The Tribe

When a mysterious virus wipes out every adult, young people are left to run cities, guard resources, and set rules for themselves. In The Tribe, life in a near-future urban center fragments into competing youth tribes, each with its own codes, leaders, and survival strategies. The series follows a rotating cast of teenagers as they deal with power struggles, shifting alliances, romance, loss, and the practical demands of keeping food, shelter, and safety intact. The show keeps the focus on daily life and politics among the young inhabitants, showing how communities form, fracture, and try to rebuild order without revealing major plot twists or endings.

Created by Raymond Thompson and Harry Duffin, The Tribe premiered in 1999 and was produced by Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment Group in partnership with the UKs Channel 5, with primary filming around Wellington, New Zealand.

The series did not collect major industry awards like Emmys or BAFTAs, but it sustained steady international viewership and long-term fan interest across multiple seasons.

The Tribe aired on more than 40 broadcast networks, which helped it gain a devoted international fan base. Its visual style, including distinctive tribal fashions and DIY set pieces, left a recognizable mark on late 1990s and early 2000s teen sci-fi TV, and it remains a reference point for niche fandoms and retro youth programming.

Critical reaction has been mixed to positive, reflected in a modest user score around 6.9 out of 10, from a small pool of votes. Reviewers and viewers tend to praise its willingness to treat teenage characters as serious decision makers, and the show repeatedly returns to themes of community building, leadership, identity formation, and the ethics of survival. Tone shifts between dramatic and lighter moments, and the series puts relationships and social order at the center rather than relying on big-budget effects.