The 7 Best Survival TV Shows (2025 Edition) -Discover the best survival TV shows like Alone, Survivorman, and Man vs. Wild—epic adventures, real grit, and wilderness challenges await.

The 7 Best Survival TV Shows 2025 (To Rewatch)

Survival television has captivated audiences by showcasing human resilience against nature’s harshest elements. Whether you’re an outdoor enthusiast or a couch-bound adventurer, these shows offer a mix of education, entertainment, and inspiration.

A couple enjoying the best survival tv shows 2025 while sitting on a sofa with popcorn and a TV remote.

1. Alone

Premise: Ten survival experts are dropped into remote wilderness locations, each armed with minimal gear, to survive alone for as long as possible. The last person standing wins a substantial cash prize.
Why Watch: “Alone” offers an unfiltered look into the psychological and physical challenges of solitary survival, emphasizing mental fortitude as much as survival skills.
Where to Watch: History Channel, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video

Alone – Series Overview

The show has run for eleven seasons, each introducing unique survival challenges, locations, and sometimes format twists:

Season 1 (2015): Set on northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The first 10 men were isolated and self-documented their survival.

Season 2 (2016): Returned to Vancouver Island with a new set of participants and increased challenges.

Season 3 (2016): Filmed near Patagonia, Argentina—the first season outside North America.

Season 4 (2017): Introduced a team twist: seven pairs of family members were dropped apart and had to reunite.

Season 5 (2018): “Redemption” season in Mongolia featuring returning non-winners from past seasons.

Season 6 (2019): Returned to the Arctic—Labrador, Canada. Introduced a new location and harsh terrain.

Season 7 (2020): “Million Dollar Challenge” in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Survive 100 days to win $1 million.

Season 8 (2021): Located in British Columbia’s Chilko Lake region, featuring extreme weather shifts and predators.

Season 9 (2022): Took place in Labrador, Eastern Canada. Harsh coastal terrain and deep isolation.

Season 10 (2023): Marked the 10th anniversary, set in Reindeer Lake, Saskatchewan with new twists.

Season 11 (2024): Set in Inuvik, Arctic Circle. Contestants faced deep snow, polar cold, and minimal wildlife.

2. Survivorman

Host: Les Stroud
Premise: Les ventures into the wild alone, filming his survival without a crew, showcasing genuine survival techniques over a week in various challenging environments.
Why Watch: Authentic survival scenarios without dramatization, offering practical knowledge and a true test of human endurance.
Where to Watch: YouTube, Plex

Survivorman – Series Overview

The show ran for eight seasons, each featuring survival expert Les Stroud enduring extreme conditions alone:

Season 1 (2005): Les Stroud survives alone for seven days in various remote locations, including the Canadian Boreal Forest, Arizona Desert, and Costa Rica.

Season 2 (2007): Stroud continues his solo survival adventures in challenging environments such as the Kalahari Desert, Amazon Rainforest, and Labrador.

Season 3 (2008): This season features survival scenarios in the Sierra Nevada, Colorado Rockies, and the Arctic Tundra.

Season 4 (2012): Titled Survivorman Ten Days, Stroud extends his survival challenges to ten days in locations like the Norwegian Mountains and Mexican Desert Island.

Season 5 (2014): Stroud explores survival situations in diverse settings, including the jungles of Grenada and the forests of Ontario.

Season 6 (2015): This season includes episodes set in the forests of British Columbia and the deserts of Utah.

Season 7 (2015): Titled Survivorman: Bigfoot, Stroud investigates Bigfoot sightings while surviving in remote wilderness areas.

Season 8 (2016): In Survivorman & Son, Stroud is joined by his son Logan as they tackle survival challenges together in Mongolia and other locations.

3. Dual Survival

Hosts: Various pairings, including military-trained and primitive survival experts.
Premise: Two survivalists with contrasting methods tackle survival scenarios together, demonstrating different approaches to overcoming challenges in the wild.
Why Watch: The dynamic between differing survival philosophies provides both education and entertainment, highlighting the importance of adaptability and teamwork.
Where to Watch: Discovery GO, Pluto TV

Dual Survival – Season Overview

The show ran for nine seasons, each featuring pairs of survival experts tackling extreme environments with differing philosophies:

Season 1 (2010): Cody Lundin and Dave Canterbury demonstrate survival techniques in diverse locations, including a Nova Scotia island, New Zealand mountains, and the Louisiana bayou.

Season 2 (2011): Lundin and Canterbury continue their journey through challenging terrains such as Tierra del Fuego, the Everglades, and the Okavango Delta.

Season 3 (2013): Joseph Teti replaces Canterbury, joining Lundin to face environments like the Atacama Desert, South African grasslands, and the Amazon rainforest.

Season 4 (2014): Matt Graham replaces Lundin mid-season, partnering with Teti to navigate regions including Norway, Panama, and Vietnam.

Season 5 (2015): Teti and Graham tackle survival scenarios in the Himalayas, Costa Rica, and the Pacific Northwest.

Season 6 (2015): Teti and Graham face challenges in the Atlantic Ocean, Belize jungles, and the Bolivian Andes.

Season 7 (2016): Grady Powell and Bill McConnell team up to survive in the Chilean Andes, Zambezi River Basin, and Cuban swamps.

Season 8 (2016): Powell partners with Josh James and later Bo McGlone, exploring areas like the Peruvian Andes, Cambodian islands, and Wyoming’s Big Horn Mountains.

Season 9 (2016): EJ Snyder and Jeff Zausch take on survival missions in Brazil’s savanna, Utah’s deserts, and South Africa’s Wild Coast.

4. Man vs. Wild

Host: Bear Grylls
Premise: Bear demonstrates survival tactics in various extreme environments worldwide, often placing himself in simulated perilous situations to teach viewers how to survive.
Why Watch: High-energy demonstrations of survival skills, though some scenarios are staged, provide viewers with a mix of entertainment and practical advice.
Where to Watch: Discovery+, Amazon Prime Video

Man vs. Wild – Season Overview

Man vs. Wild, also known as Born Survivor: Bear Grylls, ran for seven seasons from 2006 to 2011. Each season featured Bear Grylls demonstrating survival techniques in various extreme environments around the world.

Season 1 (2006–2007): Bear Grylls tackles diverse terrains including the Rocky Mountains, Moab Desert, Costa Rican rainforest, and the French Alps, showcasing survival skills in each unique environment.

Season 2 (2007–2008): Grylls continues his adventures in locations such as the Sahara Desert, Panama, Patagonia, and the Andes, facing new challenges and demonstrating survival strategies.

Season 3 (2008–2009): Exploring regions like the Baja Peninsula, Ireland, and South Dakota, Grylls encounters varied climates and terrains, emphasizing adaptability in survival situations.

Season 4 (2009–2010): This season features episodes in the Arctic Circle, Alabama, Vietnam, and Texas, where Grylls deals with extreme cold, dense jungles, and arid landscapes.

Season 5 (2010): Grylls ventures into the Western Pacific, Northern Australia, and the Canadian Rockies, facing tropical storms, desert heat, and mountainous terrains.

Season 6 (2011): Survival scenarios include the jungles of Borneo, the deserts of Arizona, and the icy landscapes of Norway, highlighting Grylls’ versatility in different environments.

Season 7 (2011): The final season includes special episodes with celebrity guests like Jake Gyllenhaal in Iceland, as well as adventures in Scotland, New Zealand, and the Sierra Nevada.

5. Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment

Premise: Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment drops a group of regular, non-survivalist Americans into the unforgiving backcountry of Alaska. With minimal training and gear, their task is simple in theory: navigate their way back to civilization—on foot. The twist? There’s no prize. Just survival.
Why Watch: This show stands out for its realism. The participants aren’t trained experts, and their struggles—emotional, physical, and psychological—feel genuinely raw. You’ll see everything from poor planning to small victories, and it all adds up to an honest look at what wilderness survival really demands from the average person.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment – Season Overview

Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment is a reality series that aired for three seasons, following volunteers from urban backgrounds as they attempted to survive in remote wilderness settings with minimal supplies and no formal training.

Season 1 (2008) – The Alaska Experiment: Four groups of ten urban professionals were dropped into the Alaskan backcountry and directed to shelters where they would spend several weeks. The series documented their struggles to live off the land, including hunting and foraging, while coping with the harsh Alaskan environment.

Season 2 (2009) – Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment: The format shifted to a single team of nine volunteers trekking across the Alaskan wilderness. Equipped with basic tools and a map, they aimed to reach civilization, facing challenges like hunger, fatigue, and severe weather. Participants could opt out at any time by activating a GPS beacon for evacuation.

Season 3 (2011) – Out of the Wild: Venezuela: The series moved to Venezuela’s Mount Roraima, where nine volunteers navigated through jungles, savannahs, and rivers, constructing shelters and sourcing food as they progressed toward civilization. The journey tested their endurance and adaptability in a vastly different environment.

6. The Island with Bear Grylls

Premise: Groups of everyday people are left on a deserted island to survive with limited resources, documenting their experiences without a camera crew.
Why Watch: Observes how ordinary individuals adapt (or fail to adapt) to survival situations, providing insights into human behavior under stress.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Tubi

The Island with Bear Grylls – Series Overview

The show ran for six series, each introducing unique themes:

Series 1 (2014): Featured 13 men, focusing on modern masculinity.
Series 2 (2015): Introduced gender-separated islands with 14 men and 14 women.
Series 3 (2016): Combined genders on opposite sides of the same island.
Series 4 (2017): Divided participants by age groups—18–30 vs. 30–66.
Series 5 (2018): Grouped individuals based on income levels.
Series 6 (2019): Renamed Treasure Island with Bear Grylls, this series introduced a £100,000 cash prize hidden on the island.

7. Alaska: The Last Frontier

Premise: This long-running Discovery Channel series follows the Kilcher family as they live off the land in the remote Alaskan wilderness. Unlike dramatized survival shows, this one blends day-to-day subsistence living with real-world challenges like harsh winters, food shortages, and backcountry repairs.
Why Watch: It’s survival in a slower, more realistic format. The Kilchers aren’t competing—they’re living it. Viewers get a front-row seat to traditional homesteading techniques, bushcraft, and the kind of long-term resilience that defines true off-grid living.
Where to Watch: Discovery+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video

Alaska: The Last Frontier – Season Overview

Season 1 (2011–2012): Introduces the Kilcher family’s homesteading lifestyle and their preparations for winter.

Season 2 (2012–2013): The family faces a record-breaking harsh winter, testing their survival skills and resilience.

Season 3 (2013–2014): Focuses on building projects and innovations to improve efficiency on the homestead.

Season 4 (2014–2015): The Kilchers undertake ambitious projects, including expanding their cattle operations and building new structures.

Season 5 (2015–2016): The family deals with unexpected challenges, such as predator threats and equipment failures.

Season 6 (2016–2017): Highlights include medical emergencies and the introduction of new sustainable practices.

Season 7 (2017–2018): The Kilchers confront natural disasters and work to preserve their way of life.

Season 8 (2018–2019): The family explores new hunting grounds and continues to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Season 9 (2019–2020): Focuses on passing down traditions and skills to the next generation of Kilchers.

Season 10 (2020–2021): The family navigates the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining their homestead.

Season 11 (2022): The final season features significant events, including Otto Kilcher’s recovery from a serious injury and the family’s efforts to secure their legacy.