He played one of the most beloved characters on ABC’s Lost… And, now Jorge Garcia heading back to a different island… Alcatraz!

The 38-year-old half-Cuban/half-Chilean American actor will be returning to television on Fox’s highly anticipated series Alcatraz.

Premiering tonight, the midseason show presents Garcia as amateur Alcatraz historian Diego Soto, called upon by the government to investigate when inmates from the ’60s mysteriously start showing up in the present day.

Alcatraz has plenty of intrigue, but also plenty of comic relief from Garcia, who can effortlessly charm his way through the thickest of mysteries.

So how did Garcia, who didn’t know what his next role would be after winning the hearts of millions on Lost, end up on another J.J. Abrams-produced project?

“It was a weird moment of serendipity, in a way,” Garcia tells NYMag.com. “I came back to California and went back into my acting class. I was at one point sitting in that class thinking, Well, let’s see. It’ll probably be a while probably before I get, like, a big job. But right now, I could probably get work playing experts of some kind. And I actually did say ‘experts’ to myself. Then like, a day or so after that, suddenly they released a breakdown, or a character breakdown, for the Alcatraz script. And this part that I already knew they were looking at me for was described as an ‘expert.’”

So is Garcia worried about comparisons between his character on Alcatraz and his beloved Hurley on Lost?

“I’m not worried about it. I’m assuming that they’re going to happen. Ever since Lost ended — actually, correct that, even while Lost was still on, people were looking for what was going to be the next Lost,” says Garcia. “So I wasn’t that concerned. I figured I’m not going to be able to stop these people from trying to make a point of comparison. From the moment I got cast [in Alcatraz], I just knew it was going to be stuff like, ‘From one island to another,’ or those types of little clichés that they’ll use to describe my new job.”

Alcatraz’s two-hour premiere airs tonight on Fox at 8:00 pm ET.