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Yellowjackets is the latest must-watch mystery series, with a combination of horror, drama and wild fan theories. If you’ve finished watching this and are looking for alternate shows, fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle of having to try and find something similar with our top 10 picks for alternate viewing. To keep things simple for skim-readers we’ve added what similarities these have. Of course for all the shows we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that series and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with. So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming Yellowjackets.
The Wilds
Similarities – Stuck On A Desert Island & Mystery
While we weren’t overly keen on The Wilds’s heavy exposition and questionable editing, the show has undoubtedly gained a lot of plaudits from audiences. The story essentially splits itself across two adjacent timelines. The first, follows a group of girls as they wash up on a desert island with little resources and in desperate need of refuge. The other timeline takes place after the events on the island, as each of the survivors are interviewed about their experience and how they made it back alive. This is about as close as you could get to the story of Yellowjackets, although Showtime’s latest Original is far superior. You can read our thoughts on The Wilds in our full season review here!
Tabula Rasa
Similarities – Slow Burn Mystery
If you’re in the mood for slow burn thrillers, look no further than Belgium’s Tabula Rasa. With an intriguing premise, some solid characters and an itching mystery that compels you to see it through to its conclusion, this crime drama is certainly worth your time. The psychological thriller revolves around an amnesia-stricken young woman called Mie, who’s locked up in a secure psychiatric hospital. When she receives a visit from Detective Wolkers, he claims to be the last person seen with Thomas Spectre, who has vanished. As a witness and prime suspect in the case, Mie is forced to remember what happened that night before she can even think about being released. In order to fight for the truth, Mie is forced into reconstructing her lost memories. The more she remembers though, the more Mie starts to distrust those around her. Moody, ambitious and really well written, Tabula Rasa is a solid series to check out.
Lost
Similarities – Stuck On A Desert Island
Back in 2004, a tiny show called Lost went way over-budget with its pilot episode. The consequences of that saw several people fired. Little did they know this mishap would help grow Lost into a worldwide phenomenon that completely changed the way people watched TV. This highly engrossing, mystery series revolves around a group of plane-crash survivors washing up on shore and fighting for survival on a very weird island holding many, many secrets. Across 7 seasons the show does lose its way a little but it serves up an engrossing and unmissable journey nonetheless. If you haven’t seen it already, Lost is a must-watch show.
Flashforward
Similarities – Mystery & Tension
Flashforward was an unfortunate casualty of the Network TV cancellation Russian Roulette. In a post-LOST era, every TV show jumped on the mystery box bandwagon with varying degrees of success. Flashforward – despite its similarities to LOST’s opening – quickly stepped beyond that to deliver an addictive slice of sci-fi. The main premise here sees the entire world’s population black out for approximately 2 minutes and 17 seconds. The effect of this leads the entire world to catch a glimpse of life six months in the future. With the world changed forever, an elite FBI task force is formed to investigate just what happened – and why. As the episodes progress, more of this mystery starts to unravel. Along the way, there are lots of big cliffhangers and shocking twists. It’s just too bad ABC killed this one after a single season. Despite its agonizing cliffhanger ending, this one’s still worth a watch.
Little Fires Everywhere
Similarities – Family Drama & Mystery
Little Fires Everywhere is a show that’s worth sticking with until the end. Hulu’s familial drama will almost certainly draw comparisons to Big Little Lies and with both Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon in the driving seat, it’s easy to see why. Armed with an intriguing mystery, lots of commentary surrounding class and race along with a dynamic power struggle that changes and evolves throughout the season, Little Fires Everywhere is a smartly written drama and one of the better shows to come out of 2020. The story begins with an intriguing mystery; Elena Richardson and her family look upon the burning wreckage of their family home. Someone has set it alight and all fingers point toward Elena’s troublesome youngest daughter Izzy. But is she really to blame? This absorbing family melodrama portrays its socially charged themes across the different episodes beautifully. It’s not perfect but those little fires certainly grow into a raging inferno by the end. You can read our thoughts on Little Fires Everywhere in our full season review here!
The Outsider
Similarities – Mystery & Possessions
Stephen King TV adaptations are usually very good or very bad. While The Outsider is far from perfect, the story is absolutely gripping and you’ll undoubtedly be hooked until the very end. The Outsider works much better as a straight forward binge rather than a show drip-fed across several weeks. The basic premise revolves around a group of investigators completely baffled by an unspeakable crime that’s been committed. We won’t go into spoiler territory, but where this one really shines is with its characters, who are beautifully written throughout. If you’re in the mood for a good thriller, this one has all the right ingredients to hook you in and keep you glued until the end. You can read our thoughts on The Outsider in our full season review here!
Servant
Similarities – Mystery Box & Slow Burn
Apple TV+’s very own mystery box is an M. Night Shyamalan chill-fest. Servant is a show designed to be binged so Apple’s decision to drip-feed this out once a week is a bit of a puzzling one. However, given the third season is on the horizon and the first two are already up on the platform in their entirety, Servant is a great show to binge through. It’s chilling, confusing and utterly bizarre – not unlike Yellowjackets. The story revolves around a Philadelphian couple who mourn the death of their child, causing a huge rift in their marriage. That rift is only made more bizarre by Dorothy’s need to channel her grief into a doll which she pretends is real. Of course, this creepy set-up paves way for a malevolent spirit to entire the house, seemingly in the form of a young girl called Leanne. This is classic M. Night Shyamalan territory, with a great blend of horror and mystery to keep you hooked until the end. You can read our thoughts on Servant in our full season review here!
The Stranger
Similarities – Must-Watch Mystery
What would you do if a stranger told you your whole life was a lie? Harlan Coben’s The Stranger aims to answers this very question. The story itself revolves around family man Adam. During his son’s football match, a strange woman arrives and tells him his wife Corinne lied about her pregnancy and miscarriage. Adam is rattled to his core and as secrets are exposed and Corinne goes missing, what follows is a quest for the truth that takes plenty of turns along the way. Only, the truth is far more shocking and ugly than first meets the eye. With Richard Armitage and Paul Kaye both firing on all cylinders, his thriller delivers a compelling and binge-worthy journey worth taking. You can read our thoughts on The Stranger in our full season review here!
Panic
Similarities – Mystery & YA Adaptation
Adapted from the 2014 YA novel of the same name, Panic is a series about adrenaline-soaked games and testing your nerves. In essence, this is Hunger Games, Fear Factor and Saw all rolled into one. Each year, all graduating seniors are eligible to enter a competition and within that, there’s only one winner. New judges and challenges come forward to keep things fresh, but the game is also mired in controversy. Numerous people have died over the years. At the center of this is Heather Nill, a senior desperate to leave town and save up enough money to attend university. When her drug-addicted Mother steals her savings, Heather makes the bold choice of entering Panic. It’s not perfect, but this is about as close to a YA guilty pleasure as you could get.
The Society
Similarities – Gripping Mystery & Teen Issues
The Society is essentially a modern-day spin on Lord Of The Flies. In true Netflix fashion though, The Society feels slightly overlong across its 10 episodes and could have done with some tighter editing. The story begins with a strange smell descending over an American town as various kids return from a school trip. They soon come to realize all the adults are missing. Even stranger still, the town is now inexplicably surrounded by thick, lush forestry. When the smell finally disappears, the kids realize that their town holds small differences that play a bigger part in the plot further down the line. The kids in The Society predictably descend into a heady cocktail of teen angst and melodrama. Between these constant bouts of partying and having sex, the group do come together and try to figure out what’s happened…or do they? Do be warned though that The Society was cancelled by Netflix during the middle of 2020 (boo!) and as such, does not have a conclusion. Still, it’s a fun ride up until that point. You can read our thoughts on The Society in our full season review here! So there we have it, our 10 TV show alternatives to watch when you’re finished watching Yellowjackets on Showtime. What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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