10 Great Dystopian TV Shows That Are Most Likely to Scratch Your Fallout Itch

10. 11.22.63 (2016)

A large part of Fallout ’s charm is its retro futurism that makes use of the 1960–1970s aesthetic. If you’re a sucker for that aesthetic, look no further than 11.22.63: in this sci-fi drama, we travel into the past alongside James Franco to try and prevent Kennedy’s assassination… And grow terrifyingly close to his new life in the past.

You can watch 11.22.63 on Apple TV and Prime Video.

9. The Shield (2002–2008)

Another big hook of Fallout is the complete lawlessness of the Wasteland despite there being some people who call themself “the law.” If you’re into that whole “dirty and corrupt law enforcers” kind of thing, The Shield is for you: set in a fictional completely lawless district of LA, this show follows a unit of really, really bad cops.

You can watch The Shield on Hulu and Prime Video.

8. Devs (2020)

As we saw in the flashbacks, Fallout’s Great War happened because big powerful corporations thought they could play god and followed through with that. In Devs, we end up inside one such corporation together with the main character who discovers its secret division that performs unsavory experiments. It’s Vault-Tec all over again!

You can watch Devs on Hulu, Apple TV, Disney Plus, and Prime Video.

7. 12 Monkeys (2015–2018)

In Fallout, a girl from the perfect but artificial world of the past, Lucy, ventures into the dangerous post-apocalyptic future on the surface. 12 Monkeys follows the exact opposite scenario: a man from the post-apocalyptic future is sent back in time to prevent the virus outbreak that devastated the Earth. Look how the turns tabled…

You can watch Devs on Hulu, Apple TV, and Prime Video.

6. Tales from the Loop (2020)

Scientists running rampant isn’t a good thing as we learned from the Vault 4 backstory, but Fallout isn’t the only show that acknowledges that. Welcome to Tales from the Loop, a series that follows the lives of townsfolk who live about the Loop — a prototype machine that aims to solve the universe… And has some side effects.

You can watch Tales from the Loop on Apple TV and Prime Video.

5. Altered Carbon (2018–2020)

A psychoterrorist who had been held in captivity for centuries but returned to the changed world to kick some major ass, Altered Carbon’s Takeshi Kovacs is Fallout’s Cooper Howard. The only difference between them is that Kovacs’ dystopia is a bit different, but in his hi-tech, lo-life world, common people are suffering just the same.

You can watch Altered Carbon on Netflix.

4. Justified ( 2010–2015)

We chose Justified for a very similar reason, but there’s a twist. The show’s main character also resembles Cooper, but in a different way: it’s the Cooper Howard American audience loved to watch on their screens mixed with the Ghoul. Let’s hunt down some criminals, old-school and neo-Western style alongside our US Marshal!

You can watch Justified on Apple TV, Disney Plus, and Prime Video.

3. Westworld ( 2016–2022)

We learned a lot about Vault-Tec thanks to Fallout the TV show, and we’re confident in saying that Westworld is something those guys could totally get behind. Promising rich people comfort, safety, and leisure to secretly spy on them and test some nefarious theories — can you even tell which of the two shows we’re describing?..

You can watch Westworld on Max and Prime Video.

2. The Walking Dead ( 2010–2022)

Let’s be real here: post-apocalypse is post-apocalypse, whether it’s caused by a nuclear holocaust or a deadly zombie virus. There are few people left, and the ones that are, well… Aren’t the welcoming type. If raw survival in a brutal world is what you loved the most in Fallout, you absolutely have to give The Walking Dead a go.

You can watch The Walking Dead on Netflix, Disney Plus, and Prime Video.

1. Silo ( 2023–Now)

The world on the surface is devastated and uninhabitable, so the remnants of humanity live in giant underground bunkers. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Silo offers a different take on the same scenario as the local “Vaults” aren’t nearly as welcoming, and even in the relative safety down below, people are struggling to survive.

You can watch Silo on Apple TV and Prime Video.