Saagar Kote
The horror thriller show ‘Yellowjackets,’ created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, follows the ordeal of a highly skilled high school girls’ soccer team. Their aircraft crashes deep within the secluded northern wilderness, rendering them unfortunate survivors. The series documents their transformation from a complex yet flourishing team into brutal factions. Furthermore, it traces the lives they have endeavored to reconstruct a quarter-century later, demonstrating that the past is never truly left behind, and the events that unfolded in the wilderness are far from concluded.
The drama features a large ensemble cast, with Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, and Samantha Hanratty playing the teenage survivors. Their adult counterparts are portrayed by Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis, and Christina Ricci. The thriller delves into themes of trauma, reality, adolescence, and survival. If you have enjoyed the storytelling and tone of the show, these shows similar to ‘Yellowjackets’ will pique your curiosity.
10. The OA (2016-2019)
In ‘The OA’, when Prairie Johnson (Brit Marling), who was formerly blind, reappears at home in her twenties after a seven-year disappearance, her eyesight has been restored. While some see her as a miracle, others fear she may be dangerous. Brit Marling, who plays the lead role, also steps in as co-creator alongside Zal Batmanglij. The drama series explores profound themes, including near-death experiences, interdimensional travel, grief, loss, and the strength of conviction.
Akin to ‘Yellowjackets,’ it delves into the transformative power of trauma on identity, making it difficult to distinguish between those who endured and those who succumbed. Both shows utilize fractured timelines and nonlinear narratives to intensify the emotional mystery and mirror disoriented perception, while also being emotionally intense, female-led dramas focused on characters who’ve endured extreme or unexplainable experiences.
9. Hannibal (2013–2015)
‘Hannibal’, based on a series of books by Thomas Harris, explores the early relationship between renowned psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and a young FBI criminal profiler named Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers. Bryan Fuller’s brutal drama delves into the sinister mind of one of visual media’s most infamous villains, offering a thrilling narrative that explores dark themes of killing. Similar to ‘Yellowjackets,’ it examines how trauma, violence, and manipulation can alter identity and perception.
Cannibalism serves as a thematic and psychological tool in both narratives, symbolizing the erosion of humanity, the intricate dance of power, and the primal drive for dominance or survival. Both shows use ritual and symbolism to process trauma, mark transformation, and signal deeper psychological themes.
8. Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
After the body of a young girl, Laura Palmer, washes ashore near Twin Peaks, a small town in Washington state, FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is called in to investigate her mysterious death. Created by Mark Frost and David Lynch, ‘Twin Peaks’ follows Cooper as he uncovers a web of intrigue that draws him deep into the surrounding woods and confronts him with his own soul. Akin to ‘Yellowjackets,’ the mystery thriller series delves into intriguing questions on the human psyche and unravels mysteries that are not easy to handle. Both shows explore the hidden facets of human behavior and community secrets, using a young woman’s suffering as a cryptic starting point. They also depict the grim reality of female adolescence, including addiction, abuse, mental illness, and the strain of upholding a facade.
7. The Society (2019)
In a modern twist on ‘Lord of the Flies,’ ‘The Society’ is a drama series that narrates the story of Connecticut high school students embarking on an extended camping trip. After returning home from a canceled field trip, the teens find their town mysteriously empty, with all adults gone and no way to contact the outside world. Initially, their newfound freedom is exhilarating, but it quickly devolves into danger. As they strive to comprehend their predicament and restore normalcy, the teens must establish order and forge alliances to ensure their survival.
The Christopher Keyser creation stars Kathryn Newton, Gideon Adlon, and Sean Berdy in major roles. Akin to ‘Yellowjackets,’ it explores what happens when teenagers are abandoned and isolated from society and are forced to create their own social order to survive. Both shows explore the psychological toll of survival, particularly during adolescence, and the formation of new social hierarchies. They also delve into how power can corrupt, even in youth.
6. Cruel Summer (2021–2023)
Created by Bert V. Royal, with Tia Napolitano serving as showrunner, ‘Cruel Summer’ is an anthology series, with each season following a new set of characters who deal with traumatic happenings over multiple timelines, and exploring how those events impact their lives. The first season, set in 90s Texas, chronicles the disappearance of a popular girl and the national scandal that erupts when a shy teenager seemingly assumes her identity. Shifting timelines across three years expose unraveling secrets and reveal that appearances can be deceiving and no one is truly innocent.
The second season, set in a Pacific Northwest town, explores the intense friendship of three teenagers that devolves after a love triangle and shocking betrayal. Told across three timelines, it unpacks themes of obsession, deception, and a mysterious murder. Like ‘Yellowjackets,’ it explores the profound psychological impact of past experiences, particularly during the crucial teenage years, on an individual’s development. Both shows utilize multiple timelines to slowly unpack mysteries and reveal how characters cope or are affected by past events.
5. Station Eleven (2021-2022)
Based on the eponymous book by Emily St. John Mandel, ‘Station Eleven’ follows a post-apocalyptic saga spanning multiple timelines. The drama follows survivors of a devastating flu as they attempt to rebuild and reimagine the world anew while holding on to the best of what’s been lost. The Patrick Somerville creation stars Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, and Matilda Lawler in important roles. Analogous to ‘Yellowjackets,’ the drama focuses on survivors of a deadly event and narrates the complexities around them. Both shows explore how surviving a fundamentally dangerous event doesn’t end the trauma when the crisis does, but also leads to changes in identity. The mutually connected shows employ the use of symbols and rituals as a means to overcome psychological blocks.
4. The Leftovers (2014-2017)
The drama series ‘The Leftovers’ begins three years after a global event called the ‘Sudden Departure,’ the inexplicable, collective disappearance of 140 million people, accounting for nearly 2% of the world’s population, on a fateful day. Following the destructive tragedy, mainstream religions find that they cannot exert any hold on their followers, following which a number of cults emerge across the world, most popular among them, an entity called the Guilty Remnant, a group of people wearing white clothes, and chain-smoking, while believing in Nihilism.
Another cult is led by Holy Wayne (Paterson Joseph), a man who believes that he is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Based on the eponymous novel by Tom Perrotta, who also served as co-creator alongside Damon Lindelof, the show navigates the complexities of an apocalyptic scenario. Akin to ‘Yellowjackets,’ the show explores the emotional instability that arises from experiencing unspeakable trauma. Both shows employ nonlinear storytelling, which reinforces their themes of memory and regret. Additionally, they depict grief and trauma as destabilizing forces, leading characters to struggle in comprehending their realities.
3. Sharp Objects (2018)
Based on Gillian Flynn’s eponymous novel, ‘Sharp Objects’ is a thriller that follows reporter Camille Preaker (Amy Adams), who has recently been discharged from a psychiatric facility, and receives a disturbing assignment, one that involves her returning to her small hometown to report on the murders of two preteen girls. This homecoming forces her to confront her estranged, hypochondriac mother and a half-sister she barely knows, a captivating teenager who holds an unsettling control over the town.
As Camille settles into her childhood bedroom within the family’s Victorian mansion, she finds herself identifying with the young victims on a personal level, leading her to grapple with her own demons. She must untangle the psychological complexities of her past to both uncover the truth and survive her return home. Much like ‘Yellowjackets,’ the Marti Noxon creation delves into the themes of relationships, abuse, control, and the destructive impact of violence and trauma. Both shows explore how psychological scars can be formed by toxic female relationships, particularly within family or family-like structures.
2. Dead of Summer (2016)
‘Dead of Summer’ is a horror drama that explores the lives of a group of counselors at Camp Stillwater, an idyllic Midwestern summer camp. Their fun summer quickly transforms into an unending nightmare when a sinister force awakens that threatens to destroy them. The horror drama created by Ian Goldberg, Adam Horowitz, and Edward Kitsis delves into the dangers faced by teenagers facing ancient or concealed evils that are intricately linked to specific locations and time periods.
Analogous to ‘Yellowjackets,’ it navigates the ideas of fear and suspense, and how the characters try to survive their predicaments. Both shows emphasize female viewpoints in frightening, isolated environments, dealing with buried secrets and power struggles. Nonlinear narrative choices connect the two and also add intrigue in the minds of the viewers. Additionally, the shows incorporate mystical or occult symbolism, blurring the lines between genuine horror and perceived terror.
1. The Wilds (2020-2022)
‘The Wilds’ depicts a scenario in which adolescent girls from diverse backgrounds find themselves trapped on a secluded island, unaware that their predicament is a part of a complex social experiment. When Shelby Goodkin (Mia Healey), Erana James (Toni Shalifoe), and others realize their reality on the island, they are forced to fight beyond their limits to survive. Akin to ‘Yellowjackets,’ the Sarah Streicher creation delves into ideas of survival, trauma, and identity.
Both shows center on young women, emphasizing how their personalities, secrets, and traumas emerge in high-stress, survivalist environments, while also delving into intricate female friendships, rivalries, and emotional collapses. The two shows are also spiritually connected in terms of exploring themes that are centred around the female experience and dealing with the ramifications of external forces interfering in the process of social bonding.
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