A great sci-fi show can help you imagine a different world, even as it says something about our own. There are plenty of sci-fi movies on Netflix that are well worth checking out, but you shouldn’t discount all the great stuff that Netflix has on the TV side. To find the best show for you, we’ve done the hard work of looking through all of Netflix’s many options to find the ones that really showcase what great science fiction can be. Below are the greatest sci-fi TV shows on Netflix. Once you’re done watching any of these sci-fi TV shows, you may want to check out the best sci-fi movies of all time.
Dark (2017)
3 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Mystery, Crime
Stars
Louis Hofmann, Karoline Eichhorn
Created by
Baran bo Odar, Jantje Friese
Watch on Netflix
When a young boy in a small German town goes missing, his family and the people of the town start to notice some strange coincidences and patterns in the town’s history. Dark is not for the faint of heart, but it’s undeniably a deeply compelling watch if you’re willing to pay close attention. The show is originally in German, and while that may seem like a barrier to entry, it only enhances the eerie qualities that make this show so powerfully evocative. /dt_media]
It’s not often you can find something experimental and different on Netflix, so you have to take advantage when you do. Look no further than Oats Studios, a set of shorts directed by Niell Blomkamp. These films imagine a desolate future from several different perspectives, and with big names like Sigourney Weaver in the fold, any sci-fi fan should be interested in checking it out.
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Sweet Tooth (2021)
2 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Stars
Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar
Created by
Jim Mickle
Watch on Netflix
Sweet Tooth is set in a world that has been ravaged by an apocalyptic pandemic, one where some children are born as hybrids, existing somewhere between human and animal. A little boy known as Sweet Tooth/Gus (Christian Convery) is the focus of the show, which details the discrimination and evil of humankind against the backdrop of an astonishing turn for the human race. The performances and pace make this show a great watch, as does the natural landscape surrounding it.
Sense8 (2015)
2 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
Stars
Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Max Riemelt, Jamie Clayton
Created by
Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, J. Michael Straczynski
Watch on Netflix
From the creators of The Matrix comes Sense8, a thrilling, action-packed sci-fi series on Netflix with a fascinatingly original premise. When eight strangers from around the world discover they have an unavoidable connection, they must learn how to work together while a secret organization hunts them. Like most Wachowski projects, Sense8 is about the ties that bind us, and how those ties cannot be broken even by space or time.
Jupiter's Legacy (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Drama, Mystery
Stars
Josh Duhamel, Ben Daniels, Leslie Bibb
Created by
Steven S. DeKnight
Watch on Netflix
Based on the DC comic of the same, Jupiter’s Legacy follows a family that is bestowed with superpowers that make them live longer than usual as well as a variety of other more conventional powers. Almost 100 years later, their children are burdened with carrying on that legacy. This sci-fi/fantasy drama is creative and original, combining well-known themes from superhero stories with a cast that includes a combination of fresh talent and familiar faces.
Altered Carbon (2018)
2 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Stars
Anthony Mackie, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Chris Conner
Created by
Laeta Kalogridis
Watch on Netflix
If you’re a fan of sci-fi movies and find yourself in need of a fresh story, Altered Carbon is here to deliver. Set in the far future, this Netflix show offers a look into a world where consciousness can be digitized and stored. This allows humans to survive beyond the death of their physical bodies and creates something close to mortality. Altered Carbon was flawed, to be sure, but it took big swings and was often stunning to look at, and that makes both of its seasons well worth watching.
Black Mirror (2011)
Black Mirror will thrill, entice, and possibly scare you. Each episode is entirely different, meaning you can watch them completely out of order and still enjoy a gripping short film with a unique lineup of stars and a new eerie concept. Black Mirror has been around for a while now, but the show still challenges your comfort level by focusing on the potential ugliness behind many of the technologies that we often celebrate.
The 100 (2014)
7 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Action & Adventure
Stars
Eliza Taylor, Tasya Teles, Marie Avgeropoulos
Created by
Jason Rothenberg
Watch on Netflix
The 100 is set almost a century after Earth was devastated by nuclear war in a world where humanity remains alive and well in an orbiting space station. When the space station begins to fail, 100 teen residents are sent to the planet to determine whether it’s habitable. What follows is a little bit Lord of the Flies meets teen drama, but its unique backdrop and excellent performances make it worth a watch and one the best sci-fi shows on Netflix.
The Umbrella Academy (2019)
4 Seasons
Genre
Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
Stars
Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, Emmy Raver-Lampman
Created by
Steve Blackman
Watch on Netflix
If you’re looking for an original Netflix sci-fi series with a bit of superhero panache, Umbrella Academy is a good place to start. The story follows a family of former child heroes who have grown apart and are now in their 30s. When their adoptive father Sir Reginald Hargreeves dies, they realize they must reunite to save the world. Stylish, moody, and filled with colorful characters, The Umbrella Academy is just edgy enough to keep things interesting.
Stranger Things (2016)
4 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery
Stars
Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown
Created by
Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Watch on Netflix
Set in the 1980s, this acclaimed sci-fi series takes place in a small town in the middle of nowhere where mysterious things start to happen. After a young boy goes missing, the town’s secrets begin to reveal themselves, and a seemingly mute girl appears in town. She is sheltered and hidden by a group of young and nerdy boys who soon find that she has special powers, and they must team up with a few key adults to fight off a dark force lingering in their town.
Lost in Space (2018)
3 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Drama
Stars
Toby Stephens, Molly Parker, Maxwell Jenkins
Created by
Irwin Allen
Watch on Netflix
This list wouldn’t be complete without a TV series that 100% takes place in space. The Netflix TV show reboot of Lost in Space is a modern take on the classic story that follows the Robinson family. Set in 2046 (which isn’t actually that far off now), Lost in Space tells the story of this family of space colonists that crash land on an unknown planet. While on this mysterious planet, they fight against the odds to survive the dangers and escape; while working on their mission. The reboot of the 1965 show is a classic full of sci-fi adventures for the modern era.
Maniac (2018)
1 Season
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Stars
Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Sonoya Mizuno
Created by
Cary Joji Fukunaga, Patrick Somerville
Watch on Netflix
This is a brilliant limited series that tells the story of two people who are drawn to an experimental drug trial to fix the different things that are wrong with their brains. Over the course of three days, they essentially go on a drug trip designed to cure them, but naturally, things don’t go as planned. Starring Jonah Hill and Emma Stone. who both give extraordinary performances, Maniac is a brilliant show about the nature of the mind and the impossibility of ever really knowing yourself or anyone else. Oh, and it looks amazing, too.
