If you're looking for a science fiction show to watch, you have lots of options. There are action-oriented shows, comedies, dramas, shows that use sci-fi in unique ways, and others that just have it as window dressing. Some shows are stellar, others are pretty awful, and they all do their best to make their ideas accessible to viewers, which may involve "dumbing them down."
Then there are sci-fi shows that lean more into the "science" part of science fiction to the point where some viewers might feel a bit lost. Sci-fi shows can explore difficult subjects ranging from politics to religion that can be uncomfortable to grapple with. However, these same shows can boast incredible writing and acting and often pay off those challenging themes well. If you push past the barriers, you may find your new favorite series!
These are 10 sci-fi shows that may be hard to get into at first but that are more than worth watching for fans of the genre.
1. Dune: Prophecy
The first major hurdle for this HBO series is that it takes place in the universe of Frank Herbert's Dune. Even fans of that book series can become lost in its vast mythology. It's set 10,000 years before the events of the movies, exploring the origins of what becomes the powerful Bene Gesserit sisterhood.
The series manages to trim down the mammoth books and offer a mesmerizing mix of mythology, religion, political intrigue, and action. Fans of the novels will enjoy seeing how the Harkonnen and Atreides feud got started and just how long the Sisterhood has influenced the galaxy. With a second season coming, it's a good time to hook onto this addition to one of the most lavish sci-fi epics ever.
Streaming on HBO Max.
2. Raised By Wolves
Cut far too short, this fine HBO series is the rare beast that nicely merges sci-fi with religious themes. A pair of androids are the "parents" to human children in a distant world following Earth's destruction. Things are complicated by how the "mother" android has a murderous side that takes protecting their charges to the extreme.
The first season is good; it explores themes of faith without feeling preachy or cheesy. Season 2 is even better, with more action and drama, sharper writing and performances, and bigger themes. Sadly canceled after two seasons and then removed from HBO Max, it's worth tracking down on Blu-Ray for one of the network's best sci-fi shows ever.
Available on Prime Video and Blu-Ray.
3. The OA
This truly weird Netflix show only lasted two seasons, and frankly, it's not hard to understand why. Brit Marling both created the show and stars as a woman who returns after vanishing seven years previously. She's also able to see when she was previously blind. She assembles a group of teens to help her on a quest to access alternate realities.
The series gets even crazier in season 2, which ticks up in quality. We get the dual plots of Marling in an alternate world and her helpers in her reality, who are on their own road trip adventure. The bouncing storylines and timelines can be confusing, and it ends with a lot of plots left up in the air. Still, it was unlike any show on TV at the time and attained a cult following. It remains one of Netflix's best early original sci-fi shows.
Streaming on Netflix.
4. Dark
The fact that this is a German-language show may be an obstacle to many. But read the subtitles and you'll be sucked into a show that combines the best elements of Stranger Things and Lost with an excellent cast who manage to make it all work. The fantasy and sci-fi elements are strong, with a lot of talk about time travel physics and wormholes as well as good old-fashioned creature scares.
The show is a moody ride that lives up to its name and gets more complicated as it goes on. That includes non-linear storytelling, so it may take multiple viewings to fully understand what's happening. Stick with it and you're rewarded with one of the best sci-fi shows of the 21st century and one of the biggest underrated gems of Netflix.
Streaming on Netflix.
5. Altered Carbon
This cyberpunk series has a delicious premise: How do you solve a murder in a world where death has been conquered? In a glorious 2384 city, human beings can download their memories into a synthetic body called a "sleeve," thus letting folks basically live forever. An agent is hired by a billionaire to find out who killed his previous sleeve.
The show is packed with great action, the future setting is unique, and show takes a risk with swapping leading men partway through, with Anthony Mackie stepping in for Joel Kinneman. With concepts from paranoia to gender identity along with the crazy science, this show is a bold ride into a fantastic future.
Streaming on Netflix.
6. Severance
This acclaimed Apple TV+ hit has a bizarre setup: a company called Lumon Industries has a procedure where their employees "sever" their personal and work lives. Whenever they're in the office, they forget their lives outside and vice versa. That's a creepy idea that gets darker when the employees start to want their freedom from their "real" selves.
The series boasts a stellar cast that includes Adam Scott, Christoper Walken, John Turturro, and Patricia Arquette, among others. They sell the drama and the twists, which get darker in season 2. The questions of identity are powerful, and while the sci-fi motifs and strange setting can be off-putting at first, they pull you into one of the best current shows on TV. A third season is on the way.
Streaming on Apple TV+.
7. Devs
This Hulu show goes hard into sci-fi. That's no surprise as it was created by Alex Garland, the writer/director of Ex Machina and Annihilation. The bare-bones plotline is about a computer programmer (Sonoya Mizuno) working at a powerful corporation investigating the disappearance of her boyfriend. That leads to her discovery that the company's CEO (Nick Offerman) is hoping to use their quantum computer to conquer death.
The main mystery examines issues of the afterlife and the multiverse, all set in a Silicon Valley that's not different from reality. Devs is an ambitious show that may not be for everyone. But to those who try it, they get to enjoy a limited series that uses science fiction to explore our near future. The human elements are as gripping as the sci-fi twists.
Streaming on Hulu.
8. The Expanse
Starting on Syfy and then moving to Prime Video, The Expanse has been hailed as one of the most accurate sci-fi stories ever produced. It begins as an intriguing mix of genres as a detective (Thomas Jane) investigates the disappearance of a woman in a future colony. That slowly but surely develops into a massive storyline about a galactic war with a strange alien presence thrown in.
The complex plotline can be a challenge to follow, as the series excels at unexpected twists and is not afraid to kill off major characters. The space-set action obeys the laws of physics, and the political intrigue makes this as much an intense drama as a sci-fi story. It's a true novel for television, and little wonder it survived with its loyal audience as a modern sci-fi standout.
Streaming on Prime Video.
9. Foundation
Adapting one of the seminal works of science fiction is a challenge for anyone. That it comes from Isaac Asimov makes it harder. Yet Apple TV+ has pulled it off, finding a way to make Asimov's masterpiece accessible to modern viewers.
In the far future, a massive empire rules the stars, but a mathematician (Jared Harris) predicts its inevitable fall. That sets off revolutions that the rules of the empire, who are constantly reincarnated into new bodies, fervently resist.
The series is hard to summarize, as the concepts of technology, social unrest, psychology, and history mingle with an often byzantine plot. It's still captivating thanks to the fine cast, wild turns and spectacular special effects. It more than does justice to a sci-fi landmark to enjoy. And there's a third season coming to Apple TV+ in July!
Streaming on Apple TV+.
10. 3 Body Problem
Many fans of author Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem trilogy through it was an enthralling sci-fi work that would be impossible to ever film. Netflix took up the challenge, which does make changes to the source material to be more accessible to audiences. They still managed to capture the essence of the storyline as scientists in the 1960s and present day are drawn into a mystery involving three stars, and perhaps an alien threat.
The show champions scientists from all fields and pushes a lot of theories that may go over the heads of some viewers. The pacing is also tricky, with some episodes seeming to drag on with exposition that becomes important later. The use of virtual reality is a good touch, and the show has to be credited for making a seemingly impossible adaptation work wonderfully.
Streaming on Netflix.
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