Life Below Zero (2013)

Adventure · Documentary · Reality-TV

Viewers go deep into an Alaskan winter to meet six tough and resilient residents as they try to stay one step ahead of storms and man-eating beasts to make it through to spring. The closest neighbor to Sue Aikens is more than 300 miles away. Eric Salitan subsists solely on what he hunts and forages. Chip and Agnes Hailstone catch fish for currency in bartering for supplies, and Andy and Kate Bassich use their pack of sled dogs for transportation.

IMDb rating: 7.9 (2,688 votes)
Episode average: 8.3 ↑ +0.4 vs IMDb
Seasons: 23
Streaming (US): Hulu · Disney+
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Slow burn trajectory: later seasons lift off. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well. See every Slow burn show in the explorer →

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 23 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (2013)

7.56 avg 10 episodes 7.6 → 7.8 44 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	End of the Road	7.6	64
2	Hunt, Barter and Steal	7.5	48
3	Winters Edge	7.3	48
4	Wolf at the Door	7.5	43
5	Blood, Sweat and Fear	7.5	42
6	There Be Monsters	7.6	36
7	Cold Dark and Alone	7.8	38
8	Checkmate	7.5	37
9	The Chase	7.5	34
10	Hell and High Water	7.8	36

Season 2 (2013)

7.58 avg 6 episodes 7.7 → 7.5 43 min avg

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Hunt or Be Hunted	7.7	29
2	The Meltdown	7.8	27
3	The Mess of Success	7.5	24
4	Hungry Country	7.5	24
5	No Time to Lose	7.5	25
6	Long Road Home	7.5	26

Season 3 (2014)

7.72 avg 14 episodes 7.6 → 8.6 43 min avg

Big finale

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Winter's Warning	7.6	28
2	Deadly Grounds	7.7	26
3	Dark Times Ahead	7.5	25
4	Calling the Wild	7.7	23
5	Fire and Ice	7.5	24
6	Thin Ice	7.7	22
7	Return to the Wild	7.8	23
8	No Mercy	7.6	22
9	Breaking Point	7.8	19
10	Search and Rescue	7.2	20
11	The Howling	7.7	20
12	Dark Winter's End	7.8	21
13	Independent by Nature	7.9	14
14	Through the Darkness	8.6	7

Season 4 (2014)

7.57 avg 7 episodes 7.6 → 7.6 43 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Waiting Game	7.6	21
2	Opportunity Knocks	7.7	20
3	The Harvest	7.3	20
4	Sink or Swim	7.6	19
5	Ticking Clock	7.5	19
6	Last Minute Push	7.7	20
7	End of Days	7.6	19

Season 5 (2015)

7.82 avg 13 episodes 8.1 → 8.4 43 min avg

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Ready or Not	8.1	20
2	Armed for Winter	7.2	19
3	Out of Control	7.9	22
4	The Unknown	8.0	19
5	Ice Highway	7.6	20
6	Darkness Falls	7.5	18
7	Alone in the Dark	7.7	18
8	Emergency Cache	7.5	17
9	No Easy Out	7.7	18
10	Bent and Broken	7.9	17
11	The Crash	8.1	18
12	Aftermath	8.0	18
13	Beyond Survival	8.4	6

Season 6 (2015)

7.54 avg 8 episodes 7.6 → 7.4 43 min avg

Season 6 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Resurrection	7.6	20
2	The Bottom Line	7.6	16
3	Running on Empty	7.5	17
4	Red Flag	7.6	16
5	Predator Control	7.6	16
6	Divide and Conquer	7.5	16
7	Under the Gun	7.5	17
8	Lost in the Wild	7.4	16

Season 7 (2016)

7.52 avg 15 episodes 7.4 → 7.0 43 min avg

Season 7 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	On the Edge	7.4	25
2	Pride and Power	7.6	20
3	Falling Apart	7.5	20
4	Deadly Tracks	7.8	18
5	Breaking Through	7.8	18
6	Shakedown	7.9	18
7	Ghosts of Winter	7.9	20
8	No Boundaries	7.2	19
9	Trapped and Hunted	7.4	18
10	Winter Kill	7.3	21
11	Sue Aikens	6.8	18
12	Loaded	7.5	22
13	The Hailstones	8.5	17
14	No Shortcuts	7.2	18
15	Glenn Villeneuve	7.0	12

Season 8 (2016)

7.62 avg 11 episodes 7.3 → 7.6 45 min avg

Season 8 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Confrontation	7.3	21
2	Blindsided	7.5	17
3	River of Rage	7.6	18
4	Head Above Water	7.5	20
5	Against the Tide	7.7	18
6	The Slow Grind	8.0	19
7	Midnight Sun	7.4	20
8	Higher Ground	7.4	19
9	Tools of the Trade	7.6	6
10	Andy Bassich	8.2	7
11	Renegades of the Arctic	7.6	8

Season 9 (2017)

8.10 avg 9 episodes 7.9 → 8.1 46 min avg

Season 9 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Unfamiliar Territory	7.9	25
2	Howl of the Wild	7.9	22
3	The 11th Hour	8.0	18
4	Burn the Midnight Oil	8.3	19
5	Arctic Super Moon	8.4	19
6	Winter's Grip	8.1	17
7	Shelter from the Storm	8.4	19
8	False Start	7.8	18
9	Seasons of Change	8.1	9

Season 10 (2018)

8.36 avg 13 episodes 8.0 → 8.2 45 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 10 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Homecoming	8.0	29
2	New Territory	7.7	25
3	Facing Fears	8.4	20
4	To Catch a King	8.4	18
5	The Intruder	8.1	18
6	Heavy Load	8.3	20
7	The Widowmaker	8.1	17
8	Close Encounter	8.4	17
10	Hounds of the Arctic	9.1	8
11	Cold Comfort	8.2	6
13	Queens of the North	9.6	8
15	Give Me Shelter	8.2	7
17	Land of Ice and Fire	8.2	7

Season 11 (2018)

7.98 avg 22 episodes 8.2 → 8.1 46 min avg

Season 11 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Changing of the Guard	8.2	28
2	End of the Rope	8.2	22
3	No Guarantees	7.9	20
4	Arctic Harvest	8.2	21
5	Home Again	8.1	20
6	The Great Unknown	8.1	20
7	A Lesson Learned	8.0	20
8	Into the Storm	7.9	20
9	Trail of Wolves	7.8	21
10	Trial by Fire	8.6	24
11	Window of Opportunity	7.9	19
12	Winds of Change	7.8	19
13	The Burning Man	7.5	20
14	Open Season	7.8	17
15	The Great Changeover	8.0	17
16	The Nightmare	8.2	18
17	Treading Water	8.1	17
18	Highways of the Arctic	7.9	16
19	Back in the Saddle	7.9	15
20	Race Against Time	7.7	15
21	No One Fights Alone	7.7	15
22	Cost of Winter	8.1	16

Season 12 (2018)

8.07 avg 19 episodes 8.4 → 8.4 45 min avg

Season 12 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Winds of Change	8.4	20
2	The Burning Man	7.8	14
3	Open Season	7.6	16
4	The Great Changeover	8.3	18
5	The Nightmare	8.0	16
6	Treading Water	7.9	15
7	Highways of the Arctic	8.2	14
8	Back in the Saddle	7.8	15
9	Race Against Time	7.8	14
10	No One Fights Alone	8.1	14
11	Cost of Winter	7.3	14
12	Winters End	7.9	13
13	First Blood	8.5	15
14	Shock & Awe	8.2	12
15	Domino Effect	8.1	12
16	Bear Scare	8.4	14
17	New Country	8.4	14
18	Beware the Wild	8.2	14
19	The New World	8.4	16

Season 13 (2019)

8.62 avg 10 episodes 8.5 → 9.0 43 min avg

Big finale

Season 13 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Adapt or Die	8.5	13
2	Life and Death	8.3	11
3	Taking Chances	8.4	11
4	The Other Side	8.7	11
5	Into the Night	8.6	10
6	Bone Cold	8.9	10
7	Man Down	8.7	9
8	Blood Lines	8.7	9
9	Arctic Discipline	8.4	8
10	Ultimate Sacrifice	9.0	8

Season 14 (2019)

8.61 avg 11 episodes 8.9 → 8.8 43 min avg

Season 14 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Bare Bones	8.9	12
2	The Big Catch	8.8	10
3	Bad Bones	8.6	10
4	Inside Out	8.2	11
5	Past Lives	7.9	11
6	Full Circle	8.9	11
7	Sky's the Limit	8.7	9
8	Dead Weight	8.6	9
9	Second Nature	8.4	10
10	Young Guns	8.9	9
11	Lost and Found	8.8	10

Season 15 (2020)

8.88 avg 6 episodes 9.0 → 9.2 44 min avg

Big finale

Season 15 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Brink of Water	9.0	12
2	Life & Death	8.4	11
3	Taking Chances	9.0	9
4	The Other Side	8.7	9
5	Into the Night	9.0	8
6	Bone Cold	9.2	8

Season 16 (2020)

9.17 avg 4 episodes 8.7 → 9.4 44 min avg

Slow burn

Season 16 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Bare Bones	8.7	9
2	The Big Catch	9.0	7
5	Past Lives	9.6	7
11	Lost and Found	9.4	7

Season 17 (2021)

8.84 avg 11 episodes 7.5 → 9.3 44 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 17 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Winter's Surprise	7.5	10
2	Breaking Trail	9.0	8
3	Cold Harvest	9.3	8
4	Cold Rage	8.7	8
5	Creature of the Night	9.2	8
6	Whiteout	9.0	8
7	Fast Food	8.1	9
8	Cold Crusade	9.2	8
9	Winter Reigns	9.2	7
10	Bad Break	8.7	8
11	The Beast	9.3	8

Season 18 (2021)

9.16 avg 8 episodes 9.0 → 9.0 44 min avg

Season 18 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Swept Away	9.0	10
2	Something Out There	9.2	8
3	Raging Waters	9.3	8
4	Open Wounds	9.4	7
5	Chasing Ghosts	9.4	7
6	Fire in the Sky	8.8	8
7	A Hunt to Remember	9.2	8
8	Rite of Passage	9.0	8

Season 19 (2022)

9.20 avg 3 episodes 9.2 → 9.2 44 min avg

Consistent

Season 19 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Blood on the Ground	9.2	8
7	Burdens of Winter	9.2	8
8	Hard Lessons, Lasting Impressions	9.2	8

Season 20 (2022)

9.14 avg 8 episodes 9.1 → 9.0 44 min avg

Consistent

Season 20 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Women of the North	9.1	9
2	Break Up Time is Wake Up Time	9.2	8
3	The Burden of Possessions	9.0	8
4	Trials & Tributaries	9.2	8
5	Strange New World	9.2	8
6	A Game of Chance	9.3	8
7	Last Taste of Summer	9.1	9
8	The Pursuit	9.0	10

Season 21 (2023)

9.42 avg 11 episodes 9.2 → 8.4 44 min avg

Season 21 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Pulled from the Darkness	9.2	10
2	Like Ghosts	9.1	9
3	On the Auroras	9.7	8
4	Off the Deep End	9.7	8
5	Going in Circles	9.4	7
6	From Here to There	9.2	8
7	The Foundation	9.8	7
8	The Rising Tides	9.9	10
9	The Silent Hunter	9.6	6
10	Paving Paths	9.6	6
11	Waking from Winter	8.4	6

Season 22 (2023)

9.56 avg 8 episodes 9.4 → 9.8 44 min avg

Rebound

Season 22 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Destroyer of Worlds	9.4	10
2	Bulletproof	9.8	6
3	Transitions	9.8	6
4	The Way of the Bear	9.4	6
5	Summer Camp	9.0	7
6	Run Aground	9.5	7
7	Beyond the Tundra	9.8	6
8	Respect the Wild	9.8	7

Season 23 (2024)

9.56 avg 19 episodes 9.3 → 9.6 44 min avg

Season 23 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Deep Dark Winter	9.3	9
2	Night Moves	9.3	8
3	School of Ice	9.8	7
4	Creatures of Darkness	9.8	7
6	What's Up From Down	9.6	7
7	Return of the Herd	9.6	7
8	Night Country	9.6	7
9	Rites of Winter	9.6	9
10	Tastes Like Home	9.6	7
11	It's Never Easy	9.5	8
12	100 Miles From Nowhere	9.6	7
13	Into the Tundra	9.6	7
14	Mama's Home	9.5	8
15	Rising Waters	9.6	7
16	The Warming	9.6	7
17	High Risk, High Reward	9.2	7
18	The Rat Race	9.6	8
19	A New Reality	9.6	7
20	The Last Snow	9.6	10

Life Below Zero (2013)

Cast

Seasons

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