10 Best TV Shows Like Scavengers Reign

Scavengers Reign is another in a long list of unexpected and excellent sci-fi television series that have come out recently, and fortunately, there are a few shows that are perfect to watch next. The series premiered October 19 on Max and filled an important niche in the sci-fi animation genre. Additionally, it certainly left those who watched it wanting more, as Scavengers Reign only has 12 episodes.

Animation has long been a place where sci-fi shines brighter due to its lack of constraints in creating visuals or situations that don’t exist in real life. While animation has this visual leg up, some live-action sci-fi TV shows find clever ways around the practical difficulties of the genre and make up for it with compelling and complex performances. No matter the language of the storytelling, sci-fi television provides audiences with an equal measure of human stories and out-of-this-world elements, something that Scavengers Reign perfectly captures.

10 Severance (2022- )

Streaming on Apple TV+

Severance stars Adam Scott as Mark, a man who has undergone a procedure to separate his work life from his home life. While at work, he cannot remember anything from his personal life, and at home, he cannot remember anything he does at work. For himself and his coworkers, their work slowly begins to bleed into their outside lives, and questions arise as to what exactly is going on at their jobs.

This sense of mystery and disconnection from real life is what gives Severance its otherworldly elements and makes it a comp for Scavengers Reign. Though it takes place in a version of reality only slightly different from life on Earth, the sense of a life split in half is palpable throughout. Throughout the show, Scavengers Reign flashes back to the lives of the survivors before the crash, and a similar setup is employed in Severance as the audience uncovers why the characters decided to have the procedure.

9 Foundation (2021- )

Streaming on Apple TV+

Foundation is an adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s book series of the same name. Following the lives of several groups of people living in various parts of the universe, the show has a large ensemble cast that brings unique perspectives on the issues facing the galaxy. According to the calculations of one man, Hari Seldon (Jared Harris), the universe is on the brink of regressing into an extended period of dark ages.

Different from Scavengers Reign, Foundation does have a central struggle of good v. evil, even if the line between them becomes blurred. The hostile natural world of Scavengers Reign is ambivalent to humans and their morals and will play out the course of nature regardless. Foundation centers the actions and beliefs of the humans involved, but their reason for fighting is similar; they are trying to combat the inevitability of life taking its course.

8 The Midnight Gospel (2020-2020)

Streaming on Netflix

The Midnight Gospel was envisioned by Pendleton Ward, of Adventure Time, and its visuals and the topics it discusses are rooted in the traditions of the sci-fi genre. Every episode takes Clancy (Duncan Trussell) on an adventure to a simulated universe and has conversations about life and death with the people and creatures he meets there. While other shows might imply these larger questions through metaphor or plot devices, The Midnight Gospel intentionally lays it out for the audience to think about.

Throughout these conversations, Clancy and his friends go on journeys within the universe that expand and contract with the laws of physics. The mixture of serious discussion and eye-opening visuals makes The Midnight Gospel full of existential quotes and is a show to put on for introspection. Scavengers Reign employs similar impossible visuals in its alien world and is constantly grappling with the line between life and death.

7 The Expanse (2015-2022)

Streaming on Prime Video

One of the best sci-fi shows of all time, The Expanse created a rich and vivid science fiction world that mirrors the struggles of current life on Earth. The series’ premise is that Mars and Earth have become planetary powerhouses and have political and military tensions. Within this grand scale of political intrigue across planets, the story follows individual characters who are caught in the web of corruption, and try to create a better world.

Scavengers Reign and The Expanse are good reminders that no matter where humanity goes, their nature and their problems will follow. Running away to space, or an alien planet, will not solve the inherent problems and injustices of humanity. Both shows also do a good job of depicting the work that people must do to grow amidst the fantastical aspects of the story.

6 The 100 (2014-2020)

Streaming on Netflix

Much like Scavengers Reign, The 100 is all about survival in a world that is hostile. Set in the future after an apocalypse, The 100 follows a group of teens who are sent back to Earth from the space station humanity has been living on. The teens don’t find Earth an easy place to live now that the planet has been retaken by nature. As the series progresses, more is revealed about Earth after the apocalypse, and how humanity can come together to rebuild. The central lessons of working with nature, not against it, and the need for human cooperation are present in both shows.

5 Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999)

Streaming on Hulu

Cowboy Bebop features Spike (Koichi Yamadera), one of the greatest space cowboys on television. Spike and his gang travel through space as bounty hunters getting into misadventures. Unlike other anime series, Cowboy Bebop was not based on manga, and so developed its unique visual style based on innovations in animation at the time. Scavengers Reign draws from this history of animated sci-fi and recognizes the importance of atmosphere, an element Cowboy Bebop does well. Known for its stunning animation and an anime intro no one should skip, Cowboy Bebop is another animated sci-fi powerhouse.

4 Love Death + Robots (2019- )

Streaming on Netflix

The anthology series Love Death + Robots, created by David Fincher and Tim Miller, has a different premise and animation style in every episode. Although it’s frequently compared to Black Mirror, another dystopian anthology, Love Death + Robots, does not always have the foreboding ending that Black Mirror is known for. Additionally, the medium of animation lends itself to LD+R‘s style and opens the door for a multitude of storytellers to exercise their vision. Though Scavengers Reign is not an anthology, every episode opens the door to a new aspect of the alien planet and utilizes this to explore new themes.

3 Arcane (2021- )

Streaming on Netflix

Arcane follows sisters Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell), in the same universe as the game League of Legends. Within the world, there is a war between the two cities, Piltover and Zaun, and the sisters get caught in the middle. Blending sci-fi and steampunk, Arcane explores the intersection of science and magic in one of the best Netflix shows.

The series has come to be known for its compelling character arcs and heart-wrenching plots, along with its innovative art style. Centering human stories amid fantastical chaos is something Arcane and Scavengers Reign have in common. The relationship between sisters is at the heart of Arcane, and the relationship between the crew is the driving force of Scavengers Reign.

2 Doctor Who (1963- )

Modern Era streaming on Max (1-13) / New Releases on Disney+

Running since the early ’60s, Doctor Who is one of the most beloved sci-fi shows of all time and one of the most important shows in television history. The show follows The Doctor, an alien who can change their face, and the human companions they take on their travels across space and time. Doctor Who season 14 is expected to be a new beginning for a series that is always reinventing itself.

The new seasons of Doctor Who have striven to answer the important ethical questions of its time, as well as being an actual representation of the world. Both Doctor Who and Scavengers Reign attempt to shed light on the differences between people, as well as show that they are not so different after all. Doctor Who underscores how, through empathy and a common goal, people can come together to do good, which are themes that Scavengers Reign tackles too.

1 Station Eleven (2021-2022)

Streaming on Max

The miniseries Station Eleven went largely under the radar when it came out in 2021, but has since gained further appreciation. Based on the novel of the same name by Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven, follows the survivors of a devastating flu that ravages the planet, and how they live after so much loss. Station Eleven does dystopian right where other sci-fi fails in this aspect of the genre.

The story of the characters loosely mirrors a comic that someone from the past made about the journey of a space traveler and their experience of grief. Loss is a frequent theme throughout sci-fi shows, and Scavengers Reign has its fair share as well. The drive to fight and continue living can become difficult in the face of adversity, but each series shows how much there is to live for.