15 Shows Like The 100 That Are Worth Your Time

The CW's science fiction series "The 100" is a post-apocalyptic story set nearly 100 years after the Earth was made uninhabitable by nuclear war. What remains of humanity lives on an international space station orbiting Earth known as the Ark. When 100 juvenile delinquents are sent from the Ark to Earth to determine if the planet can sustain human life again, as the Ark can't sustain life much longer, their presence on the ground sets off a chain of events no one could have expected.

What the residents of the Ark didn't know until landing on the ruins of North America is that a small population of humans did survive the nuclear armageddon. Introducing the 100 teenagers from the Ark threatens the balance of power between the existing factions of survivors who are still struggling to create order after the collapse of civilization. This series tackles tough themes and ultimately poses an important question — is humanity self-destructive by nature, or could we do better if we are given another chance?

If you loved "The 100" and are looking for another post-apocalyptic, dystopian series, we've got you covered! Here are 15 shows similar to "The 100" to check out.

This Portuguese language science fiction series from Netflix depicts a Brazilian dystopian set in a future São Paulo with a vast chasm between the have and have-nots. In "3%," each year all 20-year-olds have an opportunity to compete in a series of tests, known as the Process, for a place amongst the elite, in an island paradise known as the Offshore. Only 3% make the cut in this meritocracy while everyone else lives in the slums known as the Inland. In a world with such extreme wealth disparity, a group of resistance fighters known as the Cause is growing in numbers, fed by poverty and desperation, bent on upending the power structure through revolution.

One strategy of the Cause is recruiting people before they enter the Process to tamper with the Offshore from the inside. This is how we meet Michele, one of our protagonists in Season 1, who enters the Process as a recent Cause recruit. The competition is ruthless, with everyone willing to do almost anything to become part of the elite. In Season 2 we continue following characters from Season 1, some of whom, like Michele, have made it to the Offshore and others, like Joana, who were sent back to poverty in the Inland. Over four seasons, we watch a group of diverse characters with interesting backstories struggle to find their place in this contentious world while flip-flopping their allegiances. It's a fascinating story, with complex characters and arresting cinematography.

Syfy's "12 Monkeys" is a science fiction, time-travel series based on the 1995 film by Terry Gilliam, a film that is an absolute must-watch if you haven't seen it yet. In this series, James Cole, a scavenger from the future, travels back in time from 2043 to 2015 in hopes of finding the Army of the 12 Monkeys and stopping a deadly virus that will decimate human civilization. If left unchecked, the virus will kill seven billion humans in 2017 and continue to wipe out the rest of the human population through progressive mutations. Dr. Cassandra "Cassie" Railly, a virologist, teams with Cole. Scientists in the future found a recording of Dr. Railly identifying Cole regarding her research on the virus, leading the scientists to recruit Cole for this time-travel mission. Cassie agrees to help Cole but struggles with her Hippocratic oath, uncertain she can harm any one person to help save the world.

Although "12 Monkeys" struggles a bit with the paradox of time travel, the series is action-packed, complete with interesting characters with complex backstories. Beyond that, the series' excellent cinematography has won awards in the U.S. and Canada. The series has also received praise from critics and audiences alike on Rotten Tomatoes.

Netflix's "Daybreak" is a post-apocalyptic dark-comedy series about a teenager named Josh making the most of a parent-free post-apocalyptic LA after a biological smart bomb kills or turns everyone over 18 into a zombie — or ghoulie, as the show calls them. Josh often breaks the fourth wall, talking to the camera to fill the audience in on what the world is like now that civilization has crumbled and teenage survivors have branched off into "Mad Max"-style gangs associated with their high school cliques. As Josh looks for his girlfriend, Sam, he gains a small rag-tag group of misfits to explore with, including his former high school bully Wesley and a 10-year-old pyromaniac named Angelica.

"Daybreak," starring Matthew Broderick and Colin Ford, is based on a comic series by Brian Ralph. Although the series only lasted 10 episodes before Netflix canceled the show, per Deadline, it is a humorous look at the end of days from a teenage perspective, exploring what happens when the collapse of society doesn't destroy the social hierarchy of high school. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Netflix's new reference-filled post-apocalyptic action comedy 'Daybreak' is part 'Euphoria,' part 'Fury Road' and occasionally amusing." If you like dark-comedy and are looking for a low commitment, one season binge, "Daybreak" is good for some laughs.

In "Into the Badlands" viewers travel through a post-apocalyptic society known as the Badlands, built on the ruins of America and ruled by feudal war-lords known as barons, who deal in opium, petrol, and death. We explore this violent society through Sunny, a skilled warrior working as a clipper for the baron Quinn. Through his ruthlessness and intellect, Quinn has kept the upper hand against his competing barons for decades. However, Quinn's time at the top might soon come to an end, with the rise of the newest baron, the Widow.

Although Sunny is a ruthless fighter, his loyalty to Quinn is shaken by a crisis of conscience when he trains a young fighter with mysterious powers named M.K. Circumstances lead Sunny and M.K. on a journey across the Badlands, looking for the mythic city of Azra, with their paths crossing repeatedly, suggesting their destinies are linked. Daniel Wu is incredible as Sunny role, playing a nuanced character who is capable of great brutality but also great kindness.

The world-building and visuals of this series are stellar, and the fight scenes are top-notch, cinematic in scope, and guaranteed to satisfy any martial arts fan. "Into the Badlands" met mixed reviews in Season 1 but had strong reviews in Season 2 and 3, leaving the series with an overwhelmingly positive reception on Rotten Tomatoes. 

In the wake of a nuclear attack on many American cities, an all EMP disrupts communications and infrastructure, leaving Jericho, a small town in Kansas, in the dark — both figuratively and literally. The town tries to maintain order within its community despite widespread panic and fear. The early episodes of Season 1 depict residents trying to establish order after the attacks, with some citizens stepping up into surprising leadership roles while others crumble under the strain.

About halfway through Season 1, the plot shifts as Jericho and a nearby city, New Bern, make a trade deal for supplies each town needs, and the other has. As relations between the two towns deteriorate, information about the political landscape outside of Jericho in the rest of the U.S. slowly comes to light while we learn more about the character's backstories. This series was an ensemble cast led by Skeet Ulrich, as Jake Green, a local boy who left home years ago after falling in with a dangerous crowd but finally comes home after seeing the mushroom cloud over Denver.

"Jericho" is a post-apocalyptic exploration of our fractured society after nuclear war disrupts life as we know it, establishing a new order between opposing factions in the continental United States. While "Jericho" was canceled after only one season because of low ratings, but was brought back for a shortened second season because of a fan campaign to save the series. Although the series didn't make it past its brief second season, the fans who fought for it were true to the end, even following the story through a series of comic books produced after the television series ended.

The TNT post-apocalyptic television series "Snowpiercer," like the 2013 science fiction film before it, is based on the French graphic novel about a world pushed past the brink by climate change. After the Earth becomes a frozen wasteland, when an attempt to counteract the effects of global warming goes disastrously wrong, what is left of humanity circles the globe on a huge train — Snowpiercer — that never stops. On the train, residents grapple with classism, limited resources, and the political machinations of a struggle for power amongst the various factions inhabiting the train.

When the residents of the tail section of the train, the poor who do all the work so the elite in the front of the train can ride in luxury, become disgruntled with their living conditions, whispers of a rebellion build into mutiny. The series stars Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs, with Sean Bean joining the cast in Season 2 as Mr. Wilford, the eccentric billionaire who built the train. Being released in the early months of Covid quarantines certainly made the claustrophobia of this dystopian series timely and a little too close for comfort.

Based on the dystopian 2014 novel by Emily St. John, this apocalyptic drama follows the lives of a group of survivors 20 years after a devastating flu pandemic kills most of the world population, unraveling the fabric of society. Our guides through this dystopian future of America are a group known as the Traveling Symphony, who make their living performing Shakespearean plays in the cities surrounding the Great Lakes region. Through multiple timelines, we explore the lives, past and present, of these survivors and the people they encounter in HBO's miniseries, "Station Eleven."

Kirsten emerges as our lead character, played beautifully by Matilda Lawler as a child in the early days of the pandemic, and by Mackenzie Davis as an adult 20 years after the outbreak of the virus. When Kristen encounters a stranger, known as David, who insists on joining the Traveling Symphony, an opposing force to the idealistic artists and musicians of the troupe emerges. Soon enough, we encounter a cult-like community known as the Museum of Civilization, and the stage is set to see if art has the power to save us when society no longer exists. The Guardian called this series "a beautiful vision of a plague-ravaged planet."

In 2049, climate change has ravaged Earth beyond repair. Between overpopulation and pollution, there is no hope of a way forward, so scientists have developed time-travel technology to send humans back to prehistoric times to establish a new civilization. "Terra Nova" focuses on the Shannon family, who have joined the tenth pilgrimage to Terra Nova. Elizabeth Shannon is chosen for her medical expertise, being allowed to take her three children with her on the one-way trip to Terra Nova. Her husband, Jim, sneaks in with false identification before being arrested for hiding their third child and violating population laws.

Once in Terra Nova, Jim convinces Commander Taylor, Terra Nova's head of state, that his experience in law enforcement will be useful to the colony. Once we are in Terra Nova, it becomes clear that not everyone came to Terra Nova with altruistic motives. There is a splinter group called the Sixers, because they came with the sixth pilgrimage, who are intent on stripping the pristine land of natural resources, sending them back to their original timeline for massive profits, despite the ecological devastation. 

Deadline notes that the series only survived one season on Fox before being canceled, but it still offers a new twist to humanity's future, borrowing elements of "Jurassic Park" and "Stargate" for a fun adventure series.

This dystopian series follows a small community, Mapleton, NY, trying to move forward with their lives after 2% of the global population, 140 million people, inexplicably vanished during the Sudden Departure three years earlier. While not strictly a post-apocalyptic series, it does ask how we can move forward as a community after the very nature of our world has shifted by depicting people trying to find their footing in a world where the new normal is anything but normal. HBO's "The Leftovers" follows Kevin Garvey, the police chief of Mapleton, and his family.

Chief Garvey tries to keep the peace between town residents and a cult-like group that has sprung up, called the Guilty Remnant. Many who were traumatized by the loss of the Sudden Departure have flocked to this cult and its charismatic leader. Tensions at home concerning his children's mental state after the Sudden Departure make chief Garvey's job more difficult. His daughter, Jill, vacillates between rebellion and apathy, while his son, Tom, has befriended the prophet. This inventive supernatural series has concluded but offers a compelling portrait of a world forever altered.

In Netflix's "The Society" the teenagers of an affluent Connecticut town return home early from a school camping trip disrupted by a storm to discover everyone else from their town is missing. The forest has grown around West Ham, cutting them off from the outside world, and they cannot contact anyone outside the town's limits by phone or internet. 

Although the freedom of a parent-free existence is fun at first, it quickly becomes clear the town won't run itself. The teenagers must form alliances if they want to survive on limited resources while cut off from the rest of the world. As the group splinters into factions with opposing visions of their society, the teens of West Ham struggle to maintain order in this dystopian story inspired by "Lord of the Flies." This series was originally approved for a second season, but the pandemic disrupted plans, leading to the series being canceled.

With the world left in ruins after a man-made plague is released from a military facility. The virus ravages the world's population, leaving a small group of survivors drawn into a battle between good and evil in "The Stand," a miniseries based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. This ensemble cast is led by James Marsden as Stu Redman, an average guy who witnessed the death of patient zero in Texas before being taken to a medical facility where doctors could study his natural immunity.

Stu escapes the facility after the scientists die of the virus, finding his way with Mother Abagail after dreaming of her. As the survivors of the plague congregate, they are drawn into two separate groups. Those that dream of Mother Abigail, who is played by Whoopi Goldberg, an elderly woman with the gift of sight, find their way to Boulder, Colorado, where she awaits to lead them. The other group surrounds a sinister messiah with strange powers, known as the Dark Man and played by Alexander Skarsgård, who is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada.

When Sheriff Rick Grimes wakes up from a job-related coma in a hospital bed, he discovers the world has descended into a zombie apocalypse while he was sleeping. Rick searches for his wife and son, finding them amongst refugees outside Atlanta. With the United States left in ruins, survivors band together, intent upon survival. "The Walking Dead" became a cultural phenomenon, with its audience obsessively tuning into AMC each week to see who survived and who died.

This series became known for its willingness to kill off main characters with startling brutality. However, the group kept moving forward, always looking for security but often finding their struggles amongst themselves and with other groups of survivors as threatening as the zombies that walk the ruins of our civilization. This series was based on a comic book series and led the charge of post-apocalyptic television and zombie series in the 2010s. The series has also launched multiple spinoff series during its 11 season run, including "Fear the Walking Dead." If you haven't seen "The Walking Dead," you have been missing out!

Based on a Steven King novel, "Under the Dome" follows the residents of a small town in Maine, Chester's Mill, when their community is suddenly cut off from the outside world by a gigantic dome containing the entire town. With no escape, they struggle to maintain order in the ensuing panic. The city must learn to subsist without influence from the outside world — and with limited resources. With the U.S. military and news crews outside the dome and unable to break through, residents try to discover the mystery behind this dome, led by Army veteran Dale Barbara. 

USA Today notes that "Under the Dome" was CBS's highest-rated summer series since 1992 and that strong start led to a three-season exploration into the mystery behind the giant dome and its origins. Although this science fiction show started with a bang in 2013, the popularity of the series dwindled in the following years, and Deadline reported that the series was quietly canceled after Season 3.

Based on the DC comic, this post-apocalyptic series follows the survivors after a cataclysmic event killing every mammal with a Y chromosome, save for one cisgender man and his pet monkey. The first episode of "Y: The Last Man" showcases the horror and tragedy of half the world's population dying in one day while the female survivors watch helplessly. This series focuses on the Speaker of the House, Jennifer Brown, who has now become the President of the United States, in the wake of this tragedy. 

When President Brown sends an agent to New York before the city floods, looking for her missing daughter, Hero, Agent 355 returns with the President's son, Yorick, instead. Amid whispers of conspiracy, President Brown and her skeleton crew struggle to save who they can and discover what really happened. Unfortunately, this show was canceled in 2021, but the episodes produced offer a fascinating watch.

The zombie apocalypse is here, and only one man, Murphy, has managed to survive being infected with a virus that turns humans into zombies. After being experimented on in prison, Murphy survives multiple zombie bites before escaping with a soldier who acts as Murphy's bodyguard. In "Z Nation," uninfected survivors work together to transport Murphy from New York to California. In California, the last laboratory equipped to produce a cure awaits Murphy's blood, hoping to save what is left of humanity. With Citizen Z, a soldier with access to satellite surveillance, acting as the ears and eyes of this group, they set out with Murphy for California.

During their journey across the country, this group of survivors meets other people who exist in the remnants of society, sometimes helping and other times harming each other. Despite losing members and gaining new members along the way, these everyday heroes push onward towards the West Coast. Over four seasons, viewers learn the backstories of this rag-tag band of survivors through flashbacks along the road to California. "Z Nation" is grim, gruesome, and violent, much like its predecessor "The Walking Dead," but this series sets itself apart by injecting dark humor into the apocalypse.