10 Shows Like ‘The Last of Us’
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The Last of Us reached the inevitable conclusion to its powerful second season with an episode that left fans wanting more. A third season has already been greenlit, but it won’t arrive for a considerable while, meaning fans will be left with a giant The Last of Us-shaped hole in their hearts.
Luckily, there is more than enough content on television and streaming to satiate their need for compelling, action-packed drama. From similar post-apocalyptic dramas to action adventures in dystopian futures, these shows share themes and settings like The Last of Us, making them ideal choices for fans to consider while waiting for Season 3 of HBO’s hit show.
10
‘The Mandalorian’ (2019–)
Created by Jon Favreau
Pedro Pascal stars in The Mandalorian. Set in the Star Wars universe five years after Return of the Jedi, the show follows the bounty hunter Din Djarin as he goes on the run to protect the child Grogu.
Fans of Pedro Pascal might not get to see him much in The Mandalorian, but his performance remains compelling and nuanced. The show also features a prominent surrogate child/adoptive parent relationship that echoes Joel and Ellie’s. And while it doesn’t allow for much exploration of deeper themes, The Mandalorian still provides enough weighty storylines to satiate fans’ need for complex storytelling.
9
‘The Walking Dead’ (2010–2022)
Developed by Frank Darabont
Zombie shows don’t get any better than The Walking Dead. Based on the eponymous comic book series, the show chronicles the lives of a large and diverse group of survivors fighting to stay alive in a lawless, zombie-infested world where the “walkers” aren’t the only enemies.
The Walking Dead has the right balance between action and emotionally-charged storytelling. Violent, ruthless, and often thought-provoking, the show is the perfect antidote for fans suffering from The Last of Us withdrawal. While its later seasons are nowhere as good as its first half, The Walking Dead remains a must-watch for genre fans.
8
‘Game of Thrones’ (2011–2019)
Created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss
Based on George R. R. Martin‘s sprawling, still unfinished high fantasy series, Game of Thrones premiered in 2011 and changed television forever. The show centers on several characters throughout the continents of Westeros and Essos as they struggle for power, dominance, and survival in a violent and often merciless world.
Game of Thrones seasons one through six are peak television. With addictive writing, excellent world-building, and top-tier performances, the show is unlike anything on television. Fans will get instantly captivated by the show’s intricate storytelling, suffering with the characters as they navigate the corrupt and brutal world of Ice and Fire.
7
‘The Rain’ (2018–2020)
Created by Jannik Tai Mosholt, Esben Toft Jacobsen, and Christian Potalivo
The Danish post-apocalyptic show The Rain follows the survivors of a rain-carried virus that wiped out humanity. A pair of siblings escape their bunker after six years underground, joining a traveling group to locate their father, who disappeared without a trace.
The Rain is among the best sci-fi shows on Netflix. Slow-paced but thrilling, the show is a confident and visually-stunning entry into the crowded apocalyptic genre, featuring haunting performances from a large cast of talented performers that elevate the material to new levels of brilliance.
6
‘Station Eleven’ (2021–2022)
Created by Patrick Somerville
HBO’s dystopian miniseries Station Eleven stars a large ensemble, including Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Danielle Deadwyler, and Gael García Bernal. The plot deals with a traveling troupe of performers living in an apocalyptic world where a flu virus wiped out civilization. When they encounter a dangerous cult, secrets about one of its members threaten to disrupt their already fragile existence.
Station Eleven is an excellent miniseries worthy of standing among HBO’s best. Cerebral and rich, the show offers a deeply humanistic look into apocalyptic life that will satisfy fans of The Last of Us. It might not necessarily be optimistic, but it is certainly less gloomy and more hopeful than other dystopian shows.
5
‘The Leftovers’ (2014–2017)
Created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta
A masterpiece of modern television, The Leftovers might be the most underrated show of the past decade. Justin Theroux leads a large cast, including Christopher Eccleston, Carrie Coon, and Liv Tyler, in a story about humanity carrying on after the mysterious disappearance of 2% of the population two years before the show’s first episode.
Emotionally and thematically powerful, The Leftovers stands among The Sopranos and The Wire as one of HBO’s richest, most thought-provoking, and revolutionary shows. The Leftovers is the perfect show for fans of thinking person’s sci-fi looking to be challenged and rewarded in equal parts.
4
‘Watchmen’ (2019)
Created by Damon Lindelof
Oscar-winner Regina King leads a large ensemble in Damon Lindelof‘s Watchmen, one of the all-time best original HBO shows. A sequel to Alan Moore‘s groundbreaking graphic novel, Watchmen follows several characters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, dealing with increasing racial tensions in a world that remains highly opposed to vigilantism.
Worthy of carrying the legacy of Moore’s masterpiece, Lindelof’s Watchmen is a layered and nuanced exploration of race dynamics and social anxiety. With a host of new and legacy characters in service of a thought-provoking and relevant story, the show is the perfect alternative for fans looking for sci-fi stories with a deep and uncompromising human tone.
3
‘Glitch’ (2015–2019)
Created by Tony Ayres and Louise Fox
Glitch centers on seven people who return from death. With no memories of what happened before or after their demise, the group throws their small Australian town into disarray and paranoia.
Unlike other sci-fi shows, Glitch embraces its roots, offering a twisting and gloomy story that never ceases to surprise. Utilizing its talented cast to its fullest, the show is a well-told, well-crafted mystery that audiences will soon become immersed in. Above all, Glitch knew when to end, going out on a high note and avoiding the fate of many other shows that stretched their once-compelling premises too thin.
2
‘All of Us Are Dead’ (2022–)
Created by Chun Sung-il
Netflix has a rich library of South Korean shows, investing in diversifying its portfolio with genre content. All of Us Are Dead centers on a group of high school students trapped and fighting against a horde of zombies after a failed experiment.
Violent and thrilling, All of Us Are Dead is the perfect zombie show for fans of the notoriously savage genre. Yet, the show never abandons its human angle, providing complex and sympathetic characters that elevate the story past its genre’s usual limitations. It might get somewhat tiresome near the end, but it’s certainly an exhilarating ride.
1
‘The Witcher’ (2019–)
Created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
Henry Cavill stars as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s fantasy show The Witcher. An adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s series of novels, the show follows three characters bonded by fate, whose paths collide in unexpected and life-changing ways.
One of the shows with a surrogate parent/daughter relationship at its center, The Witcher, provides fans with yet another stoic but supportive father in Cavill’s Geralt. Featuring a sprawling world and a classic battle of good versus evil, The Witcher is a fascinating show strengthened by Cavill, Freya Allan, and especially Anya Chalotra‘s performances.
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