The Best Apocalypse TV Shows and Movies to Watch Right Now

Looking to distract yourself from the end of the world with... well, the end of the world? From TV to movies, there are plenty of options out there for those of you in the mood for a good apocalypse. 

If zombies are your thing, we've got traditional options like The Walking Dead and World War Z. More into natural disasters? There are plenty of films that cater to that need like 2012. Personally, we recommend the post-apocalypse genre -- you really haven't lived until you've watched The 100, and the new Snowpiercer TV series is actually kind of addictive. 

Whatever your preference, TV Guide's got all the top picks for apocalypse TV shows and movies. Scroll through this gallery to see which ones are available on streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, and more!

What it's about: In a post-apocalyptic world where the Earth's atmosphere has become toxic, what remains of the human race has abandoned the planet for the safety on a space station near one of Jupiter's moons, Io. One woman refuses to give up hope that Earth can still be survivable. She's confronted with a final option to leave the planet when a stranger shows up at her door on a mission to make it to the last launch ship to Io. 

Where to watch: Netflix

What it's about: If you can't get enough of the zombies on The Walking Dead, you absolutely have to check out its spin-off, Fear the Walking Dead. Set in L.A. (and then later in Mexico) during the original outbreak of the disease that turns people into walkers, Fear the Walking Dead focuses on a family attempting to survive the initial collapse of civilization that led the events of The Walking Dead. 

Where to watch: Hulu

What it's about: This throwback is an absolute must-watch as far end of the world movies go. The film follows several U.S. citizens after the government announces a meteor is headed for Earth and its impact will destroy all life on the planet. While the president launches a space mission to attempt to destroy the asteroid before it arrives, a lottery is created for limited space in an underground bunker to try to ride out the devastating effects of, you guessed it, deep impact. 

Where to watch: Netflix

What it's about: Instead of zombies or meteors, the world's demise in Revolution comes at the hands of weaponized tech that kills all electricity across the world -- permanently. Fifteen years after the blackout, countries have devolved into warring militias, and humanity is still struggling to survive without technology. The series follows a young woman on a mission to get her kidnapped brother back, but she gets more than she bargained for when she discovers how involved her own family is in the current regime and the cause of the initial blackout.  

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

What it's about: I Am Legend focuses more on the last man alive than on how the world actually ended, which is heartbreaking but also pretty epic. Set after a vaccine that was supposed to eradicate cancer accidentally turns humans into zombie-like creatures, one man and his dog are the only non-mutated souls left in New York City. Thank goodness that soul survivor happens to be a brilliant scientist, who is determined to find a cure for the mutated souls he still believes can be saved.

Where to Watch: Amazon

What it's about: If you're looking for a more light-hearted tale, you should check out Daybreak. Set in post-apocalyptic Glendale, California, Daybreak follows 17-year-old Josh Wheeler (Colin Ford) as he tries to navigate a brutal (and yet highly comedic) world in which all adults have been turned into mindless, bloodthirsty zombies thanks to a nuclear explosion. He teams up with a small band of misfits on a quest to find his missing girlfriend and avoid the roving gangs of teens who've also survived the apocalypse. This series was tragically canceled by Netflix after only one season, but it's still a solid investment of your time regardless.

Where to watch: Netflix

What it's about: In case you've been living under a rock the past 10 years, The Walking Dead follows Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) after he wakes up from a coma to find the world in shambles thanks to a zombie apocalypse. Rick sets off to find his missing wife and son, hoping to establish a safe place for them and other survivors to settle and withstand the bloodthirsty walkers (and bloodthirstier humans) that now threaten everyone's lives. If you're looking for a long binge, this bad boy has several seasons (and counting) to power through! 

Where to watch: Netflix

What it's about: Is there anyone who wouldn't want to watch Brad Pitt fight super-fast, terrifying zombies? In a twisted take on the typical zombie apocalypse narrative, World War Z follows a former U.N. investigator as he searches for the origins of a rabies-like virus sweeping the world and turning humans into violent zombies within 12 seconds of getting bitten. These zombies aren't you're average Walking Dead shufflers either. They're sprinting, contorting, nightmarish creatures that can overcome virtually any barrier by sheer force and numbers.

Where to watch: Hulu with Live TV

What it's about: Zombies aren't the only thing that can bring about the end of the world! The enemy in The Last Ship is actually a global pandemic that strikes while the crew of the USS Nathan James was completely isolated on a mission in the Arctic. When they return to civilization, they find the world in ruins after the virus wiped out a large percentage of the human population. The only hope for a cure rests with two civilian virologists aboard the Nathan James and the ship's own captain, Tom Chandler (Eric Dane). This TV series manages to mix the breakdown of human society you're used to in the apocalypse genre with the jump scares of a thriller, making it an excellent choice for your next binge.

Where to watch: Hulu

What it's about: If you're sick of zombies and pandemics, we strongly suggest you check out The 100 for all of your post-apocalyptic needs. Set 97 years after a nuclear apocalypse destroyed the world, the survivors of the human race live on an orbiting space station called The Ark. When overpopulation becomes a problem, however, 100 expendable juvenile delinquents are jettisoned from the ship and sent to a radioactive Earth to test whether the planet is habitable again. Those teens find more than they gambled for when they realize they aren't the only human survivors after all, and they'll have to fight for survival in a strange new world.

Where to watch: Netflix

What it's about: Have you ever wondered what would happen if mother nature finally got pissed off enough at the human race to start fighting back? Then Zoo is absolutely the incredibly weird show for you! The series follows zoologist Jackson Oz (James Wolk) and a rag-tag team of experts trying to make sense of a series of sudden and violent animal attacks occurring all over the world. A mysterious pandemic affecting animals incites them to launch coordinated attacks on people around the world. The human race stands to lose its spot at the top of the food chain unless Jackson and his team can find a cure.

Where to watch: Netflix

What it's about: When a mysterious epidemic crops up in Atlanta, the city enforces an unprecedented quarantine in what's known as Zone 6, leaving those inside desperate and fighting for survival. This series hosts a diverse cast of characters who must band together -- but OMG, not too close together!! -- to avoid infection and survive the cordon that could end up being part of a vast conspiracy. Though this series only ran for one season on The CW, it will definitely suck you in and remind you why social distancing is so important during an outbreak.

Where to watch: Netflix

What it's about: If you're looking for a slightly more supernatural apocalypse, The Strain is a mix of monster movies and viral outbreak movies, and it's a totally binge-able series. The show follows a CDC doctor, Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll), as he investigates a viral outbreak that, essentially, turns humans into bloodthirsty vampires. New York City slowly but surely gets overrun, and humans are faced with the possibility of extinction if they can't learn to fight off this new species of humanoid predator. The violence in this show is no joke, but if you're chill with the inevitable nightmares, it's got four seasons worth of blood and guts.

Where to watch: Hulu

What it's about: The Rain is a Danish series set in a world besieged by a virus that spreads through rainfall. While most humans have been wiped out in Scandanavia where the series is set, the two siblings it focuses on survived the epidemic by sheltering in a bunker for six years. They emerge to search for their father and end up joining forces with another group of survivors in the hopes of finding a quarantined safe zone. You'll need your subtitles for this one, but trust us, it's worth it. 

Where to watch: Netflix

What it's about: 12 Monkeys is a great blend of the time-travel and pandemic genres if that's what you're into. It follows James Cole's (Aaron Stanford) mission through time to stop the release of a deadly virus that has wiped out most of the population. Traveling back from the year 2043 to 2015, Cole teams up with a virologist, Dr. Cassie Railly (Amanda Schull), to prevent the plague that is set to kill seven billion people in the year 2017. This Syfy drama is part action-adventure series, part post-apocalyptic series, and part epic love story.

Where to watch: Hulu

What it's about: There are plenty of apocalypse narratives that blame the earth's destruction on human corruption and greed, but in Salvation it's basically just built terrible luck. This series, which lasted two seasons, is set in the present day when scientists discover an asteroid on a collision course with earth. With just six months to think of a way to save humanity from extinction, an MIT grad student, a tech billionaire, and a sci-fi writer team up to find a creative solution that will save as many people as possible.

Where to watch: CBS All Access

What it's about: Snowpiercer is set aboard a 1001-car train that carries the only survivors of the human race. Trying to solve global warming, scientists accidentally set off an apocalyptic winter that freezes the Earth, and now this ever-moving train is the only thing left of the human race. All survivors are not created equal though, and there's a sharp class distinction between the uber-rich passengers who live in luxury at the front of the train and the poor stowaways who live in squalor at the back. After seven years of starvation and subjugation, the citizens of the caboose start a revolution and launch a mission to take over the train and kill its creator and ruler, Mr. Wilford (Ed Harris). This movie's got some serious "eat the rich" energy, plus... Chris Evans!

Where to Watch: Netflix

What it's about: Nope, you're not seeing things, Snowpiercer is actually on this list twice. TNT's TV series adaptation of Snowpiercer follows the same basic plotline as the movie -- nuclear winter, survivors of the human race on a huge train, class disparity, etc. -- but the longer form allows for more character development and a juicy murder mystery storyline that didn't exist in the film. 

Where to watch: TNTDrama.com

What it's about: It's the end of the world and the only one who can save you is... John Cusack? Yep, we'll roll with that. This blockbuster hit totally cashed in on the Mayan Calendar hysteria, and it's now one of our favorite disaster movies of all time. After a solar flare destabilizes the earth's crust, a chain reaction of earthquakes, volcanos, tsunamis, and every other climate catastrophe you can possibly imagine is set off. Through it all, one suburban family attempts to escape California and make it to China, where world leaders have banded together to create state-of-the-art arks to preserve the human race.

Where to watch: Netflix

What it's about: If you've been freaking out about coronavirus, this one might hit a little too close to home, so be warned. Contagion tells the story of a deadly viral outbreak that begins in Asia and slowly spreads to the U.S. and eventually the entire world. As the CDC attempts to contain the virus and find a cure, society begins to break down as the mortality rate climbs and desperation sets in. The movie's main characters include an immune father struggling to protect his daughter, a W.H.O. specialist who is taken hostage in exchange for a cure, and the CDC virologists who in a race against the clock to understand and overcome the virus before it wipes out billions.

Where to watch: HBO Max

What it's about: If you're looking for a change of pace, how about an alien invasion? In an overcrowded genre, A Quiet Place stands out as a truly unique and original take. Rather than depicting the alien invasion itself, this movie is set in a post-invasion world, following one family's struggle to survive bloodthirsty aliens who hunt by sound. The characters rely on sign language and clever means of soundless travel. With a baby on the way though, their quiet way of life is at risk as the aliens circle closer. 

Where to Watch: Hulu