Raised by Wolves (2020)
TV show · 2020 · Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama · English
Curator score: 5.6/10 (94.4K ratings)
Tagline: Sacrifice for survival.
After Earth is ravaged by a great religious war, an atheistic android architect sends two of his creations, Mother and Father, to start a peaceful, godless colony on the planet Kepler-22b. Their treacherous task is jeopardized by the arrival of the Mithraic, a deeply devout religious order of surviving humans.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 5.6/10
- IMDb: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
- Metacritic: 68
- TMDB: 7.5/10
Production: Scott Free Productions, Film Afrika, Lit Entertainment Group, Shadycat Productions
Cast: Amanda Collin, Abubakar Salim, Winta McGrath, Niamh Algar, Travis Fimmel, Jordan Loughran, Matias Varela, Felix Jamieson, Ethan Hazzard, Aasiya Shah, Ivy Wong
Curator Review
Verdict: A striking, high-concept sci-fi mystery with unforgettable imagery, ambitious worldbuilding, and a fearless commitment to weirdness. It’s often more fascinating than emotionally satisfying, and the second season narrows the focus in a way that helps some threads but leaves the larger mythology frustratingly unresolved after cancellation.
Best for: Viewers who like cerebral, philosophical sci-fi; Fans of bleak, atmospheric worldbuilding; People who don’t mind unresolved endings; Viewers drawn to android/AI stories and religious conflict
Skip if: You want a complete story with a clean ending; You prefer character-driven sci-fi over symbolic, puzzle-box storytelling; You dislike slow-burn pacing and cryptic mythology; You want consistent tonal balance rather than swings between eerie, operatic, and bizarre
Overview: Raised by Wolves is one of the most audacious science-fiction series of the streaming era. It pairs a stark, alien visual language with big ideas about faith, parenthood, evolution, and the violence of belief, and it rarely takes the safe route. The central android relationship gives the show a surprising emotional anchor even when the mythology gets deliberately opaque.
Worth noting: The first season is the stronger and more memorable half, building a genuinely unsettling sense of discovery on Kepler-22b. Season two pushes deeper into the planet’s mysteries and becomes more focused, but it also leans harder into abstraction and leaves some viewers behind. The result is a series that feels like a bold experiment rather than a fully solved puzzle.
Bottom line: If you enjoy sci-fi that asks for patience and rewards mood, imagery, and thematic ambition, it’s absolutely worth a look. If you need narrative closure, the cancellation makes the experience more frustrating than fulfilling.
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Topics: cerebral sci-fi, philosophical, bleak, atmospheric, high-concept, slow-burn, mystery, prestige drama, alien world, dystopian
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/tv-show/raised-by-wolves/85723
Raised by Wolves (2020)
TV show · 2020 · Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama · English
Curator score: 5.6/10 (94.4K ratings)
Sacrifice for survival.
Overview After Earth is ravaged by a great religious war, an atheistic android architect sends two of his creations, Mother and Father, to start a peaceful, godless colony on the planet Kepler-22b. Their treacherous task is jeopardized by the arrival of the Mithraic, a deeply devout religious order of surviving humans.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.6/10
IMDb: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Metacritic: 68
TMDB: 7.5/10
Production Scott Free Productions, Film Afrika, Lit Entertainment Group, Shadycat Productions
Cast Amanda Collin, Abubakar Salim, Winta McGrath, Niamh Algar, Travis Fimmel, Jordan Loughran, Matias Varela, Felix Jamieson, Ethan Hazzard, Aasiya Shah, Ivy Wong
Curator Review
Verdict
A striking, high-concept sci-fi mystery with unforgettable imagery, ambitious worldbuilding, and a fearless commitment to weirdness. It’s often more fascinating than emotionally satisfying, and the second season narrows the focus in a way that helps some threads but leaves the larger mythology frustratingly unresolved after cancellation.
Best for
Viewers who like cerebral, philosophical sci-fi
Fans of bleak, atmospheric worldbuilding
People who don’t mind unresolved endings
Viewers drawn to android/AI stories and religious conflict
Skip if
You want a complete story with a clean ending
You prefer character-driven sci-fi over symbolic, puzzle-box storytelling
You dislike slow-burn pacing and cryptic mythology
You want consistent tonal balance rather than swings between eerie, operatic, and bizarre
Overview
Raised by Wolves is one of the most audacious science-fiction series of the streaming era. It pairs a stark, alien visual language with big ideas about faith, parenthood, evolution, and the violence of belief, and it rarely takes the safe route. The central android relationship gives the show a surprising emotional anchor even when the mythology gets deliberately opaque.
Worth noting
The first season is the stronger and more memorable half, building a genuinely unsettling sense of discovery on Kepler-22b. Season two pushes deeper into the planet’s mysteries and becomes more focused, but it also leans harder into abstraction and leaves some viewers behind. The result is a series that feels like a bold experiment rather than a fully solved puzzle.
Bottom line
If you enjoy sci-fi that asks for patience and rewards mood, imagery, and thematic ambition, it’s absolutely worth a look. If you need narrative closure, the cancellation makes the experience more frustrating than fulfilling.
Recommended similar titles
2016 · Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Western · Curator 8.3/10 (563.1K ratings)
A similarly ambitious blend of AI, identity, and philosophical sci-fi with puzzle-box storytelling and a strong sense of spectacle.
2015 · Curator 8.5/10 (193.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Big-idea science fiction with political and ideological conflict, strong worldbuilding, and a serious, adult tone.
2021 · Curator 7.2/10 (127.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Apple TV Plus
Operatic, sprawling sci-fi that prioritizes ideas, empire, and long-game mythology over easy answers.
2014 · Curator 0.8/10 (1.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
Emotionally devastating prestige drama that treats mystery, faith, and grief with unusual seriousness and atmosphere.
2004 · Curator 9.7/10 (188.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Pluto TV
A classic for viewers who like survival sci-fi, religious tension, and moral conflict wrapped in serialized drama.
2017 · Curator 6.9/10 (548.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Dense, cryptic, and meticulously plotted sci-fi mystery with a strong sense of dread and fate.
2008 · Curator 9.0/10 (272.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu
Genre-bending sci-fi with alternate realities, strange phenomena, and a mix of mystery and emotional stakes.
2022 · Curator 4.7/10 (124.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
A moody ensemble mystery with layered symbolism, shifting reality, and an emphasis on atmosphere over quick payoff.
2023 · Curator 7.9/10 (213.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Apple TV Plus
A controlled, suspenseful dystopian mystery that shares the same appetite for hidden truths and oppressive worldbuilding.
2022 · Curator 9.9/10 (386.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Apple TV Plus
Stylish, unsettling sci-fi about identity, control, and the human cost of systems, with meticulous pacing and tone.
2022 · Curator 9.5/10 (274.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus
Prestige genre television with rigorous worldbuilding, ideological conflict, and a patient, serious tone.
2016 · Curator 0.7/10 (1.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
A daring, divisive mystery series that embraces spirituality, symbolism, and emotional strangeness.
Topics
cerebral sci-fi, philosophical, bleak, atmospheric, high-concept, slow-burn, mystery, prestige drama, alien world, dystopian
Open Raised by Wolves (2020) on Curator TV