Jorge Garcia was confident Alcatraz would be successful because of J.J. Abrams.

The 38-year-old actor - who worked alongside the Lost co-creator during his time playing Hugo "Hurley" Reyes on the show - knew he was in "safe hands" when he agreed to portray Dr. Diego "Doc" Soto in the new Fox TV series because he has so much confidence in the helmer.

"I love what J.J. does with his work and he's also just a really great guy. So when he called and said, 'I'm doing this new show, just give me a call if you're not doing anything because we definitely want to work with you again,' then that makes you feel great. Knowing that the show is a J.J. show I definitely feel that I'm in good hands."

Jorge stars alongside Sarah Jones, Sam Neill and Parminder Nagra in the fictional series - which focuses on San Francisco's Alcatraz prison, which was shut down in 1963 because it was deemed unsafe for both prisoners and guards - and he found his acting experience in Lost "definitely helped" him to gel with his new castmates.

"There were elements when you start with a new cast and a new crew and you see who you are going to have chemistry with. But as a cast we bonded really well. Working with J.J. and people who are familiar and who I have worked with on Lost definitely helped. The familiarity definitely helped me. I feel very lucky to have hit on two casts in a row that I get along with really well. It's fun working with the cast, it's definitely a good group. Sam Neill is great, Sarah Jones is great, Parminder Niagra is great. We all find time to hang out when we're not at work and grab a drink and a bite to eat. We're definitely a close knit group."