Ben Gibbons, aka Benjamin Blogs online is an entertainment journalist, writer and commentator with a special interest in superheroes and sci-fi.
Silo is one of the most gripping new dystopian sci-fi shows on TV, but there are plenty of other shows in this category that are equally stunning. Apple TV began streaming Silo in 2023. The series stars Rebecca Ferguson as a character named Juliette Nichols, an engineer who lives in a monumental silo set deep inside the Earth.
The series is based on the Silo trilogy of novels by Hugh Howey, set in a dystopian future where a large community has moved into silos in order to escape the toxic, polluted world of the surface. However, clearly, the rigid rules of the silo benefit some people more than others, leading to questions about whether the stories of the dangers above are actually true. Fallout If Silo stands out as your favorite dystopian sci-fi story, then a great choice to fill the void while waiting between seasons is Prime Video's Fallout. While the tone of this show is considerably more quirky and layered with humor, this video game-adapted story has a lot in common with Silo. At least at the surface level. Fallout starts with a group of people living beneath the Earth in special vaults that have housed them and their ancestors for hundreds of years. They are studious in preparing to reclaim the world above once it returns to normal, but the Overseers repeatedly inform their followers that the world outside is toxic and barren. Evidently, the setups for Fallout and Silo are similar, but Fallout sees Lucy MacLean, a Vault Dweller, venture out into the world, and learn that it is full of monsters, mutants, and toxic waste, but despite that, the world hasn't ended. And in fact, the worst threats may well have existed inside the vaults to begin with. Severance Silo is one show from Apple TV that further establishes their reputation as the best place to stream new original sci-fi shows, but by sheer viewing figures, one of their most popular shows on the platform is Severance. Severance initially released in 2023, the same year as Silo, but this original story has drawn significant attention, especially when it returned in 2025 for season 2. The central idea with Severance is that a remarkable technology has been developed that can segment the mind, allowing people to completely divide their work lives and their personal lives. However, this creates numerous complications and highlights dark secrets about the company providing the procedure. Black Mirror In some ways, Black Mirror has a distinct advantage over a lot of the competition in the dystopian sci-fi space, because rather than present one story, every episode unpacks a new story about the darkest, most disturbing, and terrifying uses of advanced technology, to the point that it could destroy humanity as we know it. It's a fascinating series of thought experiments delivered in the form of an anthology series, and it's one of Netflix's most impressive original shows. Some episodes are more dystopian than others, but all are equally haunting and center on sci-fi elements. The Handmaid's Tale Talking about shocking and disturbing dystopian sci-fi's, The Handmaid's Tale remains one of the very best. The show is based on the novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood. Developed for Hulu, this Emmy-award-winning series ran from 2017 to 2025, with a total of six seasons exploring America in the wake of a second civil war. After the war, society was rebuilt with religious leaders holding positions of power in government, and people were organized into classes. Among these new classes, women are treated as slaves and forced to bear children in what is genuinely one of the most haunting dystopian shows on TV. It's dark, but the impact and intelligence of the series as a whole make it a must-watch for fans of the genre. Station Eleven Station Eleven is a Max Original series that debuted in 2021 and received nominations in several Emmy categories upon its release. Unlike the other shows on this list, Station Eleven is a miniseries, exploring one story across several timelines as the world succumbs to a deadly flu virus, and survivors two decades later try to rebuild as best they can. It's a fascinating show that provides a complete story across 10 episodes with a particular focus on one woman who spent her formative years growing up in this new world with only one other person to help her. Decades later, she lives with a group of traveling performers. The main conflict comes from this group coming in contact with a violent cult, as an unexpected reunion adds a layer of complexity that provides drama and intrigue throughout. Westworld Westworld is a series that continues the story laid out in the popular 1973 film of the same name. Essentially, both the film and the show follow the same core idea, but across four seasons, the HBO TV series was able to dig a lot deeper into the story overall and the consequences of people's choices. The ultra-wealthy pay for the privilege to attend futuristic theme parks where hyperrealistic robots, called Hosts, allow guests to live out their every fantasy. No matter how brutal, violent, or devious, these hosts comply, and the guests push the limits as they unleash their wildest and darkest fantasies on a world built for them. After each guest finishes their experience, the Host's memories are wiped, but when an update causes them to retain some memories, the behaviors begin to change. Over the run of the show, the world unravels, and the show cements itself as one of the most creative and imaginative dystopian stories around AI. The Man In The High Castle The Man in the High Castle is set in an alternate history where the Nazis won World War II. In the wake of the war, they establish control of the US, with the Japanese Empire standing up as their greatest ally, which possesses control of a portion of Western States. Subscribe to the newsletter for top dystopian TV picks Join the newsletter for curated picks, clear context, and smart recommendations on dystopian and sci-fi TV—plus broader genre highlights and thoughtful analysis to guide your next streaming choice. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. However, the intriguing aspect of the show is the idea that within the Rocky Mountains, there remains a neutral buffer zone where rebels congregate to avoid the harsh reality of living under either dictatorship's control. Here, one woman discovers film newsreels that contain footage of other realities, including some that see the Americans win the War, and the Nazis fall. This inspires her, and other rebels like her, to fight back and find ways to try and bring her world in line with the idyllic realities that exist on her reels. Arcane Arcane may appear as one of the more unusual choices on this list for those unfamiliar with adult animated shows in general, but animated stories unlock additional dimensions for storytelling that live-action just can't reach. This series, set in the world of the popular video game franchise League of Legends, examines a divided world. Above, there is Piltovar, a Utopian city that encapsulates the best of everything. But suppressed below sits the city of Zaun, an area overrun with crime, which serves as a dumping ground for Piltovar. The story follows two sisters, Vi and Jinx, voiced by the incredible Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell, respectively. These sisters take on a central role in the clash between these two communities and are instrumental in changing the status quo to hopefully create a better and fairer world for all. This show, and all the others listed above, along with Silo, stand out as some of the best dystopian stories on TV and are all worth investing time into unraveling their incredible stories.
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