Netflix’s 3-Part Post Apocalyptic Gem Is 1 Of Its Most Complete & Satisfying Shows

Netflix‘s catalog includes one incredible three-season post-apocalyptic series that tells one of the most complete and satisfying stories in the history of television. Despite lasting for three whole seasons, the show surprisingly remains quite obscure compared to Netflix’s most mainstream offerings. Still, it is easily one of Netflix’s best comic book adaptations from recent years.

For a long time, Netflix has had the reputation of abruptly pulling the plug on some of its most ambitious shows after a season or two. These cancellation decisions on Netflix never cease to surprise because they are often driven by complex viewership parameters. Fortunately, for Netflix’s Sweet Tooth, it got to last for three seasons and finished its run with a well-rounded conclusion.

Like most post-apocalyptic TV shows, Sweet Tooth, too, begins with a global tragedy that wipes out a significant chunk of the adult human population. However, what happens right after the apocalyptic event is no short of a miracle. With what follows, Sweet Tooth unfolds a heartwarming tale of finding hope even in the darkest of times, which gradually builds up to a very satisfying conclusion.

Netflix’s Sweet Tooth Tells A Complete & Well-Rounded Post-Apocalyptic Story

Netflix’s Sweet Tooth is based on a comic book series of the same name by Jeff Lemire. However, instead of closely adapting its source material, Sweet Tooth seems to add more color and whimsy to the comics’ bleak narrative. When shows and movies take such massive creative liberties, they often end up diluting everything that made their source material stand out.

Fortunately, for Sweet Tooth, its changes to its original comics not only make it more accessible to a wide audiences but also give it a sense of optimism that elevates it above most gritty post-apocalyptic thrillers.

It is perhaps these distinct elements that allowed Sweet Tooth to etch its own identity in a genre that seems crowded by many run-of-the-mill stories. Sweet Tooth never became as big of a success as Netflix’s popular sci-fi offerings like Stranger Things. However, its post-pandemic release timing and positive spin of dystopian storytelling allowed it to garner a solid and niche following.

Owing to this, Sweet Tooth got to last for three seasons on Netflix, which was enough for the series to tell a well-rounded story about restoration of order and ecological preservation in a dying world. In its three-season runtime, Sweet Tooth also touches upon some of the darker themes and narratives from the original comic books.

The show, however, truly forgets that it is its characters’ childlike wonder and innocent worldview that make it special. Even in its final moments, Sweet Tooth leaves viewers with an awe-inspiring and satisfying message about compassion and humanity’s ability to find beauty and connection even after enduring unimaginable loss.

Why We Need More Post-Apocalyptic Shows Like Sweet Tooth

Some of the most popular dystopian hits on streaming right now, like Silo, Fallout, and The Last of Us, are incredible in their own right. They tell gripping stories about humanity’s struggles in a dying world while exploring the moral compromises and personal sacrifices characters are forced to make to have a shot at survival.

However, the problem with many of these shows is that they thrive on relentless bleakness. Even some of their most hopeful moments are backed with grim twists.

While dark narratives, too, have their place in the post-apocalyptic genre, the lack of optimistic storytelling seems like a problem. Only a few shows like Sweet Tooth, Earth Abides, and Station Eleven dare to defy the genre’s conventions and suggest that humanity’s capacity for kindness, empathy, and rebuilding can be just as compelling as its descent into violence and despair.

Hopefully, in the near future, more post-apocalyptic shows will adopt the same formula as Netflix‘s Sweet Tooth and give us more complete and positive narratives about how compassion can endure even after the world as we know it has fallen apart.