Sci-fi television has been around since the earliest days of the medium, and it’s evolved along with the rest of television. In every era, though, there have been great sci-fi shows that remind us of how well the genre can fit on television.
Great science fiction can reflect on the world we know, even as it expands our understanding of what’s possible. Regardless of exactly what these shows are about, though, each of them tells their story in gripping fashion, taking full advantage of what TV is capable of.
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The shows on this list are some of my favorite shows ever made, not just because they’re science fiction, but because they opened my mind to new ideas and ways of thinking about the world. And sometimes, they’re also just great TV.
Battlestar Galactica (2004)
4 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Drama
Stars
Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber
Created by
Ronald D. Moore, Glen A. Larson
Watch on Amazon
Adapted from a cult sci-fi series that aired decades earlier, Battlestar Galactica is one of the definitive sci-fi shows of the 2000s in part because it was so willing to engage in naked politics. The series tells the story of a ship filled with the last survivors of the human race after the robotic Cylons wipe out most of humanity. As these humans battle one another, and begin to suspect that not all of them are as human as they seem, they also have to reckon with an enemy that has more in common with them than they might wish.
Lost (2004)
6 Seasons
Genre
Mystery, Action & Adventure, Drama
Stars
Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O'Quinn
Created by
J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Jeffrey Lieber
Watch on Netflix
There was a time, not long after Lost ended when it was considered by many to be a failure. Thankfully, the show’s reputation has recovered considerably. Telling the story of a group of survivors who crash on a mysterious island and begin to investigate its many mysteries, Lost was a show that prioritized its characters over its many mysteries, and in the process, invented an entire new kind of TV. Its flashback structure, with each episode focused on a particular character, was hugely innovative and imitated. Featuring a sprawling ensemble, Lost captured an entire generation of fans over the course of six seasons and has endured precisely because it really does hold up.
Severance (2022)
2 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Stars
Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry
Created by
Dan Erickson
Watch on Apple TV+
One of the newer shows on this list, Severance already feels like an all-time classic. The show is set in a world where some people can sever their memories so that they don’t remember what they’ve done at work. This brilliant setup is our introduction into a world eerily similar to our own, but featuring a mega-corporation with mysterious goals. Featuring a great ensemble cast, some remarkably intricate production design, and some of the best direction on television, Severance has all the ingredients necessary for long-term success.
Black Mirror (2011)
The only real successor to The Twilight Zone that has managed to capture some of the original series’ magic, Black Mirror imagines various futures that are fueled primarily by our continued reliance on technology. While many of these episodes can ultimately be reduced to some version of “technology bad,” one of the beautiful things about Black Mirror is the way the show can sometimes swerve, reminding us that our technologically driven future is more complicated than a simple choice between paradise and hell.
The X-Files (1993)
11 Seasons
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Stars
David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi
Created by
Chris Carter
Watch on Hulu
This long-running sci-fi series set the template for dozens of other shows, and was a delight to fans for more than a decade. The series follows two FBI agents, one a skeptic and one a believer, who investigate a series of strange and unusual cases. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny prove to be the perfect pairing, and the show itself could be thrilling, surprising, or underwhelming. Depending on what kind of fan you are, you might prefer the standalone episodes or the ones that feature more overarching lore, but whichever ones you preferred every fan can agree that they love the show.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
7 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Drama
Stars
Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor, Colm Meaney
Created by
Gene Roddenberry, Michael Piller, Rick Berman
Watch on Paramount+
The entire Star Trek franchise merits inclusion on this list, but if we have to pick just one show, we’ll go with Deep Space Nine. The series is one of only a few that is not set on the U.S.S. Enterprise, and instead follows the crew of a space station that many from across the galaxy want access to. Featuring one of the most diverse casts in the history of Star Trek, Deep Space Nine knows which parts of prior shows to lean into, and which ones to jettison in favor of doing something completely new and original.
Doctor Who (2005)
13 Seasons
Genre
Action & Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Stars
Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill, John Bishop
Created by
C. E. Webber, Sydney Newman, Donald Wilson
Watch on Disney+
One of the longest-running sci-fi shows in history, Doctor Who‘s modern incarnation has gained a fervent fandom, and with good reason. Telling the story of a time-traveling alien who inhabits a variety of different bodies (and can change actors as a result), Doctor Who is a madcap adventure series that doubles as a great history lesson, at least some of the time. While the various eras of Doctor Who have had ups and downs in overall quality, there’s no denying this show’s massive impact on culture more generally.
The Twilight Zone (1959)
5 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery, Drama
Stars
Rod Serling
Created by
Rod Serling
Watch on Amazon
The sci-fi show that inspired them all, The Twilight Zone holds up better than any show from the 1950s should. This anthology series has a different premise in every episode, but Rod Serling provides a unifying voice across the show’s entire runs. Some of its best episodes are better than basically anything on television today, and still have the power to surprise you even today. In just 20-minute chunks, The Twilight Zone was blowing minds decades before the rest of the shows on this list.
