10 Post-Apocalyptic Movies & TV Shows That Are Surprisingly Hopeful

The fate of the world post-apocalypse is a terrifying prospect, but there are TV shows that elevate hope and the human kindness that can arise in even the darkest of times. Television series that focus on world-ending events have become increasingly popular in recent years, but that doesn’t mean they all have to be bleak and unrelenting. Since the true evil that people face in these scenarios is humanity itself, these stories must incorporate the good along with the bad.

Some apocalyptic TV show futures that hopefully won’t happen, as they involve nuclear fallout, zombies, and a whole host of other terrible fates that humanity would have a hard time recovering from. However, some post-apocalyptic series choose to take a slightly lighter tone when discussing the end of the world and give the audience something to hope for. Though the uplifting part of the show might only come in at the end, it still leaves the audience with a sense of encouragement when facing the prospect of the apocalypse.

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10 Station Eleven (2021 – 2022)

A group of traveling performers make the most out of what’s left of society.

It wasn’t always the case, but survival shows feature strong female characters more and more. Notably, Station Eleven follows the story of several people before, during, and after a disease wipes out most of humanity, and many of these characters are women. Kirsten (Mackenzie Davis) joins a group of Shakespeare performers who roam the land, providing joy and entertainment for those who need it. She’s haunted by her past, as are the survivors her group encounters, but the show stands firm in its belief in keeping history alive.

Some are terrified of what humanity had become before the flu and try to preserve the new world order at all costs, but Station Eleven proposes that it isn’t such a bad thing to be defined by the past. Learning from the past and honoring it are helpful ways to build a new society, and many people want to make the world beautiful and safe. Station Eleven makes the case that the world wasn’t perfect before the apocalypse, and it won’t be perfect after, but there are little ways people can help each other through it.

9 The Last Man On Earth (2015 – 2018)

A man discovers he isn’t alone in the universe, but other people are more difficult to live with than he remembers.

The Last Man On Earth puts a comedic spin on the usually dark and depressing subject of the apocalypse. From the perspective of Phil (Will Forte), the protagonist, he’s completely alone until one day, he’s surrounded by people. By using the traditional sitcom format but giving it a unique twist, The Last Man On Earth shows how universal people’s problems are. Even the apocalypse can’t stop jealousy and joy in equal measure.

Comedy is a surefire way to instill new life into a situation and remind the audience that a show isn’t always going to be bleak. Pure dramas use moments of comedy in this way, but Last Man On Earth flips the script and isn’t afraid to get surprisingly dark. This darkness, however, is more matter-of-fact and similar to the tone of other sitcoms. By the end of the series, The Last Man On Earth was unafraid to commit to a surrealist tone.

8 The 100 (2014 – 2020)

New threats and enemies arise at every turn as new societies form on a ravaged Earth.

The series has come under fire because The 100 ruined all its characters. However, it did this to illustrate the central themes of the series. People respond in different ways when faced with adversity, and the formation and breakdown of different social structures is part of the rebuilding of civilization. The 100 is heralded for its ability to change its formal every season, and never remain stagnant. It doesn’t pass judgment on its characters, it merely faithfully represents their actions.

Clarke (Eliza Taylor) is the leader of her group and protagonist of the series, but that doesn’t mean she always makes the right decision. The 100 doesn’t pretend that the end of the world wouldn’t be violent, but it also doesn’t assume that everyone will choose conflict no matter what the situation calls for. The characters’ world views shift many times throughout the show, but by the end, there’s a glimmer of hope for the future of humanity.

7 Jericho (2006 – 2008)

People of a small town must band together when the fate of the outside world remains uncertain.

When the outside world seemingly succumbs to a nuclear explosion, the residents of the town of Jericho realize that all they have is each other. This causes rivalries and panic, but it also encourages people to step up as leaders and keep their heads in a time of crisis. Due to low viewership at the time of its release, Jericho season 2 was the last season of the series. However, due to its strong writing, well-developed characters, and nuanced take on life after the apocalypse, it has a significant cult following.

The show’s heroes, Jake (Skeet Ulrich) and Robert (Lennie James) find themselves constantly putting out fires and finding out how to rebuild a society within their day-to-day struggles. In season 2, the series expands its scope to include information about the rest of the world outside their small town. Using both the micro and macro approaches to how humans respond to difficult situations, Jericho includes the best of both worlds.

6 Sweet Tooth (2021 – )

The future of humanity lies with a group of misunderstood children.

The childlike perspective and wonder of Sweet Tooth is part of what makes the series so joyful in the face of a rough and dangerous world. Most people shun the hybrid children or even try to kill them, but those who choose to protect and understand them are the heroes of the world. Gus (Christian Convery) is a young hybrid who explores the world and approaches it with curiosity and wonder despite the evils that are out to get him.

Sweet Tooth is relentlessly optimistic about the future, no matter how terrible the present may seem. In the show, characters are constantly looking for a cure to the disease that affected so many, creating sanctuaries for hybrids and helping each other when they don’t have to. This all starts when Gus is rescued by Tommy (Nonso Anozie), a man who once hated hybrids but grows to love and care for Gus like a son.

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5 See (2019 – 2022)

Two people with the sense of sight are born into a world where that has become almost impossible.

Few are aware of Jason Momoa’s Apple TV drama, See, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth watching and that it doesn’t have an interesting take on the apocalypse. Momoa plays Baba Voss, the father to two children born with the ability to see, which makes them targets in this society. Voss does everything he can to protect them, becoming a fierce warrior and challenging the prejudices and fears that control the actions of so many.

It’s fear that makes the people of this dystopian future afraid of these children. Fear of the unknown after so much change has overtaken the Earth. With each successive season, the plot and story progress, making the world feel beautiful and full of possibilities. Though See season 3 was the final season, it ended on a hopeful note. It takes the point of view that once the unknown is understood, it isn’t something to be feared but something to protect and embrace.

4 The Leftovers (2014 – 2017)

In the face of loss and the unknown people band together to heal.

At the start of The Leftovers season 1, it’s difficult to believe that the show could be anything other than a distressing look into the minds of a group of people broken by tragedy. Instead, The Leftovers ending explains the slow process of grief and that the unknown isn’t such a scary prospect when there are people to share it with. The central question of the show is where the people who disappeared went, and The Leftovers chose not to answer.

It’s not the show’s point to provide answers but to realize that peace comes when people accept the parts of life that can’t be controlled. The central characters, Kevin (Justin Theroux) and Nora (Carrie Coon) struggle and pull themselves through life until they find each other. Their connection is the series’ driving force and illustrates the show’s themes beautifully. What The Leftovers does best is not cast judgment on the ways people choose to heal or the faith they turn to but accept that any belief that helps someone is worth something.

3 Into The Badlands (2015 – 2019)

A young warrior faces many challenges in his quest to find salvation.

Best known for its fight choreography and commitment to accurately portraying martial arts, Into The Badlands is a romantic take on what the world would become after it ended. Instead of using technology and guns to destroy each other, people revert to traditional combat methods and fight with honor once again. Similar to other post-apocalyptic series, Into The Badlands suggests that a dystopian future might look more similar to the past and provides a strong hero’s journey for its lead.

Sunny (Daniel Wu) is one of the famed fighters within the Badlands, the territory where land barons and outlaws reign. Though the world is harsh and unforgiving, Sunny is a man of honor, and the driving force behind his actions is to protect the people he loves. Into The Badlands is filled with gore and violence, but it uses the post-apocalyptic setting as a tool and metaphor for the ingenuity of the human spirit against all odds.

2 12 Monkeys (2015 – 2018)

A man from a dystopian future travels to the past to try and change the timeline.

Based on one of the best sci-thriller movies, 12 Monkeys, starring Bruce Willis, the series of the same name centers on romance and the journey to save the world rather than mind-bending paradoxes. While the film is most concerned with Willis’ character and the relentless nature of trying to prevent events that have already occurred, the series takes a more linear approach. James (Aaron Standford) is the man sent back in time to stop the spread of a deadly virus and is helped by Dr. Cassie Railly (Amanda Schull) to track it down before it can wipe out humanity.

12 Monkeys season 1 followed the movie closely, but after that, the series got to take off. It played with the time travel format and the implications of the end of the world in an innovative way. It wasn’t heavy-handed in its approach to the apocalypse and let itself have fun with what time travel is capable of. The series ends on a bittersweet note because stopping the apocalypse comes with a lot of sacrifices. However, it also gives the sense that James and Cassie are happy to have gone on this adventure together.

1 Daybreak (2019)

A teen boy finds the humor in the apocalypse while searching for his girlfriend.

High school cliques and tropes are given a dystopian spin in Daybreak, a series that follows Josh (Colin Ford), who’s surviving a zombie apocalypse with plenty of wit and a gang of misfits. The surviving groups have formed based on the archetypes given to them in high school, and the series pokes fun at both the post-apocalyptic genre and the high school teen soap. Josh uses humor and frequent fourth-wall breaks to relieve the tension and remind the viewer that though the world he inhabits seems scary, it’s mostly a lot of fun.

His main purpose, finding his girlfriend, is the emotional core of the series, but the unlikely group he joins becomes his friends. The apocalypse helps Josh realize the power of human connection and eases up on the sarcasm he uses as a wall to hide his emotions. Though Daybreak was canceled after season 1, it still generated waves in the pop culture sphere for how well it combined genres and made the apocalypse feel like an adventure.