The Passage

A post-apocalyptic story about a botched U.S. government experiment that turns a group of death row inmates into highly infectious vampires, and an orphan girl who might be the only person able to stop the ensuing crisis.

The Passage (2019) is a American network science fiction horror series created by Liz Heldens for FOX. Adapted from a novel, it follows a botched U.S. government experiment that transforms a group of death row inmates into highly infectious vampires. Mark-Paul Gosselaar plays Brad Wolgast, a figure caught up in the unfolding crisis, while Saniyya Sidney plays Amy Bellafonte, an orphan girl who may be the only person capable of stopping the spreading catastrophe. Caroline Chikezie plays Major Nickole Sykes and Vincent Piazza plays Clark Richards, both drawn into the military and survivalist scramble to contain the outbreak. The engine of the show is a race against a contagion that is spreading across a ruined American landscape, with each episode pulling characters through checkpoints, abandoned towns and tense encounters with the infected. The story unfolds across a single ten-episode season that was canceled before its arc could close, giving the series a serialized, mythic momentum. Set in a post-apocalyptic future America, the series has a bleak, dread-filled atmosphere tempered by a stubborn sense of hope. Its tone sits between ominous dystopian drama and kinetic genre action, and fans of The Strain, The Walking Dead and The Hunger Games will find a similar blend of contagion horror and fragile heroism.

Audience reception is positive, with viewers praising the ambitious post-apocalyptic world and its young lead while finding the single season uneven and rushed.

• The Strainpost-apocalyptic dystopia, vampire outbreak, orphan girl as hope, serialized genre drama
• The Walking Deadpost-apocalyptic survival, young heroine as last hope, dystopian scale
• The Hunger Gamespost-collapse dystopia with a young female protagonist carrying humanity's fate

Created by

Liz Heldens

Release Date

2019-01-14

Episode runtime

44 min

Rating

7.2 / 10 (369)

What is The Passage about?

After a botched government experiment unleashes highly infectious vampires, an orphan girl may be the only one who can stop the ensuing collapse.

What is The Passage like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Passage as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is The Passage violent?

Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Passage as brutal.

What did critics think of The Passage?

Audience reception is positive, with viewers praising the ambitious post-apocalyptic world and its young lead while finding the single season uneven and rushed.

Which shows are like The Passage?

Shows with a similar feel include The Strain, The Walking Dead, and The Hunger Games.

How long is The Passage?

The Passage: 1 season, 10 episodes.

Is The Passage still running?

No, The Passage was canceled.

Where can I watch The Passage?

In United States, The Passage is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home.