I recently started watching this series, based on one of my favorite books, because while the big screen movie was good, it had little to do with the plot of the book, adding giant animals and rushing through years the spent on the island. Sadly this series also tries to add new things to the book, but at least its adds DIFFFERENT things.

Episode #1 is called "Lost in Space" (referring to the balloon flight I guess?), follows the first few chapters of the book pretty well. The various characters are Northern soldiers held prisoners in the South during the Civil War who escape in an observation balloon during a massive storm. The storm ends up blowing them out to sea where they continue to travel until they (barely) make it to an island. Much of the detail of the book is lost. We don't learn now Neb and the Harding spent their childhood together, they don't have to throw everything (including the basket) off the balloon to stay afloat. until they reach land. They land on the main island, not the small atoll, etc.

The first episode gets right into adding characters with Captain Nemo mysterious natives, pirates, w wild man and a flying saucer with female aliens showing up on this island, which has an active volcano. I have a feeling this episode is going to be the LEAST like the book, as it veers into it's own story. I hope the rest of the series is at least entertaining.