Uncover the Deserted Island Adventures that Echo "Gilligan's Island"
Lost (2004 – 2010)
Just like "Gilligan's Island," "Lost" takes place on an uncharted desert island. However, it delves deep into each character's backstory, explaining why they were on that ill-fated flight. The island on "Lost" is a magnet for eerie and unexplained phenomena, with a polar bear and a mysterious smoke monster. In contrast to the democratic "Gilligan's Island," "Lost" has factions and antagonists. It popularized a "mystery box" storytelling style that bled into pop TV of the era. Viewers were left wondering about the mysteries until later.On "Gilligan's Island," we could accept the absurdity of everyone bringing multiple trunks on a three-hour tour. But on "Lost," the characters had to face the harsh reality of being stranded and deal with the strange occurrences on the island.
The island on "Lost" seems to be warping the fabric of reality, adding an extra layer of mystery and intrigue. It's a far cry from the cartoonish world of "Gilligan's Island," where reality was naturally warped.
Dusty's Trail (1973 – 1974)
A decade after "Gilligan's Island," Sherwood Schwartz tried to recreate its success with "Dusty's Trail." It starred Bob Denver and a similar bumbling character, with Forrest Tucker as the captain. This time, the septet was lost on the American frontier in the 1880s instead of a desert island.The S.S. Minnow became a stagecoach on its way to California but got separated. The characters spent the series wandering around the deserts of the Old West, unable to get back on track. While the premise seemed less plausible compared to "Gilligan's Island," the character dynamic was the same.
If you ever wanted to see "Gilligan's Island" as a Western, "Dusty's Trail" is the show for you. Denver's Dusty was almost identical to his Gilligan, and the island-like character interaction was preserved with a new cast.
Cast Away (2000)
"Cast Away" is about one man, Tom Hanks' Chuck Noland, who washes up on a deserted island after his plane crashes. He has to learn to survive on his own, finding coconuts to eat, making fire, and spearing crabs and fish. He even constructs an axe out of ice skates.Unlike "Gilligan's Island," there are no other people on the island with Chuck. He creates a companion in the form of a painted volleyball named Wilson. This shows the different ways people deal with isolation and survival.
"Cast Away" is the survival drama that "Gilligan's Island" deliberately avoided. Chuck had to rely on his own wits and resources to survive, while the people on "Gilligan's Island" had more magic to assist them.
Star Trek: Voyager (1995 – 2001)
"Star Trek: Voyager" is the "Star Trek" version of "Gilligan's Island." The ship becomes lost in deep space, and the power dynamic aboard evolves over time. The bumbling Gilligan character became the jolly Talaxian Neelix, the intellectual professor became the stern Vulcan Tuvok, and the flashy character was gender-flipped.On "Gilligan's Island," the castaways formed a democratic dynamic. But on "Voyager," the captain became increasingly authoritarian. The ship took on resistance fighters and integrated them, changing the social structure.
"Star Trek" takes place in a post-capitalist world, so there were no married millionaires. Each character brought their own unique traits and challenges to the deserted space adventure.
Survivor (2000 – present)
"Survivor" is the American version of a Swedish show and is essentially the game show version of "Gilligan's Island." Contestants are split into teams and sent to a desert island to compete in survival challenges.They have to live on the island for 39 days and are regularly voted off by their teammates. The success of "Survivor" spawned many knock-offs, and in 2004, "The Real Gilligan's Island" was launched, staging "Survivor"-like competitions.
"Survivor" has been a decades-long experiment to see if the egalitarian democracy of "Gilligan's Island" would work in real life. The makers create competitive tension by forcing contestants to vote each other off.