“Mad Max Meets Dune” in 10-Part Sci-Fi Thriller Officially Finding Redemption on Streaming

October 12, 2026

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Forget Mad Max and Dune, because one of the most underrated sci-fi shows of the past 10 years is finally making a comeback on streaming. The series, which ran for one season in 2017, blends the post-apocalyptic landscape of George Miller’s Mad Max series (especially Tom Hardy’s Mad Max: Fury Road) with the tech and existentialism of Dune (more specifically, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three). The show met an unceremonious end after its first season, but a revival could be in the cards for the future, thanks to an unexpected comeback on streaming.

After initially airing on the Mormon TV channel BYUtv, Extinct is now streaming on Prime Video. The series was added to the platform back in 2026 and was a modest streaming hit then. However, over one year later, it is reaching even greater heights and has been one of the biggest shows on streaming for some time. At the time of writing, Extinct is the eighth most popular series on Prime Video in the US. That’s impressive on its own. But Extinct also faces tough competition from Reacher (and its new spin-off, Neagley), Sterling Point, Off Campus, Blue Ridge: The Series, and Mike Flanagan’s new Carrie series. As well as being a major streaming hit, Extinct has also proven its longevity in the charts. The show has held a place in Prime Video’s top 10 for 48 days, and counting.

What Is ‘Extinct’ Actually About?

If you’ve never heard of Extinct, then you need to check your sci-fi fan credentials. The series was created by prolific science fiction writers Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game) and Aaron Johnston (who co-wrote many novels, including Earth Unaware and The Hive, with Scott Card). Extinct is set centuries into the future, after humanity has been completely decimated and the Earth uninhabited. The show follows a small group of people who have been revived by a mysterious alien civilization. They don’t know why they’ve returned or who the aliens are, leading to one of the most underrated sci-fi mysteries in modern TV.

As well as its fascinating premise, Extinct also received strong reactions and praise from viewers. It holds a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The series doesn’t have enough RT Approved critics’ reviews to generate a Tomatometer score. But the few critics who have posted their reviews online have been more than impressed with the show.

‘Extinct’ Was Unfairly Canceled After One Season

Matthew Bellows in Extinct

BYUtv

So, if the series is a major hit on streaming (admittedly, nine years after it was first released, but, still…) and earned strong reactions after its premiere, why was it canceled. Extinct‘s cancelation is a bizarre case. The show wasn’t axed because of poor ratings, reviews, or because it cost too much. Instead, the series was canceled by BYUtv because it didn’t align with the network’s family-first, Christian values. Adding to that, the network was undergoing major management changes at the time, which resulted in Extinct getting the axe under the new leadership.