s island, he’s stuck there for years and tormented by all the lost time.
Desmond is also plagued by worries that Penny has moved on, which is what helps make “The Constant” one of the best episodes in the show’s history. Desmond and Penny’s romantic over-the-phone reunion is beautiful because, just like Odysseus and Penelope’s reunion, it puts years of Desmond’s worries to rest. He’s finally got confirmation that Penny still loves him, even though it would’ve been perfectly reasonable for her to have moved on by now.
The parallels don’t end there. Like Odysseus, Desmond is plagued by supernatural-induced memory issues, must battle a cyclops (well, a one-eyed man named Mikhail), and gets lost at sea after leaving the army. Another fun connection: The number of suitors Penelope must fend off in the poem is exactly 108, which is famously the sum of the magic number sequence that Desmond spent years typing into that magic computer. Showrunner Damon Lindelof may not have explicitly confirmed Desmond’s Homeric roots, but it’s impossible to deny them.
