The TNT-turned-AMC post-apocalyptic TV series, “Snowpiercer” is finally coming to an end after four seasons, leaving a giant hole where a frozen wasteland used to be. Fortunately, if you’re looking for other ways to get your dystopian-future fix after watching “The Last Stop” on Sunday, we’ve got you covered with some recommendations.
What To Watch Next If You Loved ‘Snowpiercer’:
Snowpiercer The Movie (2013) | Prime Video
Before the TV series, there was a movie… and before that, thea French graphic novel that inspired it all, but only read that if you’re desperate. Much like the show, the original “Snowpiercer” film directed by Bong Joon-ho explores a dystopian future where the remnants of humanity live on a perpetually moving train. The passengers are divided by class, and the lower-class members, led by Chris Evans’ character, rise against the elite at the front of the train.
There are a few differences between the movie and TV show, though. The movie takes place 17 years after the freeze, while the TV show happens just seven years later, giving you a closer look at the passengers adjusting to life on the train. You can obviously expect a much faster action-thriller pace from the movie, compared to the slower character development and political intrigue in the TV series.
The film mostly focuses on Curtis (Chris Evans), a revolutionary from the tail of the train whose singular goal is to lead the oppressed Tailies to the front. The TV series shifts focus to a wider cast of characters, including Andre Layton (played by Daveed Diggs), an ex-detective who, instead of being solely driven by revolution, is also drawn into a murder mystery.
All that said, if you’re looking to get your “Snowpiercer” fix and haven’t yet watched the movie, definitely check it out.
Snowpiercer
In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, a class system evolves aboard the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine.
Silo (2023) | Apple TV+
For fans mourning the end of “Snowpiercer,” there may be no better alternative than “Silo on Apple TV+. Set to return for Season 2 on Nov. 15, Silo follows a society living in a giant underground silo after the surface of the earth becomes uninhabitable. Like Snowpiercer, class hierarchies and control of information drive much of the drama, with people questioning if the rules and regulations keeping them from exploring the surface really exist to protect them… or to keep them there.
“Silo” slowly and masterfully turns over the pieces of the puzzle, making it hard not to binge. Combine that with a fantastic cast led by Rebecca Ferguson, Rashida Jones, Tim Robbins, and David Oyelowo, along with a visually captivating world, and you’ve got the scratch to your “Snowpiercer” itch.
Silo
In a ruined and toxic future, a community exists in a giant underground silo that plunges hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them.
The Handmaid’s Tale (2017) | Hulu
If what you liked about “Snowpiercer” was the class struggle on the train, then “The Handmaid’s Tale” could be a good fit for your next show. Based on Margaret Atwood’s novel, the series depicts a dystopian future where a totalitarian regime, called Gilead, controls women, particularly fertile ones, and forces them into reproductive slavery. The story follows June Osborne (played by Elisabeth Moss), a “handmaid” fighting to survive, escape, and reunite with her family. Similar to Snowpiercer, the show comments on social hierarchies and power dynamics, but focuses more on gender-based oppression.
Where these two shows differ though is their tone. “The Handmaid’s Tale” is far more bleak, with a constant tone of hopelessness even in the characters’ resistance to a suffocating, religious society. It’s a slow-burn TV show, versus the more action-driven “Snowpiercer.” Still, it’s a powerful show that will make you think hard about what we take for granted as a society.
The Handmaid’s Tale
Set in a dystopian future, a woman is forced to live as a concubine under a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship. A TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel.
This harrowing series features dynamite performances from Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Joseph Fiennes, and Ann Dowd. The show’s first season won 8 Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series.
The Last of Us (2023) | Max
Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or a silo), you’ve probably heard of “The Last of Us.” Based on the hit video game (which is the last video I finished and one of the best I’ve ever played), “The Last of Us” is set in a world devastated by a fungal pandemic, following two characters, Joel and Ellie, as they navigate a collapsed society filled with dangerous human factions and infected creatures.
While it doesn’t have the same focus on class struggle as Snowpiercer does, it’s a powerful exploration of survival, friendship, and the human connections we make during times of crisis. It’s got the action element that’s lacking in say, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” but offers a more intimate portrait of two people struggling to survive than the broader political forces explored in “Snowpiercer.” If this sounds appealing then definitely watch “The Last of Us” – you won’t be disappointed.
The Last of Us
Twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed, Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the United States and depend on each other for survival.