The short, hyperkinetic, dark-haired television and movie wunderkind exploded on the scene with television hits "Felicity," "Alias" and "Lost."
Even after branching into films, he can't seem to break away from the entertainment medium that gave him his start.
His first blockbuster film was the Tom Cruise vehicle "Mission Impossible III," based on the 1960s TV show about a group of government agents.
His second film, and one of the most anticipated for next year, is his reinterpretation of "Star Trek," a summer blockbuster that Paramount is banking will reignite the long-dormant franchise that started on television.
Abrams keeps returning to television, even when he's directing a big-budget motion picture, because he cherishes the medium that favors character over spectacle.
This fall, he and producing partners Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci are debuting "Fringe," a new conspiracy-laced thriller on Fox that sounds like a mix of "The X-Files" and the wacky 1980s science-fiction film "Altered States."
Industry insiders hope it can win viewers' hearts and minds in a television season short on new series, thanks to the Hollywood writers' strike earlier this year.
"The draw to do TV is simply the opportunity to do it," Abrams said in an interview during the Television Critics Association summer meetings. "I just feel like for this moment that we can, we would be crazy not to. It's such an amazing medium. It's such an interesting process."
As for whether his show, along with only a couple of others this season - such as the creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Joss Whedon's upcoming "Dollhouse" - can save the truncated fall season, Abrams won't venture a guess. He just hopes "Fringe" can find its audience.
"I'm hoping we create a show that's entertaining and as much fun as we think it is and hope it is," he said. "I don't think any one show can save the fall, but I think a great show is something that we all want. So I look forward to seeing the reaction."
"Fringe" likely will be a hit in much the same way "Lost," his heavily serialized story about castaways dealing with mysteries on an island, was an immediate success for ABC.
That's because Abrams understands the medium. And after talking to him a bit about the upcoming "Trek" film, I'm even more confident he'll pull that off.
"The biggest challenge was trying to make it relevant to now - to do it despite it being 'Star Trek,' he said. "It's a question of how do you make it something that would be what it wants it to be, even if it hasn't been a series before? You invest completely in the characters and you tell a story that is good, regardless of the setting."
There's a lot resting on Abrams' shoulders, to think he has to save this fall's TV schedule and the multibillion-dollar "Star Trek" franchise. But he just might pull it off - because this is one creative thinker who loves TV.
