The breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic has created a surge of interest in TV shows and movies that deal with the impact of such viruses and plagues. Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and others provide a platform for viewers to check out a variety of material related to the topic.

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These generally tend to deal with characters who have to survive a number of challenges, such as zombie viruses or the mass panic that inevitably happens in the wake of a pandemic. It’s interesting to see how the same general premise has taken so many creative turns in both the small and big screens over the years.

Containment (2016)

Stream On The CW Seed

A group of people stand in front of a fence in Containment

One of the few limited series to have run on The CW Network, Containment is about an epidemic breakout in Atlanta that sections off an entire part of the city. The move leads to a blackout for the people in that particular area who now have to fend for themselves.

The story is mainly about survival at all costs, with episodes centering around the characters having to make hard choices. Every character has a distinct trait that is touched upon as they navigate without resources and attempt to escape their captivity.

12 Monkeys (2015-18)

Stream On Hulu

Three people take refuge in an office in 12 Monkeys

Among the best-received sci-fi shows available on Hulu, 12 Monkeys is based on the 1995 movie of the same name, this time featuring a reimagined world. It has a time travel-based plot where the characters have to prevent the beginning of a pandemic in 2015 that has ravaged the world by 2043.

The series deals with the protagonists researching the cause of the outbreak to learn the nature of the plague and why it will affect humanity in such a way. It also carries a survival theme, as the protagonists have to overcome brutal scavengers who are out to get them.

World War Z (2013)

Stream On Hulu And Paramount+

Brad Pitt in World War Z

Easily the highest-grossing film about zombies, Brad Pitt stars as the protagonist who travels the world to look for a cure for a pandemic. It’s geared a lot more toward the survival thriller genre, with the outbreak so bad that people have turned into ultra-aggressive undead.

The movie portrays the horrors that follow during pandemic-related events, as the world is effectively destroyed when people turn on each other to survive. World War Z has an interesting take on how certain diseases can even be good in comparison to others, with the protagonist even injecting himself with a different pathogen to hide from the zombie virus infectees.

The Last Ship (2014-18)

Stream On Hulu

A man in a Navy uniform stands next to a woman in The Last Ship.

A global virus kills off more than 80% of the world’s population, with only the inhabitants of the USS Nathan James destroyer left unaffected. Commander Tom Chandler (Eric Dane) and his crew are tasked with traveling the globe to look for a cure and save humanity.

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Quite a bleak concept for a series, it nevertheless features an ensemble cast, with characters brought from different backgrounds to team up for their mission. The episodes are about the crew learning of the devastation that has occurred in different locations and hoping to extract items to create the cure.

The Stand (1994)

A man is held at gunpoint by two men wearing masks in The Stand

This miniseries is based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, and the premise revolves around a small group of survivors that are the remnants of humanity. After a superflu is accidentally released by the government, more than 99% of the population is killed and the ones that remain turn into factions.

The concept is about good versus evil, with the protagonists looking to preserve hope in humanity while their challengers want to rule by force. The miniseries frequently highlights the pandemic’s deadly potential, with even the survivors becoming plagued by it to add to the tension.

Station Eleven (2021-22)

Stream On HBO Max

A woman looks distressed in the woods in Station Eleven

Set in two time periods, this dystopian film showcases the immediate impact of a deadly virus that causes a global pandemic. 20 years later, the survivors live in a barren world where survival is key, while flashes to the cause of the virus reveal important details.

The main outline is about the main characters struggling to keep the arts alive when people only care about making it to the next day. It’s simultaneously a dystopian thriller and a drama miniseries that portrays the effect on the human condition in the wake of utter devastation.

I Am Legend (2007)

Stream On Netflix

Robert Neville with his dog walking down a desolate road in I Am Legend.

Among the more underrated performances by Will Smith, he stars here as Robert Neville, seemingly the only survivor of a pandemic that has turned people into zombies. I Am Legend focuses on Robert’s attempts to find a cure and the damage to his psyche as a result of loneliness.

The movie is interspersed with scenes that show the immediate effect of the outbreak, portraying the horrific impact of the panic that breaks out. Moreover, I Am Legend is a thought-provoking effort that contains highly emotional scenes about the main character’s struggle to move on from the trauma of losing his family.

Carriers (2009)

Stream On Amazon Prime Video And FuboTV

Four people walk on a deserted road wearing masks in Carriers

Two brothers set off to find a sanctuary they believe is on the other end of the country and encounter a number of people along the way. The catch is that a viral pandemic has broken out that no one knows how to handler, with the characters fearful that their group has a carrier.

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Starring the likes of Chris Pine and Emily VanCamp, Carriers is a post-apocalyptic thriller where the tension is kept steady from start to finish. It shows the deadly potential people have when they want to survive, with even the brothers going at odds once they realize only one of them might get to live.

Children Of Men (2006)

Stream On Amazon Prime Video

Theo guides Kee through a street full of people

Considered to be Alfonso Cuaron’s best film by many, this feature depicts the fallout from a flu pandemic that has resulted in infertility. Almost two decades later, humanity is on the brink of extinction, but the arrival of a pregnant woman prompts everyone to try and capture her.

Children of Men seeks to portray how the government can turn on the people during desperate times, with the UK shown to have become a police state. There’s a message of hope to be found as well, as the main characters want to preserve the future by ensuring the pregnant woman is kept safe.

Contagion (2011)

Stream On The Roku Channel

A woman is grabbed by three strange men in Contagion

The movie that saw the biggest surge in popularity after the COVID-19 breakout, Contagion deals with the breakage of society in the wake of a deadly virus. It also looks into researchers’ attempts to find a cure as the world’s social order is permanently threatened as people begin frantic ways to survive. 

It’s much more destructive in its material, but the movie is the closest reflection of what happened during the real-life COVID-19 outbreak. Its relevance is greater than when the film was initially released, as viewers will likely have a better understanding of the hysteria that takes place in the story now.

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