Yellowjackets didn’t get a lot of audience recognition when it started on Showtime, but an addition to Netflix’s roster introduced the mystery series to a vast number of newbies. The drama runs two parallel timelines next to each other with the same characters. A girls’ soccer team crashes in the woods and has to turn to their worst instincts to survive. The atrocities they underwent still affect them 25 years later into their 40s, a storyline the show also gives equal screen time to.
Season 3 of Yellowjackets just wrapped up, and fans (like me) are probably wondering where they can find a similar series while waiting for a potential season 4. For a show to be like Yellowjackets, it should combine coming-of-age characters, some sort of mystery, and maybe dark humor. There are some older classics and modern shows that fulfill some or all of these requirements. These are the best shows like Yellowjackets to watch next!
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Lost (2004)
6 Seasons
Genre
Mystery, Action & Adventure, Drama
Stars
Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O'Quinn
Created by
J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Jeffrey Lieber
Watch on Netflix
Lost is the ultimate plane crash show in TV history. Yellowjackets likely drew a lot of inspiration from this ABC hit, especially the supernatural and mystery components. Lost follows a massive cast of characters who learn the dreaded horrors and truths about an island seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It was always able to keep its audience and even grow it during a time when TV seasons had over 20 episodes per year by honing in on the personal lives of each character and utilizing bottle episodes and side storylines.
The Leftovers (2014)
3 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
Stars
Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston
Created by
Tom Perrotta, Damon Lindelof
Watch on max
The Leftovers depicts the lives of people who are shellshocked when their friends and family members vanish without a trace; two percent of the population of Earth to be exact. Just like Yellowjackets keeps the focus on the trauma of its survivors, The Leftovers does the same with an even greater degree of introspection and existentialism. Creators Tom Perrotta and Damon Lindelof ask their patient viewers to think about how they would react in the same circumstances, and it’s nearly impossible to finish the series without a greater appreciation for the unsolvable mysteries of the human experience.
True Detective (2014)
True Detective is a roller coaster of quality drama and a trendsetter in the mystery category on cable. Each season, there are new detectives to follow as they try to solve murders and other crimes that often have multiple layers, twists, and surprises. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson’s first season remains the staple of the series, but the most recent set of episodes with Jodie Foster was also strong.
Outer Banks (2020)
4 Seasons
Genre
Action & Adventure, Drama, Mystery
Stars
Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Madison Bailey
Created by
Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, Shannon Burke
Watch on Netflix
Outer Banks will satiate the folks who watch Yellowjackets for the teen drama and in-fighting. The story follows petty conflicts and grand adventures between several groups of young people who want glory and fortune in the vast Outer Banks of North Carolina. Young stars like Chase Stokes and Drew Starkey are highlight actors of the large ensemble cast.
Silo (2023)
2 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
Stars
Rebecca Ferguson, Common, Harriet Walter
Created by
Graham Yost
Watch on Apple TV+
Silo’s spirit parallels that of Yellowjackets even if the setting and character ages don’t exactly match. The Apple TV+ series is about a group waiting for an impending disaster inside of the titular silo, but their avenue for protection may not be very safe after all. The show’s suspense lies in its ability to create an atmosphere shrouded in ambiguity that both the audience and the character are ignorant to.
Twin Peaks (1990)
3 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Mystery
Stars
Kyle MacLachlan
Created by
David Lynch, Mark Frost
Watch on Paramount+
Twin Peaks changed the ability of TV shows to explore more complex and cinematic themes in the 1990s. It starts with a simple murder mystery and cop investigation, but the supernatural elements of the crime start to unravel in classic David Fincher style and flair. A remake/revival of Twin Peaks was released in 2017. This show probably inspired others on this list, such as True Detective.
Severance (2022)
2 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Stars
Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry
Created by
Dan Erickson
Watch on Apple TV+
Severance has the potential to become Apple TV+’s signature show sometime in the near future. The series examines the lives of laborers who are separated from themselves depending on what location they’re living in. Work and home lifestyles are somehow separated as independent, sentient experiences that can’t mingle. With TV veteran Adam Scott starring and Apple’s allowance for creative liberties, Severance is changing the mystery and sci-fi game for the foreseeable future.
Evil (2019)
4 Seasons
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Stars
Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi
Created by
Michelle King, Robert King
Watch on Netflix
Evil is proof that network drama shows can still be just as fascinating as their streaming peers. The series examines obscure events that happen close to the Catholic Church and its constituents. The problem solvers come from both religious and scientific mindsets to allow the mysteries to be examined from a variety of viewpoints. Like Yellowjackets, there are a lot of themes related to possession, demons, and … evil spirits (hence the name of the show!)
The Wilds (2020)
2 Seasons
Genre
Mystery, Drama
Stars
Sarah Pidgeon, Zack Calderon, Sophia Ali
Created by
Sarah Streicher
Watch on Amazon
The Wilds is so close to Yellowjackets in its basic plot that we would recommend watching this one above all others on the list if you want a mirror image of each program. This Prime Video series is also about a group of girls dealing with a plane crash, sans the alternate timeline in the present. There are some Truman Show vibes as well as the audience finds out the survivors are being watched as they try to save themselves from a dubious fate.
Alone (2015)
I usually like to stick with scripted shows when suggesting similar series for today’s biggest hits, but reality TV does come in handy sometimes when looking for alternatives to something unique like Yellowjackets. Alone is a competition survival series that scratches that itch for people traversing the harshest wilderness conditions you can imagine. Set in different locations like Argentina, Mongolia, and British Columbia, the participants work by themselves sometimes and in teams during other seasons to survive for as long as they can among dangerous animals, terrible weather, and everything else Mother Nature can come up with. You won’t get the scripted drama of Shauna Shipman eating her best friend, but sometimes reality TV can be even crazier than anything in a prestige show. There are 11 seasons of Alone to catch up on, so you better get started before season 12 comes out.
Hannibal (2013)
3 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Crime
Stars
Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy, Laurence Fishburne
Created by
Bryan Fuller
Watch on Amazon
Hannibal is very different from Yellowjackets in the demographic it covers. You’re losing the uniqueness of the teenage angst and the traumatic backstabbing between female friends, but Hannibal does provide a lot of serial killer and psychotic genre material that Yellowjackets has become known for. Mads Mikkelsen plays the famous title character who was popularized after The Silence of the Lambs. Mikkelsen puts his own spin on it as his relationship with Will Graham, the federal agent who becomes obsessed with his behavior. The series is dark and twisted and tries to get to the bottom of what causes someone to become violent. Hannibal probably would have gone longer in the current age of TV. Network television didn’t give it the proper platform for its story.
Station Eleven (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery
Stars
Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Matilda Lawler
Created by
Patrick Somerville
Watch on max
Station Eleven parallels Yellowjackets in the way it portrays cult behavior. After a pandemic wrecks humanity as they know it, a group of survivors clashes with a cult that tries to manipulate its current members and potential newcomers into its grasp. The show is a fascinating and complex look at the ways people desperately join tribes they may not believe in due to fear and extreme circumstances. After the COVID-19 pandemic, this show became an even more prescient reminder of the dangers of societal breakdown. It became one of the breakout hits on Max throughout 2021.
Class of '07 (2023)
1 Season
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Stars
Emily Browning, Caitlin Stasey, Megan Smart
Created by
Kacie Anning
Watch on Amazon
Class of ’07 is the perfect comedic companion to Yellowjackets. The series follows a group of women in their late 20s who are celebrating their 10th high school reunion when a tidal wave strands them on the campus. The interpersonal dynamics of the women and the drama from their pasts haunt them as they try to overcome the apocalypse in the present. Not many people in America have heard of this series, but if you love Australian TV or Yellowjackets, you’ll love this one. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and features plenty of overlooked but talented people playing the main characters, such as Emily Browning and Megan Smart.
