Dystopian Sci-Fi television series are quite different from your normal sci-fi fare, with the best of the best taking these exciting fictional societies and corrupting them to the point of dysfunction. Dystopian fiction does this in a variety of ways, often using the premise of its story to make a point about modern society. However, sometimes these dystopias simply feature memorable characters, using them to make their point as opposed to the state of its fictional society.
With this in mind, it is important to note the popularity of dystopian science fiction. These series constitute some of the most shocking sci-fi TV twists, standing as a testament to the impact of their writing. However, like many similar shows, many sci-fi shows are canceled before their time, showing just how important it is to support these series while they are still running, to ensure these iconic sci-fi shows stay around for longer.
10 Station Eleven (2021-2022)
This Post-Apocalyptic Miniseries Is A Terrifying Mirror Of Reality
Created by Patrick Somerville, Station Eleven is based on a novel (featuring the same name) by author Emily St. John Mandel. The series’s premise sees individuals attempting to adapt to life in a post-apocalyptic dystopia. A group tries to support their new lives as traveling performers only to come face to face with a cult.
- Cast
- Mackenzie Davis , Himesh Patel
- Release Date
- December 16, 2021
- Seasons
- 1
- Network
- HBO Max
Taking place in a world that has been ravaged by a widespread pandemic, Station Eleven revolves around a traveling theater troupe and its survival. They are faced with countless challenges in a world that feels a little too close to our own, even facing off against a dangerous cult that threatens to change everything. The world of Station Eleven is cruel and empty, often making the spaces that should theoretically be full of people instead feel eerie and liminal.
Station Eleven
is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Emily St. John Mandel.
The show itself has been met with near-universal acclaim, even sporting an impressive 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. It has even won awards for its achievement, with actress Mackenzie Davis even winning an award for her impactful performance. There are only ten episodes in this miniseries, making it the perfect show to binge for anyone interested in dystopian fiction.
9 Silo (2023-)
Viewers Are Still Unraveling This Mystery Box Series
Based on Hugh Howey’s Wool novel series, Silo is a sci-fi drama series created for Apple TV and follows an engineer named Juliette, who lives in a dystopian future. With the surface poisoned and the world all but ruined, the residents live in a silo deep underground. When the community sheriff breaks protocol and leads to the death of several residents, Juliette begins to discover the dark truth of the silo.
- Release Date
- May 5, 2023
- Seasons
- 1
- Directors
- Morten Tyldum , David Semel
- Showrunner
- Graham Yost
Starring Rebecca Ferguson in another iconic role, Silo sets out to answer what life would be like if all that remained of humanity was trapped living on the inside of a massive silo. According to those in command of the Silo, the world outside is dangerous and uninhabitable. However, Ferguson’s character Juliette Nichols is not so sure that they are telling the truth.
The mystery of Silo is instantly compelling, urging its viewers to keep watching in the hopes that their numerous questions might be answered. The series’ production design is especially notable, stunning in its scale and even managing to win it an award from the British Film Designers Guild. The series is still ongoing as Silo‘s second season is still on the way, making it a highly anticipated addition to the dystopian television lexicon.
8 The 100 (2014-2020)
Brutal Dystopian Fiction Set In The Far Future
The 100 is a sci-fi post-apocalyptic TV series set ninety-seven years after a nuclear war has destroyed civilization. When a spaceship housing humanity’s lone survivors send one hundred juvenile delinquents back to Earth in hopes of possibly re-populating the planet, they discover that Earth is still inhabited. Now constantly in a state of power flux with warring clans, cannibals, and mountain-dwellers, the juveniles must attempt to survive while re-establishing contact with the Ark.
- Cast
- Devon Bostick , Christopher Larkin , Marie Avgeropoulos , Sachin Sahel , Richard Harmon , Chelsey Reist , Henry Ian Cusick , Bob Morley , Jarod Joseph , Paige Turco , Adina Porter , Ricky Whittle , Eliza Taylor , Isaiah Washington , Lindsey Morgan , Tasya Teles
- Release Date
- March 19, 2014
- Seasons
- 7
- Writers
- Jason Rothenberg , Mallory Kass
- Showrunner
- Jason Rothenberg
- Production Company
- Bonanza Productions, Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television, CBS Television Studios
Featuring a group of young prisoners who are sent to Earth after the space station that humanity calls home begins to fail, the characters of The 100 are tasked with determining whether the Earth is once again safe 90 years after nuclear fallout. The premise continues to evolve over the show’s 7 seasons, changing as the characters solve the problems they are presented. The show can be incredibly brutal at times, especially for a show that aired on CW, unafraid of killing off its characters even in the very first episode.
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After a rocky first season, The 100 quickly became a staple of CW television, with several of its seasons standing at an incredible 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is another award-winning series, and for good reason. Its many seasons show just how good the writing and character development were for this sci-fi series, which began at perhaps the peak of dystopian young adult fiction.
7 The Man in the High Castle (2015-2019)
Ridley Scott’s Alternate Universe Series Is A Must-See
The Man in the High Castle is a tv adaptation of the alternate historical thriller book written by Phillip K. Dick. The show follows multiple perspectives in a world where the Nazis and Japan won World War II and have now taken over the world and split the united states into East and West sections. When several characters discover that the current reality isn’t supposed to be based on prophetic newsreels, it becomes a race between the ruling powers and the rebellion to find the figure that knows the truth behind it all.
- Cast
- Rufus Sewell , Luke Kleintank , Alexa Davalos
- Release Date
- January 15, 2015
- Seasons
- 4
- Writers
- Frank Spotnitz
- Directors
- Frank Spotnitz
- Showrunner
- Frank Spotnitz
Directed by science fiction legend Ridley Scott, The Man in the High Castle is an alternate universe sci-fi show set in a reality where the Axis powers won World War II. It is based on the novel of the same name from 1962 and follows a group of people living under the regime, called the Japanese Pacific States in America, that slowly begins their journey towards rebellion. The dystopia that is developed in this series leaves one to wonder how horrible things would have turned out if this was the way WWII had originally gone.
The first two episodes of the series originally debuted at San Diego Comic-Con in 2015.
Deeply conspiratorial and incredibly tense, The Man in the High Castle is an excellent example of how to create alternate reality fiction. Not only does the show address themes of fascism head-on, but it manages to do so while creating a compelling narrative that eclipses many in the genre. The pilot was the most watched original series episode at the time of its release, receiving rave reviews from fans and critics alike.
6 Westworld (2016-2022)
It Is Based On The 1973 Film Westworld
HBO’s Westworld is a dystopian science fiction western that is based on the Michael Crichton-directed film, Westworld. The series centers on high-paying guests who visit a western theme park full of human-like androids to live out wild fantasies. Westworld would later introduce a futuristic mid-21st century where the world is run by an artificial intelligence called Rehoboam. The series was incredibly popular during its four-season run but was canceled by HBO in November 2022.
- Release Date
- October 2, 2016
- Seasons
- 4
- Writers
- Jonathan Nolan , Lisa Joy
- Showrunner
- Jonathan Nolan , Lisa Joy
Originally based on the 1973 film of the same name, Westworld is a series about an amusement park built to emulate the American Wild West. However, this amusement park is filled with androids built for the express purpose of fulfilling guests’ fantasies, no matter how dark and twisted those fantasies might be. It is a chilling look at the lack of empathy humanity can have, especially when acting in the role of a god.
Westworld is a quality series that balances its radical premise with grounded visuals and honest emotional storytelling. It tackles the question of what makes something human in a way that feels satisfying, prompting the viewer to ask themselves the very same question. The series was beloved for this reason and more, ending its four-season run in 2022.
5 The Last of Us (2023-)
This Zombie Thriller Was Based On A Video Game
The Last Of Us is a television adaptation of the acclaimed video game, set in a post-apocalyptic world where a smuggler named Joel (Pedro Pascal) is tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), across the ravaged United States. Along their journey, they must confront various threats from both infected creatures and hostile human factions. The show is produced by HBO and created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann.
- Cast
- Pedro Pascal , Bella Ramsey , Anna Torv , lamar johnson , Jeffrey Pierce , Keivonn Woodard , John Getz , Olivier Ross-Parent , Samuel Hoeksema , Gabriel Luna , Merle Dandridge , Nico Parker , Melanie Lynskey , John Hannah , Josh Brener , Christopher Heyerdahl , Brad Leland , Marcia Bennett , Brendan Fletcher , Jerry Wasserman , Wendy Gorling , Jessica Belbin , Haysam Kadri , Sarah Himadeh , Caitlin Howden , Max Montesi , Natasha Mumba , Gina Louise Phillips , Taylor St. Pierre , Ryan D. Clarke , Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah , Logan Pierce
- Release Date
- January 15, 2023
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Neil Druckmann , Craig Mazin
- Directors
- Craig Mazin
- Showrunner
- Craig Mazin
Notable for its powerful emotional throughline and strong characters, The Last of Us is an HBO zombie series that transpires in a world in which the zombies are just the hosts of a terrifying breed of parasitic mushrooms that turns people into bloodthirsty zombies. The main character, Joel, finds himself in the care of a young girl named Ellie, who is miraculously immune to this zombie infection. The key to saving the world from this dystopia is in their hands, but despite the initially hopeful premise, Joel and Ellie face trauma and hardship at every step in their journey.
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The visuals are incredible, with zombie designs that look as though they were taken straight out of the 2013 video game this series is based on.The Last of Us took some creative liberties with the game’s plot to adapt the series to television, but did so with reverence to the original in a way that adds to the game’s story rather than taking away from it. This show marked a change in video game adaptations to television, showing that the stories told in these games are just as good, if not better, than what is currently on TV.
4 Black Mirror (2016-)
This Anthology Series Holds A Haunting Mirror To Real Life Topics
Black Mirror is a sci-fi anthology TV series that shows the dark side of life and technology. The series was created by Charlie Brooker, with the first season premiering on British Channel 4 in 2011. Black Mirror is notable for its dark, satirical edge that provides social commentary, particularly in continuously evolving technology. Each episode has a different cast, location, and even reality as it further explores the themes of technological advancement and its potential positives and repercussions of overreliance on it.
- Release Date
- December 4, 2011
- Seasons
- 5
- Directors
- Charlie Brooker
- Showrunner
- Charlie Brooker
A bit unique in the way it presents itself, Black Mirror is a dystopia in which the premise changes from episode to episode. This is because it is an anthology series, featuring new actors and characters with each installment. Even though the series changes so wildly, even within a single season, each contained story is wildly dystopian in ways that reflect the world around us, holding a mirror to topics such as modern social media usage and the rise of artificial intelligence.
Inspired by other anthology classics like The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror has become its own sort of modern-day classic. It has been cited as one of the best series of the 2010s by several outlets, including Entertainment Weekly, and both the series and its creators have won countless awards for their achievements on a technical level and as a result of their incredible storytelling. The show is eerie to its core, showing the possible realities that the world could fall into because of technology.
3 Fallout (2024-)
Amazon Prime’s Newest Success Is Based On A Beloved Video Game Franchise
Based on the video game franchise of the same name, Fallout is a drama series set in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. The series follows the survivors of the human race in an alternate 1950s timeline, where nuclear war laid waste to the Earth, spawning large irradiated areas and mutated humans who now roam the planet.
- Release Date
- April 10, 2024
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Lisa Joy , Jonathan Nolan
- Showrunner
- Lisa Joy , Jonathan Nolan
- Creator(s)
- Graham Wagner , Geneva Robertson-Dworet
Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout is about exactly what the title suggests—nuclear fallout. The series itself takes place in an alternate world with a similar history to our own, except after WWII the emphasis on the creation of nuclear technology was much more pronounced. Now, living in the fallout of a nuclear war that decimated the planet decades ago, many of the survivors either live in vaults or deal with the consequences of the irradiated wasteland.
This new series was based on the original Fallout games, a long-running series of video games that dates as far back as 1997. Fallout shot to immediate popularity the moment it was released, even being named as one of the best sci-fi shows of 2024. The Fallout series was so popular on Amazon that not only did it become the second most-viewed title on the entire streaming service, but the video games themselves received a surge of attention that resulted in a massive 160% increase in players.
2 Severance (2022-)
An Incredible Mystery Unfolds In This Office Dystopia
From director and executive producer Ben Stiller and creator Dan Erickson comes “Severance.” Mark Scout (Adam Scott) leads a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This daring experiment in “work-life balance” is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work… and himself.
- Release Date
- February 18, 2022
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Dan Erickson
- Showrunner
- Dan Erickson , Mark Friedman
Severance begins with an immediately interesting premise, beginning with Mark Scout and his office job at the somewhat shady company Lumon Industries. Initially, it seems to be just like any office job, except to work there one must undergo a “severance,” completely separating their memories of work from their memories of the rest of their lives. What follows begins as a slow burn, ramping up as the mystery lingering at the center of the series’ plot begins to unfold.
While not the most traditional dystopian series, Severance still manages to portray the alternate reality of this work-life nightmare in a way that speaks to the heart of the everyday nine-to-five office worker. It also weaves the greater mystery of Lumon Industries together with the subtle horror of everyday office culture in a way that feels organic. Though there is only one season of the show as of now, Severance season 2 is coming, set for release in January 2025.
1 The Handmaid’s Tale (2017-)
Margaret Atwood’s Novel Is Fully Realized In This Series
The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian television series based on the 1985 novel by author Margaret Atwood. The series was created by Bruce Miller and stars Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, and Yvonne Strahovski. The show follows the story of a young handmaid as she is forced to deal with a new totalitarian government that subjugates women in this dark societal twist.
- Cast
- O-T Fagbenle , Joseph Fiennes , Alexis Bledel , Elisabeth Moss , Amanda Brugel , Bradley Whitford , Max Minghella , Ann Dowd , Samira Wiley , Madeline Brewer , Yvonne Strahovski
- Release Date
- April 26, 2017
- Seasons
- 5
- Writers
- Bruce Miller , Margaret Atwood
- Showrunner
- Bruce Miller
Told through the lens of a woman named June, The Handmaid’s Tale depicts the state of the world after a totalitarian government has very recently established itself at the head of the United States. Renamed Offred after she is forcibly assigned as a Handmaid to bear the children of Commander Fred Waterford, June struggles to cope with her new reality. The series is haunting to its very core, depicting the suffering of June and women like her in grave detail.
The Handmaid’s Tale
is a scathing criticism of fascism, displaying rebellion in a world that has subjugated the people living in it.
A masterclass in building empathy, this series is a deeply feminist story rooted in the real-life atrocities that women have faced across the globe. The Handmaid’s Tale is a scathing criticism of fascism, displaying rebellion in a world that has subjugated the people living in it. With its powerful acting and fully realized story, both of which and more have earned the show all sorts of awards, including two Golden Globes and several Emmy Awards, The Handmaid’s Tale has become an incredible example of what Sci-Fi can achieve.
