Season 1
8 episodes May 4, 2018 6.7
Six years after a rain-borne virus wipes out most of Scandinavia's population, two siblings join a band of young survivors seeking safety — and answers.
Overview
After a brutal virus wipes out most of the population, two young siblings embark on a perilous search for safety. A Scandinavian thriller series.
Seasons
3 listed- Status
- Ended
- Seasons
- 3 seasons
- Episodes
- 20 episodes
- First aired
- May 4, 2018
- Last aired
- Aug 6, 2020
- Episode length
- 45m
- Network
- Netflix
Latest episode: S3 E6 And This Too Shall Pass (Aug 6, 2020)
Season 2
6 episodes May 17, 2019 6.6When the virus grows even more dangerous, the friends race to find a cure. But as Apollon closes in, their loyalties are tested.
Season 3
6 episodes Aug 6, 2020 6.7Years after the rain decimated the population of Scandinavia, Simone and Rasmus find themselves at odds about how to save humanity.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
5 min readRain, Rust, and the Ethics of Waiting
I keep thinking about how quickly The Rain turns the most ordinary human instinct—walking outside, opening a door, crossing a road—into a kind of moral gamble. That’s the show’s real trick, latestnetflix.com argues, more than its virus premise or its post-apocalyptic scenery: it makes weather feel like judgment. A cloudbank isn’t atmosphere.
It’s a threat with no face. And because this is a Scandinavian series, the landscape doesn’t merely decorate that idea; it enforces it. Roads stretch empty, forests look clinical, and even the colors seem drained of their right to exist.
What I admire most is that The Rain doesn’t treat apocalypse like a fireworks show. It’s a survival drama with a teenager’s pulse. That matters.
The show begins with two siblings, Simone and Rasmus, trying to stay alive after a brutal virus has thinned the world, but the larger pleasure is watching how the series translates fear into behavior: the hesitation before a step outside, the way plastic sheets become sacred objects, the constant recalculation of risk. Survival here isn’t heroic in any clean sense. It’s administrative, messy, and often irritating.
Which is exactly right. In a crisis, people don’t become symbols; they become tired, stubborn, frightened versions of themselves.
From what’s been reported around the series, The Rain is also very much a Netflix-era Scandinavian export: a homegrown genre piece designed for an international audience without sanding off its regional identity. That balance can be slippery. Sometimes the show leans into familiar dystopian grammar—walled compounds, factional paranoia, contaminated air, scavenged tech—but it keeps finding a colder, stranger texture in its setting.
The Danish calm is deceptive. Even the most frantic scenes have a clean, almost hygienic framing. I felt that most strongly in the way the series uses wide shots of empty roads and rain-slicked surfaces: not as spectacle, but as a reminder that human civilization can look embarrassingly temporary.
The conversation around the show, at least in the critical chatter I found, seems to center on two things: whether its YA-leaning emotional engine gives the material urgency, and whether its familiar genre mechanics are sturdy enough to justify three seasons and twenty episodes. I think both questions are fair. The series occasionally feels like it’s borrowing furniture from better-known apocalypse stories—The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, even chunks of Children of Men in spirit—then rearranging the room with Scandinavian neatness.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsBehind the Scenes of The Rain: Netflix’s Scandinavian Apocalypse
When The Rain premiered on Netflix in May 2018, it marked a rare Scandinavian foray into post-apocalyptic sci-fi. The Danish series, created by Jannik Tai Mosholt, Esben Toft Jacobsen, and Christian Potalivo, followed siblings Simone (Alba August) and Rasmus (Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen) as they navigated a virus-ravaged Scandinavia after a deadly rain wiped out most of the population. While the show’s bleak tone and survivalist themes drew comparisons to The Last of Us, its behind-the-scenes story was just as intriguing—though far less documented.
A Family Affair: Alba August’s Breakout Role
Alba August, the daughter of acclaimed Danish director Bille August and Swedish actress Pernilla August, was already a rising star when she landed the role of Simone. Her casting wasn’t just nepotism—August had been acting since childhood, debuting in her father’s 2001 film A Song for Martin 
. But The Rain was her first major lead in a high-profile series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFRa2qieGjE
August’s performance as the resilient, resourceful Simone became a standout, earning her praise in a genre typically dominated by male-led narratives. In a rare behind-the-scenes interview tied to the show’s promotion, August discussed the physical and emotional demands of filming in harsh Scandinavian conditions . While the snippet doesn’t provide direct quotes, it hints at the challenges of shooting in remote locations, where rain and cold weather mirrored the show’s apocalyptic setting.
The Cast’s Survival Skills (or Lack Thereof)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsyGKIF-sS4
The Rain’s premise—young survivors navigating a virus-ravaged world—raised an obvious question: Could the actors actually hack it in a real apocalypse? A YouTube video titled "Would the stars of 'The Rain' survive in the post-apocalyptic world of the show?" suggests the cast was game to test their mettle . The snippet doesn’t reveal whether they passed the test, but it implies the actors engaged in playful debates about their survival skills, adding a layer of meta-humor to the show’s grim tone.
Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, who played the morally ambiguous Martin, and Lukas Løkken, who portrayed the rebellious Patrick, were among the cast members who leaned into the show’s survivalist themes. While there’s no evidence of full-on wilderness training, the actors’ chemistry—both on and off-screen—helped sell the series’ high-stakes dynamic .
The Mystery of Season 3’s Cancellation
The Rain ran for three seasons, concluding in 2020. Netflix’s decision not to renew it left fans with unanswered questions, but the behind-the-scenes reasons remain unclear. Unlike many canceled shows, The Rain didn’t suffer from obvious production issues or publicized cast conflicts. The creators wrapped the story on their own terms, with a finale that tied up major arcs—though some viewers felt it left room for more 
.
Rumors about budget constraints or shifting Netflix priorities have circulated, but nothing has been confirmed. What is clear is that the show’s blend of Scandinavian noir and post-apocalyptic drama carved out a niche audience, even if it never reached the mainstream heights of Stranger Things or The Walking Dead.
A Quiet Legacy
Despite its cancellation, The Rain remains a cult favorite, particularly among fans of European sci-fi. Alba August’s career continued to rise after the show, with roles in Swedish biopics and international projects . Meanwhile, the series’ eerie Scandinavian landscapes and morally complex characters have kept it alive in streaming rotations.
For a show about survival, The Rain’s own journey was relatively drama-free—no major scandals, no behind-the-scenes meltdowns. That might be the most surprising thing about it: in an era where every production seems to leak gossip, The Rain stayed focused on its story—and let the rain do the talking.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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