The survival-drama mystery series The Wilds debuted on Amazon Prime Video over a year and a half ago and now has finally returned for its second season. The series follows a group of girls from very different backgrounds who get stranded on a mysterious island after a suspicious plane crash. The show's first season follows the survivors trying to stay alive while looking for ways to escape their dire situation and get back home. The tension of being lost in the middle of nowhere also leads to paranoia and conflict between the girls. They slowly begin to come to terms with each other, as they understand each other better, however, unbeknownst to them, they are being secretly monitored. And that's exactly what's at the core of the show's big mystery, as the viewers slowly realize that girl's plane crash is part of a sick social experiment about how women are better at leadership.
The second season of The Wilds retains all the members of the first group, with the introduction of another group of characters in the illegal research experiment. This new group of boys, who go through a similar ordeal as the girls, are there to further substantiate the evidence that men are more prone to violence. Season 2 of The Wilds will see the return of the main group of girls, including Sophia Ali, Shannon Berry, Jenna Clause, Reign Edwards, Mia Healey, Helena Howard, Erana James, and Sarah Pidgeon. Additionally, the new group of young men who are introduced in Season 2 includes Alex Fitzalan (The Society), Aidan Laprete, Charles Alexander, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Nicholas Coombe (Pants on Fire), Reed Shannon, Tanner Ray Rook (Side Quest), and Zack Calderon.
If you have already binge-watched all the episodes of Season 2, we can’t blame you, the series is that insane and interesting. Season 3 might take a bit of time before it is finally here, therefore, we’ve got these 10 great shows similar to The Wilds featuring the same survivalist vibes that’ll keep you hooked till the very end.
Yellowjackets (2021-Present)
Yellowjackets is a psychological drama created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson that aired on Showtime. It tells the story of a highly talented high-school girls' soccer team who survive a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. Season 1 of the show documents their transformation from bright and young teens to warring, cannibalistic clans, while trying to get back to the life they once had. The show runs in two timelines, one in 2021, where the girls are now adults traumatized by their past, and the other set in 1996 showing the horrible experience that took place immediately after the plane crash. It stars Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, and Sammi Hanratty as the four teenagers and Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis, and Christina Ricci portraying their adult counterparts. If you thought The Wilds is gruesome, Yellowjackets will definitely take that up a notch.
Runaways (2017-2019)
Imagine that you have superpowers, but your own parents turn against you, that's the basic setup for Marvel's Runaways. The series is the survival story of a group of teenagers, with special abilities, who run away from their homes after discovering the secret evil identities of their parents. They not only have to stay alive but also thwart the sinister plans of their parents, who belong to an evil organization. Runaways shares ties with the films and shows of the MCU, so if you are a Marvel fan, this show is an added bonus. The show was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and stars Rhenzy Feliz, Lyrica Okano, Virginia Gardner, Ariela Barer, Gregg Sulkin, and Allegra Acosta as the six Runaways.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021)
I Know What You Did Last Summer is a slasher/thriller, that raises the stakes to the point you can be dead at any second. Based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Lois Duncan, it tells the story of a group of teens who are being stalked and brutally killed by a faceless murderer after covering up a car accident that results in the death of a person. It takes some time for the group to realize what is happening before they band together to try to survive the assaults and catch the killer. It was adapted for Amazon Prime Video by Sara Goodman and stars Madison Iseman, Brianne Tju, Ezekiel Goodman, Ashley Moore, Bill Heck, Fiona Rene, Cassie Beck, Brooke Bloom, and Sebastian Amoruso.
Betty (2020-2021)
So far we have seen shows with literal life and death situations, but other survival stories are not always so gruesome, but just as challenging. Betty is a story of five young girls from diverse backgrounds who try to fit in, survive and compete in the male-dominated world of skateboarding in New York. The show’s title itself is a derogatory term for female surfers or skateboarders used by men and highlights the grueling challenges the teens have to face to establish themselves as renowned skateboarders. The show, which went on for two seasons, is based on Crystal Moselle's 2018 film Skate Kitchen, who is also the creator of the show.
One Of Us Is Lying (2021-Present)
Based on Karen M. McManus' New York Times best-selling novel of the same name, One Of Us Is Lying was adapted for Peacock by Erica Saleh. The series narrates the story of five very different individuals from Bayview High who walk into detention and only four of them walk out alive. Each of the four survivors claims to be innocent, however, all of them share a motive to be their classmate’s murderer. The investigation scene is very reminiscent of the interrogation sequences of The Wilds, as the show slowly takes a darker turn. It stars Mark McKenna as the deceased student, and Annalisa Cochrane, Chibuikem Uche, Marianly Tejada, and Cooper van Grootel as the main cast of suspects.
The Society (2019)
The Society is every teenager’s dream come true that slowly turns into a nightmare. The Netflix teen mystery drama was created by Christopher Keyser and was canceled after its first season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After returning from a camping trip that was cut short due to a mysterious storm, the students of a Connecticut high school are shocked and thrilled to find all the adults of their town are gone. They soon realize they are cut off from the outside world by a strange forest surrounding the town, and attempt to find out what happened to the adults. However, turmoil sets in as the teens begin to form factions and fight amongst themselves, and they now have to survive the internal wars while trying to find a way out. The cast includes Kathryn Newton, Gideon Adlon, Sean Berdy, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Jacques Colimon, Olivia DeJonge, Alex Fitzalan, Kristine Froseth, Jose Julian, Alexander MacNicoll, Toby Wallace, and Rachel Keller.
Greenhouse Academy (2017-2020)
Greenhouse Academy is a survival story set at a boarding school, where all is not what it seems. Adapted from the Israeli television series The Greenhouse (Ha-Hamama) for an international audience, it begins with the story of young siblings Alex (Finn Roberts) and Hayley Woods (Ariel Mortman) who enroll at a private boarding school called the Greenhouse Academy for gifted future leaders, following the death of their astronaut mother in a rocket crash. Along with the other students from the school, the siblings get involved in a highly secret investigation to uncover an evil plot to use earthquakes as a means of terror, and how it was also linked to their mother’s accident. The teen drama was created for Netflix by Giora Chamizer and Paula Yoo.
Dare Me (2019-2020)
What if the girls from The Wilds never went on their ill-fated vacation? Would they still have a happy life achieving their personal goals? The teen drama Dare Me gives you a glimpse at the amount of pressure high school girls face every day. Though primarily focusing on the life of cheerleaders, the show takes a deeper dive into the volatile nature of young teens, and how even the smallest issue can snowball into a big complication. Dare Me is similar to The Wilds in the sense of how much some young women are willing to endure physically and psychologically to hide their insecurities or prove themselves to be better. The teen drama is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Megan Abbott, who also co-developed the series for TV with Gina Fattore.
The A-List (2018-Present)
The A-List is a teen thriller sprinkled with supernatural elements. It was created by Dan Berlinka and Nina Metivier for BBC and eventually moved to Netflix in 2019. A group of teenagers are stuck at a mysterious camp, a place that was supposed to be the setting for their best summer ever but has now turned out to be something straight out of a horror film. The camp hides several dark secrets, and the teens have to fight their way out whether they like it or not. The A-List stars Lisa Ambalavanar, Ellie Duckles, Savannah Baker, Cian Barry, Jacob Dudman, and Benjamin Nugent in key roles.
Lost (2004-2010)
Often dubbed as one of the greatest television series of all time, Lost was originally developed as a television adaptation of the 2000 Tom Hanks film Cast Away. Lost tells the story of the survivors of a plane crash who somehow wash up on the shores of a mysterious island. The island hides many dark secrets and seems to be unwilling to let go of the inhabitants. Also, they are not alone, as ‘The Others’ are keeping a watchful eye on them. The series had an amazing star cast that included Naveen Andrews, Emilie de Ravin, Matthew Fox, Josh Holloway, Daniel Dae Kim, Evangeline Lilly, Dominic Monaghan, Terry O'Quinn, and Ian Somerhalder.