‘The Lottery’ Season 1 Spoilers: Watch The First 10 Minutes Of The Pilot Episode

Fans of Shirley Jackson’s eerie short story, “The Lottery,” will be in for a surprise when a post-apocalyptic TV drama, based on the chilling tale, makes its way to the small screen on July 20, 2014. Excited? So are we, which is why we nearly lost it when news broke that a 10-minute teaser of the Lifetime series was released online.

The upcoming drama tells the story of a “dystopian future when women have stopped having children.”

“In 2016, there was an alarming drop in worldwide human birth rates,” subtitles opened the pilot episode of “The Lottery.” “No specific cause could be identified.” Viewers watch as reporters try to unravel the mystery of the declining births. Is it due to radiation? Could this be the end of the human race?

“In 2019, only six children were born,” the subtitles continued. “They were the last ones. Every effort to reverse infertility has failed.”

The story then begins in the year 2025 as the president addresses the country with an update on the nation’s biggest concern.

“My fellow American’s have endured a period of hopelessness,” he says, acknowledging maternity wards have been abandoned. “We spent these past five years looking for causes and solutions while living with the possibility of human extinction.”

The president then reveals researchers have come across an idea, a first step to restore the future of humans.

“There’s still many hurdles ahead but let us stop and appreciate this moment. Let this be a night we will never forget.”

Is anyone curious as to what this plan might be? Well, if you read the 1948 short story, which was dubbed “one of the most famous short stories in history of American literature,” then you may be well aware what kind of “remedy” the government has devised.

Watch the first ten minutes of “The Lottery” below and let us know what you think of Lifetime's new series in the comments section.