A Personal Playlist of Dystopic and Dark TV Series
As billions are self isolating and millions are recalling episodes of television series dystopia and apocalypse, I wanted to go through my list of darker television content. The list is very personal as it omits a lot that I've not watched. However, among the ones that I've seen; I sincerely believe there is a lot of good material. The list is in alphabetical order and covers only TV series.
1. Fortitude
IMDB Rating: 7.4
Tomatometer: 84%
Perched on the edge of the Arctic Circle, Fortitude is one of the safest towns on earth. There has never been a violent crime here. Until now. (IMDB)
Fortitude is eerie. Its atmosphere is chilling and the the first 2 seasons are remarkable. Given the virus angle, it might be additionally interesting for now. This is a series unseen by many but its acting, setting and story for the first 2 seasons is comparable to or better than more popular big budget productions.
My Rating: 8
2. The Walking Dead
IMDB Rating: 8.2
Tomatometer: 81%
Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma to learn the world is in ruins, and must lead a group of survivors to stay alive. (IMDB)
The Walking Dead is a classic that deserves being so. Dark and humane at the same time, it is a very slow paced story that develops and gets better over time. In this multi-year franchise, there are periods of calm but until the very end, the series always manages to pick up and offer something new. The Walking Dead is ultimately a lot more than the zombies..
My Rating: 9
3. The Expanse
IMDB Rating: 8.5
Tomatometer: 93%
A police detective in the asteroid belt, the first officer of an interplanetary ice freighter, and an earth-bound United Nations executive slowly discover a vast conspiracy that threatens the Earth's rebellious colony on the asteroid belt.. (IMDB)
The Expanse starts out like a B-type series and develops in to a deep science fiction classic of our times. With a cult status among a smaller audience circle, the Expanse is space, intrigue, melodrama and mystery in space. Seasons 1 and 2 are impeccable in storytelling. Acting is at best average to start with but picks up as the series develop. I found Season 3 personally engaging but not at par with the previous seasons. As the series revitalized on Amazon with Season 4, there is more micro management of characters and issues compared to the rather more wide net of bigger issues before.
My Rating: 8
4. Altered Carbon
IMDB Rating: 8.1
Tomatometer: 76%
Based on the classic cyberpunk noir novel by Richard K. Morgan, Altered Carbon is an intriguing story of murder, love, sex, and betrayal, set more than 300 years in the future. (RT)
The Altered Carbon starts so interesting that I loved repeating the first couple of episodes to get a hang of the world it describes. The story is interesting as well as the world - and especially so for Season 1. Acting is usually mediocre but James Purefoy was absolutely great in Season 1. S2 goes deeper but emotionally it failed to have the same impact on me.
My Rating: 7
5. Hap and Leonard
IMDB Rating: 7.6
Set in the late 1980's Hap and Leonard is a darkly comic swamp noir of two best friends, one femme fatale, a crew of washed up revolutionaries, a pair of murderous psycho killers, some lost loot, and the fuzz. (IMDB)
Based on the novellas by Joe R. Lansdale, this Sundance aired 3 season then cancelled quirky TV Series is a gem! Acting is superb, directing is impeccable and the stories are interesting. Themes are dark and darker at times but there is an underlying sense of resolve and hope that pins the show. Highly political and macho undertones persist as per the setting and some audiences might find it hard to adapt to the language but for those who can, absolutely recommended.
My Rating: 10
6. The Rain
IMDB Rating: 6.3
Tomatometer: 82%
The world as we know it has ended. Six years after a brutal virus carried by the rain wiped out almost all humans in Scandinavia, two Danish siblings emerge from the safety of their bunker to find all remnants of civilization gone. Soon they join a group of young survivors and together set out on a danger-filled quest through abandoned Scandinavia, searching for any sign of life. (RT)
Tried and true themes are replayed in this Danish virus dystopia. It works rather well in Season 1 but falters in Season 2.
My Rating: 6
7. The Haunting of Hill House
IMDB Rating: 8.7
Tomatometer: 93%
Flashing between past and present, a fractured family confronts haunting memories of their old home and the terrifying events that drove them from it. (RT)
For me, Mike Flanagan's best work and a truly chilling story. Packed with intense scares, the amazing part of the show is the attention given to character development. Not for the faint hearted!
My Rating: 9
8. The 100
IMDB Rating: 7.7
Tomatometer: 92%
Set ninety-seven years after a nuclear war has destroyed civilization, when a spaceship housing humanity's lone survivors sends one hundred juvenile delinquents back to Earth, in hopes of possibly re-populating the planet. (IMDB)
The 100 starts B-type but starts fast and builds up a compelling vision of future. In a couple of seasons, it manages to explore bigger themes and develop compelling villains and a lot of twists. Well in to its 6th season, it maintains an interesting storyline. Perfect for a brutal binge..
My Rating: 8
9. Dark
IMDB Rating: 8.7
Tomatometer: 93%
Dark is set in a German town in present day where the disappearance of two young children exposes the double lives and fractured relationships among four families. (RT)
Impeccable visual style with a hat tip to the creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese comes this German noir. Once again a great Season 1 that is followed by a Season 2 filled with it less alluring aspects.
My Rating: 7
10. The Man in the High Castle
IMDB Rating: 8
Tomatometer: 84%
In a dystopian America dominated by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, a young woman discovers a mysterious film that may hold the key to toppling the totalitarian regimes. (IMDB)
Dystopic as it is, low on believability and poor on pacing. Being a Philip K. Dick fan, this show that I wished was a lot better has been a disappointment. I still would recommend it to try for the genre fans for the experience.
My Rating: 5
11. Ergo Proxy
IMDB Rating: 8
In a post-apocalyptic future humans live in peace with androids in a domed city. However, a strange series of murders has intruded into bored inspector Re-l Mayer's life. (IMDB)
From 2006, Ergo Proxy is dark, weird, childish and mature at the same time. The story deals with a multitude of political and personal themes and not always brilliantly. However what remains is a heart wrenching world that feels lived in. A very interesting and much overlooked cartoon..
My Rating: 8
12. Mr. Robot
IMDB Rating: 8.5
Tomatometer: 94%
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4158110/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/mr_robot
Elliot, a brilliant but highly unstable young cyber-security engineer and vigilante hacker, becomes a key figure in a complex game of global dominance when he and his shadowy allies try to take down the corrupt corporation he works for. (IMDB)
In the years after watching Mr. Robot, Evil Corp is seeming more real to me. Not as a conspiracy per se but as the path technology is leading us. Great acting by Rami Malek, super work by Sam Esmail - this is a must watch for those who can stand it. Recommended for older audiences..
My Rating: 9
13. Penny Dreadful
IMDB Rating: 8.2
Tomatometer: 91%
Some of literature's most terrifying characters, including Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and iconic figures from the novel Dracula are lurking in the darkest corners of Victorian London. Penny Dreadful is a frightening psychological thriller that weaves together these classic horror origin stories into a new adult drama. (RT)
Good acting, macabre setting, scary villians, deep dive psychology and deception. Pack all this with great visuals, Penny Dreadful is dark, for the mature audience and a must watch for the interested. Most of the time, pacing and acting helps to ease the burden of the subject matter but nonetheless it is chilly.
My Rating: 9
14. Person of Interest
IMDB Rating: 8.4
Tomatometer: 92%
An ex-CIA agent and a wealthy programmer save lives via a surveillance AI that sends them the identities of civilians involved in impending crimes. However, the details of the crimes--including the civilians' roles--are left a mystery. (IMDB)
Person of Interest starts out with an interesting idea but not exactly delivering what it intends to. However with each season, it progresses in all aspects and especially with Michael Emerson's acting, the shows makes itself believable and subtly scary for a future that is more real today than when it was shot.
My Rating: 8
15. Ash vs Evil Dead
IMDB Rating: 8.5
Tomatometer: 99%
Ash has spent the last thirty years avoiding responsibility, maturity, and the terrors of the Evil Dead until a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind and Ash becomes mankind's only hope. (IMDB)
Hilarious and dark with occasional psychological insights, this blood and gore filled series is a masterpiece in its own genre. Good acting and good film-making coupled with a very foul language smeared with a wildly politically incorrect attitude makes this one stand out.
My Rating: 9
16. Fringe
IMDB Rating: 8.4
Tomatometer: 90%
An F.B.I. agent is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist and his son in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.(IMDB)
John Noble alone is legendary in this series from 2008 covering paranormal and an impending disaster. The topic is interesting and for a while is taken up meticulously. However the series falters as plot lines run out and familiar cliches are spun in. Nonetheless, a classic to chew on..
My Rating: 7
17. Black Spot
IMDB Rating: 7.6
A police chief and an eccentric new prosecutor investigate a string of grisly crimes and eerie phenomena in an isolated town at the edge of a forest. (IMDB)
Zone Blanche is a dystopia in a small community and a tragedy for most of its inhabitants. A France 2 production, it is supernatural woven with a lot of modern day problems.
My Rating: 8
18. Westworld
IMDB Rating: 8.7
Tomatometer: 85%
A sci-fi drama set in an Old West theme park where guests interact with automatons in scenarios that are developed, overseen and scripted by the park's creative, security and quality assurance departments. Based on the 1973 feature film directorial debut by Michael Crichton. (RT)
Westworld along with a host of 20th century works of art questions the notions of who is real and what is freedom. Highly stylish and step by step somber while keeping pacing decent, Westworld manages to build on Michael Crichton's original movie.
My Rating: 7
19. Battlestar Galactica
IMDB Rating: 8.7
Tomatometer: 95%
When an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protect a small civilian fleet - the last of humanity - as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth. (IMDB)
With so much production flaws, I wonder what made this show so compelling to me. Edward James Olmos and Mary Mc Donnell do a terrific job but most actors go pretty mediocre for most of the show. Yet the theme, the setting and the quest is compelling. As science fiction goes, Battlestar Galactica is dark enough and filled with some major surprises.
My Rating: 7
20. Avatar: The Last Airbender
IMDB Rating: 9.2
Tomatometer: 100%
In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world. (IMDB)
Avatar takes place in a land of war with little hope left. Throughout the story Aang builds that hope internally and with people his path crosses. Ultimately this is a dystopia with a childish Nick tone and it is one of the most remarkable and accessible cartoons ever made.
My Rating: 10
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The list does not end here and I intentionally capped it at 20 for now..
As a closing statistic, I wanted to compare my rating versus IMDB and Tomatometer. Here's how it looks:
- TV Series covered: 20
- IMDB Rating average: 8.2
- Tomatometer average: 90%
- My Rating average: 8
...
In these trying times, I hope this list provides not only some sort of relief for those would take the time to watch these shows, but also an inspiration of a kind.
Istanbul, March 2020
