Season 3 of Yellowjackets Isn't Even Out Yet, But Fans Are Already Eager for the Final Episodes. It’s hard to find another modern show that so masterfully blends survival, psychological thriller, horror elements, and a deep dive into the nature of teenage cruelty. But if you're ready for more journeys into the darker corners of human nature, here are five series to help pass the time.
1. Dead of Summer (2016) — Slasher, Mystery, and Teen Horror
Unfortunately, this show didn’t make it past its first season, but that single season is a true cocktail of summer camp horror, mystery, and retro atmosphere. Set in the 1980s, the story follows a group of teens who arrive at a summer camp with a dark past. Soon, eerie events begin to unfold, secrets emerge, and the characters start dying one by one.
Why it’s similar to Yellowjackets: ✔ Two timelines — flashbacks provide deeper character development. ✔ A sense of isolation and an unknown danger. ✔ Strong female characters at the center of the story. ✔ A gradual descent into psychological and supernatural horror.
If you enjoyed Yellowjackets for its '90s atmosphere and hidden past mysteries, Dead of Summer is worth a try. It’s not a genre-defining masterpiece, but it’s good for a fun, mindless watch.
2. Station Eleven (2021) — Post-Apocalypse and Cults
This miniseries, based on Emily St. John Mandel’s novel, combines survival, art, and dangerous ideology. The story takes place in a world devastated by a pandemic that wipes out most of humanity. The main characters are a traveling troupe of actors performing Shakespeare in the ruins of civilization — until they encounter a mysterious cult with a leader who harbors dark secrets.
Why it’s similar to Yellowjackets: ✔ An isolated group struggling to survive in a new world. ✔ A secretive cult with eerie rituals. ✔ Flashbacks gradually revealing past tragedies.
This show leans more toward the beauty of art and the power of memory than pure horror, but if you liked Yellowjackets for its philosophical take on survival, Station Eleven might resonate with you.
3. Cruel Summer (2021) — A Teen Drama with a Twisted Narrative
If the nonlinear storytelling of Yellowjackets intrigued you, then Cruel Summer is a great pick. Each season tells a new mystery about teenagers, with events unfolding across multiple timelines, forcing viewers to piece the puzzle together themselves.
Season 1 focuses on a missing girl and how another girl unexpectedly takes her place in the school's social hierarchy. Season 2 follows two best friends who become entangled in a murder and secrets from the past.
Why it’s similar to Yellowjackets: ✔ A plot built around flashbacks and flash-forwards. ✔ Exploration of teenage cruelty and the consequences of trauma. ✔ Strong female protagonists.
This show isn’t about wilderness survival, but its psychological depth and moral dilemmas make it a worthy alternative.
4. The Wilds (2020) — Girls, an Island, and a Sinister Experiment
Yellowjackets is a terrifying coming-of-age survival story, and The Wilds follows a similar path. After a plane crash, a group of teenage girls finds themselves stranded on a deserted island — only to realize that their crash wasn’t accidental. They are actually subjects in a twisted social experiment.
Why it’s similar to Yellowjackets: ✔ Teenage girls struggling to survive in the wilderness. ✔ Two timelines (events on the island and their aftermath in the future). ✔ An experiment where unseen forces manipulate the characters.
This series focuses more on teen psychology than horror, but it explores themes of isolation, power, and fear, making it a great choice for Yellowjackets fans.
5. The 100 (2014) — Brutal Survival Games
If you liked Yellowjackets for its breakdown of society under extreme conditions, then The 100 is a perfect fit. The story begins 100 years after a nuclear apocalypse, when a group of juvenile delinquents is sent back to Earth to determine if it’s habitable.
At first, it seems like a typical teen sci-fi show, but soon the characters face brutal moral dilemmas: – Kill or be killed. – Become savages or maintain civilization. – Sacrifice people for the survival of the group.
Why it’s similar to Yellowjackets: ✔ Examining morality in extreme conditions. ✔ Cannibalism (yes, it happens here too). ✔ The slow mental breakdown of the characters.
Although The 100 leans more into sci-fi and politics, its themes of power and civilization collapse closely align with what we see in Yellowjackets, just on a larger scale.
No matter what emotions Yellowjackets stirred in you — fear, curiosity, excitement, or anxiety — these shows can help extend that feeling. Have you found your perfect replacement yet?
