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Best Survival Shows on Netflix
Sadly, just like hunting and fishing shows, there are not as many survival shows on Netflix as you would hope. In fact the only real survival show that Netflix has is the National Geographic classic “Doomsday Preppers.”
They also have another mini-series type show from Bear Grylls called You vs Wild. This web-only show is actually an interactive “choose your own adventure” type show, that presents you with different situations and courses of action. You choose options as you go (including plenty of disgusting things for Bear to eat), allowing you to think through survival skills, and then follow along to see the results.
Apart from that, there are a handful of other scripted post-apocalyptic drama type shows that could be considered survival shows:
- The Walking Dead
- The 100
- Z Nation
- Bokeh
Netflix also has plenty of survival type movies available for instant streaming, but to be honest, nothing that is true, hardcore survival. Just major motion picture movies that have hit the big screen. Some of the more popular survival-themed movies that Netflix has are:
- I am Legend
- Blackhawk Down
- 10,000 B.C.
- How it Ends
If you don’t already have a Netflix membership, my honest recommendation is: don’t get one just for the survival shows. Amazon has way better stuff, and way more of it.
Best Survival Shows on Amazon Prime
While Netflix is unfortunately kind of a letdown in the survival game, by way of comparison, Amazon has a lot. Here’s what’s important to remember though:
There are actually 2 “flavors” of streaming on Amazon: Stuff that is included with your Prime membership and stuff that isn’t.
Like you would assume, anything that says “included with your prime membership” is free once you have Prime. On the other hand, there are a lot of shows and movies that have to be rented, even if you already have Prime. These range from $2-3 an episode or $10-15 for a season.
For a complete breakdown of all the shows that are available, and whether they are included with Amazon Prime or not, see the chart above. In the meantime however, here is a quick look at some of the most popular reality survival shows that are available for free with an Amazon Prime membership:
- Alone
- Dude, You’re Screwed
- I Shouldn’t Be Alive
- Man vs. Wild
- Survivorman (with Les Stroud)
- Bear’s Wild Weekends
- Bear Grylls: Survival School
- You vs. Wild
I get bummed out about the amount of movies and shows that aren’t included with my Prime membership, but truthfully, Amazon still has a lot more survival content that’s free with Prime, than Netflix does with their membership (by FAR).
Best Survival Shows on Hulu
Hulu is interesting. Compared to Netflix and Amazon, it is definitely the least popular streaming service, although it has a pretty sweet lineup of shows and movies as well (both reality and scripted).
Here is a quick look at some of the more popular survival series on Hulu
- Alaska: The Last Frontier
- Alone
- Dual Survival
- Fear the Walking Dead
- Man Vs. Wild
- Mountain Men
- Naked and Afraid
- Naked and Afraid XL
- Survivorman (with Les Stroud)
- The Island (with Bear Grylls)
- The Last Alaskans
- The Last Ship
Survival Reality Shows
- Alone
- Alone in the Wild
- Bear Grylls: Escape from Hell
- Beyond Survival
- Combat Zone
- Dirty Rotten Survival
- Doomsday Preppers
- Dual Survival
- Dude, You’re Screwed
- Expedition Robinson
- Extreme Survival by Ray Mears
- Fat Guys in The Woods
- Frontier House
- Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls
- Great Wild North
- I Shouldn’t Be Alive
- Life After People
- Life Below Zero
- Live Free or Die
- Lost Survivors
- Man Vs. Wild
- Man, Woman, Wild
- Men, Women, Wild
- Mountain Men
- Naked and Afraid
- Naked and Afraid XL
- Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment.
- Ray Mears Bushcraft
- Ray Mears Goes Walkabout
- Ray Mears World of Survival
- Ray Mears’ Northern Wilderness
- Remote Survival
- Running Wild with Bear Grylls
- Survival, with Ray Mears
- Survive This
- Surviving Disaster
- Survivorman (with Les Stroud)
- The Colony
- The Island (with Bear Grylls)
- The Last Alaskans
- Ultimate Survival Alaska
- Wild Britain with Ray Mears
- Wild Food by Ray Mears
Alaska Survival Shows
What is it about Alaska? It’s hard to exactly put it into words, but for many of us, Alaska is positioned firmly in our minds like the backdrop of a thousand fairy tales.
The punishing cold, the wild animals, the vast stretches of unpopulated land, and stories of nature’s extremes and people that have somehow learned to tame them. All these ingredients and a million more make this a land of enchantment (no, not New Mexico).
But for those of us that are tied to a location that isn’t Alaska, there are some incredible shows that give a peek into the lifestyle, right from the comfort of your own home. Here are some of the best in existence:
- Alaska: The Last Frontier
- Great Wild North
- Life Below Zero
- Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment.
- The Last Alaskans
- Ultimate Survival Alaska
- Yukon Men
Best Wilderness Survival Shows
While there are a handful of shows out there that depict urban survival type situations (particularly post-apocalyptic scripted, drama types), the majority of shows on the air are set in the wilderness.
Here is a quick look at some of the best over the years:
- Alone
- Alone in the Wild
- Bear Grylls: Escape from Hell
- Beyond Survival
- Dual Survival
- Expedition Robinson
- Extreme Survival by Ray Mears
- Fat Guys in The Woods
- Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls
- Great Wild North
- I Shouldn’t Be Alive
- Live Free or Die
- Lost Survivors
- Man Vs. Wild
- Man, Woman, Wild
- Men, Women, Wild
- Naked and Afraid
- Naked and Afraid XL
- Ray Mears Bushcraft
- Ray Mears Goes Walkabout
- Ray Mears World of Survival
- Ray Mears’ Northern Wilderness
- Remote Survival
- Running Wild with Bear Grylls
- Survival, with Ray Mears
- Survive This
- Surviving Disaster
- Survivorman (with Les Stroud)
- The Island (with Bear Grylls)
- Ultimate Survival Alaska
- Wild Britain with Ray Mears
- Wild Food by Ray Mears
- Yukon Men
Survival Competition Shows
So you want to see a little head to head competition? You know the kind. Where there are multiple contestants, competing for the same prize, and at the end of each episode (or the season), somebody is declared the winner and comes away with it all?
Here is a list of the best survival competition shows:
- Alone
- Dude, You’re Screwed
- Expedition Robinson
- Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls
- Naked and Afraid
- Naked and Afraid XL
- Remote Survival
- Survive This
- The Island (with Bear Grylls)
- Ultimate Survival Alaska
Discovery Channel Survival Shows
Over the years, the Discovery Channel has been the most solid producer of survival tv. They have launched dozens of survival shows over the last couple decades, and hit home runs on several of them.
Check out this impressive list of titles brought to us by the Discovery Channel:
- Bear Grylls: Escape from Hell
- Beyond Survival
- Dual Survival
- Dude, You’re Screwed
- Extreme Survival by Ray Mears
- I Shouldn’t Be Alive
- Man Vs. Wild
- Man, Woman, Wild
- Men, Women, Wild
- Naked and Afraid
- Naked and Afraid XL
- Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment.
- Ray Mears Bushcraft
- Ray Mears Goes Walkabout
- Ray Mears World of Survival
- Survivorman
- The Colony
- The Last Alaskans
- Ultimate Survival Alaska
- Wild Food by Ray Mears
- Yukon Men
History Channel Survivalist Shows
The History Channel lineup of survival shows is decidedly smaller than the History Channel’s, but still has some classics:
- Alone
- Combat Zone
- Expedition Robinson
- Great Wild North
- Life After People
- Mountain Men
National Geographic Survival Shows
Like the History Channel, Nat Geo has far fewer survival type shows than the Discovery Channel, but the shows it does have are some gems (particularly the long-running Doomsday Preppers!).
Check out this list:
- Alone in the Wild
- Doomsday Preppers
- Life Below Zero
- Live Free or Die
- Remote Survival
- Ultimate Survival Alaska
p.s. Be sure to check out our lineups of the best hunting shows and fishing shows….