The Island on NBC Review

A new show The Island premiered last night on NBC.  It is a reality style show that takes 14 regular guys from all walks of life and puts them on a deserted island without very few resources to see if they can survive.  It can be described as a cross between Survivor, Utopia, and Lost, however there are some elements to this show that make it unique.

For one, unlike other reality style shows, it is not a competition so no one gets voted off.  If someone gets sick or gives up, they will be able to leave this way, but other than that, it is up to the guys to work together to make it on this island.  Another interesting thing about this show is that there is no camera crew with them.  They give the guys 4 main cameras to film with to capture everything that goes on.  From the first episode, it looks like it is edited with other clips like aerial shots, but most of it is filmed by the guys themselves. 

The show is hosted by Bear Grylls who is known for his survival skills. He does some narration but he does not join them on the island. After reading up on the show, it looks like it will be a 6 episode series.  Since there is no winner, it is not clear how the show will end or what will happen to the guys on the island.

I had not heard anything about this shown until seeing the previews for it right before it aired, but it looked good, so I decided to check it out.  After watching the first episode, I have to say it was pretty good!  There is already a lot of drama within the group as they try to agree on what to do, where to camp, where to go, and how to divide up resources.  As things get tough early on, tensions between the group increase making for great tv!

I won't spoil any of the details, but so far it looks to be a good show and I plan on tuning in next week. The Island airs Monday nights at 10pm Eastern time on NBC.