Cannibalism, high school drama, flashbacks, and heaps of '90s nostalgia, it's no wonder Yellowjackets emerged as the must-see TV event of 2021.
The Showtime series gained a dedicated fan base thanks to its weekly twists and turns spilled over two timelines. One takes place in the past, based around a New Jersey high school soccer team who find themselves stranded in the Canadian wilderness, the other in the present, following those same characters in their adult lives. Its ensemble cast is perfect. Cult '90s stars including Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci play the adults and a raft of young up-and-comers including Jasmin Savoy Brown and Ella Purnell their teen counterparts. Each episode stacks up the mysteries, the first season ending on one heck of a cliffhanger.
So while we've a little time to wait until Yellowjackets season 2 drops, now's as good a time as any to get your fix of the next best thing. If you're looking for more tales of survival, mystery, drama, with a dose of the supernatural, here are eight TV shows like Yellowjackets to tide you over.
The Wilds
Prime Video's The Wilds dropped a year before Yellowjackets sporting a familiar premise: a group of teenage girls are left to fend for themselves following a plane crash. While boasting similar themes of survival, a cast of teenage girls, and multiple timelines, The Wilds forges its own path.
Ramping up the dynamic between the girls is the fact that they're all complete strangers. And, where Yellowjackets keeps certain mysteries drawn out, The Wilds reveals its juicy twist in the first episode – their plane crash was no accident. Deliberately staged by a mysterious figure, this group of girls are part of a social experiment under constant surveillance.
Where can I stream it?
Prime Video (Worldwide)
The Society
A group of Connecticut high schoolers return from a field trip only to discover their town's population has vanished. Unable to communicate with the outside world or venture past the city limits, these teens are forced to figure out a way to exist in a strange new world.
The Society carries a distinct whiff of Lord of the Flies. That's what lends this show its edge as this bunch of teens learn the politics of living in a world with limited resources. Another victim of the Netflix cancelation axe, The Society dropped its first and only season in 2019, but don't let that deter you: it's well worth a watch.
Where can I stream it?
Netflix (Worldwide)
Cruel Summer
This thriller series unravels across multiple time periods like Yellowjackets. Hopping from 1993, 1994, and 1995 Cruel Summer tells the tale of two high schoolers on the opposite ends of the social spectrum, Jeanette Turner and Kate Wallis. Following Kate's disappearance, Jeanette decides to adopt the lifestyle of the missing girl.
Things get increasingly weird one year later when the vanished Kate returns to town, revealing that Jeanette may have been directly involved in her disappearance. A heady mash of Yellowjackets' most alluring attributes – mysterious plotting and '90s nostalgia – this Freeform series brings plenty of both and will have you hooked.
Where can I stream it?
Prime Video (Worldwide)
Dare Me
If you love the back-stabbing politics of high school try Dare Me. Based on the Megan Abbott novel, this short-lived series revolves around a group of cheerleaders whose lives spiral upon the arrival of their new coach.
Focusing on the destructive side of teen friendship, it piles on the melodrama even more so than Yellowjackets. This cheer squad are soon caught in a web of lies involving murder, infidelity, and well, there's a lot of gobsmacking twists. It takes its time to reveal the mystery at its heart, but it's such a soap opera journey you'll love every second. While it only lasted for one season on the USA Network, it's worth the watch.
Where can I stream it?
Netflix (Worldwide)
Lost
Lost walked so Yellowjackets could run. It's easy to see its influence solely based on the premise: this classic series follows the survivors of a horrific plane crash as they fend for themselves on a mysterious island. Across its six seasons, Lost mashes storylines for its sprawling ensemble together with supernatural plots, chilling revelations, and head scratching puzzles.
That's all while cutting back and forth between multiple timelines in the past, present, and future. Critics decried its later seasons, including its divisive finale, but Lost remains a stalwart of the mystery box oeuvre because of its commitment to character. No show could continue for this long with such a dedicated fan base without crafting such well-rounded characters.
Where can I stream it?
Hulu (US), Disney Plus (UK, Australia)
The Stranded
Sewing together concepts from Lost and The Society, this Thai Netflix series is worth it if you enjoy the "teens out of depth but deep in peril" component of Yellowjackets. A group of high schoolers who attend a private island school stay late to have a lunar eclipse party, only to find themselves stranded when a tsunami hits.
Similarly to Yellowjackets, The Stranded emphasizes the relationships between its main cast of characters who are forced to work together to survive. Little is revealed about the teens' lives prior to the accident, making the show's central mysteries – which include supernatural oddities – all the more compelling.
Where can I stream it?
Netflix (Worldwide)
Wayward Pines
Boasting an incredible cast and a wild storyline, why Wayward Pines remains so criminally underseen is as mysterious as the show itself. Based on the novels by Blake Crouch and produced by M. Night Shyamalan – both twist maestros – things kick off when Matt Dillon's Secret Service agent Ethan Burke is sent to investigate the case of two missing feds in the Idaho town of Wayward Pines.
Following his arrival, he realizes things are not as they seem as the town's inhabitants are forbidden to leave. Dive into this two-season spectacular cold and be wowed by its chilling Lynchian vibe and stunning twists.
Where can I stream it?
Hulu (US), Disney Plus (UK, Australia)
The 100
Attractive youngsters cast out in the wilderness to fend for themselves. A ravaged Earth. What more do you need? The 100 bears all the hallmarks of Hollywood's billion-dollar survivalist franchises like The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner but benefits from a serialized TV format.
We open on an off-world colony, where humans live after Earth becomes uninhabitable. That is, until it's decided that maybe there is a chance for the planet to sustain human life after all and the teens are sent in. Like Yellowjackets, stretching the story out gives the characters much more time to develop and to forge true relationships that will continue to surprise you.
Where can I stream it?
Netflix (US, Australia), Prime Video (UK)
