Preppers always have something to do, something to study, practice, or improve. Time is short, and the world isn’t getting any safer. It’s easy to get sucked into a high-impact, fully committed lifestyle, but that’s only going to burn you out mentally and emotionally.
Smart preppers know that R&R is just as important as getting things done, but your relaxation time doesn’t have to be completely frivolous. Even if you like kicking back on the couch and watching some streaming content, you can still watch thought-provoking, inspirational, and educational shows that will improve your survival IQ.
Below, I’ve got 18 awesome survival-themed titles you can watch on Netflix today. Make sure you check them out before they drop off the lineup!
Southern Survival: Outdoor Gear. Tested.
If there was ever a show made for preppers, it’s this one. Southern Survival is a show that’s ostensibly about testing all the gear that we covet, but it does so in a truly interesting way.
The team puts gear to the test, and themselves on the line, in a variety of scenarios, simulations, and survival situations. Although it’s usually played a little tongue-in-cheek, gear that is found lacking is quickly called out, and alternatives are either improvised or chosen.
From mundane items like folding fabric litters for casualty evacuation to cheesy all-in-one tactical shovels, they leave no stone unturned. If you’re a “geardo” prepper, you’ve got to put this one at the top of your list.
Outlast
Outlast is a truly intense survival reality series, following participants who find themselves stranded in the unbelievably harsh, unforgiving Alaskan wilderness.
The contestants are competing against each other, but the very environment is their number one enemy. Supplies are limited, and no punches are pulled when it comes to the danger.
Participants who can’t hack it physically or mentally drop quickly until only the most resilient remain. It’s a formula we’ve all seen before, but this is one of the very best of its kind.
Alone
Alone is another survival reality series, but it has a unique premise. What I like most about this one is that the contestants, each plopped into the middle of their own territory to sustain and survive on their own, have to film and document the experience themselves; there is no crew hovering in the background for even tangential company!
Participants are also allowed to bring items chosen from a limited list, and everything else they need must be found or fashioned while they are in the wild. No other show like this captures the effects of true isolation as effectively.
Survivor
You know it, you love it. The long-running mega-hit series and progenitor of all the other survival programming we’ve enjoyed over the years is still going strong.
If, somehow, you’ve been the one living on a deserted island, Survivor is a classic team-based competition show set on a remote island. Teams must find food and resources, create shelter, manage alliances, and tackle periodic stage challenges and head-to-head games.
The social dynamics—complete with cliques, friendships, rivalries, and betrayals—are the stuff of legend and are highly entertaining.
Win the Wilderness
Here’s another unique survival-themed reality game show, and one that took a little while to grow on me. I’m a dedicated fan now!
In Win the Wilderness, couples compete against each other to win their very own isolated, off-grid Alaskan homestead. The twist is that most of them are completely unsuited for such a lifestyle!
The bulk of the show revolves around the couples learning survival and homesteading skills from the homestead’s actual, elderly owners who are seasoned veterans.
As time goes on, some couples prove they have what it takes, while others don’t, and in the end, one couple will prove that they have what it takes to make it on the homestead of their dreams.
Against the Ice
A survival docudrama, this riveting, taut account follows two Danish explorers attempting to chart and hike across Greenland’s vast, unfathomably dangerous ice fields.
They face constant, existential threats from blistering cold conditions, extreme isolation, starvation, and their own deteriorating patience and willpower.
This is a beautifully shot show that doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to the rigors of survival in such an environment.
It’s a great lesson for all preppers too; if you’ve never really considered how a survival situation will put your friendships to the ultimate test, it’s time to start thinking about it.
Apollo 13 Survival
The most infamous—and some say cursed—space mission, Apollo 13 recounts in dramatic fashion the unbelievable, harrowing challenges that the brave crew of astronauts endured.
With cascading system failures, rapidly depleting oxygen, and the backdrop of being stranded in the, literally, most hostile environment in the galaxy, the show will have you sweating and on the edge of your seat.
And remember, this is all true! The story borders on the unbelievable and is a gripping look into the teamwork, ingenuity, and confidence under pressure that brought those brave men safely back to Earth.
You vs. Wild
One of the pillars of the survival entertainment genre, Bear Grylls is still going strong and breaking new ground with this interactive foray into various survival situations.
Grylls will talk viewers through different scenarios, from surviving in a harsh desert environment to traversing the most inhospitable jungles, and you, as the viewer, will have to choose what to do next or the best approach to solve the problem.
This is classic “edutainment” in the guise of a choose-your-own-adventure, and it really works. It’s a lot of fun to watch with family and friends, or fellow members of your prepping circle, to see who will get it right or get it wrong—for bragging rights, if nothing else!
Lost
One of the most groundbreaking, most-viewed, and most-talked-about series in TV history, the big twist associated with Lost might be long past, but if you’ve never watched it, it’s definitely worth it. Even if you have, preppers can still get a lot out of the basic premise.
The show follows the survivors of a plane crash who end up stranded and struggling to survive on a mysterious island. That’s bad enough, but things quickly take a turn for the mysterious and sinister as eldritch occurrences and hidden mysteries reveal themselves.
The suspense is so thick you can cut it with a knife, and watching how the group dynamics play out against increasingly shocking revelations makes for some of the best TV ever put to film.
The Law of the Jungle
Survival of the fittest. The decree of dense vegetation. Darwin’s law. Whatever you want to call it, the Law of the Jungle is an actual law, one that might be bent but can never be broken.
This survival show drops participants into a blistering hot tropical jungle, where they must make alliances, choose the correct tactics, and endure a wide variety of survival challenges.
Navigating this maze-like emerald inferno is a big part of the show, and if you’ve ever wondered how tough it is to survive in the jungle, this show will give you lots to think about. Even though shows like this seem a dime a dozen, I can tell you this is one of the most intense on Netflix.
The Walking Dead
Another worldwide phenomenon and bona fide icon of the genre, The Walking Dead follows survivors from all walks of life desperately trying to stay alive in the wake of Armageddon. Armageddon of the zombie variety!
The early seasons hit hardest for survivalists: competition for scarce, now-irreplaceable resources set against teeming throngs of flesh-eating zombies that can kill with a scratch makes for serious drama.
The later seasons grew increasingly formulaic, convoluted, and almost desperate in their portrayal of human drama and factionalism. But if you burned out like I did, it’s still well worth your time to go back and rewatch the first few.
Thai Cave Rescue
Another show based on frighteningly real events, this is a retelling of the globally followed Tham Luang cave incident in Thailand in 2018. If you don’t recall, flash flood waters from freak monsoon rains trapped 12 boys, members of a soccer team, and their coach in a cave.
It was almost certain that they would lose their lives, but against all odds, brave rescuers came together as the world watched and held its breath. In the end, they were all saved.
The show is an interesting look at both sides of the event as it unfolded, and it hits especially close to home in the aftermath of the devastating 2024 hurricanes in the US; if you aren’t ready for floods, you aren’t really ready…
The Rain
This intriguing series is an apocalyptic sci-fi tale with a premise that’s all too frighteningly plausible in our day and age. A world-ending virus, carried by the rain itself, drives a family underground into a small bunker.
![The Rain | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix](https://www.survivalsullivan.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-youtube-lyte/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fst6r-8mLW_o%2F0.jpg)
After the rain stops and the world falls apart, two siblings venture out into the devastated remains of society to survive.
Outside, they face numerous challenges, not least among them their fellow survivors driven mad by desperation or fear. With its themes of isolation, uncertainty, and sheer terror, this one is a roller coaster from beginning to end.
Nowhere
Sometimes, it’s the simplest premises that can be the most riveting. Nowhere is the story of a couple forced to flee their increasingly totalitarian country, which has begun slaughtering civilians to manage a resource shortage.
I won’t give too much away, but the gist is that the couple tries to escape by being smuggled out in a shipping container.
That plan goes disastrously awry, and the container is eventually loaded onto a ship bound for safety in Ireland.
Regrettably, the protagonist, Mia, is pregnant and trapped in the container, which falls off the ship and is stranded in the middle of the open ocean. This is as harrowing as it sounds, and it’s something that most preppers will love.
Keep Breathing
Plane crashes are supposedly rare these days, but a quick scroll down the internet will give us dozens of plane crash survivor accounts and testimonies.
This is the basic premise of Keep Breathing, which follows the lone survivor of a plane crash trapped deep in the Canadian wilderness.
You probably know what to expect here: a deadly battle with the elements, icy fear, deprivation, and encroaching panic.
The protagonist learns to overcome her fear in her struggle to survive, and intercut flashbacks reveal more about her story and character, providing great framing for the events of the show.
Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake
Another documentary series, this one covers the events of the 2015 Nepal earthquake, a massive disaster that impacted climbers on the already deadly Mount Everest as well as residents of Nepal.
This is a great example of an already difficult situation escalating into a true survival scenario.
Avalanches, being cut off from help, and the devastation of already thin and tenuous supply lines made certain death a very real likelihood.
The show expertly uses firsthand accounts and survivor footage to tell the story and keep viewers at ground zero, so to speak. This is especially informative for preppers as it documents the immediate aftermath of the quake and the response.
Siren: Survive the Island
Another competitive survival show, Siren: Survive the Island has a fun gimmick: all the contestants are women with diverse professional backgrounds, among them firefighters, bodyguards, athletes, police officers, and even stuntwomen. They’re all dropped on a remote island and forced to compete in various challenges, some of which are better suited to the skills of certain contestants than others.
Naturally, this creates a highly tense and tribal group dynamic. Those who excel prefer to stay in charge, and ego and pride often prevent them from letting a seeming rival take the lead.
It’s a Korean show, meaning you’ll have to put up with subtitles or dubbing, but it’s well worth it considering how entertaining it is.
Tom Marlowe practically grew up with a gun in his hand, and has held all kinds of jobs in the gun industry: range safety, sales, instruction and consulting, Tom has the experience to help civilian shooters figure out what will work best for them.