Television series

Wicked Tuna

Wicked Tuna plants you on the docks of Gloucester as captains chase bluefin tuna worth small fortunes, one rod-and-reel fish at a time. It's part fishing procedural, part small-town rivalry, all sunburn and radio chatter. Good for anyone who enjoys watching skilled people sweat over money and pride, and doesn't mind a slow build before the line finally screams.

TVMaze rating7.3

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Deadliest Catch2005

The show Wicked Tuna is obviously chasing — Alaskan king crab boats, brutal seas, captains who talk like weather reports. Bigger boats, bigger danger, same addictive rhythm of hauling and hoping.

But Higher stakes and rougher water make it heavier going; less sunny dock banter, more genuine peril.

Deadliest Catch poster

Gold Rush2010no page yet

Swap tuna for gold and rod-and-reel for excavators, but the formula's identical: broke guys betting everything on a single season's haul, tracked dollar by dollar.

But Mud and machinery instead of open water; if you're here for the ocean, this trades it for Yukon dirt.

Swamp People2010no page yet

Cajun hunters chase alligators for cash the same way Gloucester captains chase tuna — regional pride, family boats, and a market price dictating every decision.

But Swamps instead of open Atlantic, and a folksier, twangier vibe that some viewers find grating.

The wildcard

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Leviathan2013

Same fishing-boat world as Wicked Tuna, filmed as immersive art instead of drama — it shows you exactly what the reality cameras usually cut away from.

A wordless, sensory documentary shot aboard a Massachusetts trawler — cameras lashed to nets and hulls until the boat itself seems to breathe and groan. It's the industrial reality behind the reality show.

But No narration, no captains, no plot — just texture and noise. Patience-testing if you want story rather than pure sensation.

Leviathan poster
More like this (8)

Ax Men2008no page yet

Logging crews racing deadlines and competitors, same blue-collar economics and equipment-as-character energy as the tuna boats, just with chainsaws instead of harpoons.

But More macho posturing and manufactured crew conflict; less of the quiet patience that tuna fishing rewards.

Ice Road Truckers2007no page yet

Solo operators betting their livelihood on brutal conditions and split-second calls — the same white-knuckle economics of Wicked Tuna, just on frozen roads instead of open water.

But Trucks, not boats — if the ocean itself is the draw, this won't scratch that itch.

Bering Sea Gold2012no page yet

Gold dredgers off Nome betting their whole season on a single dive, with the same captain-versus-captain tension and constant math of costs against catch.

But Underwater dredging is slower and murkier on screen than a tuna fight; less visual payoff per episode.

Alaska: The Last Frontier2011no page yet

Trade the boat for a homestead — same values of self-reliance, hard weather, and living or dying by what you can pull from the land.

But No competitive hook and a much slower, family-life pace; this is about survival, not scoring the big catch.

Port Protection Alaska2015no page yet

A tiny, off-grid Alaskan town of hunters, fishers, and eccentrics — same DIY, live-off-what-you-catch spirit, with more warmth and less prize money on the line.

But Barely any competition or stakes; if you liked the money and rivalry in Wicked Tuna, this feels aimless by comparison.

Monster Warsno page yet

New England lobstermen fighting over territory and price the same way Gloucester's tuna captains fight over grounds — same coastline, same stubborn independence.

But Shorter-lived and rougher-edged than Wicked Tuna, with less polish and fewer season-long arcs to follow.

The Perfect Storm2000

Set in the exact same fishing town as Wicked Tuna, dramatizing the mortal stakes the reality show only hints at with weather warnings.

George Clooney as a Gloucester swordfish captain chasing one last big catch before a monster storm closes in — same port, same gambler's math, played for tragedy instead of TV suspense.

But It's a disaster movie built for dread, not a hangout show; the ending is grim and doesn't pretend otherwise.

The Perfect Storm poster

The Old Man and the Sea1958

Strips the show's central image — man, line, monster fish — down to its oldest, purest form, decades before reality TV existed.

Spencer Tracy, alone in a skiff, locked in a days-long battle with a giant fish he can't land or let go — the primal, one-man version of every tuna fight Wicked Tuna cuts to commercial for.

But Slow, stagey, and studio-bound by today's standards; it's a meditation on pride and endurance, not an adrenaline hit.

The Old Man and the Sea poster

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