Dystopian TV shows are extremely popular. That devotion is still going strong with the most recent HBO The Last of Us season release. The dystopian genre has its unsettling hooks in viewers, whether it is a grim future with a dictatorial government like in the series The Handmaid’s Tale or the disintegration of civilization in the anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
Fortunately, fans of dystopian TV shows can look up the most popular dystopian programmes on IMDb.
‘Attack on Titan’ (2013–2023) — 9.0/10
This anime series is set in a post-apocalyptic society where residents dwell in urban areas. Huge barriers that protect residents against titanic beings known as Titans surround the cities. When a Colossal Titan climbs over the wall, Eren Jaeger (Yuki Kaji/Bryce Papenbrook) and his friends swear to wipe out the Titans.
Attack on Titan gives the city and the idea of being trapped a startlingly realistic feel. The programme fulfils all the requirements for a top-notch dystopian tale with a loss of individual freedom, destruction, and anarchy while allowing viewers to empathise with the characters.
‘Black Mirror’ (2011–2019) — 8.8/10
The television show Black Mirror explores social concerns from a technological perspective. Each episode is unique, taking place in a separate reality, with unique characters against various technologies.
A typical dystopian cliche, viewers experience the potential horrors that technology might bring throughout the 22 episodes while also realising that it is not that far off.
‘Carnival Row’ (2019–2023) 7.8/10
In a Victorian fantasy setting, a human detective named Rycraft “Philo” Philostrate (Orlando Bloom) and a faerie coyote named Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne) team up to solve murders. Mythological creatures must live as persecuted refugees in our civilization. Carnival Row offers the viewer everything from faeries and humans to love and murders in a place called the Burgue.
Carnival Row emphasises one of the most damaging characteristics of a dystopian society – severe societal stratification — by depriving all nonhumans of their uniqueness. The dystopia of the show emphasises what might occur when people cease accepting diversity.
‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ (2022) — 8.3/10
A dystopian civilization characterised by anarchy, corruption, and cybernetic implants is featured in the film Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. A young man named David (Kenn/Zach Aguilar) strives to survive by squeezing by the law as a “edgerunner,” a high-tech, undercover cyberpunk mercenary.
Fans’ affinity for dystopian shows may also be attributed to their identification with the heroes, who are typically talented, daring, and bold. This need is met by Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ captivating characters. Particularly in a world that strives to destroy it, David has limitless potential and desires.
‘Into the Badlands’ (2015–2019) — 7.9 /10
The United States has transformed into a perilous feudal land between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River about 500 years in the future. The film Into the Badlands tells the tale of a soldier named Sunny (Daniel Wu) and a little child named M.K. who are looking for wisdom and the fabled utopian city of Azra.
The dystopian cliche of a recognisable location is used in AMC’s Into the Badlands because the setting is comparable to our world but is classified as post-apocalyptic. Additionally, the programme emulates aspects of the American Civil War and isn’t afraid to steer viewers in a dark direction.
‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ (1995–1996) — 8.5/10
Shinji Ikari, a teenager, learns he must assist his father after being called to the city of Tokyo-3 fifteen years after a catastrophic event. Shinji and other military personnel are followed in the series as they try to stop Angels from wreaking more havoc.
Neon Genesis Evangelion receives high marks for its depiction of chaos, destruction, and psychological complexity on dystopian lists. It is simple to picture assimilation concepts becoming a reality in the near future as society gets more socially isolated while also becoming utterly reliant on technology.
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ (2017–) — 8.4/10
In the television series The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopia is created after a Second American Civil War. Gilead’s leadership imposes laws requiring women to perform menial tasks, some of which include serving as handmaids. Women are also not allowed to read, work, or own property.
This television series is well-liked because it gives the viewer a sense of empowerment. It does this by drawing on the dystopian characteristics of an authoritarian regime that has seized control and stripped people of their rights. Elizabeth Moss’s portrayal of June Osborne’s rebellion against something bigger than herself gives viewers hope that they may change the world for the better.
‘The Man in the High Castle’ (2015–2019) — 7.9/10
The Man in the High Castle centres on Juliana Crain, played by Alexa Davalos, who unearths a peculiar video that might contain the key to overthrowing authoritarian regimes in a parallel America ruled by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.
The account of what might have happened in The Man in the High Castle is both terrifying and plausible. It serves as an example of how easily the world might degenerate into chaos and serves as a horrifying reminder of just how vulnerable the globe is to disaster at any one time.
‘The Promised Neverland’ (2019–2021) — 8.3/10
The narrative of Emma (Sumire Morohoshi/Erica Mendez), Norman (Maaya Uchida/Jeannie Tirado), and Ray (Mariya Ise/Laura Stahl) and their scheme to escape their orphanage, Grace Field House, is told in The Promised Neverland. They discover that the youngsters in their orphanage are raised there so that they can be fed to demons.
Humans being pitted against one another is one of The Promised Neverland’s key dystopian elements. The anime initially tries to grant all of the children’s requests before pitting them against one another. The feeling of discovering a connection when there doesn’t appear to be any left in the world is captured in The Promised Neverland.
‘Utopia’ (2013–2014) — 8.4/10
A group of individuals become involved with The Network after discovering a graphic novel manuscript that is said to have predicted the deadliest disasters of the 20th century.
The fact that Utopia enables the viewer to feel more at ease with today’s society—which, despite its flaws, is still much better than the one depicted in the series—is one reason why it is so extraordinary.
