5 Best TV Shows To Watch After The Testaments

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The first season of Hulu’s The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, recently concluded, resolving several key plotlines and hinting at an even more perilous future: the potential downfall of Gilead. A second season is planned, promising to explore the fight to overthrow the oppressive regime, as the story follows Agnes (Chase Infinit) and Daisy (Lucy Halliday). While we don’t have a release date yet, fans will be eagerly awaiting the continuation of this dystopian drama.

Luckily, there are plenty of compelling dystopian TV shows available to stream, and many of them are great choices to watch after finishing The Testaments. While none are quite the same – and we assume you’ve already watched The Handmaid’s Tale – several series explore similar themes of oppression, rebellion, and the desire for a brighter future. We’ve compiled a list of excellent shows, and even if they aren’t strictly dystopian, we think you’ll see why we especially recommend one of them.

5) Alias Grace

Let’s start with a recommendation that isn’t a dystopian story, but still worth watching after The Testaments – it’s also based on a novel by Margaret Atwood. That series is Alias Grace. This six-part miniseries, which first aired in 2017, tells the story of Grace Marks, an Irish immigrant convicted of murder in 1843. After serving over ten years in prison, Dr. Simon Jordan is brought in to assess her mental state and determine if she should be released. The story combines a murder mystery with an exploration of the trauma Grace experienced, and how it might have led to the crime.

I’ve been thinking about Atwood’s work lately, and while it doesn’t feel like a full-blown dystopia, I see echoes of the themes from The Testaments – especially how young women are made to feel powerless. It’s fascinating too that Alias Grace is inspired by a true story, which really adds another layer to the reading experience. If you’re looking for it, you can find it streaming on Netflix.

4) Silo

Apple TV+’s Silo is the latest TV adaptation of a popular book series. Based on Hugh Howey’s Silo trilogy, the show takes place in a bleak future where the last of humanity lives inside a giant, 144-story underground structure. After a disaster makes the surface world poisonous, those living within the silo have followed strict rules for generations. But when engineer Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) starts to investigate, she begins to uncover hidden truths about their existence.

Though Silo differs from The Testaments by not focusing on gender-based oppression, it shares similar themes of harsh class divisions and strong authoritarian control. Like The Testaments (with its declining birthrates and dangerous “Colonies”), Silo is set in a world recovering from a disaster, but it shows the aftermath much more directly. You can watch the first two seasons of Silo on Apple TV+, and Season 3 will be available in July.

3) 3%

If you enjoyed The Testaments or The Hunger Games, you might like 3%, a Brazilian series you may not have discovered yet. It’s set in a future where young people living in poverty have a chance to escape to a wealthy society called “Offshore” by completing a challenging selection process called “The Process.” But it’s incredibly difficult – only 3% of applicants succeed, with the rest either failing or being eliminated. Like many dystopian stories, it also features a group fighting against the system.

I was completely hooked by 3%! It’s a really intense and thought-provoking dystopian story that hit a little too close to home at times. While it reminded me of The Hunger Games, it’s definitely much grittier and geared towards adults. I loved that it’s a complete story – all four seasons are available to binge on Netflix, which is a huge plus!

2) Leila

If you enjoyed The Testaments and The Handmaid’s Tale, you’ll likely be captivated by Leila. This six-part Indian drama shares many similarities with those stories. Based on Prayaag Akbar’s novel, Leila is set in a divided India of the late 2040s, where basic necessities like clean water and air are scarce. Strict “purity” laws dramatically alter the life of Shalini, whose husband is killed and daughter taken by the government due to her marriage outside of their preferred groups. Shalini herself is then sent to a center meant to “re-educate” women deemed undesirable.

This series shares many themes with The Testaments. It explores a world where women face constantly changing and impossibly high moral expectations, where speaking out against the government leads to harsh punishment, and where religion plays a central role. Though it’s brief and ends on an uncertain note, it’s a great follow-up for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments, offering a darker take on the same ideas. You can watch it on Netflix.

1) Station Eleven

Many dystopian shows are quite bleak, but we wanted to include something with a bit of hope. Station Eleven, based on the popular novel, is a fantastic adaptation – it’s different from the book, yet just as compelling. Unlike typical dystopias with controlling governments, this show focuses on a world after the collapse of civilization. It’s set twenty years after a flu pandemic and follows a troupe of traveling performers who cross paths with a dangerous cult led by a puzzling figure connected to their group.

Though Station Eleven includes a cult and its leader, the story is fundamentally about people and the enduring power of hope. Unlike many apocalyptic tales, it focuses less on the world’s end and more on how humanity rebuilds and moves forward. All ten episodes are available to stream on HBO Max.

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2026-05-29 02:11