Dystopian fiction has always been a vital part of the science fiction and horror genres, but in the 21st century, it has truly emerged as a dominant category on its own. This list showcases the very best of TV dystopia, encompassing everything from zombie-infested wastelands to AI-driven apocalypses, and even smaller-scale nightmares like societies ruled by social media scores or worlds where every moment is recorded in your brain like a video file.
From massive plagues and nuclear winters to robot uprisings, time travel-induced paranoia, and mysterious disappearances, these 19 TV shows (plus one miniseries) represent the most ingenious, terrifying, and often deeply moving dystopian narratives ever crafted. Some are set in post-apocalyptic landscapes, while others explore the lives of office workers with microchips in their heads that have split their consciousness. What unites them all is a dark vision of the future, whether near or distant, that pulses with intensity, intrigue, and boundless imagination.
If you're more interested in movies, be sure to check out the Top 10 Apocalypse Movies of All Time and the 6 Post-Apocalyptic Movies You've Probably Never Seen. Additionally, IGN readers have voted on their Favorite Post-Apocalyptic World from Movies and TV!
But if it's TV that you're after, then keep reading as we delve into iconic series like Fallout, Severance, The Walking Dead, The Handmaid's Tale, The Last of Us, and more. Here are the Top 20 Dystopian TV Shows of All Time!
