50 seasons later, ‘Survivor’ bets on nostalgia to win the ratings game

Last night, Survivor, one of the most successful reality TV shows of all time, kicked off its 50th season, joining the short list of dinosaur programs like SNL and 60 Minutes that have managed to stay on the air for 49 more seasons than Freaks and Geeks. Aside from introducing (and reintroducing) the world to iconic personalities like Boston Rob and Mike White, Survivor has completely changed television.

Survivor’s humble beginnings: The show—which tests contestants’ physical, mental, and social strength—was based on a 1997 Swedish series called Expedition Robinson. But it quickly became its own phenomenon:

More than 50 million people watched Survivor’s first season finale.

The show’s massive success and cheap production costs inspired the greenlighting of countless other reality shows in the early aughts, including The Amazing Race and The Mole. Even The Bachelor can thank Survivor for proving that audiences love to see real people get overwhelmed on camera.

Big picture: Fifty seasons later, Survivor is still putting up numbers. Boosted by its back catalog of episodes available on streaming, Survivor was the most watched Emmy nominee last year, accumulating 462.4 million viewing hours during the award show’s year-long eligibility period, according to Nielsen. That’s more than double any other nominee in any category, and more than the rest of the reality competition nominees put together. Maybe this season will finally be when the Smoke Monster shows up.—MM

This report was originally published by Morning Brew.

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