When we imagine the future, it’s hard not to think of spaceships. But taking a more in-depth look at possibilities of how the world might truly change in years to come can be chilling.
Our worst fears come true. A dystopia is a horrifying society where life is…bad. Monsters or bloodshed don’t always make a dystopian world so scary either; it’s the subtlety. We can see ourselves there, living in fear, being controlled. It’s unreal and yet, somehow, very real.
The opposite of dystopia is utopia; a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and so-cial conditions. Sounds beautiful. It’s likely draped in fairy lights and smells of lemongrass. But this wouldn’t make for gripping telly, would it? How long would it be before we eye roll at the smugness and grab the remote to find something more juicy, more twisted? No wonder dystopian dramas are so popular with ratings on IMDb of 8+. We just can’t get enough of them!
Some might think our own world turned dystopian during the pandemic. Fair enough if you’d rather stick to trashy reality TV. But if you’re itching to dive deep into a world even more messed up than the one we’re living in, there’s plenty to choose from.
Awaiting your attention are fictional states and societies in which things have gone beyond the wild west. Say hello to states wrought by extreme injustice. Settle in with evil totalitarian governments dur-ing episodes with the most jaw-dropping cliffhangers. Prepare yourself to be immersed in apocalyptic events. No matter where it’s set and who the lead characters happen to be, you can be sure of one thing; events are about to spiral out of control at top speed. Be aware that you might have crazy dreams for the next few weeks if you go a bit binge-crazy. Here’s what to watch.
1. Silo
Starring Tim Robbins and Rebecca Ferguson, this Apple TV+ drama sucks you deep underground to the silo where the last 10,000 people on earth now live. They have jobs, their kids go to school and everybody must be in pretty good shape from walking up and down stairs for their whole lives; the silo is built 144 floors downwards. Nobody knows why they live in the silo or why the silo was even built. It’s thought that a deadly toxic wasteland is on the “outside”. Finally, questions are being asked and of course, this will result in the one thing leaders of the silo are trying to prevent…a rebellion.
Stream seasons 1 & 2 on Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime now.
2. Severance
Imagine going to work and not having to think about the troubles you’re facing at home. Or, imagine getting home and not remembering a single stress from the office. Welcome to the cult-like company, Lumon Industries, tucked away in a small, snowy American town. The brains of its staff have been “severed” meaning they do not recall any memories from their home life once they reach the office, and when they leave the building, they do not know what they did all day. Two selves now live within the same body. This might sound rather appealing, but when one of Lumon’s employees mysteriously vanishes, his best friend Mark (played superbly by Adam Scott) is determined to get to the bottom of it. Stream seasons 1 & 2 on Apple TV+ now.
3. The Last of Us
Originally a popular action-adventure video game, the story has now been brought to life for TV star-ring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. A global pandemic caused by a cordyceps fungus has created cannibalistic humans and destroyed the USA. But there is one young teenager (Ramsey) who seems to be immune to its symptoms and perhaps she is the key to survival. It’s got all the juice of a dystopi-an post-apocalyptic world, including guts and gore, but interestingly so much heart. The stand-alone episode (Long, Long Time, S1 E03) will break you, so make sure you have plenty of tissues to hand.
Stream season 1 on NOW or purchase on Apple TV and Prime.
4. The Handmaid’s Tale
Never easy to watch. But always fascinating. It’s the closest dystopian world to our own in many ways, which makes it even more terrifying. A near-future United States has been taken over by a fun-damentalist theocratic dictatorship called Gilead. Infertility is rife, so many childbearing women are captured and forced to become ‘handmaids’ for the ‘good’ of Gilead. Elisabeth Moss plays her role of a lifetime as June, a handmaid who has been torn apart from her husband and daughter. Unlike those living in fear, June will stop at nothing to fight against the system and get her daughter back. The highly anticipated sixth and final season is to be released this spring.
Stream seasons 1-5 on Amazon Prime now.
5. Fallout
Another well-loved video game adaptation which has received five star reviews. This immaculately made post-apocalyptic drama is actually very witty. The Guardian says, “It’s funny, self-aware and tense – an astonishing balancing act.” But what’s it about? Years after a nuclear apocalypse devastates America in the 1950s, survivors now live in underground bunkers. But a vault-dweller by the name of Lucy is forced out. She finds herself in a barren wasteland filled with radiation, mutated monsters, and a lawless society of those who remained on the surface. Think Mad Men meets Mad Max…
Stream season 1 on Amazon Prime now.
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