Surviving the End of the World - Defiance and Falling Skies

Before we had the planet-bound teenage tyrants taking over a decimated Earth in The CW's The 100,  we had SyFy's Defiance with various human and otherwise tribes fighting over a decimated Earth as well as TNT's Falling Skies, where humans are caught between two alien races fighting their own star wars with Earth as collateral damage.  

If you missed the first season of Defiance, hurry up and catch up because the second season starts Thursday (June 19).  This trailer may help as well. Yes, parts of Defiance make little sense, such as a terraformed Earth in 2047 that puts the city of St. Louis underground but somehow leaves the arch above ground, but I am not sure is that is any more surprising than multiple space species living and fighting on the planet's surface after a destructive war.  It seems Earth was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, with the Votans looking for a new home on Earth after losing their own planet.  Soon the suspicious Earthlings and space-bound Votans fought a war that led to a run-away terra-forming of the planet and a new dark age of warring clans with periodic flashes of useful technology.  Think Mad Max with a dash of the Wild West thrown in.  

Falling Skies is going into its fourth season on June 22nd with the 2nd Mass militia continuing to follow Noah Wyle's professor Tom Mason.  He leads his growing family and the remaining survivors into a very uncertain future after allying with a newly appearing alien race while also coordinating with rebel elements of the original aliens who destroyed Earth and enslaved its children.  The series provides a hopeful family drama within the wastelands of a devastated Earth, and Wyle's performance is a big part of the show's success.  As the new season begins, the 2nd Mass has returned to their new home in Charleston, South Carolina, after a series of battles.  This clip provides insight into what awaits them in Charleston.  Hint - it is not a warm welcome.  

Update:  The first episode of Falling Skies is available early at no cost on iTunes.   Be prepared for a complex story and more broken families.  You get few light story lines in this show.