Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Post-apocalyptic TV has ebbed; One new show this fall

American television reached peak post-apocalyptic TV last year when 16 such genre shows were airing.
This fall there will be 13 such shows airing or renewed for new seasons. Only one new post-apocalyptic-themed show is scheduled to premiere this season and it’s on a small network: “Extinct” on BYUtv.
The current lineup of post-apocalyptic TV series includes three zombie apocalypse shows: “The Walking Dead” and “Fear the Walking Dead” on AMC and “Z Nation” on Syfy.
Three shows take place after a viral pandemic: “The Last Ship” on TNT, “12 Monkeys” on Syfy and “The Last Man on Earth” on Fox.
Other shows picture our world destroyed by nuclear war, alien invasion, vampire outbreaks and other means. They are: “The 100” on the CW, “Colony” on USA, “Van Helsing” on Syfy, “Into the Badlands” on AMC, “The Shannara Chronicles” on MTV, and “Zoo” on CBS.
Post-apocalyptic TV shows that ended or are ending this year include “The Leftovers” on HBO and “The Strain” on FX. “Aftermath” on Syfy was canceled in January after one season.
“12 Monkeys” was renewed for a fourth and final season to premiere in 2018.
As for “Extinct,” it was created by “Ender’s Game” author Orson Scott Card. The 10-episode action series takes place 400 years after the extinction of the human race and follows a small group of humans who are revived by an alien civilization.
“Extinct” will premiere on Oct. 1.
More post-apocalyptic-themed shows are in the works.
I’ll cover those in my next post.

Photo: Still from “Extinct,” which premieres Oct. 1 on BYUtv.

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