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The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Felicity
You could easily be forgiven for not realizing that Felicity was an Abrams project. It's always reminded me more of a Joss Whedon sort of creation.
Person of Interest
Believe
Fringe
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Lost
Felicity
Alias
This is the show that made Abrams a household name for action TV. It started out as pretty much a straight spy drama and morphed into a hunt for mystical objects created by a Nostradamus-like mystery man.
Super 8
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Star Trek
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Super 8
This homage to Spielberg was a really awesome sci-fi monster flick with a heart of gold. A train carrying a mysterious alien creature derails in a small town while a bunch of misfit kids are making a movie. They catch the creature on film, and end up in the middle of the mess.
Revolution
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The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Star Trek
Armageddon
Lost
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Tom Cruise puts on his spy suit again in this installment of the franchise, which has the IMF disbanded after it's framed for a killing. Simon Pegg is again the real star of the show, providing a comic foil.
n/a
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Star Trek
Super 8
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The giant battle station in this movie ups the villainy from the originals. This one sucks energy from a star, killing both the solar system and the targeted planets.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
n/a
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Star Trek
No one was more dubious than me about a complete reboot of my most beloved science fiction franchise, but Abrams did with style. The story was tight, the casting was dead-solid perfect (especially Zachary Quinto as Spock) and the special effects and new ship were outstanding.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Alias
Cloverfield
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n/a
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Lost
Very few shows in TV history have sparked more virulent debate than "Lost." It was unfailingly unwelcoming to new or casual viewers, with a dense, twisty, intricate plot that was full of dead ends and red herrings. And that series finale!
Alias
Star Trek: Into Darkness
Mission: Impossible III
The Movie FB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Armageddon
1998 saw two asteroid flicks, this one and Deep Impact. Deep Impact took a more human view, spending more time fleshing out the characters and less on macho declarations and explosions ... so of course it got beaten to a pulp at the box office by Armageddon.
Fringe
Star Trek: Into Darkness
Revolution
TMDB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Lost
Alias
Armageddon
Westworld
Could this be HBO's new "Game of Thrones?" The intricate reimagining of the '70s film, anchored by Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris, started as a "robot story" and quickly spun themes of the nature of humanity and human interaction.
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The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Alias
Felicity
The Office
Abrams, a big fan of the series, got the chance to direct one episode. The show, which featured Michael and Jan on their first official outing as a couple, was filled with all the usual awkwardness. No Klingons were harmed.
Undercovers
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Almost Human
Fringe
A lot of pundits compare Fringe to The X-Files, but to me they're not even in the same ballpark. In Fringe, the otherworldly elements are undoubtedly present and in your face. The X-Files most often tried to inject a least a bit of doubt or uncertainty as to whether the monsters are real.
Felicity
Lost
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
11.22.63
A favorite sci-fi time travel debate question is "If you could go back in time and stop 'X', would you?" This gives it a master's treatment, with omens, portents and visions of a dystopian future aplenty.
Christine
Hearts in Atlantis
It
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Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Super 8
Believe
This well-imagined, but ill-fated, series about a girl with otherworldly powers was created by Alfonso Cuaron, whose vision in the third Harry Potter film moved the series from kid stuff to serious fare. Even Abrams as an executive producer couldn't save it, though.
Fringe
Felicity
Youtube
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Person of Interest
Almost Human
Regarding Henry
Six Degrees of Separation
One of Abrams' few acting credits is this classic '90s flick. It may be far more famous for the Kevin Bacon-centered game it inspired than for itself. How many degrees are you away from Kevin?
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
10 Cloverfield Lane
This semi-sequel to Cloverfield is an acting tour de force by John Goodman. He makes the simple act of shaving into a far more menacing and portentous event than Jason Voorhees swinging an ax.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Fringe
Almost Human
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The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Almost Human
Felicity
Lost
While much of the show is very dark, Abrams and Damon Lindelof managed to throw in some moments of pure ebullience. When Hurley and friend find and fix a Volkswagen van, their joy ride down a gently sloping mountainside to "Magic Carpet Ride" was magnificent.
Undercovers
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Much akin to Spectre in the James Bond canon, the MI world has The Syndicate as a criminal master-network. In this one, the bad guys set their sights on Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team, forcing them to go "ghost" and disappear.
Alias
Revolution
Armageddon
Youtube
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Revolution
Star Trek
Almost Human
Fringe
Leonard Nimoy was a fantastic addition here as a villain in hero's clothing. His gravelly voice and dour expression fit his interdimensional megalomaniac character perfectly.
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The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Fringe
Revolution
What happens when the lights go out? This series, set 15 years after a global blackout, examines modern society rendered sparkless, without so much as a twinkle light to pierce the night.
Alcatraz
Undercovers
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Felicity
Mission Impossible III
Talk about starting off with a tough job! This was Abrams' directorial debut, and he had to deal with Tom Cruise, a successful franchise, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, one of the most highly talented actors on the planet at the time.
Alias
Revolution
The Movie FB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Person of Interest
Westworld
Roadies
Alcatraz
This limited-run series was intense and tremendously creative. All the prisoners disappear from Alcatraz circa 1963 and show up in the present, where a secret government agency tracks them down. Think X-Files meets Prison Break.
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The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Joy Ride
One of Abrams' early writing efforts was this tale of a road trip gone wrong. This will make you think twice the next time you contemplate packing up the Family Truckster and hitting the road.
The Suburbans
Diabolique
Armageddon
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Undercovers
Person of Interest
Paranoiacs everywhere embraced this tale of surveillance and intervention. A geeky guy and a musclebound secret agent type use a giant intelligence-gathering program to target those in danger (or endangering) and stop them cold.
Shelter
Westworld
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Regarding Henry
Taking Care of Business
Forever Young
Morning Glory
Abrams co-produced this comedy, in which he got to work with Harrison Ford years before the Star Wars series rebooted. Rachel McAdams plays a morning show producer tasked with revitalizing a flagging station's morning offering. Ford is a cranky old newsman resistant to her efforts.
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Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Super 8
Abrams has long professed his love for Spielberg's films, and here he got his idol as a co-producer on a film he wrote and directed. The result is a satisfying, kid-friendly thrill ride with just enough scare to keep the kids awake, but not enough to give them nightmares.
Cloverfield
Stranger Things
10 Cloverfield Lane
n/a
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Felicity
What About Brian
Are you the only single person in your group of friends? If so, you might sympathize with Brian. This was an amusing comedy-drama, but it wasn't original enough to catch more than two seasons.
Six Degrees
Undercovers
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Felicity
Alias
Undercovers
Six Degrees
This show, a dramatic exploration of the lives of New Yorkers based on "Six Degrees of Separation," should have worked. However, even a "Grey's Anatomy" lead-in couldn't save it from a swift cancellation.
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Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Star Trek: Into Darkness
Uhura really had her moment to shine in this movie, evoking echoes of "Star Trek V." Her ability to speak Klingon bought the crew enough time to keep from being slaughtered out of hand while hunting Khan.
Alias
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Fringe
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
What About Brian?
Joy Ride
Six Degrees
The Suburbans
Abrams was somehow hoodwinked into producing this bomb, which was intended to satirize '80s nostalgia that was spreading like measles toward the turn of the century. It starred Jennifer Love Hewitt, but even her megawatt celebrity (sarcasm intended) couldn't fill theaters.
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Diabolique
Gone Fishin'
Joe Pesci and Danny Glover playing ill-fated fishing buddies? It sounds like a nightmare, but the film is actually hilarious. Watch it for the bit part by Willie Nelson, playing a professional fisherman idolized by the guys.
The Pallbearer
The Undercovers
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The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Taking Care of Business
The Catch
Felicity
Talk about starting strong! This was Abrams' first major TV effort, and it made a worldwide star of Keri Russell, launched a million haircuts and opened doors for Abrams.
Six Degrees
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Undercovers
NBC, obviously failing to recognize Abrams' star power, canceled this spy show after just a few episodes. It was something of a mix between "Hart to Hart" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," but never caught on.
Alias
Lost
Fringe
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Six Degrees of Separation
This is the "forgotten" Will Smith movie, in which he plays a hustler who hoodwinks a high-society couple into believing he's one of their caste. Stockard Channing and Donald Sutherland are outstanding as the couple, full of frosty privilege.
Lost
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Joy Ride
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The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Cloverfield
10 Cloverfield Lane
There's rarely been a more naked opening for a sequel than at the end of this movie. In my case, there's rarely been more hope that sequel actually gets made!
Star Trek
Fringe
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Fringe
Westworld
Star Trek: Beyond
Lost
Terry O'Quinn has excelled at playing characters who look solid on the surface, but are actually fairly twisted. As the mysterious handler on "Millennium," we never knew whose side he was really on. As Locke, on "Lost," his case of knives was hardly the weirdest thing about him.
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Star Trek
Star Trek: Into Darkness
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
One knock on this movie was that, in essence, it followed the plot of "A New Hope" pretty closely. There were elements undeniably in common, but Kylo Ren was no Darth Vader ... not by a mile.
Super 8
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Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Alcatraz
I loved the concept behind this show: Prison break thriller meets time-travel tale. The woefully underused Sam Neill was great, and its was nice to see Lost's Jorge Garcia bringing his Hurley magic along.
Super 8
Fringe
Joy Ride
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Joy Ride
Nightbeast
Undercovers
Gone Fishin'
You're not wrong if you catch a whiff of "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" in this one. With the addition of the criminal element, I think there's a bit of Blues Brothers DNA here as well.
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Regarding Henry
Forever Young
If you had any doubt that Abrams' talent made itself known early, look at the cast of this movie. In his third outing as a writer, he snares Mel Gibson, Jamie Lee Curtis and Cheers' Norm himself, George Wendt.
The Pallbearer
Diabolique
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The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Star Trek
Revolution
Armageddon
You might have missed it, but there's one of the greatest in-jokes of all time early in this movie. Godzilla was the other big summer movie in 1998, and in one scene a giant inflatable Godzilla doll is mangled by a tiny dog. The same results held at the box office.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Youtube
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Felicity
Star Keri Russell dropped off the radar for three years after the show ended, but she came back strong. These days, she's half of the married couple at the center of "The Americans," a twisty, thrilling drama about Soviet agents living in the US during the Cold War.
Regarding Henry
The Suburbans
Six Degrees
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Infinitely Polar Bear
Regarding Henry
Here we go again: In his SECOND writing effort, the legendary Mike Nichols directs Harrison Ford and Annette Bening. Abrams even got to cast himself as a delivery boy in the movie.
The Suburbans
The Catch
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Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Star Trek: Into Darkness
There was all manner of internet upset when it was revealed that Benedict Cumberbatch had been selected to play a younger version of Ricardo Montalban's iconic Khan. He pulled it off, though, ending up with an epic battle with Spock.
Fringe
Alias
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Mission: Impossible III
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
The star power alone in this movie is impressive. Of course you've got Cruise and Simon Pegg, and then add Jeremy Renner (yes, he's in everything) and the legendary Ving Rhames ... then throw Alec Baldwin in just for seasoning.
Alias
Lost
The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Alias
Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead
The original film, written by Abrams, was a nifty little road-trip chiller starring Paul Walker, of "Fast and Furious" fame. The sequel lacks the star power, and Abrams' imprint, but still brings the scare effectively.
Super 8
Morning Glory
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Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Star Trek: Into Darkness
Abrams makes excellent use of the improvement in special effects technology since "Star Trek II," without letting it take over the story. The gritty battle between Spock and Khan, on what appears to be a flying barge, is every bit as visceral as any bout in Rocky.
Alias
Revolution
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Youtube
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed
This Ken Burns-produced examination of the historical significance should have been dry as toast, but it crackles. Part of the reason for that is interviews with Abrams, George Lucas and others with a firm grip of the long-term vision of the series.
Alias
Revolution
Star Trek: Into Darkness
Youtube
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Armageddon
Moon Shot
"Moon Shot" was a pet project for Abrams, who's a big backer of space travel. The web documentary chronicles the chase for the X-Prize, given to privately funded space pioneers.
Cloverfield
Regarding Henry
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The Movie DB
Which JJ Abrams film or TV show is shown here?
Gone Fishin'
Taking Care of Business
James Belushi's presence has not always been an indicator of quality filmed entertainment, but this one's a winner. You can tell it's fiction, because the Cubs are in the World Series (Hey, it was the '90s!). Belushi plays a jailbird trying to get to the games.
Joy Ride
The Suburbans
You Got:
/49
TMDB