Dystopian science fiction TV shows have been an integral part of storytelling for several years, yet some of the most important series have regrettably been forgotten. Despite these TV shows having everything that rivals blockbuster movies — strong concepts, impeccable worldbuilding, and nuanced protagonists — they are but a blip in the television cosmos. What’s most frustrating about these excellent science fiction shows being forgotten is that they were of such high quality that they deserve to be permanently etched in television history.
While these TV shows have been replaced by flashier, bigger, or bolder dystopian science fiction series, they remain as relevant today as they were when they were released. After all, the beauty of dystopia is that it echoes undeniable aspects of human life, whether it’s our past, present, or possible future. From TV shows that warned about rapid technological advances to series about human life after an apocalypse, these near-perfect dystopian shows should be remembered, not just because they changed television, but because the worlds they imagined aren’t too far from our own.
3% (2016-2020)
With Squid Game‘s success on Netflix, the streaming giant proved it’s ahead of the pack when it comes to international releases. Sadly, one of Netflix’s best non-English shows, 3%, has now slipped from audiences’ memories. The series, best described as The Hunger Games meets The 100, chronicles the journey of teenagers who must pass several tests to move from their impoverished society to an abundant one.
While dystopian science fiction stories are typically about physical strength, 3% sets itself apart by leaning more towards psychological prowess. Because of this, characters are forced to make ethically questionable decisions, as there is rarely a right answer in the games they have to play. What’s more, the Brazilian series improves from a typical dystopian sci-fi to one that emphasizes systemic change and rebellion.
12 Monkeys (2015-2018)
12 Monkeys is built around a devastating pandemic that wipes out most of humanity. Although it’s been years since the collapse of life, the virus still lingers on the surface of the planet, and the survivors who were forced to retreat underground have to find a way to ensure the pandemic doesn’t start.
Humanity is known for enduring and adapting to any calamity that befalls us, but that isn’t the case in 12 Monkeys. The series feels refreshingly bold because it refuses to accept the narrative that humans will simply try to find a way to live in a world that is uninhabitable. It instead questions whether the future is set in stone or if it could be altered.
Humans (2015-2018)
Humans explores a world where highly advanced humanoid robots called synths have become an everyday part of society. The synths are almost indistinguishable from humans, as they look, speak, and behave almost in the same way as their creators. One of the strongest aspects of Humans is how grounded its technology feels.
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The synths are not flashy, futuristic machines that can do extraordinary things; they are, in a way, extensions of humans. Unsurprisingly, one of them, Anita, begins to become more self-aware, therefore blurring the line between machine and person. Humans is such a great series because it has its audience see both sides of the story and question what it means to be a person, whether it’s autonomy, self-awareness, emotion, or something else entirely.
The Man In The High Castle (2015-2019)
Based on the 1962 novel by Philip K. Dick and executive produced by Ridley Scott, The Man in the High Castle tells an alternate version of history where the Axis powers won World War II. One of The Man in the High Castle’s biggest strengths is its intricate worldbuilding. Instead of just presenting a society that is unlike our own, it builds a fully realized, believable world, with the Greater Nazi Reich controlling the eastern half and the Japanese Pacific States governing the western half of the non-unified United States.
Although most dystopian series are set in the future, The Man in the High Castle is chilling because it uses history as a canvas for its story. The horror in the show isn’t something that we can only imagine; it’s tied to actual 20th-century atrocities, which makes the stakes feel immediate and uncomfortable, as it blurs the line between our past and a different present.
Colony (2016-2018)
In a near-future Los Angeles, the city has been sealed off from the rest of the world by an unknown occupying force. Massive walls divide the city into controlled sectors, and the world is divided into people who help their oppressors and those who fight against the occupation.
Alien invasion, a concept that is popular in science fiction, doesn’t seem like something that is real or that could even happen. The events in Colony, however, are believable in the sense that the Hosts don’t come to destroy Earth, but instead restructure it in a way that serves their purpose. Instead of an over-the-top science fiction show, Colony paints itself as a slightly altered version of modern urban control systems.
Years And Years (2019)
Years and Years stands out as one of the greatest science fiction TV shows of the past 15 years because of how eerily similar the events in the series mirror our reality. The series centers around the Lyons and follows them through a course of 15 years as their lives spiral from normality to instability.
Years and Years is extremely unsettling because it feels less like fiction and more like a distorted extension of the present. Climate change, political instability, and rapid technological advancements are recognizable moral problems. Unlike explosive apocalyptic fiction, Years and Years shows gradual normalization of crises. In the series, each year things become slightly worse, but society adapts until it reaches a point when that is no longer plausible. That slow escalation is what makes it so disturbing because there is no single breaking point, just a steady erosion of stability.
The Prisoner (1967-1968)
The 1967 series, The Prisoner, was ahead of its time. Focusing on a British intelligence officer who wakes up in an idyllic place called “The Village“, The Prisoner represents themes that have become commonplace in today’s dystopian sci-fi landscape. The Village, though appearing peaceful at first, is actually a high-tech prison, with every member playing their part.
The Prisoner is a timeless exploration of themes like individualism, collectivism, surveillance, and psychological manipulation. The groundbreaking series is, at its core, a story about control. In the show, the spy who is given the name Number 6 tries to escape The Village, while the Hosts do everything possible to ensure that he stays and reveals the reasons why he quit his top-secret job. The Prisoner works because it has an ambiguous ending; it doesn’t give answers to every question it presents, but leaves the audience to have their own interpretation of the events in the show.
Raised By Wolves (2020-2022)
HBO’s Raised by Wolves marked Ridley Scott’s shift to TV. The renowned filmmaker only directed the pilot and second episode of the series, but his signature style, which encompasses philosophical science fiction and religion, is all over the series. Set in the distant future after a devastating war between atheistic human factions and religious zealots, the story centers on two androids, Mother and Father, who are sent to a planet called Kepler-22b to raise a group of human children.
Raised by Wolves is the perfect blend of sci-fi and dystopia. It draws heavily from reality in how it interprets the war between atheists and believers, as well as the evolution of AI. The main draw of the series, aside from its desolate planet and its unique exploration of faith versus atheism, is one of the show’s most fascinating android characters: Mother.
Mother is both nurturing and terrifying, a duality which makes her one of the most compelling android characters in modern science fiction because she is depicted as a being designed to protect life while also capable of mass destruction.
Tribes Of Europa (2021)
In Tribes of Europa, the world as we know it doesn’t exist following the collapse of society caused by a mysterious event called Black December. In this new world, people are split into different tribes, including the peaceful Origines and the militaristic Crimsons. When a teenager from the Origines tribe finds a strange cube, a power struggle ensues between the different factions.
Philip Koch, who wrote the series, was inspired by Brexit and wanted to depict how so much can change in society in very little time. The series shows that after there is a catastrophic event that breaks down every norm, humans don’t tend to unify, but fracture. Tribes of Europa is one of the most important shows of our time, and it’s a crying shame that it doesn’t get the recognition it rightfully deserves.
Station Eleven (2021-2022)
Adapted from Emily St. John Mandel’s book of the same name, Station Eleven is a post-apocalyptic series set after a devastating global flu pandemic wipes out most of humanity in a matter of weeks. As opposed to other dystopian science fiction TV shows that place survival and despair at their center, Station Eleven is a series about rebuilding lives in a place that seems hopeless.
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Station Eleven Key Details |
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Release Year |
2021 |
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Critics’ Rotten Tomatoes Score |
98% |
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Director |
Hiro Murai |
Station Eleven is a testament to the importance of art, love, and human connection. While its non-linear structure can be a bit confusing at first, everything ties together perfectly by the time it concludes. There are very few dystopian science fiction series that are about living and not surviving, and that’s why Station Eleven is a cut above the rest.
