I’m the pickiest person you will ever meet when it comes to watching shows or movies, but I’ve always been a fan of entertainment where the characters have to figure things out for themselves instead of relying on an official government. (Extra points if they have to survive a forest!) These are my favorite shows and movies where the characters are stranded and don’t know how to contact the important people in their lives while trying to survive. These shows and movies are ones I always recommend when people ask for things to watch and my list is ranked by my favorite desertion shows with, of course, The 100 taking the cake as not just my favorite desertion show, but my all-time favorite show. I would totally suggest giving these a watch because you never know, one of these might become your all-time favorite.
- The 100
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In the year 2149, 100 imprisoned juveniles are sent down from space to Earth to see if the planet has become habitable again, 97 years after the Earth was seemingly destroyed by bombs. The show follows Clarke as she faces friends, challenges, and enemies. The kids are put to the test when they realize they aren’t alone on the ground and must figure out how to not only survive but thrive. The first time I tried watching this, I couldn’t get into it and stopped after episode three. Months later, lockdown hit and someone told me to try watching it again, I now proudly say it’s one of my favorite shows. I’ve rewatched it three times, and every time feels just as good as the first. That’s how good it is. The 100 does a great job of adding plotlines that keep you intrigued and wanting more. I do have criticisms for the last season, but where some people think it ruined the show, I just think the ending really wasn’t what we wanted.
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
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When Alvin and his friends party too hard on a cruise ship, Dave “grounds” them, allowing them to do nothing except play shuffleboard. Of course, Alvin decides that’s not enough, so he steals a kite and pretends to fly. It goes horribly wrong when none of the other chipmunks can hold onto the string, and they end up all flying away to a deserted island. Dave goes on a quest with old foe, Uncle Ian, to find the chipmunks while the chipmunks befriend a woman who has been living on the island for many years. They deal with mishaps, such as Simon getting bitten by a spider and a change in his personality, all while trying to figure out how they’re going to get home. Sure, this is a kids’ movie, but to say it isn’t hilarious, incredible, and a masterpiece would just be a lie. This has been one of my favorite movies for years and, in my opinion, is the best Chipmunks movie.
- Lost
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Similar to Cast Away, a plane crashes on a seemingly deserted island, and the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 must figure out how to survive with each other and the secrets they possess. They soon discover that they aren’t alone on the island and must confront the threats that loom. I haven’t watched this show in years, but I felt The 100 definitely took inspiration from it for certain aspects of the show. Lost has iconic actors such as Ian Somerhalder, Henry Ian Cusick (who also starred in The 100), and Evangeline Lilly.
- The I-land
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In a virtual reality prison, inmates are sent to a deserted island with no memory of why or how they got there and are tasked with finding their way off, but things quickly go awry. To prove they can be released back into society, the prisoners must complete tasks and challenges that the makers of the island put them up to. The only catch: if they die on the island, they die in real life. This Netflix mini-series is totally worth the watch. The best part is that you can finish it in just one weekend!
- Cast Away
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Obviously, this classic had to be included in my list. Chuck (Tom Hanks) is stranded alone on an island after his FedEx plane crashes and the other passengers die. He is forced to survive on his own, using scraps of the plane for shelter and a volleyball as his friend. When he eventually makes it off the island with a raft he built, it’s five years later. Everyone he knew moved on, assuming he died, leaving him to readjust to real life and make peace with the fact that nothing will ever be the same. This is a must-watch movie, if for no other reason than the fact that Tom Hanks is in it.