Aftermath (2016 TV series)

Lore & Background

The series centers on the Copeland family: Joshua Copeland, a world cultures professor; his wife Karen Copeland, a U.S. Air Force pilot; and their three young adult children—eldest son Matt, and fraternal twin daughters Brianna and Dana. They begin their journey in North Pasco, Washington and head toward Yakima in an RV, trying to survive disastrous weather, unscrupulous humans, and supernatural freaks.

The first season consisted of 13 episodes, airing initially in September 2016. On January 12, 2017, Syfy and Space canceled the show after one season. The A.V. Club criticized the show for a lack of character development, noting that the Copeland family barely seem to like each other, let alone have any serious family bond.

Reader's Guide

Aftermath represents a brief entry in the Canadian science fiction television landscape, notable for its premise of a family navigating both natural and supernatural apocalypses. The show's cancellation after a single season limited its impact, but it remains an example of the genre's exploration of family dynamics under extreme duress. The critical reception highlighted a weakness in character development, which may have contributed to its short run. Its legacy is primarily as a footnote in the careers of its cast, including James Tupper and Anne Heche, and as a series that aired on both Syfy and Space during the 2016 television season.

Did You Know?

• The series was canceled on January 12, 2017, after one season.
• The Copeland family begins their journey in North Pasco, Washington and heads toward Yakima in an RV.

Premise & Survival Narrative

Aftermath frames its post-apocalyptic story not around a single cataclysm but around a cascading series of escalating crises that systematically strip away the infrastructure of modern life. The Copeland family—a couple and their three young adult children—finds itself at the center of this unraveling. Natural disasters strike first, and in the chaos that follows, supernatural beings emerge to compound the threat. The family's journey begins in North Pasco, Washington, where they load up an RV and set out for Yakima, attempting to outrun both the elements and the new horrors populating the landscape. Along the road they must contend with catastrophic weather, hostile and unscrupulous fellow survivors, and supernatural entities roaming the area. The show positions this cross-state trek as both a physical odyssey and a test of whether a family can keep one another alive when the rules of civilization have been erased entirely.

The Copeland Family & Cast

The ensemble is built around five family members, each contributing a distinct skill set to the group's survival. James Tupper portrays Joshua Copeland, a world cultures professor whose academic lens allows him to analyze and interpret the rapidly shifting world around his family. Anne Heche plays Karen, Joshua's wife, a U.S. Air Force pilot whose military background gives the group a practical fighting edge. Their three children complete the unit: Levi Meaden as Matt, the eldest son; Taylor Hickson as Brianna, the headstrong first daughter; and Julia Sarah Stone as Dana, Brianna's brainy fraternal twin sister. The twin pairing—defined by contrasting temperaments of boldness and intellect—introduces a sibling dynamic that plays against the broader family structure. Together the cast represents a cross-section of expertise: scholarly analysis, combat readiness, and the varied strengths of young adults whose previous lives have been rendered obsolete by the collapse.

Production & Broadcast Run

Aftermath was developed as a Canadian science fiction drama, a genre blend that positioned it at the intersection of speculative fiction and family-centered storytelling. The first and only season comprised thirteen episodes, giving the writers a full narrative arc to carry the family from North Pasco to Yakima. The series premiered in September 2016, finding its audiences on two networks simultaneously: Syfy in the United States and Space in Canada, a dual-market launch that reflected its cross-border production identity. Despite this two-network backing, the show's broadcast life proved remarkably brief. On January 12, 2017, both Syfy and Space announced the cancellation of Aftermath, concluding its run after a single season. The roughly four-month window between its September debut and its January cancellation limited the series' ability to cultivate a sustained viewership or develop its mythology beyond the initial arc, leaving the story unresolved for its audience.

Critical Reception & Character Critique

The critical response to Aftermath highlighted structural weaknesses in how the show handled its central premise. The A.V. Club, in particular, took issue with the lack of meaningful character development, arguing that the Copeland family—despite being the emotional core of a story about a world falling apart—failed to feel like a cohesive unit. The review specifically observed that the Washington-based family barely seemed to like one another, let alone possess any serious family bond, a critique that struck at the heart of the show's intended appeal. For a series built around a family surviving together against natural and supernatural threats, the absence of a palpable familial connection undermined the narrative stakes. The criticism suggested the characters functioned more as archetypal survival roles—professor, pilot, headstrong twin, brainy twin, eldest son—rather than as individuals with genuine emotional investment in one another, leaving viewers without the relational anchor that typically sustains ensemble survival narratives.