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The Top 10 Post Apocalyptic TV Shows on Netflix – 2017 Edition

an atomic bomb blows up in the distance

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It’s the golden age of television, and Netflix has many fantastic post apocalyptic TV shows you can watch right now on instant streaming. Below you’ll find the top ten post apocalyptic tv shows you can watch right now followed by an indiscriminate list of every tv show in the post apocalyptic genre that Netflix has available to stream. We cast a wide net so dystopia, end of the world, alien invasion, and robot uprising – it’s all fair game.

Below you’ll find:

(1) the Top 10 Post Apocalyptic TV Shows you can watch right now on Netflix followed by

(2) an indiscriminate list of all the TV Shows in the post apocalyptic genre that Netflix has available.


 

Intro to the 2017 List

While Netflix took a butcher knife to our 2016 Top 10 Movies list, they were kind enough to retain all but one of our Top 10 TV Shows. Fringe – an unfortunate loss. But Netflix has not completely forsaken us. Both Colony and The Shannara Chronicles are currently airing post apocalyptic TV series that were added to the catalogue this year. I suggest you get caught up with them now on Netflix so you can watch it live and participate in the fan community – you know, like people do with Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead.

This list was made on February 18 2016, and I’ll keep it updated all year long, so if you see something good on Netflix that I don’t have; Please leave us a comment below or send us a message through email or use the web form on our Tips page (whatever floats your boat) so we can add it to the list. And feel free to come back to this page periodically to see a current list until the 2017 list is published.


rick and young carl aka coral shoot a gun

6

Seasons

83

Episodes

2010

Debut

Keeping the top spot from last year, AMC’s The Walking Dead is the best post apocalyptic TV series on Netflix. The best seasons are the newest seasons, no doubt about it, thought the series did lose momentum somewhere in season two and three, it is now running full speed ahead.


a blond girl leads a group of warriors

3

Seasons

45

Episodes

2014

Debut

When earth is covered in deadly radiation, people launched orbiting space ships to live in until the radiation died down. When supplies in space run out before the earth is safe, an expedition of 100 child-criminals are sent to the earth on a lark to see if it’s survivable down there. The 100 starts from there, and has a really solid story.

Still in second place, The 100 is a phenomenon – a huge hit especially among teens. You’ll know very quickly if this show is for you. The plot is solid, and the nuclear wasteland is believable. Sometimes the characters act like stupid teenagers and it frustrates me. A few characters inexplicably gain combat skills, or lose their political power. I guess I’m saying that there’s a lot to love and a lot to hate about the 100. But I have to watch it as soon as it airs – so it certainly meets the “addictive” test.

The 100 Opening Credits – Best of Show

 


two robots fly above a bunch of dead humans

1

Seasons

10

Episodes

2016

Debut

Most alien stories outline the great struggle of man against the aliens. But what if the aliens were so much better than us that it didn’t even make sense to fight back? What if humanity truly had no choice but to obey or die? Colony is the story of a beaten humanity, trying desperately to survive under tyrannical alien rule.

Colony is a brand new addition to Netflix and already occupies the number three spot on our list. As of the time of this writing, Colony just aired episode two of season two. Netflix is carrying all of season one. If you act fast, you could catch up and watch it live with the fan community.


a man on a gurney is being bitten by zombies

2

Seasons

28

Episodes

2015

Debut

There is nothing on TV like Z Nation right now. This show is really outside the box – melding zombie drama with comedy and …video games? It’s hard to describe, but the absurd things that happen in Z Nation somehow remind me of genre games like Fallout and Left 4 Dead.

Oh, and when you kill someone on Z Nation to keep them from becoming a zombie, you say “I grant you mercy”. While other shows get bogged down in moral dilemmas about killing the doomed, Z Nation makes a tradition of it. This is my kind of zombie show.

Z Nation is down one spot from 2016, dropping to number four. Losing the number three spot to Colony is no knock against Z Nation, it just means that Colony impressed us that much.


a modern city lies in ruins

2

Seasons

42

Episodes

2013

Debut

Revolution asks, “What if the electricity was out for good?” Like for good. No electrical devices in the entire world are working. Apparently, if that were to happen, a lot of people would die. The rest would join violent city-states by choice or by force. Revolution picks up about fifteen years after the lights went out.

Revolution jumped from #8 to #5 on our list. Arbitrarily up three spots from last year because reasons.


a nuclear bomb explodes near a farm

2

Seasons

29

Episodes

2008

Debut

Jericho explores what would happen if America suffered a surprise nuclear attack. No warning, no war declaration, just bombs, all over the country. This show is about a small town that is thrust into that situation, coupled with a complete lack of communication with the outside world. 

It’s really good.

Actor Lennie James really knocked it out of the ballpark with his role as Robert Hawkins. He currently stars on The Walking Dead with a similarly awesome character named Morgan Jones.


a ragged group meets in a church

2

Seasons

12

Episodes

2015

Debut

In this Netflix collaboration with Rogers, a Canadian media company, all the old people are dead. Killed by some mysterious illness. And now some young adults have to keep it all together under quarantine conditions. The premise is Peter Pan meets Under the Dome.

Between climbs the ranks by two spots compared to last year due to a strong second season.


a group of people stand in a circle around an exploding ball

4

Seasons

42

Episodes

2012

Debut

The protagonists of Continuum are a group of freedom fighters who travel from the future to prevent a tyrannical dystopian government from taking control. Continuum has great acting, great writing, and even better graphics. The visuals were just top notch from start to finish. The story was engaging, and I really couldn’t wait to start each episode. The end left me unsatisfied; but it was a proper end, I grudgingly admit.

Continuum is down four spots from last year because the more I thought about it, the more dissatisfied I became with the ending.


a troll man is decked ouot in radiation gear including a gas mask

1

Seasons

10

Episodes

2016

Debut

Brand new to Netflix in 2017, The Shannara Chronicles is kind of like the Lord of the Rings if it were set in a post-apocalyptic earth. It’s weird. It has Crixus from Spartacus starring as a magical druid. Huge men with gas masks are called “Trolls”, and remnants of modern civilization dot the landscape where elves, half-elves, humans, and other creatures struggle for supremacy.

Shannara Chronicles hasn’t fully hit it’s stride yet, but is showed glimpses in season one. Being based on incredibly popular book series, we have high hopes for this one.


a naked giant is destroying a human village

1

Seasons

25

Episodes

2013

Debut

Not having enough nightmares? Watch this anime about creepy smiling naked giants who eat people alive. A lot of people like this show, and there was even a pair of movies released recently. The premise really jumps out at you from the start. Humanity is doomed and it’s clear to see why. For starters, their technology is circa 1700. Also, man eating giants the size of skyscapers are pretty much everywhere.

This will definitely not be for everyone, but some people will love it. Mankind is fighting for survival against insurmountable odds. The creepy factor might be a hurdle for you, or it might be the main draw. Whatever the case, this is a fun one to watch with the kids… Or the pastor.

Attack on Titan holds on to the tenth spot from last year’s list. Also, season two is (finally) in production.



Master List: All Post Apocalyptic TV Shows on Netflix

 If it’s a tv series about the end of the world, and it’s on Netflix, it will be in this list. We’ve looked through the entire catalogue to make sure we didn’t leave anything out. Here is every single post apocalyptic tv show on Netflix that didn’t make the top 10 list, as well as their Netflix star rating.

iZombie (2015) 5*
 
Travelers (2016) 5*
 
Firefly (2002) 4.9*
 
Gurren Lagen (2007) 4.5*
Knights of Sidonia (2015) 4.5*
 
3% (2016) 4.1*
 
Terra Nova (2011) 4.1*
 
Survivors (2010) 4*
Helix (2014) 4*
 
Dead Set (2008) 3.5*
 
Outcasts (2011) 3.1*

Post Apocalyptic Shows We’ve Lost

Sarah Connor Chronicles
 
Adventure Time
 
Fringe
 
Trigun
 
Doomsday Bunkers
Doomsday Preppers
 
Doomsday Castle
 
The Stand
 
Battlestar Galactica (1978)
Earth 2
 
Delete
 
Eve of Destruction
 
Exploding Sun

Did we miss something?

Please leave us a comment below or send us a message through email or use the web form on our Tips page so we can add it to the list. Thanks!


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    Derek is a licensed (non-practicing) attorney with a keen interest in avoiding catastrophe. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

    Contact: [email protected]

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