The Best Dystopia TV Shows

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

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: 52 episodes (95%) are available to watch free online (Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Tubi TV & 1 other). 53 episodes (96%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix, Hulu & Crunchyroll). 19 episodes (35%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (Adult Swim). 49 episodes (89%) are available to rent or buy from $0.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 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: 23 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 23 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 8 services (iTunes, Google Play & 6 others).

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

Where to Watch: 30 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video).

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). 1 episodes (3%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (USA). 36 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 8 services (iTunes, Google Play & 6 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: 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: 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: 5 episodes (7%) are available to watch free online (Yahoo View). 67 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 18 episodes (27%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (FOX). 67 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 8 services (iTunes, Google Play & 6 others).

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 watch free online (Sony Crackle, Tubi TV & Yahoo View). 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 3 services (iTunes, Google Play & Prime Video).

What it's about: Dollhouse is an American science fiction television series that revolves around a corporation running numerous underground establishments across the globe which program individuals referred to as "Actives" with temporary personalities and skills. Wealthy clients hire Actives from Dollhouses at great expense for various purposes. The series primarily follows the Active known as Echo, played by Eliza Dushku, on her journey towards self-awareness.

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 post-apocalyptic story about a botched U.S. government experiment that turns a group of death row inmates into highly infectious vampires, and an orphan girl who might be the only person able to stop the ensuing crisis.

Where to Watch: 5 episodes (50%) are available to watch free online (FOX & Yahoo View). 10 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 5 episodes (50%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (FOX). 10 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 3 services (Prime Video, Vudu & FandangoNOW).

What it's about: In a fantasy world, fighter Tatsumi sets out for the Capitol to earn money for his starving village, and finds a world of unimaginable corruption, all spreading from the depraved Prime Minister who controls the child Emperor's ear. After nearly becoming a victim of this corruption himself, Tatsumi is recruited by Night Raid, a group of assassins dedicated to eliminating the corruption plaguing the Capitol by mercilessly killing those responsible.

Where to Watch: 24 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (Crunchyroll & Yahoo View). 24 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 24 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: The one adored as the mother is not the real parent. The people living here together are not actual siblings. The Gracefield House is where orphaned children live. An irreplaceable home where 38 siblings and Mom live happy lives, even with no blood relations. However, their everyday life suddenly came to an abrupt end one day...

Where to Watch: 12 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (Crunchyroll). 12 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu).

What it's about: In the near future, creatures from ancient Aboriginal mythology endowed with extraordinary physical traits have emerged and must coexist with humans. Known as 'Hairypeople' they battle for survival in a world that wants to exploit and destroy them. One young man – The Cleverman – struggles with his own power and the responsibility to unite this divided world, but he must first overcome a deep estrangement from his older brother.

Where to Watch: 12 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 12 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: Ganta is the only survivor after a mysterious man in red slaughters a classroom full of teenagers. He's framed for the carnage, sentenced to die, and locked away in the most twisted prison ever built: Deadman Wonderland. And then it gets worse.

Where to Watch: 12 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Prime Video & 2 others).

What it's about: The peaceful alien invasion of Earth by the mysterious “Overlords,” whose arrival begins decades of apparent utopia under indirect alien rule, at the cost of human identity and culture.

Where to Watch: 3 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $3.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: The story revolves around Shu Ouma, a high school boy who inadvertently obtains an ability called "The Power of the Kings" that enables him to draw out items called "Voids" from other people. He is then thrown into the conflict between a resistance group called Funeral Parlor which aims to restore Japan's independence from a quasi-governmental organization known as the GHQ. In the process, Shu has to deal with the burden his ability puts on his shoulders and the horrific mystery of his past.

Where to Watch: 22 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (Yahoo View). 22 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 22 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: To escape reality 17-year-old Leila turns to a secret virtual paradise. Her real journey begins when this digital Eden turns dark.

Where to Watch: 6 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix).

What it's about: Born into a world 1000 years in our future, Saki and her friends live in utopia. Not only is their idyllic community overflowing with resources, but technology is obsolete, thanks to a magical power that grants the ability to materialize anything. However, when Saki discovers a lost artifact, the facade is shattered! Faced with a startling truth about their town, Saki and her companions face dangers they never knew existed, and their choices may change the fate of everyone.

Where to Watch: 25 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (Crunchyroll & Viewster). 25 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 1 service (iTunes).

What it's about: Texhnolyze is a Japanese anime television series directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki, from a screenplay by Chiaki Konaka, and produced by Yasuyuki Ueda, with original character design by Yoshitoshi ABe.The events take place in the vibrant yet dilapidated underground city of Lux. Denizens of Lux have come to call it "The City" and treat it as a sentient force. Three factions vie for control of the city: the Organo, a strictly professional conglomerate with ties to the criminal underworld in the prosthetics business; the Union, a fanatical populist group interfering with Organo's affairs; and Racan, a marauding group of Texhnolyzed youths. The series has an ensemble cast, but events particularly focus on Ichise, a stoic prize fighter who loses a leg and an arm to satisfy an enraged promoter; Onishi, a young but level-headed executive of the Organo who has many enemies; and Ran, a little girl who has a very important gift that affects the entire city. As they struggle to accept the challenges that they are dealt, the characters bear witness to major events that determine whether the city continues to exist.Texhnolyze aired on Fuji Television from April 16, 2003 to September 24 of the same year, totaling twenty episodes. Two "secret" episodes were included in the DVD release.

Where to Watch: 22 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 3 services (iTunes, Prime Video & Microsoft).

What it's about: Nearly 40 years ago aliens crash-landed in the UK. They look like us, but are forced to live in a ghetto. Border control officer Lewis falls in love with one.

Where to Watch: 6 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 6 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Humanity has advanced to great heights since it obtained the information technology known as "Mana." With that nearly magical power, problems like war, food shortages, and pollution have been eliminated. This age of peace and freedom, the Empress Angelese of the Misurugi Empire is a privileged girl with no disabilities. She learns, however, that she is a "Norma," a kind of human who cannot use Mana and are outcasts of society. Having lost everything, she is sent to an isolated island. There she meets other Normas who ride in humanoid weapons called Para-mails, protecting the world from dragons invaders from another dimension.

Where to Watch: 25 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (Yahoo View). 25 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 25 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 3 services (iTunes, Google Play & YouTube).

What it's about: Humanity has found a way to achieve infinite energy by using coils to draw it from the fourth plane: dimension "W". With the production of coils having been monopolized by the New Tesla energy company, freelance collectors are hired to find and remove any illegal, unofficial coils.This is the story of collector Kyōma, who also happens to have a huge hatred towards coils. During one of his missions he stumbles upon a female android that perceives herself as being human, leading the two to enter an unlikely partnership.

Where to Watch: 12 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (Tubi TV & Yahoo View). 12 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 12 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Shanghai in the 1930s is a dangerous place. Foreign governments and Chinese factions have carved the city into different quarters, each with its own laws and government, and all rife with corruption. As the major powers vie for political control, the streets are left to local gangs. Life is cheap, and death is always near.In days past, one man walked these mean streets battling the forces of evil. He was known only as Yan Wang, "the King of Death." Few knew who he really was, but many knew that he was a master of Hokuto Shinken - Fist of the North Star - a lethal martial art. He disappeared years ago after dispatching the city's worst gangsters, and is now rumored to be in Japan. Various people have come to Japan in search of him, but who will find him first?

Where to Watch: 23 episodes (45%) are available to watch free online (Crunchyroll). 1 episodes (2%) are available to stream on a subscription service (Crunchyroll).