Varun Patel
‘Man in the High Castle’ is a critically acclaimed television series by Amazon Studios whose first season released in 2015. It is an alternate history fiction based on Philip Dick’s novel of the same name.
The speculative setting of the television series is the hallmark selling point of the show. It presents a parallel university wherein the Axis powers have won the Second World War and as a result, rule most of the world. United States of America is depicted to be split into two halves with a buffer zone between the two zones. The Eastern coast and Midwestern North America are ruled by a proxy government that is directly controlled by the Greater Nazi Reich of Germany. It is treated like a colony of Nazi Germany, referred to as “Nazi America” or “the American Reich.” The Western half of North America, on the other hand, is controlled by the Empire of Japan and known as the “Japanese Pacific States.” Japan and Germany have formed power blocs in a bipolar world similar to the one witnessed during the Cold War. The former allies compete for further power and dominance in this universe.
This parallel reality is marred by oppression. When Juliana Crain, a woman living in San Francisco in the Pacific states receives a film showing a world where the Allies won the Second World War, she starts to believe in the possibility of a successful rebellion.
The premise of the show is intriguing and the setting has been recreated in an epic fashion, receiving a lot of praise from critics. With the fourth season scheduled to be the show’s concluding one, fans will definitely feel a void that might be hard to fill. The plot is engrossing and supported by well-sketched characters in a brilliantly realized speculative world. We have compiled a list of shows similar to ‘Man in the High Castle’ that you will enjoy. You can watch several of these shows like ‘Man in the High Castle’ on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.
6. SS-GB (2017)
This British drama series of 2017 also takes place in a speculative world similar to ‘Man in the High Castle.’ Based on Leigh Dalton’s novel of the same name, it depicts an alternative history wherein Nazi Germany has taken over control of Great Britain during the Second World War. In this parallel reality, Winston Churchill has been executed while King George VI has been imprisoned.
The story revolves around a British Scotland Yard detective, Douglas Archer who takes orders from German superiors and thinks that resistance to the German invaders is futile. However, when he is assigned a mission to investigate a murder that turns highly political and finds out that his lover cum secretary is working for the resistance movement, he gets embroiled in a conspiracy.
5. Counterpart (2017-2019)
‘Counterpart’ is an intriguing science fiction thriller whose first season premiered in 2017. The premise of the show is extremely intriguing and involves a secret portal to a parallel universe created by an East German scientist. The protagonist, Howard Silk, played by J.K. Simmons works at the Office of Interchange, a spy organisation that is responsible for guarding the crossing point to the parallel universe which is an exact copy of the real world.
The tale begins with an assassin who has crossed over from the parallel universe with a kill list that includes the protagonist’s wife. The show explores themes related to identity, asking viewers the question, “What if we could have had different lives?”
4. Watchmen (2019-)
‘Watchmen’ is a superhero television series whose first season aired this year. Based on a comic book series by Alan Moore of the same name. However, it is not a direct adaptation of the comic book’s story. Rather, it is set in the same universe with different characters. In this alternate reality, the existence of the superheroes and vigilantes known as “Watchmen” significantly alter the events of the real world as we know it. For instance, the United States of America wins the Vietnam War.
Set 34 years after the events in the comics, the television series presents a world that is marred by white supremacy and racial tensions across the United States, while the “Watchmen” have been outlawed due to their poor image in the eyes of the public.
3. Westworld (2016-)
Set in the near future, this HBO science fiction series received a lot of acclaim after its premiere. Created by Christopher Nolan’s brother, Jonathan Nolan, the show has an out-of-this-world premise. The first season is set in “Westworld,” one of sex futuristic amusement parks, run by the corporation, Delos Inc.
“Westworld” is an American Old West/cowboy themed amusement park that is filled with androids designed to be exactly like humans, playing different characters. The real people who visit this park can interact with these androids just like they were humans and are allowed to treat them in whatever way they desire: they can converse with them, hit them or even have sex with them.
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2. Colony (2016-2018)
Colony is a science fiction television series that depicts a dystopian near future wherein an alien force has taken over Los Angeles. In this world, some of the humans decide to collaborate with the “Authority” that serves the mysterious aliens while a few people try to resist. It follows the Bowman family with Will Bowman being a former FBI agent and his wife who is secretively a member of the resistance movement that seeks to rebel against the alien invaders.
1. Travelers (2016-2018)
This Canadian-American science fiction series was co-produced by Netflix and the Canadian channel, Showcase. In a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world set in the future, a technology that can transfer “consciousness” back in time is invented. Using this technology, thousands of operatives transfer their consciousness to a host body in the 21st century. Using this technology which basically allows the operatives to travel back in time, they are tasked with stopping the apocalypse that causes the collapse of society in the future.
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