In the city of Woongcheon, four friends struggle with the changed circumstances: Jin Se-kyeong, a former teacher who works as a volunteer at city hall; Dr. Ha Yun-sang, Se-kyeong's scientist fiancé who was stuck in the US during the riots; Captain Kang In-a, an army captain trying to control her support unit; and Father Woo Sung-jae, an assistant priest who has to take charge of the parish when the main priest disappears.

Sung-jae faces a crisis of faith when he learns that his superior, Father Baek, is part of this elitist group and absconded with church funds to join them.

[13] Jonathan Wilson of Ready Steady Cut rated the series a 4/5 and described that even if "isn't perfect, and the required investment will be off-putting to some, but it's a compellingly human take on the disaster format".

[14] Bhavna Agarwal of India Today rated it a 2/5 and wrote that "a good plotline is wasted by poor execution" and commend actor for doing their best to "salvage the drama".

gave a score of 7 out of 10 and wrote that it "delivers great characters and some powerful human moments" and "explores hope, despair, love, and resilience in a uniquely authentic way".

[17] Lee Yoon-seo of The Korea Herald wrote that it "fails to keep the audience engaged throughout its 12-hour runtime due to its chaotic and hard-to-follow sequencing" and "the disorderly timeline, with the series jumping between different time periods, adds to the confusion", but the "outstanding performances by the actors, particularly Ahn Eun-jin, may still draw in viewers".

[19] Melissa Camacho of Common Sense Media wrote that it has "an interesting premise, but the problem is that Goodbye Earth has too many narratives playing out at once, many of which aren't fully fleshed out".