The tip of the world is nigh, or a minimum of that appears to be a warning based mostly on the flood of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic TV exhibits being launched over the previous couple of a long time, significantly within the final 5 to 10 years. In every of the exhibits, the world has come to an finish via some type of tragic circumstance: a nuclear struggle, a lethal virus, an alien invasion, even a zombie takeover.

The most effective apocalyptic exhibits mix an intriguing story with compelling character arcs. Most are emotional, typically to the purpose of gut-wrenching, whereas some supply a extra humorous take. Many give attention to the apocalypse as merely a backdrop for a bigger story in regards to the state of humanity. However one of the best apocalyptic TV exhibits have followers anticipating extra as quickly as an episode, or season, is completed.

15

‘Z Nation’ (2014–2018)

Created by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler

A defining entry within the pantheon of sequence and films that outlined the zombie craze of the 2010s, Z Nation stands out with its air of playfulness that embraces the joy of horror in all its glory. Opening three years after the outbreak of a zombie virus that has decimated America, it follows a small group of survivors as they got down to escort humanity’s final hope—a person injected with an experimental vaccine to fight the zombie virus—throughout the nation to a analysis lab in California.

Whereas features of the sequence could also be too camp for viewers who get pleasure from grappling with the drama and ethical ambiguity current in lots of apocalypse tales, Z Nation provides unabashed enjoyable via its distinctive strategy and its keen forged. It additionally led to Black Summer time, a extra critical prequel sequence set in the course of the preliminary phases of the outbreak that ran for 2 seasons and was launched on Netflix from 2019 to 2021.

14

‘Jericho’ (2006–2008)

Created by Stephen Chbosky, Josh Schaer, and Jonathan E. Steinberg

One thing of a forgotten gem of 2000s tv, Jericho makes use of an attention-grabbing strategy to apocalyptic drama to current an intriguing story of paranoia and concern of the unknown. Set within the eponymous small city in Kansas, it follows residents within the wake of a large-scale nuclear assault on America. With all companies happening and hysteria operating rampant, the neighborhood battle to remain united as issues develop over what’s going to come subsequent, and if anybody else survived the assault.

With a eager curiosity in inspecting how individuals reply to disaster, what conjures up individuals to stay collectively, and the way communities attempt to outline themselves, all whereas embracing all of the cautionary panic that comes with any story about nuclear obliteration, Jericho is as daring as it’s thematically loaded. After being initially canceled after it 22-episode first season, it was introduced again for a seven-episode second season to function a decision. Even with this, Jericho stays certainly one of many sequence that have been axed prematurely, by no means being given a correct likelihood to comprehend its potential.

13

‘The Final Man on Earth’ (2015–2018)

Created by Will Forte

One among few humorous takes on the apocalypse, The Final Man on Earth stars Saturday Evening Reside alum Will Forte because the title character, or so he thinks. Following the existence of a lethal virus that seemingly wipes out everybody in the whole world, Phil (Forte) spends years on his personal till lastly coming throughout one other survivor named Carol (Kristen Schaal). They imagine they have to repopulate the Earth, however Carol is insistent that they marry first. Quickly after, the pair come throughout 4 different survivors and Phil realizes he might have acted in haste.

The Final Man on Earth follows Phil’s journey with the opposite survivors he comes throughout, the friction among the many eccentric characters, and the hilarity that ensues as this band of misfits strive to determine the way to deliver the world again.

12

‘The Leftovers’ (2014–2017)

Created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta

A broadly underrated supernatural drama, The Leftovers commences years after an apocalyptic occasion generally known as the Sudden Departure led to 2 p.c of the world’s inhabitants mysteriously disappearing. The individuals who stay are generally known as the leftovers, and the sequence follows their battle to outlive amidst a lot confusion and loss.

The Leftovers examines the human situation and the necessity for course, with a number of cults rising after the loss and the decline of mainstream faith. The most important risk is a cult generally known as the Responsible Remnant, together with one led by a person named Holy Wayne (Paterson Joseph) who believes that he’s the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The Leftovers obtained more and more higher overview via its three seasons, with the ultimate third season attaining an nearly good Rotten Tomatoes critics rating.

11

‘The 100’ (2014–2020)

Created by Jason Rothenbern

Youthful survivors are on the coronary heart of The 100 set 100 years after an apocalyptic occasion. Survivors have been dwelling in house, however now it’s time to try to reinhabit the Earth. A gaggle is distributed down to perform this, all made up of juvenile delinquents. Once they arrive, nevertheless, they discover that there are descendants of survivors dwelling on the bottom already.

Airing for seven seasons, The 100 obtained overwhelmingly constructive opinions from critics, who name it an ideal responsible pleasure. Whereas the characters are stereotypical portrayals, there’s one thing satisfying about seeing the way it all performs out.

10

‘Falling Skies’ (2011–2015)

Created by Robert Rodat

Created by Robert Rodat—the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind Saving Non-public Ryan—and with Steven Spielberg serving as an govt producer, Falling Skies is a persistently intriguing alien invasion thriller that thrives with its leisure awe and its engrossing manufacturing worth. Set within the aftermath of an alien assault that has decimated humanity, it follows a big group of survivors who combat to guard their very own whereas launching a resistance motion towards the invaders.

Intelligently meshing its grandiose stakes and spectacle with a lean but sharp give attention to interpersonal relationships and budding conflicts, Falling Skies is a poised and brilliantly layered sequence that’s comfy juggling its apocalyptic immensity and its extra nuanced particulars. Sustaining its high quality throughout its five-season run, the dystopian sci-fi sequence is ready to fulfill viewers craving excessive stakes and motion drama whereas nonetheless providing loads for individuals who prioritize the exploration of complicated and difficult concepts.

9

‘Candy Tooth’ (2021–)

Created by Jim Mickle

Govt produced partially by Robert Downey Jr., Candy Tooth has an attention-grabbing premise whereby the top of the world has led to the emergence of infants born as hybrid people and animals. Gus (Christian Convery) is on the heart of the present, a 10-year-old who is an element human boy, half deer. Following the demise of his father, he units out on a journey to find his lacking mom.

Candy Tooth is a fantasy drama that concurrently follows the story of Dr. Aditya Singh (Adeel Akhtar) who’s looking for a remedy for the virus that has plagued the inhabitants, and Bear (Stefania LaVie Owen), a frontrunner of an animal military who dedicates her life to defending the hybrids. The present was met with widespread reward, with followers loving the truth that it’s appropriate for pre-teens, too.

Created by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Michael Jonathan Smith

Within the apocalyptic world portrayed in Twisted Metallic, based mostly on the online game sequence of the identical identify, the Earth has develop into an enormous wasteland and numerous teams have taken over completely different areas, making touring from one to the opposite close to not possible doe to great hazard. John Doe (Anthony Mackie) suffers from amnesia and doesn’t bear in mind a lot of something about his life earlier than. However he works together with his automotive “Evelyn” as a extremely sought-after milkman who helps teams barter amongst each other by transporting items from one neighborhood to a different. When the chief of a thriving neighborhood presents him with the chance of becoming a member of, John decides to tackle the duty she units out for him to do: transport an necessary bundle to a harmful location and make it again alive.

The primary season follows John’s journey, assembly individuals alongside the way in which together with Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz), one other lone survivor together with her personal sordid backstory, the vicious Agent Stone (Thomas Haden Church), and the maniacal killer clown Candy Tooth (performed by Joe Seanoa and voiced by Will Arnett). Twisted Metallic is trustworthy to the online game with loads of thrilling automotive chases and battle scenes, providing a mix of ugly violence, drama, and biting humor.

7

’12 Monkeys’ (2015–2018)

Developed by Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett

A sequence based mostly on the 1995 movie Twelve Monkeys, which was itself based mostly on the 1962 French featurette Le Jetée, Syfy’s engrossing time-travel apocalyptic thriller overcomes a lackluster first season to excel as some of the transfixing and underrated sequence of the 2010s. It follows James Cole (Aaron Stanford), dwelling within the ruins of a lethal virus in 2043 who’s recruited to enterprise again to 2015 to analyze the origin of the illness. Discovering an ally in Dr. Railly (Amanda Schull), Cole units out to deliver down the Military of the 12 Monkeys earlier than the terrorist group can unleash the apocalyptic contagion.

Rising in stature and confidence all through if four-season run, 12 Monkeys really grows past its supply materials in its sophomore outing, delivering a relentlessly twisty and thrilling sci-fi sequence that strikes a exact stability between being astonishingly clever and simply understandable. Capping issues off with a brilliantly surprising finale, 12 Monkeys is really a hidden gem of apocalyptic tv that every one lovers of nice storytelling must stick with.

6

‘Silo’ (2023–)

Created by Graham Yost

Many didn’t notice that Silo is definitely based mostly on a novel trilogy. The story is an attention-grabbing tackle the apocalypse whereby the occasions above floor have led to the event of a large underground silo the place survivors reside. However very similar to Earth earlier than, the Silo is split by class, with the working-class dwelling on the underside ranges and the upper-society elites on the prime. When Juliette’s (Rebecca Ferguson) buddy winds up lifeless underneath suspicious circumstances, she is satisfied that not all is what it appears. She groups up with the sheriff Holston (David Oyelowo) to try to determine what’s actually happening.

The overarching story in Silo, among the best unique sequence on Apple TV+, is politics and fact: nobody actually is aware of if what they see outdoors via an outsized window is actual, nor who or why the silos have been created. However everyone seems to be afraid to query the established order. As soon as despatched outdoors, nobody is permitted to return, they usually seemingly perish inside minutes of being uncovered. With season one ending on a significant cliffhanger with large reveals, followers can’t wait to see how the story continues.

5

‘The Strolling Useless: The Ones Who Reside’ (2024)

Created by Scott M. Gimple, Danai Gurira, and Andrew Lincoln

One among many spin-offs in The Strolling Useless universe, and the newest to be launched, The Strolling Useless: The Ones Who Reside broke data for AMC and obtained accolades throughout. Set 13 years after the zombie apocalypse, a virus infects everybody such that once they die, they flip into flesh-eating undead. This sequence follows two fundamental characters from the unique, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) as they try to reunite. It additionally introduces a few of one of the best new characters in The Strolling Useless universe. Rick left the unique sequence in season 9 and had been presumed lifeless for a while. When his spouse Michonne believes she has discovered proof that he’s nonetheless alive, she units out on a journey to seek out him and convey him again residence.

A love story as a lot as it’s an apocalyptic story, The Strolling Useless: The Ones Who Reside brings satisfying closure to a narrative and characters which have develop into beloved by followers. Whereas the one season is likely to be the top of the story, there’s a lot extra to be informed in different spin-offs, with the potential for cameos and crossovers as nicely.

4

‘The Strolling Useless’ (2010–2022)

Created by Frank Darabont

What followers love about The Strolling Useless is that because the story progresses, it turns into much less and fewer in regards to the risks posed by the strolling undead within the new world overtaken by a virus and extra in regards to the risks posed by different people. It’s additionally in regards to the tough decisions individuals should make when there are seemingly not possible ones. The story follows the principle group of survivors, individuals who come collectively from all walks of life, as they search shelter, assets, and safety. It’s tough to find out who to belief, and as formidable enemies seem, the group should determine the way to deal with them and keep alive.

The Strolling Useless follows the favored comedian e book sequence in its base storylines, but additionally diverts in some methods with thrilling twists and turns to shock even die-hard comedian followers. Whereas the story arcs may be repetitive at instances, and the present took a dip in rankings and opinions via its eighth and ninth seasons, The Strolling Useless is a type of uncommon exhibits that re-emerged stronger and ended on a excessive.

3

‘Station Eleven’ (2021)

Created by Patrick Somerville

An underrated miniseries hit from HBO that casts a refreshing and optimistic lens on humanity within the apocalypse, Station Eleven cleverly weaves collectively a number of timelines to current a holistic and heady imaginative and prescient of the top of time. It follows survivors in a world the place civilization has collapsed because of a lethal flu outbreak. Containing its focus to a touring performing troupe who aspire to deliver pleasure to survivors, it explores Kirsten Raymonde’s (Mackenzie Davis) experiences as each a younger lady struggling to navigate the preliminary virus outbreak and, years later, as a member of the troupe attempting to evade the assaults of a violent cult.

Whereas meticulously paced and measured in its thematic explorations, Station Eleven rewards endurance because it grapples with daring and assertive concepts of morality and goal, each in a creative sense and within the context of life and demise. It makes some daring departures from Emily St. John Mandel novel it’s based mostly on, however maintains the supply materials’s life-affirming and surprisingly comforting perception that human decency will at all times discover a method to prevail, irrespective of how bleak the circumstances.

2

‘Fallout’ (2024–)

Created by Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet

Primarily based on the online game franchise of the identical identify, Fallout is about sooner or later the place society has populated underground bunkers generally known as Vaults. Numerous communities commerce with each other, however when a tragic occasion happens, a younger lady named Lucy (Ella Purnell) decides to journey to the floor to seek out her lacking father. Regardless of its risks and wasteland standing, above floor is populated by others. However these aren’t welcoming people, as Lucy alongside the mutated ghoul bounty hunter (Walton Goggins) discovers.

Fallout got here out of the gate sturdy, with many critics applauding how carefully it mirrors the sport, and even looks like an extension of it. From the characters to the tales and the fabulous visuals that appear like they’re proper out of a recreation, Fallout is poised to develop into among the best apocalyptic TV exhibits ever made, and one of the best present based mostly on a online game.

1

‘The Final of Us’ (2023–)

Created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann

The Final of Us was all anybody might speak about in 2023, significantly the performances by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. He performs Joel, a hardened survivor in a post-apocalyptic world attributable to a mass fungal an infection. She, in the meantime, is Ellie, a younger lady believed to be immune and probably maintain a remedy. Joel is reluctant to oblige when requested to move Ellie to what’s speculated to be a protected location. However the pair embark on a journey full of hazard and emotional father-daughter-like moments.

Staying trustworthy to the online game whereas additionally creating separate however associated distinctive tales, such because the love story between survivors Invoice (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), The Final of Us has develop into a masterclass in each apocalyptic exhibits and online game TV present variations. Incomes 24 Primetime Emmy nominations and profitable eight, The Final of Us might develop into the subsequent large post-apocalyptic franchise.

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