A gasp of air, a blood-curdling cry, maybe even a decapitated body or two are the common feelings you experience when you watch survival shows. It’s different from a reality survival TV show where the participants technically have free will and we watch their silly or dramatic actions. A survival show has them being forced into a certain situation with high risk and no turning back.
Join me as we dive into five television shows that explore these survivalist traits and uniquely present them for entertainment while also showcasing the worst and best of humanity.
Zombie Safari
What happens if you have a zoo filled with the earth’s mightiest creatures and have a zombie apocalypse together? You have Zombie Safari, a Singaporean animated series brought to life by Mediacorp. We follow Musang, the meerkat, and various other zoo animals as they survive the zombie apocalypse.
The undead humans are incredibly fast, and they are unabashedly violent. The show does not shy away from killing characters and spilling blood, albeit there are parts where they make the style blurry. It adds to the charm since you can only imagine how mangled the bodies are. Also, the grotesque art style, paired with corny jokes, gives this series a refreshing take on the zombie apocalypse trope that horror fans will like. You can watch it for free on Mediacorp’s YouTube channel.
Dead Friend Forever
Next on the list, we have Dead Friend Forever (DBFF), a Thai survival show revolving around a group of friends as they celebrate the possible permanent migration of one of the members. But things start to unravel when each of them starts hearing and seeing hallucinations of their dead friend Non. What’s worse is they’re in the middle of nowhere. The question now is if Non is real and they got cursed, or there’s something else causing their demise during their stay.
The supposed stress-free trip turns sour when they try recreating a movie that they shot the last time they were there. Lies unravel, truths surface, but are they hallucinating, or is the video they recreated cursed? Watch all twelve episodes on iQiyi and Be On Cloud.
Yellowjackets
Lies and deceit converge in this mysterious TV series that alternates between 1996 and the present day. Watch the horrific survival tactics that the Yellowjackets, a group of female football players, navigate their way through the remote thicket of the Canadian Rockies.
A mix of young and older stars helps make this haunting series possible. Sophie Thatcher (Teen Natalie), Ella Purnell (Teen Jackie), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Teen Taissa), and Samantha Hanratty (Teen Misty) are some of the teens. Christina Ricci (Misty), Melanie Lynskey (Shauna), Tawny Cypress (Taissa), and Juliette Lewis (Natalie), to name a few of the older cast. Entering its 3rd season, what fresh horrors will await them in the past and present? Watch it on Netlifx or Amazon Prime.
All of Us Are Dead
What happens when you get stuck in a high school during the zombie apocalypse? You get “All of Us Are Dead”, a Korean survival show set at the start of a zombie apocalypse. What makes this series unique from the typical zombie apocalypse in a high school setting is the type of mutation that they take on, paired with the intricate web of love stories, moral decisions, and interconnected character arcs that the protagonists and villains take on.
The zombies are incredibly fast and aggressive, much like the ones in “Zombie Safari”, “28 Days Later series”, and “Train to Busan”. But what truly stands out is the realistic portrayal of the zombie apocalypse and the stress responses that kids in high school are going to have to face. In the meantime, watch all twelve episodes on Netflix.
Mirai Nikki (Future Diary)
Is there even a god? Mirai Nikki (Future Diary) answers this in the most brutally and cruelly possible way. The plot revolves around twelve individuals holding different types of future diaries. Each of them has to battle each other until one survives and becomes god to replace Deus Ex Machina, an ancient deity in their world.
It seems a simple premise, but the way that happens is through these future diaries, which are either in the form of smartphones or another piece of technology, like computers or recorders. Each time, it lays out the life of its user, and they have free reign to stop those events, but it still depends on what type they have. It’s a new battle royale that’s a one-of-a-kind, pitting every age group against each other. But, if you know that episode from “Rick and Morty” entitled Rick Potion #9. You might get a glimpse of what’s in store for you here. Watch all twenty-six episodes on Crunchyroll or Amazon Prime.
This list of TV shows was carefully curated to include common or prominent tropes in the survivalist genre, from zombies to battle royales. Each intricate storyline, despite the dire and bleak outcome, is a reflection of humanity in both a positive and negative light. After all, every action has an opposite reaction. Which one are you going to take, final girl?