Utilizing violence and gore tastefully but effectively insci-fiTV shows can be difficult, as there needs to be a balance between the intense action scenes and the character-driven breaks in the tension. However, one of the most fun parts of contemporary television is how much can be achieved in creating graphic violence through both practical and CGI effects. While blood-soaked thrillers aren’t for all audiences, they’re extraordinarily fun, andthese TV shows hit home for viewers who love seeing a story’s beats expressed through visceral chills.Understanding that gore is for both serious and comedic effects is crucial.
There arerecent sci-fi shows that didn’t deserve to be canceledthat provided plenty of graphic action sequences that kept viewers on the edge of their seats throughout the episodes. When introducing intense violence, a series usually takes one of two routes. Eitherthe sudden gore is shocking and punctuates a particularly devastating scene,or there’s so much violence the characters and audience become desensitized to it. The second type often comments on the nature of how gore is treated so differently today because of the way media and television have evolved.
Kingdom
Cast
Based on the webtoonThe Kingdom of the Gods,Kingdom is a 2019 South Korean historical drama-horror series created for Netflix. Lee Chang, the crown prince of a fictional interpretation of 16th-century Korea, is forced to stand in for his ailing father as a plague begins to ravage their homeland, all while fighting off would-be-usurpers to the throne.
Blending elements of the period piece genre with sci-fi and horror,Kingdomhas a little bit of everything, making it appeal to all audiences. One of the best parts ofKingdomis thatit provides just as much interpersonal drama and political intrigue as it does gore,striking a compelling balance. While it’s fair to say that there are plenty of TV shows that tackle the zombie genre well,Kingdomis doing so in a unique way and justifies its violence.
The political and social metaphors that zombie stories are a stand-in for are at the forefront ofKingdom, as the dichotomy between the working class and the elite members of society is stressed throughout the show.
The political and social metaphors that zombie stories are a stand-in for are at the forefront ofKingdom, as the dichotomy between the working class and the elite members of society is stressed throughout the show. This makes it interesting to see how and why particular violence and suffering are imparted to certain groups.Each of the characters is vividly realized and enthralling to watchas they battle both the dead and living alike and attempt to carve out a place for themselves in the new world.
98%
92%
From
From is a series revolving around a mysterious American town that ensnares newcomers, forcing its inhabitants to maintain order and find an escape amidst nighttime perils from the surrounding forest. The residents face threats from terrifying creatures emerging after sunset, complicating their struggle for survival.
Like most of the bloodiest additions to the genre,Fromisn’t just a sci-fi show; it also includes plenty of horror.Harold Perrineau leadsFromas Boyd Stevens,the man who takes it upon himself to lead the town after the residents discover it’s impossible to leave. This sets the stage for a compelling survival series that interrogates the nature of civilization and looks at what happens to people when the veneer of society crumbles.
Of course,it doesn’t take long for people to come into conflict and start taking out their frustrationsand darkest impulses on each other. Due to their fear, anxiety, and desire to carve out a place for themselves in the new world order, people turn to violence and cruelty inFrom. Even as the residents try to form a structure for government and safety, they can’t help trying to escape the town and fight tooth and nail due to opposing ideologies.
96%
82%
The Last Of Us
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama series set two decades after a global catastrophe. It follows Joel, a seasoned survivor, who is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl, across a desolated United States, transforming into a harrowing journey of survival and companionship.
It will be interesting to see whereThe Last of Usseason 2 takes the characters and whether the series will follow the video game it’s based on as closely as season 1 does. The sci-fi drama quickly became a hit for HBO after it premiered in 2023, as it connected with audiences who were familiar with the games and successfully brought in new viewers. The performances fromPedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie are a large piece of whyThe Last of Usworks so well.
While the zombie-like infection is terrifying enough, it’s the human combat that’s the most visceral inThe Last of Us.
From the beginning of the series, it’s clear thatJoel is a fierce protector and a competent fighter who will do anything to survive.He soon imparts this protectiveness on Ellie, who he comes to see as a daughter and will do anything to keep alive. Joel has to fight off both the people infected with the Cordyceps virus and the uninfected who have become isolated from humanity to survive. While the zombie-like infection is terrifying enough, it’s the human combat that’s the most visceral inThe Last of Us.
88%
The Last Of Us Season 2 Is Officially Making The Game’s Most Heartbreaking Moment Even More Tragic
The trailer for The Last of Us season 2 hints that the adaptation of the video game sequel’s most heartbreaking moment will be even more devastating.
Foundation
Foundation is a science fiction film that follows a band of exiles on a crucial journey to save humanity and rebuild civilization as the Galactic Empire collapses.
Based on theFoundationbook series by Isaac Asimov,Foundationtakes the basis of Asimov’s work and creates a narrative better suited for television that connects with a variety of audiences.Lee Pace, Jared Harris, and Lou Llobell lead the castas three of the most important people in the universe who will direct the course of human history. The many complex time jumps and plot twists throughoutFoundationmake it difficult to follow at times, but it’s well worth it for the incredible fight sequences.
It’s incredible thatApple TV’sFoundationadapted Asimov’s booksso well, as the source material is notoriously complex and layered. However, the action scenes are a part of the series that are universally engaging and understandable. There’s a particularly famous scene of Pace’s character fighting in the nude in season 2, which gained popularity for its fight choreography, but that’s hardly the most gory moment in the show.Many instances of intense injury and galaxy-bending battles are featuredthroughoutFoundation.
86%
71%
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is a television series that premiered on June 29, 2025. It follows Sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. He embarks on a journey to locate his family, encountering various survivors amidst the chaos.
This long-running zombie TV show is one of the most popular series of the 21st century and has incurred multiple spinoff shows for a reason. Based on the beloved comic book series of the same name,The Walking Deaduses its violent tone effectively, as it makes the audience adore the charactersand care deeply about their fate before brutally killing them off.The Walking Deadmakes it clear from the beginning that no one is safe, even the protagonists and fan-favorite characters.
Since they live in a post-apocalyptic world, the characters are all expert fighters and have signature styles and weapons that make them unique.
The Walking Deadisn’t just a classic sci-fi series but also anawesome action show with fast-paced fight scenes. Since they live in a post-apocalyptic world, the characters are all expert fighters and have signature styles and weapons that make them unique. The same goes for the terrible villains, who haunt the central figures just as much as the walkers. This makes for a ceaseless amount of tension and continuous forward momentum, soThe Walking Deadnever grows stale.
79%
78%
Black Mirror
Black Mirror is a dystopian anthology series that explores the unsettling and profound impact of modern technology on society. Premiering in 2011, it examines various scenarios where technological advancements intersect with human nature, creating thought-provoking narratives about contemporary and future issues.
Black Mirrorwas revolutionary at the time that it premiered in 2011. Thoughits anthology format and social commentary drew comparisons toThe Twilight Zone, it was unlike anything else ever seen on TV. Each episode is unafraid to be grotesque, upsetting, and deeply interrogative of the social order, making the viewer question their own complicity in the developing world of technology. Though the universes inBlack Mirrorare different from our own, they hit a little too close to home.
Many great actors have graced the episodes ofBlack Mirror, transporting themselves into parallel worlds and being plagued by some truly terrifying characters and imagery. Thoughmany episodes ofBlack Mirrorstop at being unsettling, some go much furtherand tell the kind of stories that give you nightmares. These are often accompanied by graphic and intense violence that must be looked away from but is too compelling to turn off.
83%
80%
Alice in Borderland
Alice in Borderland follows a video-game enthusiast and his two friends who find themselves transported to an alternate Tokyo. There, they must participate in perilous games for survival.
Game-centered survival shows that touch upon the effects of reality TV and the social impacts of competition. The series follows Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya as Ryōhei Arisu and Yuzuha Usagi, two players who get transported into the game and work together to survive.Alice in Borderlandbegins with the central characters transported into an empty city where they’re coerced into taking part in viciously brutal games where the stakes are life and death. This leads to many conflicts between players and ruthless attempts to win no matter what.
Every episode of the series is filled with tangible danger and terror, making it impossible to stop watching.
There are manythings that must happen inAlice in Borderlandseason 3, asthe series left on a series-altering cliffhanger at the end of season 2.After two seasons of almost every game and possibility the show could imagine, it will be intriguing to see whereAlice in Borderlandgoes from here and how the story will be able to raise the stakes from the earlier installments. Every episode of the series is filled with tangible danger and terror, making it impossible to stop watching.
Alice in Borderland (2020–Present)
91%
Love, Death & Robots
Love, Death & Robots is an anthology series released in 2019, presenting a collection of animated stories curated by Tim Miller and David Fincher. Each episode explores diverse genres, featuring terrifying creatures, unexpected twists, and elements of dark comedy.
How much visceral blood and violence appears inLove, Death & Robotsdepends on the episode.This anthology series uses different animation styles and storytelling techniquesfor each installment of the show, and some episodes have almost no violence at all. However, there are overwhelmingly many more that use the flexibility of animation to explore new territory of action and can push the limits of physics and realism within the medium. More often than not, this is played out through violent and intense moments onscreen.
Love, Death, & Robots’ Perfect Replacement Is Already One Of My Most Anticipated Prime Video Shows
The perfect replacement for Netflix’s Love, Death, & Robots from Prime Video is already a highly anticipated show due to its unique twist.
Love, Death & Robotshas received some criticism for prioritizing style and gore over substancein some of the more vivid depictions of brutality. However, as the seasons have progressed, the series has only grown in critical and audience acclaim, using its roughness as a means to engage with deeper conversations about the nature of violence and the serious emotional themes it grapples with. What the next volume ofLove, Death & Robotsholds will have to explore even more taboo and divisive storylines.
Dark
Dark is a German science fiction thriller focusing on four families in a small town impacted by the disappearance of a child. As they search for answers, they uncover a web of interconnected secrets, revealing complex temporal and familial relationships spanning multiple generations.
The Netflix original seriesDarklives up to its name in every aspect,as the characters in this thriller story are put through their paces and see some disturbing things throughout their journeys. An enduring part of the series is how well it sets up the violence and builds tension, leaving the audience terrified about what new development is around the corner. For a show with significant gore, it’s surprisingly slow-paced, but this lends itself to the atmosphere of the project.
Much of the violence seen inDarkis tragic and upsetting, as the show doesn’t play the gore for laughs but for the shock factor.
Time travel is a large part of the story inDark, and this ties into the overarching themes of generational trauma and how secrets passed down can fester and affect generations in the future. Much of the violence seen inDarkis tragic and upsetting, as the show doesn’t play the gore for laughs but for the shock factor. However,this has cemented the drama as one of the most boundary-pushing and complex offeringson the streaming service.
95%
94%
Fallout
Set 200 years after an apocalypse, Fallout follows residents of luxury shelters as they re-enter a post-nuclear world. Confronted with a bizarre and violent landscape, the series explores the stark contrasts between their sheltered existence and the harsh realities of the outside universe.
Falloutwas an immediate hit for Prime Video, and it’s no wonder, considering the production value and expert execution of the show. The popularity of video game adaptations has been on the rise, andFalloutexemplifies how to follow the heart and thematic tone of the gameswhile developing an original story. One of the most important aspects of the games that the show retains is the fast-paced and graphic fight sequences.
The blending of the post-apocalyptic andsci-figenres is almost always a recipe for success, and this was overwhelmingly the case withFallout.Each character brings a unique fighting style to the table,and the conceit of the world allows for innovative action that doesn’t grow repetitive as the episodes progress. One of the most memorable parts ofFalloutis seeing the development of Lucy (Ella Purnell), who becomes progressively more willing to be as brutal as the world around her.
90%
