All too relevant to the coronavirus pandemic is the dark fantasy miniseries ‘The Stand,’ which explores the lives of a group of survivors obliterated by a plague, stuck in an elemental war between biblical notions of good and evil. Based on Stephen King’s 1978 post-apocalyptic novel of the same name, ‘The Stand’ is about the formation of two camps of survivors after a deadly virus called Captain Trips wipes out almost all of humanity. The immune survivors get dream visits from Mother Abagail, who represents good, in a cornfield, while a different group of people destined to be together join the demonic Randall Flagg’s organization.
As Light and Dark play their cosmic endgame, the two camps come into conflict in Boulder, Colorado, due to their dedicated differences. It’s a classic good versus evil, set in the present day, but reimagined by King and writer-direct Josh Boone. If you like exploring such fantasy dramas, make sure you also check out the following TV series.
7. Lost (2004-2010)
The drama series follows a group of passengers as they try to deal with the aftermath of a plane crash. After the survivors get tossed onto an uninhabited tropical island, they learn about mysterious entities present on that island, like the Smoke Monster that roams the jungle and malicious occupants known as “the Others.” As the story escalates, so do the clashes between this group of survivors and the Others and a thematic clash in their ideologies–faith and science. This survival TV series won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2005.
6. American Gods (2017-)
Yet another American fantasy drama series, ‘American Gods‘ is based on Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel of the same name. The story centers upon an imprisoned man called Shadow Moon, who hears about his wife’s death and is released early to attend her funeral. His trip home gets delayed when he meets a strange man called Mr. Wednesday, who offers Shadow a job, which he repeatedly turns down.
After Mr. Wednesday informs Shadow that the job no longer exists, Shadow starts working for Wednesday as his driver and bodyguard. During this time, Shadow finds himself in a world where magic is real, and Old Gods feel threatened by New Gods such as television, media, and technology. To fight this battle, Wednesday helps unite the Old Gods and rebuild their importance while Shadow struggles to deal with this new reality.
5. The Walking Dead (2010-)
The popular long-running post-apocalyptic horror TV series ‘The Walking Dead‘ explores the lives of human survivors who find themselves in the middle of a worldwide zombie outbreak. The zombies are known as “walkers,” who can follow the scent of humans and are attracted to sounds like gunshots. Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma and finds that walkers have taken over the world.
As he becomes the leader of a group of other survivors, clashes take place not only between humans and the walkers but also amongst different groups of survivors who will take any steps necessary to stay alive. A Golden Globe-nominated show, ‘The Walking Dead’ has attracted the widest age group of viewers than most broadcast TV series.
4. Z Nation (2014-2018)
TV shows set in a post-apocalyptic world are creative, and they present a zombie apocalypse in different ways. After ‘The Walking Dead,’ ‘Z Nation’ does just that by exploring the life of an inmate named Murphy, who is tested with the vaccine against a zombie apocalypse and survives. Now that his blood contains antibodies, he is the only hope for saving the human race. However, the saving may be more challenging than it appears since Murphy realizes that his body has turned into an odd combination between a zombie and a human.
3. The Mist (2017)
Another TV series based on Stephen King’s novel is ‘The Mist‘, which follows the lives of the inhabitants of a town in Maine after a dark layer of mist envelopes them. The residents soon discover that the situation is far more complicated as mysterious entities start killing and attacking them. Eventually, the residents start hallucinating when they come in contact with the mist, which shows them their fears, past, and guilt that either helps or kills them.
2. V Wars (2019)
‘V Wars’ is a science fiction horror show that tracks an ancient biological infectious agent that infects humans and turns them into vampires. Soon, it becomes apparent that not only is humanity at stake but the world also gets divided into factions comprising humans and vampires on opposing sides. Rifts between Blood – the vampire faction – and anti-blood governmental elements occur while Dr. Luther Swann and his best friend, Michael Fayne, deal with the situation. Even though the series was canceled after its first season in 2020, the viewers enjoyed this show for its different take on the usual “zombie apocalypse.”
1. Containment (2016)
Based on the Belgian TV series ‘Cordon,’ ‘Containment’ is about a deadly viral outbreak in Atlanta that forces a section of the society to be under quarantine and manage to survive. It all starts with a Syrian man, infected with a contagious virus, who ends up infecting his doctors and family amongst others, leading to it becoming an epidemic. The limited series is very on-brand with COVID-19 and gained a bit of a following during the lockdown period.
Read More: Best TV Shows About Zombies
