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Apple TV’s Most Relevant 8-Part Sci-Fi Show Feels More Urgent Than Ever
Extrapolations, an eight-episode Apple TV+ anthology series created by Contagion filmmaker Scott Z. Burns, is being highlighted as an under-watched but increasingly pertinent show given its focus on the near-future effects of climate change. First released in March 2023 with a starry cast including Meryl Streep, Sienna Miller and Kit Harington, the series is praised for tackling the crisis head-on across a range of interconnected stories and demographics, making it feel both timely and necessary.
Set between 2037 and 2070, each episode follows different characters grappling with the consequences of decisions made years earlier by people who never experience the fallout themselves, including a Florida rabbi played by Daveed Diggs and a profit-driven tech CEO played by Harington. Rather than depicting a single catastrophic turning point, the show portrays a gradual societal decline intended to reflect how real-world warming might unfold. Its extensive ensemble also features David Schwimmer, Diane Lane, Heather Graham, Cherry Jones, Keri Russell, Judd Hirsch, Murray Bartlett, Tahar Rahim, Hari Nef and Michael Gandolfini.
In short
- Apple TV+'s Extrapolations examines climate change's future impact via linked stories
- Eight episodes span 2037 to 2070, showing gradual societal decline
- Cast includes Meryl Streep, Kit Harington, Sienna Miller and David Schwimmer
Explained simply
Extrapolations is an eight-part anthology series that launched on Apple TV+ in March 2023. Created by Scott Z. Burns, who directed the pandemic film Contagion, the show examines the near-future effects of climate change through interconnected stories. Its ensemble cast includes Meryl Streep, Sienna Miller, Kit Harington and Daveed Diggs, amongst others.
Set between 2037 and 2070, each episode follows different characters living with the consequences of environmental decisions made years before. Rather than showing a sudden catastrophic event, the series portrays a gradual societal shift intended to reflect how climate change might realistically unfold over decades. The stories demonstrate how choices made by some—whether driven by profit or otherwise—create lasting effects that others must endure.
The show focuses on human consequences rather than abstract warnings about climate change. It shows how environmental shifts touch different communities and ways of life across an extended timeframe, making the crisis personal rather than distant.
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