Apocalyptic, Dystopian and Despair: Favorite TV Series
Active (ongoing) series listed on top. Otherwise, shows listed in mostly random order.
There is some overlap between this list and my "Vampires, Zombies & Monsters" list. I tried to keep duplicates to a bare minimum.
There is some overlap between this list and my "Vampires, Zombies & Monsters" list. I tried to keep duplicates to a bare minimum.
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- CreatorGeneva Robertson-DworetGraham WagnerStarsElla PurnellAaron MotenWalton GogginsIn a future, post-apocalyptic Los Angeles brought about by nuclear decimation, citizens must live in underground bunkers to protect themselves from radiation, mutants and bandits.1 season / 8 episodes: Ongoing Series
- CreatorNeil DruckmannCraig MazinStarsPedro PascalBella RamseyAnna TorvAfter a global pandemic destroys civilization, a hardened survivor takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may be humanity's last hope.1 season / 9 episodes: Ongoing Series
Zombie apocalypse told through the lens of dramatic, character building, story-telling. - StarsLee Jung-jaePark Hae-sooYasushi IwakiHundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits with deadly high stakes: a survival game that has a whopping 45.6 billion-won prize at stake.1 season / 9 episodes: Ongoing Series
aka: Squid Game : a second season was greenlit in June 2022. And, per Wikipedia, it is expected to air in 2024. - CreatorDan EricksonStarsAdam ScottZach CherryBritt LowerMark leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives. When a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, it begins a journey to discover the truth about their jobs.1 season / 9 episodes: Ongoing Series
Wonderful drama that builds up nicely during the season. Terrific hook where an individual lives dual lives via technology. Great character depth. A good look at how a dystopian society can get started.
I'll admit that the trailer didn't pull me in and almost passed on this series. I gave it a chance because I liked the premise. So happy I did. - StarsSong KangLee Jin-wookLee Si-youngHyun, a loner high school student who lost his entire family in a terrible accident, is forced to leave his home and has to face a new reality where monsters are trying to wipe out all of humanity. Now he must fight against all odds to try and race against the clock to save what is left of the human race before it's too late.2 season / 18 episodes: Ongoing Series
aka Sweet Home.
update, 15dec2023: "The third season is scheduled for release in the summer of 2024." (wikipedia).
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Nearly unkillable (unique) Monsters instead of Zombies drive this apocalyptic story. S.Korean with English Dub available. Great cast, great story. Loved season 1. - CreatorJohn HyamsKarl SchaeferStarsJaime KingJustin Chu CaryChristine LeeIn the dark, early days of a zombie apocalypse, complete strangers band together to find the strength they need to survive and get back to loved ones.2 season / 16 episodes: Renewal unknown (17dec2023)
Produced by 'The Asylum' (the same people behind 'Z-Nation' - a great series). Black Summer more closely follows the serious tone of the original 'The Walking Dead'. Season one was top tier stuff.
Season 2: unable to finish the second episode. A disaster in storytelling. Stories are told in chopped up reverse order. Who thought this was a good idea?
Everything is anticlimactic: there is no build-up, no journey of discovery, no character development. It's a nonsensical punchline delivered first, followed by a stale joke - over and over again.
So disappointed in the "artistic" decision to editorially mangle a promising series. Listed here based solely on season 1.
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update, 17dec2023: 2.5 years later, I'm still angry about what they did with season 2.
I honestly don't feel like I could watch another season (if greenlit) since I was forced to skip season 2. I may soon remove this series from this list. - CreatorJason GeorgeStarsPauline EtienneLaurent CapellutoMehmet KurtulusWhen radiation from the sun causes a global disaster on Earth, survivors on an overnight flight from Brussels race from city to city trying to stay ahead of the sun's rays by remaining in the cover of night.2 seasons / 12 episodes: Season 3 pending
Belgian product w/English language dub available. New twist on what leads to an apocalypse.
A third season hasn't been confirmed yet (as of 15dec2023). Season 2 aired on September 8, 2021, so it's been 2+ years without an update. - CreatorSimon PhillipsStarsNicola PosenerSimon PhillipsDeji LaRayIn an America quarantined by the rest of the world, humans and vampires co-exist on opposite coasts thanks to a peace treaty, while each side plots to destroy the other.1 season / 6 episodes: Ongoing Series
update, 15dec2023: IMDB no longer lists the season 2 and season 3 air dates. This series was previously expected to air on the dates given below (per IMDB).
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season 2 premiere: 15oct2023 (IMDB)
season 3 premiere: 25mar2024 (IMDB)
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Also, this series has no Wikipedia page (thru 15dec2023) making it doubly hard to get updates.
Season 1 aired on July 19, 2020.
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I understand the low-rating (4.8 by 675 as of 06sep2021 // 4.4 by 771 by 14aug2023). This is a low-budget, b-movie like TV series.
The bad: Vampires too campy, bad acting, weak story arc.
The good: Humans are actually done very well, much better acting, stronger story plot.
I find that I can put up with the vampires and the b-movie elements and still enjoy the low-budget series these guys are putting together - it's fairly rich in details. - CreatorJim MickleBeth SchwartzStarsNonso AnozieChristian ConveryAdeel AkhtarA boy who is half human and half deer survives in a post-apocalyptic world with other hybrids.2 seasons / 16 episodes: Season 3 pending
While categorized as a fantasy drama, it takes place in a (softer, gentler) post-apocalyptic world (and the reason it's included on this list).
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update, 22jul2023: I started watching season 2 and it feels so different. Suddenly it feels like a kid's show, kid villains, goofy.
I think I made it through the first episode but I'm not sure. My brain went numb.
On the back burner for now... maybe it'll feel like it was written for adults (too) as it continues. Maybe the first episode was an aberration. But the series will have to wait.
Once on backburner status, it tends to stay there because my expectations have rock-bottomed and there are many other options for entertainment. - CreatorJames CameronCharles H. EgleeStarsJessica AlbaMichael WeatherlyRichard GunnA group of genetically-enhanced children escape from a lab project. Years later we meet Max, one of the escapees who now works for a messenger service in the post-apocalyptic Pacific Northwest.2 seasons / 43 episodes: Series Complete
Dystopian, survivalists, enhanced humans, heroism, tech hacks, extended families. Will slowly draw you into their world and keep you engaged.
I've seen this series three times already and it always delivers. I love the characters, the strong plots, the world created for this series and Jessica Alba (as Max Guevera) who brought all the pieces of this show together. - CreatorChris DemaraisJosh FlanaganBurnie BurnsStarsJesse C. BoydWalker SatterwhiteStephanie DrapeauAn unexplainable epidemic has swept across the globe affecting every human being. People are frantically searching for answers because if you fall asleep... You die. How long can people stay awake?2 seasons / 14 episodes: Series Complete
A hidden gem. Honestly surprised more people haven't discovered this (only 1,365 votes as of 15aug2023). Great characters, well-written story, constant tension (you sleep, you die).
High on my list of recommends since I'd like more people to see this. New take on what leads to an apocalypse. - CreatorLeslie StevensStarsKevin ConwayAlex DiakunEric Schneider"The Outer Limits" is a science fiction anthology series, with Kevin Conway providing the voice of "Control Voice".7 seasons / 152 episodes: Series Complete
Many episodes that tackle the list criteria. - CreatorRyan J. CondalCarlton CuseStarsJosh HollowaySarah Wayne CalliesPeter JacobsonIn the wake of a mysterious alien invasion, a family fights to stay together in a new world order.3 seasons / 36 episodes: Series Complete
I can emphatically state that it takes a few episodes before you begin to see what other fans have experienced. Give it time and you'll be rewarded with one of the best dramatic Sci-Fi series of all-time. - CreatorBryan FullerStarsEllen MuthCallum BlueJasmine GuyAfter being hit on the head by a toilet seat that fell from Mir space station, a young temp clerk becomes a grim reaper in death.2 seasons / 29 episodes: Series Complete
An example of despair (a list criteria) as expressed from the reapers.
Ellen Muth elevated this well-scripted series into something very special. She had a quality about her that I really liked. Sadly, it appears she has done no acting since 2013. - CreatorBen KetaiRyan LewisStarsCaitlin CarmichaelChad Michael MurrayNicky WhelanIan Mitchell discovers a mysterious box on his doorstep containing a gun and a photo of a stranger he must kill in the next three days. If he doesn't kill him, he'll be endangering the safety of himself and his family.3 seasons / 18 episodes: Series Complete
Sudden life disrupting hopelessness & despair. This is a pulse-pounding, dramatic, edge of your seat, hidden gem originally from Crackle. - CreatorRod SerlingStarsRod SerlingRobert McCordJay OverholtsOrdinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner.5 seasons / 156 episodes: Series Complete
Many episodes that tackle the list criteria of individual despair. - CreatorFrank DarabontStarsAndrew LincolnNorman ReedusMelissa McBrideSheriff Deputy Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma to learn the world is in ruins and must lead a group of survivors to stay alive.11 seasons / 177 episodes: Series Complete
Thank you, TWD! It was a good run! Those last few seasons, though... - StarsRoark CritchlowAndrew AblesonTara Platt1 season / 13 (23min) episodes or 130 (3min) episodes:
Series Complete
Was an animated episodic web series and one of the best things I've ever seen. A riveting apocalyptic Sci-fi mystery and a masterpiece in story-telling. - DirectorJames SheldonStarsJohn LarchCloris LeachmanDon KeeferOn an isolated family farm in Peakesville, Ohio, young Anthony Fremont, who has vast mental powers but lacks emotional development, holds his terrified family and neighbors in thrall to his every juvenile wish.Season 3, episode 8 (1961)
This is the Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life".
One of the single best episodes - of all time - about an enhanced human. If you love this genre and haven't seen this...
From 1961 but watchable in modern times (like so many of Twilight Zone's ageless episodes). - DirectorAllan KroekerStarsForest WhitakerCloris LeachmanLiliana Mumy40 years later, god-like Anthony Fremont is still holding Peaksville, Ohio under a reign of terror. However, things are about to change when his daughter turns out to have similar powers.Season 1, episode 30 (2003)
A powerful followup to the 1961 classic. 40 years later, Anthony Fremont is all grown up. He also has a daughter - Audrey Fremont... - CreatorAlfred GoughMiles MillarStarsDaniel WuOrla BradyEmily BeechamA mighty warrior and a young boy with supernatural powers search for enlightenment in a ruthless post-apocalyptic America controlled by feudal barons.3 seasons / 32 episodes: Series Complete
Post-apocalyptic, no guns anywhere, martial arts, great fighting scenes, blades, territories (Barons), huge cast of characters, layered story-telling within the confines of a main theme, politics led by power/control and a solidly written real-feel drama.
Didn't expect 'Into the Badlands' to be this good when I started the series. The series has both a proper and rewarding ending. - CreatorAdrian HodgesStarsJulie GrahamMax BeesleyPaterson JosephAn unknown virus pandemic kills more than 90% of the world's population. Those immune must strive to survive and overcome the difficulties of this new world order, hoping that the virus will not mutate.2 seasons / 12 episodes: Series Complete
Such a great series when I saw this in 2008. I especially liked that government officials were part of the story.
In too many apocalyptic worlds, those in charge during the pre-pandemic simply disappear from the storytelling. It's the elephant in the room. This series does a good job of integrating their experiences while also providing further insight into the causes (and possible solutions) of the virus.
I thought Nikki Amuka-Bird shined as a gov official trying to establish some kind of new order in the chaos and the difficult (moral) compromises she must make - as she also tries to survive.
It added an extra dimension that some other series gloss over preferring to focus on a sole leader. Many other great performances in this well rounded series. - CreatorCraig EnglerKarl SchaeferStarsRussell HodgkinsonNat ZangKeith AllanThree years after the zombie virus has gutted the United States of America a team of everyday heroes must transport the only known survivor of the plague from New York to California, where the last functioning viral lab waits for his blood.5 seasons / 68 episodes: Series Complete
Both fun and serious. Unique characters, unique storylines. Murphy sets the tone for a series loaded with great characters - CreatorJ.J. AbramsJeffrey LieberDamon LindelofStarsJorge GarciaJosh HollowayYunjin KimThe survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.6 seasons / 121 episodes: Series Complete
This series tackles the despair aspect within the confines of this new normal very well. - CreatorChristopher McQuarrieStarsJason WilesDaisy BettsChadwick BosemanSeveral strangers awaken and find themselves imprisoned inside a small ghost town. They quickly search for answers and along the way start to question each other's motives.1 season / 13 episodes: Series Complete
Think Cube (1997) and Escape Room (2019) but set in a remote town (unlike the puzzle pieces of the aforementioned films), with the addition of real character development.