The Last of Uswas among the most emotionally gripping and immersive video games of all-time, and Craig Mazin’s adaptation for HBO has certainly lived up to that potential. While The Last of Us has delivered a cinematic quality in its first few installments, it’s also a grim reminder of the not-so-distant past. A future overrun by a pandemic, police brutality, an authoritarian state, social unrest, and broken families feels particularly grim, and any casual viewers expecting a zombie action series in the style of The Walking Deadmay have to adjust their expectations. Those who seem to enjoy emotionally gripping, haunting shows about the future will want to make use of their HBO subscriptions and check out the incredible miniseries, Station Eleven.
Like The Last of Us, Station Eleven already had a built-in fan base with sizable expectations ahead of its premiere episode. The miniseries was inspired by the acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel of the same name by Emily St. John Mandel, which had drawn critical acclaim when it hit bookshelves in 2014. The series examines the immediate aftermath of a flu pandemic that leads to the collapse of the world’s infrastructures and civilization; the initial ramifications are intertwined with a storyline that takes place two decades later. While Station Eleven’s plot may seem like an attempt to examine COVID-19 and its effects, the series was actually in production before the world shut down in March 2020.
Both The Last of Us and Station Eleven can be defined as works of “hard genre” storytelling. While both incorporate fantastical visions and predict future events, they take place in realistic worlds and explore their characters on an intimate level. Both shows are about the collapse of society, but they’re more than just an exercise in misery; there’s reason to feel hope in what they say about grief, healing, and the future. If you’re prepared for another unforgettably riveting series in between installments of The Last of Us, Station Eleven is equally worthy of commitment.
‘Station Eleven’ Also Offers a Paternal Narrative
One of the aspects of The Last of Us that has been inventive is the nonlinear storytelling. The series chooses to divert from the original game’s narrative in its opening moments when it shows a flashback to a 1968 television interview in which two scientists discuss the possibilities of a fungal virus and what the potentially devastating impacts may be; it then flashes forward to a shocking moment in 2003 when Joel (Pedro Pascal) loses his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) in the immediate aftermath of the breakout. This grounds the series in emotional stakes and explains the inception of the shutdown, and serves as a great point of comparison to what reality looked like in 2003. The flashbacks in Station Eleven serve a purpose in establishing an emotional hook and creatively fleshing out the worldbuilding.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
Station Eleven also begins with a shocking death — paramedic Jeevan Chaudhary (Himesh Patel) is watching a production of King Lear in Chicago when the lead actor shockingly collapses on stage; similar to how Sarah’s death comes from a gunshot and not a zombie, there’s a grim realism to this actor’s death from natural causes. Beyond establishing how the shows will address depth, they both allow the viewers to invest in a sympathetic lead character. Jeevan desperately attempts to save the man’s life before he dies and ends up watching over a young cast member named Kirsten (Matilda Lawler). He’s no parent and has little experience with children, but Jeevan sees a child in danger and keeps Kirsten safe in his apartment as he plans for the future; it makes the future even more powerful when we see how an older Kirsten (Mackenzie Davis) retains that kindness.
It’s also quite notable that both shows feature an unexpected paternal figure who has to adjust their perspective after caring for a young girl. Neither Joel nor Jeevan was expecting to have anyone to look out for but themselves; Joel is still in grief two decades later, and Jeevan has to suddenly adjust to a mentor role by hiding out with his brother Frank (Nabhaan Rizwan). Similar to Joel’s relationship with his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna), the sibling dynamic between Jeevan and Frank adds a bit of context and creates some light banter. Both Tommy and Frank are optimistic in nature, which is contrasted by Joel and Jeevans’ more bitter attitudes.
‘Station Eleven’ Offers an Interesting New Reality
Both shows are incredibly creative in how they establish the social culture that emerges as a result of the pandemic. By the time that 2023 begins in The Last of Us, a subculture of black market dealers and smugglers has emerged, and Joel takes jobs from his accomplice Tess (Anna Torv). Station Eleven finds a niche of its own as it unpacks the acting company known as the “Travelling Symphony.” Inspired by both her experience on the stage and her own obsession with a particular graphic novel, Kirsten finds a place and a new family in the Traveling Symphony and channels her anxieties into creating a work of art that will stand the test of time. Neither show is trying to capture what the entire world looks like; they examine the macro through the micro.
It’s interesting to see how The Last of Us resets our understanding of events, as in this world, Barack Obama was never elected President. Similarly, Station Eleven halts the timeline in 2020, and so the culture that exists then evolves by the time Kirsten is an adult. While certain works of art stand the test of time, as Shakespeare is prominently featured, there has also been enough of a gap that new traditions, pieces of art, and cultural icons have emerged. Due to the societal upheaval, none of these new customs has become widespread.
While The Last of Us is already a hit, it’s not going to overstay its welcome, as Mazin has suggested that there will be only two seasons to properly adapt the original game. Similarly, Station Eleven makes additions to the novel, but its story is wrapped up in a tight 10 episodes. These shorter lengths make it easier to engage as a viewer, as going in, you know that the emotional scenarios you are watching won’t occupy your time for too long. Both shows have a plan for their conclusion, and they’re worth investing in because the payoff is guaranteed.
Station Eleven is now streaming on HBO Max.
Release Date
2021 – 2022-00-00
Network
HBO Max
Directors
Hiro Murai, Helen Shaver, Jeremy Podeswa, Lucy Tcherniak
Writers
Patrick Somerville, Sarah McCarron, Kim Steele, Cord Jefferson, Nick Cuse
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