Anyone who wants to watch another adventure like theIndiana Jonesfranchise now has the perfect show: AMC’sNautilus. TheIndiana Jonesfranchise has been winding down since thebox office failure ofIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destinyin 2023. While adventure and exploration movies and shows are always popular, the uncertain future ofIndiana Jonesdoes leave a specific, history-focused niche unfilled. Adventure movies likeJumanji: Welcome to the Jungleand shows likeStar Trek: Strange New Worldsare inherently different, and there hasn’t been a greatIndiana Jonesreplacement in years.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing that can fully replaceIndiana Jones' unique combination of adventure, exploration, action, historical fiction, and mysticism. There are somemovies likeIndiana Jones, but even they fall short of the classic Harrison Ford films. However, AMC recently brought an adaptation of a classic science fiction novel to the United States for the first time, and it’s essentially a cross betweenIndiana JonesandPirates of the Caribbeanin the best way possible.
AMC Just Debuted A New Adventure Show Called Nautilus
Nautilus Follows The World’s First Submarine As Its Captain Hunts For Treasure & Fights Colonial Powers
Luckily,Nautilusis picking up essentially right whereIndiana Jonesleft off.Nautilusis a historical adventure show that takes place in 1857.Shazad Latif leads thecast ofNautilusas Captain Nemo, a mysterious man who quickly goes from being a prisoner of the East India Mercantile Company to stealing and captaining the world’s first submarine, theNautilus. Nemo and his ragtag crew of fellow escaped prisoners, the plucky young Humility Lucas (Georgia Flood), and the submarine’s co-creator, set off on an adventure to hunt for underwater treasure, explore the deepest recesses of the ocean, and get revenge against the company.
While they certainly have their differences,Nautilusis a great replacement forIndiana Jones. Both feature science fiction and fantasy elements; inIndiana Jonesit’s magical artifacts, whileNautilusdeals with giant sea creatures and mythical treasure.Nemo and Indiana Jones himself are also both very similar, as they’re both grumpy explorers who have to deal with often unwilling sidekicks to reach their goals. Even the enemies of both are similar: the East India Mercantile Company is a perfect, easy-to-hate bad guy, just like the Nazis inIndiana Jones.
How Nautilus Connects To Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Seas
Nautilus Is Inspired By Twenty Thousand Leagues & Tells Captain Nemo’s Origin Story
Nautilusalso has a connection to another iconic story: Jules Verne’sTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.Nautilusis inspired byTwenty Thousand Leaguesbut not a direct adaptation of Verne’s work, and it adds a new backstory to the novel’s mysterious Captain Nemo. In Verne’s work, Nemo’s backstory as an Indian prince is only revealed inThe Mysterious Island, which was published five years later and only briefly established his lineage.Nautilus, however, delves into the original crew of Nemo’s ship, his first exploits as the submarine’s captain, and the motivation for his fierce hatred of all things imperialist and colonialist.
Why Nautilus Is Worth Watching
Nautilus Is A Fun, Adventurous, & Easy Watch Led By A Charismatic Cast & Dazzling Visuals
There are quite a few reasons to watchNautilus, especially for fans of rip-roaring adventures.Nautilusis, above all else, an incredibly fun and adventurous time. Each episode features a new escapade, from escaping a prison camp to dealing with the submarine slowly sinking into certain doom.Reviews forNautilus, which helped it get a 78% score onRotten Tomatoes, have also noted that the show can balance its fun adventures with serious topics like colonialism and the dark history of the world. Plus, there’s nothing quite like seeingNautilus' stunning visuals as the submarine comes across various aquatic lifeforms.
Nautilus Release Schedule (Sundays @ 9 p.m. ET)
Ride of the Valkyrie
Too Big to Fail
August 23
There’s perhaps no better reason to watchNautilus, however, than the cast. Shazad Latif is brilliant as Captain Nemo, and the rest of the crew add humor, heart, and more than a few problems and moral dilemmas, to his story.WhileNautilusisn’t exactly prestige television, it’s still an endlessly entertaining show that’s perfect for anyone who wants a fairly lighthearted and exciting adventure series. It fills the nicheIndiana Jonesleft behind perfectly, andNautilusis worth watching for that reason alone.
