5 dystopian TV shows like The Lazarus Project

The Lazarus Project is a British science fiction thriller television series that has just arrived in the US. Created by Joe Barton, the series was originally released in the UK last year where it was received well by critics and viewers alike.

The Lazarus Project features prominent actors in its cast, including Paapa Essiedu, Anjli Mohindra, Rudi Dharmalingam, Charly Clive, Caroline Quentin, Tom Burke, Brian Gleeson, and others in pivotal roles. The first season has already started airing in the US, and will soon be followed by a second season that is currently in production.

A still from The Lazarus Project (Image via Sky Max)

An official synopsis from Sky reads as follows:

"When the world locks into a time loop in which the world ends every three weeks, the Lazarus team must race against time to find a solution before humanity is wiped out forever."

The synopsis continues:

"Among their number is resolute Lazarus agent, George, who’s been left in disgrace after betraying the organisation in the name of love. George is determined to redeem himself and win back the trust of his friends, colleagues, and the love of his life. But when he discovers that the cause he’s fighting is more sinister than it appears, George begins to suspect that the only person he can really trust is himself."

The Lazarus Project is a great series to watch over the weekend to decompress. The science fiction thriller will definitely keep you glued to the couch. If you liked the new TNT science fiction, be sure to check out the titles mentioned henceforth.

Westworld, The Peripheral, and 3 other TV shows to watch if you liked The Lazarus Project

1) Westworld

Westworld is a dystopian western science fiction series from the house of HBO. Created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the series is based on Michael Crichton's 1973 film of the same name. It premiered in 2016 and aired four seasons, before getting canceled in 2022.

The series' cast features Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, James Marsden, Anthony Hopkins, and many others in pivotal roles. The series was one of the most popular titles from HBO, bringing in a lot of viewership and critical acclaim.

The impressive visuals and themes, along with great performances by the cast, especially attracted praise.

Set in a dystopian future, Westworld is an immersive amusement park hosted by androids, for the uber-rich who want to experience their own questionable fantasies in the Wild West. But when the hosts become sentient, they begin to rebel against their designated roles, very soon blurring the line between humans and AI.

With a very close mood and overall vibe to The Lazarus Project, Westworld could be a great watch for those who loved Sky Max's sci-fi thriller.

2) The Peripheral

The Peripheral is a science fiction drama series from the house of Amazon Studios. Scott B. Smith created the series with Westworld creators Nolan and Joy as executive producers. The series is a rough adaptation of William Gibson's 2014 book of the same name.

The Peripheral released for streaming exclusively on Prime Video in 2022, after which it was renewed for a second season in February 2023 because of the positive reception. The cast features Chloë Grace Moretz, Gary Carr, Jack Reynor, JJ Feild, T'Nia Miller, Katie Leung, Louis Herthum, and others in pivotal roles.

The official synopsis for the series reads as follows:

"The Peripheral centers on Flynne Fisher, a woman trying to hold together the pieces of her broken family in a forgotten corner of tomorrow’s America. Flynne is smart, ambitious, and doomed. She has no future. Until the future comes calling for her. The Peripheral is master storyteller William Gibson’s dazzling, hallucinatory glimpse into the fate of mankind — and what lies beyond."

With a story that takes place in the near future, The Peripheral also explores the potential future of mankind. However, unlike The Lazarus Project, which is much more destructive, this title offers a one with a bit more drama.

3) Dark

Dark is a German science fiction mystery thriller series from the house of Netflix. Created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, the series premiered in 2017 and was Netflix's first in-house German production. It aired a total of three seasons before concluding in 2020.

Dark features an ensemble cast including Louis Hofmann, Oliver Masucci, Karoline Eichhorn, Lisa Vicari, Jördis Triebel, and others in pivotal roles. The series received widespread critical acclaim for the performance by the cast along with the impeccable writing, themes, visual, musical treatment, and overall execution.

It even got placed among the top 100 TV series of the 21st century by BBC.

Set in the small German town of Winden, the series tells a mind-bending story of time travel, mysteries, and dark secrets. When a child disappears, the residents set off to uncover the truth of the matter but come upon a shocking secret that the town has hosted beyond time.

They find a temporal rift that spans different eras, and drives the narrative forward with a mindbending concept of time and fate across generations.

Like The Lazarus Project, Dark also explores themes of traveling through time, exploring different eras, and an uncertain fate at the end of it.

4) Loki

Loki is a fantasy action adventure superhero series from the house of Marvel Studios as part of Phase Four of the MCU. Created by Michael Waldron, the series aired its first season in 2018, and is set to release the second season in October 2023.

The cast featured prominent actors like Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Wunmi Mosaku, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Richard Grant, Tara Strong, and also introduced Jonathan Major's Kang for the first time.

Although Loki is a bit different from the others in this list, being a MCU offering, it is set in a rather dystopian setting. The series follows Loki, the titular God of Mischief as he gets captured by the TVA (Time Variance Authority) for creating an incursion in time and branching off from the main reality.

But Loki teams up with an Agent and sets off on a multiversal journey to prevent a great threat and save the timeline.

Just like The Lazarus Project, Loki also touches on themes of the end of times in a dystopian world. It offers a different kind of experience compared to the other conventional titles on this list.

5) Black Mirror

Black Mirror is a British anthology science-fiction drama originally from the house of Channel 4. The series premiered in 2011 in the United Kingdom before coming to the US in 2016 on Netflix. Charlie Brooker created the series with inspiration from the 1959 TV series The Twilight Zone.

The series is made up of standalone episodes with their own independent stories, and a constantly changing cast. Black Mirror garnered quite the critical acclaim alongside a cult following, making it one of the most notable titles of the last decade.

It has aired five seasons till date, with the sixth one set to release on Netflix on June 15, 2023.

Black Mirror is set in a dystopian future world, where technology plays a pivotal role. The series explores a world where the evolution of technology also brings about a lot of social problems as well as a change in the way humans interact.

Done in a dark and unsettling manner, it could be a good watch for those who liked The Lazarus Project.

These are some of the top series and TV shows that you can also add to your watchlist if you like The Lazarus Project. The show just arrived in the US on TNT on June 4, 2023, almost a year after its British release.

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