The Best Dystopia TV Shows

What it's about: Several hundred years ago, humans were nearly exterminated by Titans. Titans are typically several stories tall, seem to have no intelligence, devour human beings and, worst of all, seem to do it for the pleasure rather than as a food source. A small percentage of humanity survived by walling themselves in a city protected by extremely high walls, even taller than the biggest Titans. Flash forward to the present and the city has not seen a Titan in over 100 years. Teenage boy Eren and his foster sister Mikasa witness something horrific as the city walls are destroyed by a Colossal Titan that appears out of thin air. As the smaller Titans flood the city, the two kids watch in horror as their mother is eaten alive. Eren vows that he will murder every single Titan and take revenge for all of mankind.

Where to Watch: 59 episodes (86%) are available to watch free online (Crunchyroll & Adult Swim). 65 episodes (94%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll Premium & 2 others). 48 episodes (70%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (Adult Swim). 59 episodes (86%) are available to rent or buy from $0.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: A thriller set two hundred years in the future following the case of a missing young woman who brings a hardened detective and a rogue ship's captain together in a race across the solar system to expose the greatest conspiracy in human history.

Where to Watch: 53 episodes (98%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video). 46 episodes (85%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: A contemporary British re-working of The Twilight Zone with stories that tap into the collective unease about our modern world. Over the last ten years, technology has transformed almost every aspect of our lives before we've had time to stop and question it. In every home; on every desk; in every palm - a plasma screen; a monitor; a smartphone - a black mirror of our 21st Century existence.

Where to Watch: 21 episodes (95%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 9 episodes (41%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 1 service (iTunes).

What it's about: Sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating zombies. He sets out to find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way.

Where to Watch: 48 episodes (32%) are available to watch free online (PlutoTV). 149 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix, fuboTV, AMC Premiere & 1 other). 147 episodes (99%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: A dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin. Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, it explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged.

Where to Watch: 28 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (HBO MAX & HBO). 28 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $2.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: In the year 2517, after the arrival of humans in a new star system, follow the adventures of the renegade crew of Serenity, a "Firefly-class" spaceship. The ensemble cast portrays the nine characters who live on Serenity.

Where to Watch: 14 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 14 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $0.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: Stripped of everything, the survivors of a horrific plane crash must work together to stay alive. But the island holds many secrets.

Where to Watch: 117 episodes (94%) are available to watch free online (IMDb TV). 122 episodes (98%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 121 episodes (98%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham, brilliant but formerly institutionalized scientist Walter Bishop and his scheming, reluctant son Peter uncover a deadly mystery involving a series of unbelievable events and realize they may be a part of a larger, more disturbing pattern that blurs the line between science fiction and technology.

Where to Watch: 100 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (IMDb TV). 100 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: The adventures of a late-20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, who, after being unwittingly cryogenically frozen for one thousand years, finds employment at Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery company in the retro-futuristic 31st century.

Where to Watch: 137 episodes (96%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu, fuboTV & TVision). 7 episodes (5%) are available to stream on a popular TV everywhere service (Syfy & Comedy Central). 142 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $0.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: Set in a dystopian future, a woman is forced to live as a concubine under a theonomic dictatorship. A TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel.

Where to Watch: 37 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 37 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: 100 years in the future, when the Earth has been abandoned due to radioactivity, the last surviving humans live on an ark orbiting the planet — but the ark won't last forever. So the repressive regime picks 100 expendable juvenile delinquents to send down to Earth to see if the planet is still habitable.

Where to Watch: 100 episodes (99%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 101 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: A streetwise hustler is pulled into a compelling conspiracy after witnessing the suicide of a girl who looks just like her.

Where to Watch: 50 episodes (98%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video & Philo). 50 episodes (98%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (BBC America). 50 episodes (98%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: When 2% of the world's population abruptly disappears without explanation, the world struggles to understand just what they're supposed to do about it. The drama series 'The Leftovers' is the story of the people who didn't make the cut. Based on the bestselling novel by Tom Perrotta, 'The Leftovers' follows Kevin Garvey, a father of two and the chief of police in a small New York suburb, as he tries to maintain some semblance of normalcy when the notion no longer applies.

Where to Watch: 28 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (HBO MAX & HBO). 28 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Surrounded by a forest and a gated entrance, the Grace Field House is inhabited by orphans happily living together as one big family, looked after by their "Mama," Isabella. Although they are required to take tests daily, the children are free to spend their time as they see fit, usually playing outside, as long as they do not venture too far from the orphanage — a rule they are expected to follow no matter what. However, all good times must come to an end, as every few months, a child is adopted and sent to live with their new family... never to be heard from again. However, the three oldest siblings have their suspicions about what is actually happening at the orphanage, and they are about to discover the cruel fate that awaits the children living at Grace Field, including the twisted nature of their beloved Mama.

Where to Watch: 12 episodes (80%) are available to watch free online (Crunchyroll). 15 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix, HBO MAX & 2 others).

What it's about: The provocative story of Cole, a time traveler from a decimated future in a high-stakes race against the clock. Utilizing a dangerous and untested method of time travel, he journeys from 2043 to the present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will all but annihilate the human race.

Where to Watch: 47 episodes (98%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 48 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: Explore what it would be like if the Allied Powers had lost WWII, and Japan and Germany ruled the United States. Based on Philip K. Dick's award-winning novel.

Where to Watch: 39 episodes (98%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video).

What it's about: After 250 years on ice, a prisoner returns to life in a new body with one chance to win his freedom: by solving a mind-bending murder.

Where to Watch: 18 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 10 episodes (56%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 1 service (Vudu).

What it's about: When an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protect a small civilian fleet - the last of humanity - as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth.

Where to Watch: 74 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (Peacock). 73 episodes (99%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: In a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a 'Synth' - a highly-developed robotic servant that's so similar to a real human it's transforming the way we live.

Where to Watch: 24 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video & Hoopla). 24 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Howard Silk is a lowly cog in a bureaucratic UN agency who is turning the last corner of a life filled with regret when he discovers the agency he works for is guarding a secret: a crossing to a parallel dimension.

Where to Watch: 20 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video). 20 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: After crash-landing on an alien planet, the Robinson family fights against all odds to survive and escape. But they're surrounded by hidden dangers.

Where to Watch: 20 episodes (95%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 11 episodes (52%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: In a land controlled by feudal barons, a great warrior and a young boy embark on a journey across a dangerous land to find enlightenment. A genre-bending martial arts series very loosely based on the classic Chinese tale Journey to the West.

Where to Watch: 32 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 32 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Ken Kaneki is a bookworm college student who meets a girl names Rize at a cafe he frequents. They're the same age and have the same interests, so they quickly become close. Little does Kaneki know that Rize is a ghoul - a kind of monster that lives by hunting and devouring human flesh. When part of her special organ - "the red child" - is transplanted into Kaneki, he becomes a ghoul himself, trapped in a warped world where humans are not the top of the food chain.

Where to Watch: 7 episodes (12%) are available to watch free online (Adult Swim). 49 episodes (82%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu & Funimation). 60 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: As Britain is rocked by unstable political, economic and technological advances, members of the Lyons family converge on one crucial night in 2019. Over the next 15 years, the twists and turns of their everyday lives are explored as we find out if this ordinary family could change the world.

Where to Watch: 6 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (HBO MAX & HBO). 6 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 3 services (Google Play, Vudu & YouTube).

What it's about: John Reese, former CIA paramilitary operative, is presumed dead and teams up with reclusive billionaire Finch to prevent violent crimes in New York City by initiating their own type of justice. With the special training that Reese has had in Covert Operations and Finch's genius software inventing mind, the two are a perfect match for the job that they have to complete. With the help of surveillance equipment, they work "outside the law" and get the right criminal behind bars.

Where to Watch: 103 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play, Prime Video & 2 others). Episodes coming soon to HBO on January 22nd, 2021 (PST).

What it's about: In the near future a family must make difficult decisions as they balance staying together with trying to survive. They live in Los Angeles, which has been occupied by a force of outside intruders. While some people have chosen to collaborate with the authorities and benefit from the new order, others have rebelled — and suffer the consequences.

Where to Watch: 36 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 36 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: The series centers on the conflict between a group of rebels from the year 2077 who time-travel to Vancouver, BC, in 2012, and a police officer who accidentally accompanies them. In spite of being many years early, the rebel group decides to continue its violent campaign to stop corporations of the future from replacing governments, while the police officer endeavours to stop them without revealing to anyone that she and the rebels are from the future.

Where to Watch: 42 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: What did the world look like as it was transforming into the horrifying apocalypse depicted in "The Walking Dead"? This spin-off set in Los Angeles, following new characters as they face the beginning of the end of the world, will answer that question.

Where to Watch: 77 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu, Philo, fuboTV & 2 others). 7 episodes (9%) are available to stream on a popular TV everywhere service (AMC). 76 episodes (99%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Tom Kirkman, a low-level cabinet member is suddenly appointed President of the United States after a catastrophic attack during the State of the Union kills everyone above him in the Presidential line of succession.

Where to Watch: 54 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 43 episodes (80%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: Falling Skies opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the six months since the initial invasion, the few survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers work to protect the people in their care while also engaging in an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force.

Where to Watch: 52 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (HBO MAX & Hoopla). 52 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Their mission is simple: Find a cure. Stop the virus. Save the world. When a global pandemic wipes out eighty percent of the planet's population, the crew of a lone naval destroyer must find a way to pull humanity from the brink of extinction.

Where to Watch: 56 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu, Hoopla & TVision). 5 episodes (9%) are available to stream on a popular TV everywhere service (TNT). 56 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: Echo is a member of a highly illegal and underground group of individuals whose personalities have been wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. Confined between missions to a secret facility known as the Dollhouse, the "Actives" are hired by the wealthy, powerful and connected to wholly become—with mind, personality and physiology—whomever the client wants or needs them to be. They know no other life than the specific engagements they are in at that time—or do they?

Where to Watch: 26 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 26 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: A high concept thriller that tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. As the strain spreads, Eph, his team, and an assembly of everyday New Yorkers, wage war for the fate of humanity itself.

Where to Watch: 46 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 46 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: 4400 centers on the return of 4400 people who, previously presumed dead or reported missing, reappear on Earth. Though they have not aged physically, some of them seem to have deeper alterations ranging from superhuman strength to an unexplained healing touch. A government agency is formed to track the 4400 people after one of them commits a murder.

Where to Watch: 46 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix).

What it's about: The series picks up four years after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day with John and Sarah Connor trying to stay under-the-radar from the government, as they plot to destroy the computer network, Skynet, in hopes of preventing Armageddon.

Where to Watch: 31 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: Josh Futturman, a janitor by day/world-ranked gamer by night, is tasked with preventing the extinction of humanity after mysterious visitors from the future proclaim him the key to defeating the imminent super-race invasion.

Where to Watch: 34 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 26 episodes (76%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Hundreds of years from now, the last surviving humans discover the means of sending consciousness back through time, directly into people in the 21st century. These "travelers" assume the lives of seemingly random people, while secretly working as teams to perform missions in order to save humanity from a terrible future.

Where to Watch: 34 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 24 episodes (71%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: The year is 2022, and after an unlikely event, only one man is left on earth: Phil Miller, who used to be just an average guy who loved his family and hated his job at the bank. Now, in his RV, Phil searches the country for other survivors.

Where to Watch: 66 episodes (99%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 13 episodes (19%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (FOX). 67 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 7 services (iTunes, Google Play & 5 others).

What it's about: An action-packed adventure series following a fun-loving, hard living trio of interplanetary bounty hunters (a.k.a. Killjoys) sworn to remain impartial as they chase deadly warrants around the Quad, a system of planets on the brink of revolution.

Where to Watch: 1 episodes (2%) are available to watch free online (Syfy). 50 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (fuboTV & TVision). 49 episodes (98%) are available to stream on a popular TV everywhere service (Syfy). 50 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: Set more than seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland, the remnants of humanity inhabit a gigantic, perpetually-moving train that circles the globe as class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival play out.

Where to Watch: 10 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (HBO MAX & TVision). 3 episodes (30%) are available to stream on a popular TV everywhere service (TNT). 10 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 2 services (Prime Video & Vudu).

What it's about: A small town is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an enormous transparent dome. While military forces, the government and the media positioned outside of this surrounding barrier attempt to break it down, a small group of people inside attempt to figure out what the dome is, where it came from, and when (and if) it will go away.

Where to Watch: 13 episodes (33%) are available to watch free online (PlutoTV). 38 episodes (95%) are available to stream on a subscription service (CBS All Access). 38 episodes (95%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 1 service (Prime Video).

What it's about: Trigun takes place in the distant future on a deserted planet. Vash the Stampede is a gunfighter with a legend so ruthless he has a $60,000,000,000 bounty on his head. Entire towns evacuate at the rumor of his arrival. But the real Vash the Stampede, the enigmatic and conflicted lead character in Trigun, is more heroic, even though he usually acts like a complete idiot.

Where to Watch: 26 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu & Funimation). 26 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: Zombies are rampaging throughout Britain. Blissfully unaware of gory events outside, the Big Brother housemates are in for the ultimate eviction night...

Where to Watch: 10 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 5 episodes (50%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 1 service (Prime Video).

What it's about: Set 58 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families - the Graystones and the Adamas - as they grow, compete, and thrive in the vibrant world of the peaceful 12 Colonies, living in a society close to our own. Entangled in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe, blending action with corporate conspiracy and sexual politics.

Where to Watch: 17 episodes (85%) are available to watch free online (NBC). 20 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: One day, electricity just stopped working and the world was suddenly thrust back into the dark ages. Now, 15 years later, a young woman's life is dramatically changed when a local militia arrives and kills her father, who mysteriously—and unbeknownst to her—had something to do with the blackout. An unlikely group sets out off on a daring journey to find answers about the past in the hopes of reclaiming the future.

Where to Watch: 42 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: When the crew of the U.S. ballistic missile submarine Colorado refuse to fire nuclear weapons at Pakistan without confirmation of the orders, they are fired upon and declared rogue enemies of their own country.

Where to Watch: 13 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (Plex & Crackle). 13 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: In the near future, planet Earth is permanently altered following the sudden—and tumultuous—arrival of seven unique alien races. In the boom-town of Defiance, the newly-formed civilization of humans and aliens must learn to co-exist peacefully.

Where to Watch: 39 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: A diverse anthology of ambitious, moving tales inspired by Philip K Dick's short stories.

Where to Watch: 10 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video). 8 episodes (80%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Dominion is an epic supernatural drama set in the near future. Specifically, 25 years after "The Extinction War," when an army of lower angels, assembled by the archangel Gabriel, waged war against mankind. The archangel Michael, turning against his own kind, chose to side with humanity. Rising out of the ashes of this long battle are newly fortified cities which protect human survivors. At the center of the series is the city of Vega, a glistening empire that has formed from the ruins of what was once Las Vegas.

Where to Watch: 21 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (IMDb TV). 21 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: In a future where the elite inhabit an island paradise far from the crowded slums, you get one chance to join the 3% saved from squalor.

Where to Watch: 33 episodes (97%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix).