4 Lesser-Known but Exciting TV Series About Epidemics for Fans of The Last of Us
A search for a child in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a flight with a biological threat on board, and an adaptation of one of Stephen King's best stories.
The adaptation of the popular video game The Last of Us has become one of HBO's biggest hits. Desperate survivors, zombies, and, of course, the wonderful duo of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey – the show has something to make viewers fall in love with it.
For the premiere of the show's second season, we chose stories with a similar atmosphere and setting.
1. Black Summer, 2019-2021
The events unfold around a single mother, Rose, who is looking for her daughter, who got lost during the evacuation to a safe zone.
At the same time, the woman has recently become a single mother. Her husband was infected with a zombie virus and tried to kill Rose. The woman ran away from him and joined a small group of survivors.
People are afraid of the epidemic and have no idea how to protect themselves and their loved ones. Among themselves, they call this period – the worst in history – the Black Summer.
2. The Strain, 2014-2017
Adaptation of the trilogy written by Guillermo del Toro in collaboration with Chuck Hogan. A plane lands at the airport with the doors closed and the lights off. According to intelligence, there is some kind of biological threat inside.
Two hundred dead and four living people are found in the cabin. The body of a vampire was transported on the plane, and those on the flight were infected with vampirism. Most of them did not survive, but some were turned into monsters.
The vampires here are not handsome, pale young men. They are hideous creatures inhabiting the body of a human being – absolute and pure evil.
3. The Stand, 2020-2021
An adaptation of the novel of the same name by Stephen King. The story takes place in an alternate present. A deadly virus is released from a secret laboratory. All employees die except the security guard.
He becomes patient zero – the one with whom the epidemic begins. Only one percent of the population is immune to the virus.
The survivors have strange dreams in which they are called to Abagail, a religious leader. She preaches goodness and warns of evil. At the same time, a Dark Man named Randall appears in Las Vegas, who is believed to be a messenger of the devil.
4. Station Eleven, 2021-2022
In the near future, the world faces a viral pandemic that has destroyed almost all life. In the ruins of civilization, a troupe of actors tours the cities performing Shakespeare's plays.
Arriving in a small town for another performance, young actress Kirsten and her colleagues discover that followers of a strange religious sect have seized power. They lay claim to the planet's remaining resources. Kirsten tries to find answers in the comic book Station Eleven, given to her by an artist before his death.