Audiences have long been fascinated by the idea of a person or group of people getting stranded on a deserted island. Perhaps it's the idea of someone prevailing in the face of adversity that's so appealing to filmgoers and fans of television. Some desert island stories focus on how people from different backgrounds band together to survive.
Of course, there's also the undeniable thrill of watching unlikely people learn survival skills when their backs are up against the wall and it's a matter of life or death. Whatever the draw, there have been tons of entertaining and heartwarming deserted island TV shows and movies featuring compelling characters and settings.
Updated on June 2nd, 2021 by Svetlana Sterlin: Deserted island TV shows and movies continue to remain popular even as the pop culture landscape becomes populated with other exciting stories. This is an enduring subgenre that has outlasted other trends, perhaps because isolating humans from civilization offers many opportunities to explore what humanity really means. Here are a few additional shows and films to check out when the desire for escapism strikes.
Lost (2004-2010) - Available on Hulu and IMDb TV
One of the most talked-about and iconic series of the early 2000s, Lost stars a large cast of well-known actors playing survivors of a plane crash on a deserted island. Miraculously, almost everyone aboard survives. Thus, they must establish a new way of life and work together to stay alive.
However, strange things begin to happen and the group discovers that the island might not be deserted after all, and might not even be an island in the traditional sense. The plot is full of twists and turns, incorporating elements of sci-fi and the supernatural to keep viewers on their toes. Lost remains one of the most compelling television shows set on a desert island.
Cast Away (2000) - Available for purchase on Prime Video
Tom Hanks stars in this long movie, carrying much of the journey on his own, along with a volleyball he names Wilson. A captivating watch, viewers see what happens to a work-obsessed man when his plane crashes into the ocean and he washes up on a deserted island on an inflatable life raft, left to live a life of solitude for what ends up being years.
He descends deeper and deeper into madness, becoming a completely different man as his survival instincts, malnutrition, and deep loneliness kick in. The film presents a number of complex ideas for both the character and the audience to unpack.
The Wilds (2020) - Available on Prime Video
This Amazon Prime Original series is often compared to Lord of the Flies, except that it features a group of female students instead of males. The twist in The Wilds is the girls don't actually crash near a deserted island. They are unknowingly part of a psychological research project whereby they are made to believe the plane crashed while the project's creator watches and analyzes from afar.
Each of the girls is very different and has her own arc. As they try to get along and figure out how to survive until a potential rescue, conflict arises, though each girl begins to work through her own personal emotional trauma from back home.
Gilligan's Island (1964-1967) - Available for purchase on Apple TV
"Sit right back and you'll hear a tale - a tale of a fateful ship." This memorable quote calls up images and sounds from the iconic sitcom that is Gilligan's Island. The series follows an ensemble of seven castaways trying to survive after being shipwrecked on a deserted island.
A comedic take on the concept of desert island, each episode focuses on the ridiculous ideas the group comes up with to get back home, and the conflict among the different personalities, including the accident-prone first mate Gilligan, the Wall Street millionaire Jim, the Hollywood movie star Ginger, and the wholesome farm girl Mary Ann.
Wrecked (2016-2018) - Available on HBO Max
Great for viewers who are in the mood for a laugh, this three-season comedy is a parody of Lost. Wrekced follows a group of people who, like in that show, ended up on a deserted island following a plane crash.
While critics weren't too fond of the series, audiences seem to view it much more favorably. Apart from comedy, the show isn't short on action, horror, mystery, and adventure, so there's something to satisfy everyone.
The Blue Lagoon (1980) - Available on Prime Video and Tubi
A more romantic take on the desert island theme, The Blue Lagoon is based on the Henry De Vere Stacpoole novel of the same name. Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins star as two young children who end up stranded on a tropical island.
As they mature and experience the emotional and physical changes that come with puberty, they begin to fall in love with one another. The film isn't for everyone and has been heavily criticized for its sexualization of young actors. Shields also earned a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for her role. Nonetheless, when it comes to movies about people being stranded, love it or hate it, no list would be complete without this title.
Swiss Family Robinson (1960) - Available on Disney+
This adventure movie is one of the earliest notable movies about people being stranded on a desert island. A family is shipwrecked and must build a new home and life for themselves on an island if they want to survive. The story is based on the 1812 novel of the same name by Johann David Wyss.
It's an endearing story of how a family, including mother, father, and three sons, come together to build a life in a new place, fighting starvation, animals, and pirates. Furthermore, they have to deal with their ever-present worries about life and the future.
Robinson Crusoe (1997) - Available for purchase on Prime Video
Based on Daniel Defoe's classic novel, this adventure survival drama movie is one of many screen adaptations of the story. After the title character, a Scotsman played by James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, accidentally kills his friend Patrick (Damian Lewis) in a fight over a woman, he joins the merchant marine in order to escape.
But when his typhoon shipwrecks near the coast of New Guinea, he must figure out how to survive on his own. He soon finds that he's not actually on his own. The island is home to a tribe that seems terrifying to Crusoe, but he has little choice in how he deals with them for fear of becoming their next human sacrifice.
Swiss Army Man (2016) - Available on Showtime
This is a film unlike any other, which means it won't appeal to everyone, but it certainly has its niche. It opens with a rather grim scene in which Hank has given up on a life of isolation on this tiny island.
However, he finds hope when he spots Danny washed up on the beach. Unfortunately, it turns out that Danny is dead. Hank then befriends this corpse and the two embark on a string of adventures, often discussing their past lives while creating a magical new life of their own. All the while, the film maintains its quirky sense of dark humor.
Lord Of The Flies (1963) - Available on HBO Max
What would happen if a group of young schoolboys found themselves stranded on a deserted island? Would they be able to get along for the sake of survival? This is the very question this British drama (and its 1990 remake, which many believe is an underrated adaptation) based on the William Golding novel of the same name posits.
With a darker tone than some of the other movies and series on this list, it examines the human condition and how, in desperate times, people may resort to fear, hate, and violence in order to survive.
The Admirable Crichton (1957)
One of the oldest and lesser-known titles on this list, this British-American adventure rom-com is based on the 1902 stage comedy of the same name by J.M. Barrie. A wealthy family, their butler, and a junior maid end up on a deserted island after a storm and a motor explosion on their yacht. Removed from society, they find that their social classes become meaningless.
Now, the family's butler, Crichton, is the only one who knows how to adapt to the new surroundings, including finding food, building shelter, and making fires. The others, used to their high-society lives, are dependent on Crichton for their survival. Yet they still can't seem to accept him as their leader and give up the luxuries to which they have become accustomed.
The Red Turtle (2016) - Available for purchase on Prime Video
This wordless Studio Ghibli film spans the life of a man who becomes stranded on an abandoned island. The deceptively simple story unfolds to cover some hefty topics, all neatly packed away into emblematic imagery.
The man tries to build a raft to return home, but every time he succeeds, his journey is foiled by a large red turtle not far from shore. Eventually, the man must learn to love his new home instead of clinging to his past life, which is long gone. The beautifully animated film holds much more than meets the eye and manages to say a lot in its short runtime.