Top 20 Dystopian TV Shows Ever

Dystopian fiction has long been a staple in the science fiction and horror genres, but in the 21st century, it has surged to become a dominant category in its own right. This list showcases the very best of TV dystopias, encompassing everything from zombie-infested wastelands to AI-driven apocalypses, and even more subtle horrors like societies ruled by social media metrics or worlds where every experience is recorded in your brain like video files.

From devastating plagues and nuclear winters to robot uprisings, time travel paranoia, and mysterious disappearances, these 19 TV shows—along with one miniseries—offer the most inventive, terrifying, and often deeply moving dystopian narratives ever crafted. Some are set in post-apocalyptic worlds, while others explore the eerie reality of office workers with microchips in their heads that fragment their consciousness. What unites them is a dark vision of the future, whether near or distant, that pulses with intensity, intrigue, and boundless imagination.

If your interest leans more towards films, don't miss out on the Top 10 Apocalypse Movies of All Time and the 6 Post-Apocalyptic Movies You've Probably Never Seen. Additionally, IGN readers have voted on their Favorite Post-Apocalyptic World from Movies and TV!

But if it's television that captivates you, then dive deeper with us into series like Fallout, Severance, The Walking Dead, The Handmaid's Tale, The Last of Us, and many more. Here are the Top 20 Dystopian TV Shows of All Time!