Ten sci-fi/fantasy shows to binge while sheltered in place

Nov. 2, 2015 – CBS Television Studios announced today it will launch a totally new “Star Trek” television series in January 2017. The brand-new “Star Trek” will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966. The new series will blast off with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service.

Pictured left to right: Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn and Brent Spiner in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION

Screen grab: ©1989 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved

3. Star Trek

It’s hard to find a franchise with more to offer than Star Trek. I’ve kept the title here purposely vague because there are a lot of Trek shows, which makes it perfect for whiling away the hours.

There’s the original (if painfully dated) Star Trek, as well as The Next Generation featuring Patrick Stewart’s iconic Captain Picard — which is a great jumping off point if you want to get into the new Picard series currently airing on CBS All Access. Then there’s Deep Space Nine, a Trek show about a space station crew that is rife with politics, moral quandaries, and a cast of more roguish-than-usual characters who butt up against each other in all sorts of interesting ways.

Star Trek: Voyager follows the crew of a starship stranded across the galaxy that is trying to make its way back to Earth. And if you get through all of those, there’s Star Trek: Enterprise — a.k.a. what Baywatch would look like if it took place in space.

Then there’s Discovery and the aforementioned Picard, the series’ two newest outings.

There are also 12 movies.

I did say there were a lot to choose from, didn’t I?

One of the nice things about Star Trek is that, unlike many of the other shows on this list, most episodes stand somewhat on their own. It’s a great show to throw on when you don’t want to devote hours and hours to processing the Next Big Epic. It’s also lighter fare compared to many of the other series on this list, and decidedly more feel-good. But with always-interesting ensemble casts that you often can’t help but love, it’s hard to find a better desert island series than this one…well, ones.

You can find some of the Star Trek series on just about every major streaming platform, though if you want to watch the newest ones, CBS All Access is the only way to go.