3 Perfect Sci-Fi Shows About the Apocalypse

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The idea of the world ending has always held a strange appeal. For centuries, artists have drawn inspiration from apocalyptic scenarios – the fall of societies, the destruction of the planet, and how people cope with ultimate disaster. Now, thanks to popular movies and TV shows, these stories of world-ending events have reached a wide audience, offering a thrilling sense of unease while we remain safely in the present.

Most TV shows about the end of the world focus on what happens *after* the disaster. Popular series like *The Walking Dead*, *Fallout*, and *Station Eleven* all take place in a world rebuilding after the apocalypse, showing survivors trying to navigate a changed landscape. It’s much rarer to see a show that focuses on the apocalypse *as* it’s happening, but a few do exist. Three current series explore the immediate end of the world, and even though one of them eventually shifts to a post-apocalyptic setting, the dangers to humanity remain present, highlighting that the end of the world isn’t always a complete ending.

3) Containment

Premiering in 2016, The CW’s *Containment* isn’t often mentioned when discussing apocalyptic shows, but looking back after almost a decade, it offers a compelling look at the beginning of an epidemic and its devastating effects. The series centers around a highly contagious and deadly virus that spreads after one man becomes infected, leading to a large-scale quarantine of Atlanta. Those trapped within the quarantine zone are then forced to struggle for survival.

While the series isn’t perfect – it includes a typical CW conspiracy and plenty of drama – *Containment* effectively shows how quickly society can fall apart when a major crisis hits. The show leaves some questions unanswered at the end, like the fate of the virus’s origins and whether the quarantine is successful, but it powerfully illustrates how easily a disease could spread beyond Atlanta and potentially wipe out the world. It’s a chillingly plausible scenario.

2) Jericho

Nuclear disaster is a frequent theme in stories about the end of the world, but the show *Jericho* focuses on the immediate aftermath. Instead of showing a world ravaged by radiation, it depicts the rapid shift from normal life to a much more complicated existence. The story centers on the residents of Jericho, a small town in Kansas, who see a mushroom cloud in the distance and quickly become isolated from the outside world. They soon learn that several American cities have been destroyed in nuclear attacks, leaving them to find ways to survive and rebuild their community in this drastically altered reality.

As a post-apocalyptic story, *Jericho* really nails it because it feels so immediate. We don’t just jump into survival mode; we *watch* these characters react to the disaster as it unfolds, and it’s raw. The show beautifully portrays the stages of grief and how the uncertainty of everything can be just as crippling as the fight to live. It’s not just about surviving the initial blast – we see the residents of Jericho grapple with all the unexpected complications that pop up when the world changes forever, and those are often the most compelling parts.

1) The Last of Us

While many consider *The Last of Us* a post-apocalyptic story – taking place twenty years after a devastating outbreak turned people into zombie-like creatures – it’s unique because the apocalypse is still actively unfolding. Based on the popular video game, the story follows Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) as he transports Ellie across a ruined America. She may hold the key to a cure or prevention for the fungal infection that brought society crashing down.

The story reveals a world still grappling with the aftermath of a widespread fungal infection, with different regions having adapted in unique ways. Despite the devastation, a sense of hope remains – people still believe a cure or preventative measure might be found. The world of *The Last of Us* hasn’t fully accepted its fate; it’s a world in constant flux and adjustment. By focusing on Joel and Ellie’s developing relationship, the story offers a personal and surprisingly relatable look at the human cost of such a catastrophic event and how, even in the face of total upheaval, some things remain fundamentally the same.

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2025-10-09 16:16