Season 1 – Castaways

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Andy L 01/30/2025 Laughable nonsense. One decent actor, awful plot, terrible script, non existent continuity. Don't wast your time See more 05/13/2019 If you take the show "Alone" and mutate it into a staged soap opera, you get Castaways. Would recommend sticking with Alone and Survivorman if you want a legitimate survival show. See more daniel k 09/19/2018 Loved every single moment of it! It's not just the premise of the show that makes it so good, it's the people in it. Over the season you slowly get to know each person and what their lives are like and it's so enlightening to see how uniquely difficult everyone's lives can be. Definitely a must watch! See more 09/18/2018 Castaways was not a popular show for ABC. It aired two-thirds of the way through the summer for about 6 episodes, then the final four were force-dumped on the air in about a six day stretch because the ratings were so poor (and trending downward). I can understand why this wasn't a hit considering how people normally view reality shows (competition, ridiculous behavior, etc.). That's a shame, however, as Castaways brings an entirely fresh approach to a genre that has grown beyond stale. The premise behind Castaways is this: 12 people are dropped into a chain of islands in the Pacific in random configurations. All they have is one pack with them, and there's no guarantee they'll even get their own once jettisoned. The only goal: survive until rescue arrives. No one knows how long that will be, whether days, weeks, or months. Will most of the castaways try to survive alone, or will they form into groups for both physical and psychological needs? There are no outrageous competitions or fabricated situations to create drama on this show. No, this is very much a slow-paced, human/social experiment. The "catch" I haven't brought up yet is that the production uses flashbacks (ala LOST, but to reality) of each castaway's earlier life to get a better understanding of who they are and why they are pursuing the survival goal. That last portion, to me, is the most fascinating part of this whole show. Within the span of a couple episodes, I had formed emotional attachments to these characters, as their stories range from heartbreaking to inspirational and everything in between. The juxtaposition of their "real lives" with what they are doing in "survival" mode hammers that connection home even further. Do the producers have the ability to manipulate the stories if they wish? Sure. But with nothing manufactured in terms of challenges/obstacles, this is much more of a straight portrayal of survival and character moments than any other reality show on the air today. I liken Castaways to that indie flick you can only see at the arthouse theatre because the big budget attractions crowd the multiplex. There's no glitz or glamour here (the "tribe has not spoken"), but rather just a solid look at an interesting survival and social experiment. Sadly, of course, this does not play well for the average television viewer, especially that of network fare, where staid formula and drawn-out competitions (Dancing with the Stars, Americas Got Talent, Survivor, etc.) rule the roost. I don't have much hope of this show progressing to another installment (if that was even in the plans all along), and if so I'll still always have this little gem to fall back on. I've never before witnessed a show with a concept and execution quite like this, and it's doubly surprising to find it on the networks away from the more similar highbrow fare of subscription services. If you are the type of viewer who enjoys introspective character analysis and don't mind your shows being conversation or dialogue-based, I can't recommend Castaways to you highly enough. It is truly one of a kind. See more 09/18/2018 Castaways offers a unique insight into the human psyche. I personally feel like this show has been seriously underrated and not given the credit it deserves for its unique style. Although it isn’t full of high drama, and manufactured conflict, for me, that’s not a drawback, it’s a plus. I enjoyed following these characters and watching them throughout their journey. If more reality shows followed the format of Castaways, I’d watch a lot more reality television. See more 09/17/2018 Very interesting idea. Would be better if it was more goal oriented. I would have added a treasure hunt. And a back story for all the abandoned structures. Like original game Myst. See more Read all reviews

Castaways — Season 1

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