This moment in history is unlike anything most of us have experienced before. The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has left many people wondering what the future has in store for themselves, their families and society. While television is a great form of escapism, it also provides a few lessons about how people can get through this pandemic as well as what they can do once it's over. Here are several dystopian shows viewers can learn from while practicing social distancing at home.
Lost in Space
After the Earth is no longer inhabitable, a group of colonists depart for a new planet, but after a deadly encounter with an alien robot, the space explorers -- including the Robinsons -- must find a way to survive. Netflix's Lost in Space is full of action with the Robinson family finding a way to overcome the odds by sticking together, following their moral compass and considering the scientific facts.
The main takeaway from the show is a family that trusts each other, supports each other and sacrifices for each other can make it through the worst. It's also important to listen to scientists with humanity's best interests at heart over those blinded by greed, which the Robinsons often do to great success.
Futurama
Through the time lapse played behind Fry's cryogenic sleep in the first episode, "Space Pilot 3000," as well as context clues sprinkled over the seasons, it's clear the future the protagonists of Futurama inhabit is one that has survived several apocalyptic moments. Even in their current time period, their world is suffering from deadly events.
Despite this, the citizens of the 31st century have adapted to each of these challenges and continue to survive. The show also satirizes real-world issues like global warming, mega corporations and corrupt politicians, showing audiences how ridiculous it is to not take these things seriously.
Adventure Time
This colorful, zany cartoon takes place after the Great Mushroom War, an event that mutated most living things, destroyed civilizations and made humans an endangered species. It's a world that starts off hopeless, but Adventure Time as a whole is full of bright colors, gorgeous environments and characters who love life. It took time to get the World of Ooo to this place, but the tragedy of war was not the end of everything. It was the beginning of something new and beautiful.
Westworld
Westworld depicts a future in which advanced technology enables the wealthy to escape to hyper-real re-creations of historical places, like the wild west, where they can take out their violent and sexual frustrations on androids that are designed to be as human as possible, complete with emotions, memories and the ability to feel pain. It's a dark future that disregards the lives of the androids, showing how immoral it is to strip individuals of their freedom and humanity.
Outside of the self-contained simulations, the real world, as seen in the show's third season, is full of people also stripped of free will and the desire to make progress. This is because they blindly believe that life is already "safe" and "good;" however, this compliance leads people to become cogs in a machine, stripped of aspirations and creative expression. While it may be dangerous to step out of place, fighting for freedom and expressing oneself are inherent human traits that people should not have taken from them.
The Handmaid's Tale
In Gilead, the nation that replaced the United States in The Handmaid's Tale, religion trumps science and guides political policy, a class system predetermines one's position in society and only men have access to education and the ability to hold a job. Meanwhile women, especially lower-class women, are treated like objects. Civil rights including freedom of speech, the press and religion are also non-existent. The fate of anyone who defies the government's rules is often death.
The show demonstrates how a country driven by hate and blinded by bigoted beliefs can lead to oppression and poverty. This is not a prosperous country because it has stripped its citizens of their civil rights, something that should never be sacrificed, even in the face of desperation and destruction.
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead documents the lives of a group of survivors in the zombie apocalypse over the course of years. While the threat of zombies is always present, the main conflict is usually the result of people who make the worst of the situation. So although zombies are a danger, humans are the true threat if they decide to be. The show also features characters who make the best of their new lives, showing fans that the future, no matter how grim, is in their hands, and they have the power to make the world better or worse.