Best Post-Apocalyptic TV Shows And Movies of 2022-2023

The post-apocalyptic genre has been a constant force in the entertainment industry, and even more so on TVs and in cinemas. The appeal is yet to dwindle, and for the last one-and-a-half years, here are some of the best post-apocalyptic TV shows/movies of 2022-2023!

TV Shows

Among the TV series listed below, a few of them took a start well before 2022 but are still going strong in the following year and beyond.

The Last of Us (2023 –)

Best Post-Apocalyptic TV Shows Movies of 2022-2023

Only about a handful of video game-based TV shows receive critical acclaim; The Last of Us is definitely one of those. Set against the backdrop of a zombie outbreak, the post-apocalyptic drama delivers a brilliant blend of emotion and horror backed by breathtaking CGI works. It follows the story of smuggler Joel Miller as he escorts teenager Ellie across the country to a group of resistance movements. Ellie might be immune to zombie infection (but not to death).

Station Eleven (2021 – 2022)

The timing of HBO’s Station Eleven couldn’t be more perfect. It is a post-apocalyptic miniseries in which the greatest tragedy to the human race comes from a mysterious flu. The series premiered on December 21, 2021, right when the real world was gripped by the Coronavirus. Deeply unsettling and hopeful, the show follows the exploits of a group of survivors who make a living as a travelling troupe. Somewhere along the journey, they bump into a violent cult leader linked to a member of the group. The story concludes in episode 10 aired on January 13, 2022.

Sweet Tooth (2021 –)

A pandemic known as “Sick” wiped out most of the human population and crumbled civilization. The viral inspection mysteriously happened at the same moment as the emergence of a new hybrid species, part human and part animal. Taking center stage in the show is Gus, a half-deer and half-human 10-year-old boy. In the first season, the series tells the tale of his quest to search for his mother only to find out she never existed at all. Gus is a scientific experiment; his name stands for Genetic Unit Series, considered dangerous vermin. Things take a more violent and dramatic turn in Season 2. Sweet Tooth has been renewed for the third season.

Raised by Wolves (2020 – 2022)

The war between the Atheists and the Mithraics (believers who worship a deity known as Sol) left Earth uninhabitable. Two androids, simply referred to as Mother and Father escaped just in time to the barely hospitable Kepler 22b with a dozen human embryos. Their mission is to raise children and set them on a quest to save the Earth from religious fanaticism. But again, the believers are not against technology; they embrace modernity and also build androids. Diseases and accidents over the years claim all of those kids, except for Campion. One of the best things about Raised by Wolves is that it doesn’t take sides. The series again shows how fanaticism in each of the warring parties is equally dangerous.

Snowpiercer (2020 –)

A massive train of 1,001 carriages long is hauling what’s left of humanity after the world outside is frozen solid to the core. Built by elusive billionaire Mr. Wilford, the train circles around the globe twice a year for it needs constant motion to provide energy and prevent passengers from freezing to death. Occupying the front carriages are the first-class passengers, privileged enough to enjoy chamber music and fine meals daily. Further back, the carriages are full of underclass people who have to make do with questionable jelly for dinner. And of course, the underprivileged is plotting a revolution.

See (2019 – 2022)

The first episode of “See” premiered in November 2019 and it went strong on for three seasons (for 24 episodes) until the finale in October 2022. It tells the story of a post-apocalyptic 23rd-century civilization in which humans have lost their sense of sight. Knowledge of the old-sighted world is long lost, and the ability to see is now a myth. Unsurprisingly enough, the story of a society of blind people is set in motion by the births of sighted babies in a tribe. It is quite wild, violent, and grim.

Silo (2023 –)

An unknown apocalyptic event nearly obliterated the human species into extinction. Only about 10,000 of them survived and now they lived in a massive 144-level underground silo. The surface of the Earth is uninhabitable. No one knows exactly what happened because all records and references mentioning the global calamity were destroyed 140 years earlier. Everyone may leave the silo; all they have to do is ask. Anybody who left, however, never returned. Silo’s world-building is unmistakably meticulous and the thick dystopian story packs some real punches.

Movies

It wouldn’t be entirely incorrect to say that the last one-and-a-half years is a rather quiet time for post-apocalyptic film releases. But it doesn’t mean there is none either.

Bubble (2022)

Mysterious bubbles appear out of nowhere, flooding the world with spherical abnormalities. Japan is hit harder than anywhere else, and in fact, the Tokyo Tower is the epicentre of many dangerous explosions. Many of those bubbles finally dissipate, which allows parts of Earth to return to normalcy. But Tokyo is unlike anywhere else as it is trapped under a gigantic dome. Despite being isolated from the rest of the world, the city’s teenagers try to make the best of the bubbles by using them as a part of a hardcore parkour route. They jump from one bubble to another and compete for basic supplies. The animated film itself is not all about fun; it can throw some good romance and heartbreaking tragedies to keep viewers engaged.

Vesper (2022)

One of the most underrated films in 2022, Vesper doesn’t have the luxury of Hollywood’s big budget sci-fi but it still delivers plenty thoughtful world building of surreal atmosphere. Earth has suffered catastrophic ecological damage caused by genetic experiments gone wrong. Edible plants, animals, and most of the human population were killed in the aftermath. Survivors are now divided into two groups: the Elites who live in Citadels and everyone else who has to sustain themselves by scavenging the decaying Earth. Vesper, a 13-year-old girl of the latter group, does everything is her power to grow new plants so she and her father should never starve again.

Biosphere (2022)

Two lifelong friends find themselves trapped inside a dome shelter. There is nothing outside the dome but total blackness. While the exact cause of such peculiarity is never clearly explained in the movie, it is hinted that one of them is actually responsible for the apocalypse. It is not a film where the characters struggle to gather resources and defeat undead enemies, but some sort of thought experiment delivered through hilariousness.

Jung_E (2023)

It is the year 2194. Earth is uninhabitable because of extreme climate change. Humans have migrated to pockets of colonies called “shelters” on nearby stars. The shelters are a utopia for the rich, but a shackling home for the poor. There are in total 80 shelters; three of them form the war-mongering alliance, the Adrian Republic. Civil war is inevitable, forcing Yun Seo-Hyun to develop a super-advanced battlefield AI based on the brain of her mother, a former mercenary. The daughter ends up developing something much more than just a robot.

We think most post-apocalyptic movies and series are still stuck on the old formula of resource scarcity that puts the characters in a struggle to survive. While the old formula still works well for the most part, it is good that we see some creative takes on the typical tropes, such as in Biosphere that serve to refresh the genre a great deal.

Do you have other films or TV series to mention apart from the ones listed? Did we miss anything at all? We’d love to hear from you.

Other things you might want to know:

What are some upcoming post-apocalyptic movies?

Besides the next seasons of various TV series, including The Last of Us and Silo, the second-half of 2023 promises to bring such exciting new post-apocalyptic movies as Dune: Part Two and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Are there any post-apocalyptic movies or series based on books?

Station Eleven is based on a novel of the same name by Emily St. John Mandel. Silo takes inspiration from the Wool series by Hugh Howey. There are plenty of others: The Walking Dead, The 100, and more recently Foundation. As for movies, some of the finest examples include Children of Men, The Road, and The Hunger Games series.

What is the difference between apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic genre?

In some movies and TV series, the terms might be used interchangeably but apocalyptic is mostly about the doomsday itself. Think of it as a disaster movie talking about the end of the world as it is happening. A few good examples include The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, and The Day the Earth Stood Still. On the other hand, post-apocalyptic mainly revolves around life in the apocalypse’s aftermath, although sometimes the global-scale cataclysmic is depicted as well.

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