TV viewers love a good survival story, whether the characters are stranded on an island following a shipwreck or a plane crash, or missing somewhere in space or time. From Gilligan’s Island to Lost in Space, here are 13 TV shows that we’ve loved getting lost with over the decades.
Lost in Space (2018)
Following a meteor strike on Earth, the planet’s livability is in decline. The Robinsons, along with other Earth families, are on their way to colonize Alpha Centauri when they crash land on an alien planet. The fight for survival and a way to continue their journey begins, but the mysterious planet has danger around every turn. Youngest of the Robinson clan, Will, forms a powerful bond with a robot from an unknown planet, resurrecting the iconic phrase “Danger, Will Robinson.”
Lost in Space (1965)
The Robinsons, a family of space colonists, fight for survival when they crash land on an unknown planet. With them on their ill-fated journey is their pilot, Major Don West, and the stowaway/saboteur who set their ship off course in the first place, Dr. Smith. Will’s robot friend in the original series is less flashy than in the Netflix reboot, but it was the first to say one of the most recognized phrases in TV history.
Swiss Family Robinson (1975)
It’s not a coincidence that this family is also called the Robinsons. Producer Irwin Allen first adapted novel The Swiss Family Robinson as the original Lost in Space. In this version, Karl Robinson, his wife and sons are shipwrecked on a volcanic island. The family takes in a girl who was also part of the same shipwreck, played by a young Helen Hunt.
Lost (2004)
The series begins with Oceanic 815 crashing on an unknown island, forcing the survivors to work together and find a way home, but the island itself has other plans for them. Every secret revealed about the characters or the island only brought up more questions, giving viewers endless hours of watercooler conversation and online speculation throughout its six seasons.
Wrecked (2016)
A spoof on hit series Lost, this comedy is about a group of people stranded on an island after their plane crashes into the ocean. Whereas Lost ventured into philosophy, ethics and spirituality, Wrecked goes straight to outrageous hilarity.
Gilligan’s Island (1964)
The tale of the S.S. Minnow and its ill-fated three-hour tour is the stuff of TV legend. Gilligan, the Skipper, Thurston Howell the Third and his wife Lovey, Ginger, the Professor and Mary Ann spent their time on the uncharted island trying to get home. The Professor’s inventions included the coconut radio, but with all of his smarts, why didn’t he just fix the Minnow?
Arrow (2012)
When we first meet Oliver Queen, we learned that he was stranded on Lian Yu after his father’s ship, the Queen’s Gambit, capsized. Although viewers were initially led to believe that he was on the island during his entire absence — complete with extreme flashback hair — Oliver had left and returned to the island before his “rescue.”
Outlander (2014)
In the first two seasons, Claire is lost in time when she falls through the stones at Craig Na Dun. She eventually makes her way home, but passes through the stones once again in Season 3 to reunite with her love, Jamie. It isn’t long before they’re torn apart, and Claire fights to survive when she washes up on an unknown island.
Land of the Lost (1974)
The Marshalls are trapped in an alternate universe after traveling through a dimensional portal. As they try to make their way back to their own world, the family encounters dinosaurs, humanoid lizards, and primate-like people.
The Terror (2018)
In this thriller, two Royal Navy explorer ships attempt to navigate the Northwest Passage and become stuck. Isolated and frozen, the crews not only have to survive the harsh climate, they also have to avoid some unknown entity that is stalking them.
Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
While on a mission to the Badlands, the USS Voyager becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant. Captain Kathryn Janeway and her crew embark on a 75-year journey home to Earth while exploring a corner of the universe that no human has seen before.
Sliders (1995)
A group of people known as Sliders travel between parallel universes via a wormhole as they attempt to return to Earth Prime. They have no control over where they land with each slide, but keep looking for a way home while learning about the differences in each alternate Earth they visit.
Fringe (2008)
In the Season 2 finale, Olivia Dunham was kidnapped to another universe and replaced by a doppelgänger known to viewers as “Fauxlivia.” Olivia Prime spends the first eight episodes of Season 3 trying to return to her world.
