This article has been updated by Rory O'Connor.
It’s safe to say that the end of season four of The Traitors has left a Claudia Winkleman-shaped hole in all of our lives. In the BBC series, 22 contestants are whisked away to a remote castle in the Scottish Highlands, where they’re split into two groups - the Faithfuls and the Traitors. As the murder mystery game begins, the faithfuls have to try and discover who the traitors are, before they’re killed off, to make sure the traitors don’t go home with the prize money. The competitors have to work together to complete challenges, all while raising their suspicions about who they can really trust.
Since its debut, The Traitors has been streamed over 100 million times on BBC iPlayer, becoming one of the most watched programmes in the platform's history. Season one also won the BAFTA for Best Reality and Constructed Factual series, while presenter Claudia Winkleman was awarded Best Entertainment Performance. After the success of the UK series, there have been several spin offs too, including The Traitors Australia and the hugely popular The Traitors US (which is presented by the great Alan Cumming). Now that the fourth season has come to its dramatic end - no spoilers here though! - the question on every fan’s mind is, What shall I watch next?
With the best part of a year to go before the show’s fifth season, it feels like the right time to round up 10 TV series that offer a similar vibe. Read on to discover more and use the guide below to find out where to stream them on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.
The Mole (2022-2024)
Thankfully, there are several excellent reality TV series to watch on Netflix right now — each one stuffed with twists and turns at every corner. If I had to pick, however, the one with the most similarities to The Traitors has to be The Mole.
In this game, a mole is chosen from 12 contestants before setting out to sabotage the other competitors from winning the hefty prize.
Squid Game: The Challenge (2023-)
Similarly, who can forget Netflix’s smash-hit South Korean drama, Squid Game, which debuted back in 2021 and instantly gripped tens of millions of subscribers across the world. Then, in 2023, this cult show — which became the most streamed non-English language title on the platform — released its own reality series titled Squid Game: The Challenge.
In one of the most epic endeavours in TV history, 454 contestants from around the world were rounded up to compete for the largest cash prize ever on a reality programme — a whopping $4.56 million. Like The Traitors, it’s another nail biting challenge-led game that will keep you at the edge of your seat.
The Circle (2021-2024)
If you’re interested in the idea of a reality gameshow in which the competition basically involves a group of people shamelessly catfishing each-other, The Circle is probably the show for you.
This one originally started out on Channel 4 before moving to Netflix in 2021, where it has gone on to expand into a franchise — with versions in the US, France and Brazil. If you appreciate The Traitors for all that duplicitous backstabbing (or appreciate the Nosedive episode of Black Mirror), this one could be right up your alley.
Outlast (2023-)
To put it briefly, Outlast is the closest thing we’ve gotten so far to a Netflix remake of Survivor. The show places 16 contestants not on a tropical island, however, but in the Alaskan wilderness, where they must work together if they want to have any chance of obtaining the $1M prize.
With teamwork a key component, Outlast might not have quite as many delicious double-crosses as The Traitors, but it’s a gripping, high-production-value reality show nonetheless.
Siren: Survive the Island (2023)
Similar to Outlast, Siren: Survive the Island is probably closer in tone to something like Survivor than The Traitors, but it’s no less competitive or nail-biting to watch — plus, it boasts its own unique setup that's quite unlike anything out there.
The South Korean Netflix show gathers 16 female public servants (policewomen, firefighters, teachers etc.) and sends them to a remote island. The twist here is that the contestants are paid in advance and compete only for the honour — each to their own, I guess.
007: Road to a Million (2023)
Over on Amazon Prime you’ll find the adrenaline-fuelled series 007: Road to a Million, an action packed reality gameshow created by the minds behind the James Bond franchise. For this one, nine duos jet set around the world to compete in daring challenges to win a life-changing prize of £1 million.
If you like a competitive game show with high production values, you won’t be disappointed by Road to a Million — and the same goes for fans of Succession, as this one is presented by the great Brian Cox.
The Trust: A Game of Greed (2024)
For the 2024 Netflix series The Trust: A Game of Greed, 11 contestants are given an equal share of a $250,000 prize and have to decide whether or not to try and eliminate each other for a bigger slice of the pie — which, needless to say, is exactly what they do.
Despite only running for one season, The Trust should appeal to Traitors fans who simply can’t wait another year to watch competitors stab each other in the back for more cash.
The Devil’s Plan (2023-)
If you’re a fan of the other South Korean game shows on this list, you’re probably gonna like The Devil’s Plan. For this one, 12 contestants must compete against each other, sometimes having to work together, over a series of challenges (including everything from board games and strategy games) for a pot of money that can potentially go as high as $330,000.
Released in 2023, the show has so far produced two seasons and counting — which should keep you going for at least a few nights between now and The Traitors’ fifth season.
The Law of the Jungle (2023)
Back on Netflix, the Spanish-language reality show The Law of the Jungle focuses on 12 contestants in a remote location who have to work together in order to build up a pot of prize money while also staying alert to potential sabotages from their fellow competitors.
Naturally, as that synopsis suggests, this one will appeal to fans of Outlast and Siren as much as Traitors aficionados.
Australian Survivor (2002-)
No list of reality game shows would be complete without at least one version of Survivor. We’ve decided to go for one of the earliest spinoffs from the US original — the outback-set Australian Survivor.
Premiering back in 2002 and still with us a full 14 seasons later, this is the perfect show to get into for anyone who has an insatiable appetite for the competitive reality game show format. Like all the shows in the iconic franchise, Australian Survivor places a group of "Castaways" in a remote location where they must both survive and compete against each-other for the prize of a half million Australian dollars.
