It’s a shame ‘Last Resort’ is airing at 8 pm on Thursdays because it deserves to reach as far and wide of an audience as possible. Though much like the underdog crew at the center of the story, the odds are stacked against it.

Shawn Ryan is flat out a maker of good television, and this is quite simply network drama done right. Its originality is invigorating. While it may end up resembling certain other shot-in-Hawaii, remote-island tales, this pilot is far from the norm. It covers a lot of ground but manages to squeeze out character shading and foreshadow. ‘Last Resort’ is exciting without forcing it and clever without showing off. It’s not heady or preachy, but has the potential to speak great volumes about government, war, and nuclear arms. If an audience finds it and the show follows through on the stakes established in the pilot, this could be broadcast’s next great drama.

But missiles named ‘Big Bang Theory,’ ‘Two and a Half Men,’ and ‘The X Factor’ are headed its way.