Missing The Traitors? Here are the 10 best shows to watch next
A week since its dramatic finale notched record live ratings of 7 million, have you got a Traitors-sized hole in your viewing schedule? Well, the good news is that series three goes into production soon. There’s speculation about a celebrity spin-off too. The bad news? Neither are likely to arrive on our screens until 2025.
Stay faithful and don’t howl in despair just yet. Backstabbing, strategising, money-earning missions, Claudia Winkleman’s shiny hair – all are available elsewhere while we wait to return to Ardross Castle. Stave off withdrawal symptoms with our 10 suggestions of what to make your new TV obsession.
1. The Traitors US/Australia (BBC iPlayer)
The closest thing to replicating those Claudia-in-a-castle thrills is the treacherous franchise’s international editions. The Dutch original, De Verraders, sadly isn’t available in the UK, but these two versions are. The American series is set in the same Highlands castle. Actor Alan Cumming wears berets and arches an eyebrow as host, while the format mixes members of the public with semi-famous faces. Former House Of Commons speaker John Bercow and Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu feature in the second season. The Aussie take is even spicer, thanks to the contestants’ bluntness, sinister masks and some wild plot twists. Strewth.
2. The Trust: A Game Of Greed (Netflix)
Think The Traitors with its parlour game charm removed and replaced by naked ambition. Eleven strangers are flown to a paradise island and promised equal shares of the $250,000 prize pot. By day, they take part in trust exercises. By night, they can choose to keep the group as it is or anonymously vote someone out, thus increasing their own portion of the cash. Backs are stabbed. Team spirit breaks. Chaos ensues. Glossy, brutal and highly binge-able.
3. One Question (Channel 4 online)
If it’s Claudia Winkleman’s mischievous wit and shiny fringe that you’re missing, try this underrated gameshow. Pairs of contestants must answer just one general knowledge question correctly to win ￡100k. The catch? It comes with 20 possible answers and only one is correct. Can they whittle it down to the right one? Seemingly simple but deceptively difficult. Winkleman makes for a delightful, gently subversive host.
4. The Mole (Netflix)
This souped-up Traitors-style show launched in the US during the Noughties but only became a global hit when Netflix took over production two years ago. Twelve players team up for challenges to add funds to a prize pot. Among them is a designated mole who covertly sabotages their money-making efforts in the hope of snatching the loot themselves. Can they unmask the mole before they’re eliminated? Sounds familiar, sure, but it’s all too addictive.
5. The Traitors: Uncloaked (BBC iPlayer)
The spin-off show was billed as “a visualised podcast”, which sounds ghastly but merely meant it involved people chatting and extra material was available on BBC Sounds. Comedian Ed Gamble presents gleeful analysis of each Traitors UK episode, aided by celebrity superfans, before banished and murdered contestants join for post-castle interviews. If you’re still catching up with the main series, Uncloaked makes a handy viewing companion. Alternatively, use it to relive the series in-depth.
6. Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix)
Studio Lambert, the production company behind The Traitors, also turned Netflix’s globe-conquering South Korean drama into a hit high-concept contest. Fiendish and brilliantly crafted, it brought Squid Game’s dystopian world to thrilling life. The largest cast in reality TV history (456 players) compete in a series of deadly playground-style games for the largest ever cash prize ($4.56m). Along the way, they forge alliances, build trust and break it. With green tracksuits replacing hooded cloaks, it rivals The Traitors for intrigue and intensity.
7. Rise & Fall (Channel 4 online)
Again from the Studio Lambert stable, Channel 4’s Traitors equivalent also sees two groups of punters pursue a hefty jackpot. The “Grafters” are plonked in the basement of a high-rise, undertaking menial tasks to build the prize fund. The “Rulers” live upstairs in a luxury penthouse and dictate events. Each episode, the Rulers boot out one of their number and the Grafters get a chance to move up. Disappointing ratings and high production costs mean a second series hasn’t been commissioned, but the debut run still makes for an enjoyable bunfight.
8. Fool Me Once (Netflix)
A twisty, nail-biting drama all about trust – and along with The Traitors, a highly binge-able New Year’s hit. Adapted from Harlan Coban’s bestseller, this Mancunian mystery stars Michelle Keegan as an ex-Army ace who spots her husband on their nanny-cam, days after he was shot dead and buried. Is he alive or is she losing it? Is his case connected to her sister’s murder? What’s her mother-in-law-from-hell (played by Joanna Lumley) up to? Full of bonkers bombshells, it’s a head-spinner with a bombastic soundtrack, a bit like you-know-what.
9. 007: Road to a Million (Amazon Prime Video)
How would James Bond fare in The Traitors? If he drank his Martini from a poisoned chalice, not terribly well. This worldwide race, loosely based on the film franchise, stars the mighty Brian Cox as the villainous “Controller”. Nine pairs compete in daring spy-themed games to win a ￡1m prize, while Cox sets the rules and monitors the action from his secret bunker. The epic challenges might just remind you of The Traitors’ missions but with a super-sized budget.
10. A Spy Among Friends (ITVX)
Friendship. Betrayal. Moody lighting. Based on Ben Macintyre’s book, this satisfyingly complex espionage thriller traces the friendship between Nicholas Elliott (Damian Lewis) and Kim Philby (Guy Pearce). The pair rose through the MI6 ranks together but Philby was keeping a deadly secret. He’d been recruited as a Soviet agent and would become British history’s most infamous traitor. You know, a bit like Paul and Harry.
Other terrific dramas with trust and treachery themes include Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Amazon Prime Video), 24 (Disney+), House of Cards UK (BritBox), House of Cards US (Netflix), The Night Manager (BBC iPlayer), Homeland (Netflix) and Slow Horses (Apple TV+). Be careful out there.
