The 2010s were an absolute boom for science fiction and fantasy television, with series for all ages making their way to television, many lasting far longer than anyone would have initially suspected. While they have historically been pretty hit-or-miss, this decade had so many choices that everybody could find something to enjoy.
In large part, this was thanks to a number of changes coming through the television landscape. While mainstream television networks tended to be more cautious about what they would create and air, networks like The CW gave showrunners more freedom to play around and the time to find their audiences. Streaming services made it easier to watch classic sci-fi and fantasy series, proving that the audiences were there for the revival of the Star Trek franchise and the addition of TV counterparts to movie franchises like Star Wars and the MCU.
Thanks to these changes and the force of fan communities showing up for their favorite shows, more sci-fi and fantasy titles were greenlit. There were seemingly endless choices, and while some of those series certainly didn't hit the mark, there were plenty that received critical acclaim and devout fandoms.
With so much variety and so many different approaches to speculative storytelling, it's difficult to quantify which were the best. With that in mind, rather than just listing a few series that were universally agreed to be amazing, we'll be exploring the best examples in different categories, including more traditional sci-fi and fantasy genres, blends between the two, and series that narrowed in on one major sub-genre to play with it in as many ways as possible.
- Classic sci-fi: Black Mirror
- Teen/YA: The 100
- Epic fantasy: Game of Thrones
- Horror: American Horror Story
- Sci-fi/fantasy blend: Warehouse 13
- Supernatural fantasy: The Originals
- Superhero: Legion
- Fairytale: Grimm
- Time travel: DC's Legends of Tomorrow
- Self-aware fantasy: The Magicians
Classic sci-fi: Black Mirror
Drawing on a similar structure and theme as The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror is an anthology series that explores just how far concerning trends of our current society might go. While many of the early episodes exclusively handle the way that technology makes us more isolated from one another, the themes and genres have diversified as the show continued.
The series consistently had high viewership, which only grew when it moved over to Netflix. It had five seasons (and two specials) that aired in the 2010s, with another two seasons released in the 2020s. In that time, it has received nearly 100 award nominations, including multiple from prestigious organizations such as the BAFTAs, the Emmys, and the Hugo Awards. Described as prescient, occasionally to a frightening level, it is one of the best examples of "classic" science fiction this century.
Teen/YA: The 100
The CW was undoubtedly the place to look for compelling teen and young adult television in the 2010s, and The 100 is probably their best sci-fi/fantasy entry for that age range. Nearly a century after the apocalypse, a group of 100 juvenile delinquents is sent back to Earth to determine if it is habitable again. In addition to survival, they need to concern themselves with creating a new society and managing relationships with other populations still on Earth.
In a nice bit of symbolism, the series ran for 100 episodes, taking place over the course of seven seasons. While it was initially criticized for falling into too many stereotypes, it quickly became one of the best-rated series on the network, with four seasons earning perfect scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
While it has received criticism for valid reasons, The 100 is a great pick for anybody who loves seeing epic world-building and moral complexity integrated into stories for a younger audience.
Epic fantasy: Game of Thrones
While you might call bias on us for this one, it's pretty hard to deny the impact that Game of Thrones had on the media landscape of the 2010s. Debuting in 2011, GoT brought epic fantasy back to the popular consciousness, where it hadn't really been since the Lord of the Rings movies finished.
The show spent much of its time on the complex political structure of Westeros, entertaining characters and audiences alike with its brutal feudalist power-grabs while a more ominous threat waited on the horizon to destroy them all.
Shows like The Wheel of Time and The Rings of Power have been trying to fill that gap ever since. While it has been criticized for gratuitous sex and gore, Game of Thrones managed to take fantasy to the top of the charts with thought-provoking dialogue, gut-wrenching plot twists, and compelling character journeys. In fact, every season (except the last) received over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, showing just how high its approval ratings really were.
Whether you were a fantasy fan or not, you knew about Game of Thrones, making it a must-see series for those wanting to enjoy the best genre television of the 2010s.
Horror: American Horror Story
The horror sci-fi/fantasy sub-genre is undoubtedly the hardest one to choose a top show for, because there were so many huge horror series in the 2010s. While Stranger Things has higher critical acclaim and Supernatural had a stronger fandom, American Horror Story seemed to have the best blend of critical and fan approval throughout the decade. The anthology series took on a new horror sub-genre each season, including hauntings, witches, slashers, and demonic powers.
Currently, American Horror Story has 132 episodes, spread across 12 seasons, but there are an additional 24 episodes in the companion series American Horror Stories. While the seasons can be hit-or-miss, with many having great beginnings but lackluster endings, it's hard to imagine the horror television landscape if this series hadn't existed.
Since 2011, it has won 142 awards, including two Golden Globes and 17 Emmy Awards. It runs the gamut from fun to campy to terrifying, providing something for absolutely every horror fan out there.
Sci-fi/fantasy blend: Warehouse 13
Science fiction and fantasy were once fairly distinct genres; you either had magic or technology—not both. But Warehouse 13, described as "part The X-Files, part Raiders of the Lost Ark and part Moonlighting," manages to do a great job balancing them. The series follows a couple of Secret Service agents who get reassigned to the eponymous Warehouse 13, which tracks, collects, and protects artifacts imbued with mystical energy.
The show is a wild ride, taking its ensemble cast from the largely episodic first season, where they had to handle artifacts like Lewis Carroll's looking glass and Jack the Ripper's lantern, through four more increasingly complex seasons, wherein they became frenemies with H.G. Wells and fought medieval alchemists. For those who love to see these two genres blend, Warehouse 13 is a great show with enjoyable ideas and strong character arcs.
Supernatural fantasy: The Originals
The Vampire Diaries franchise began in 2009, capitalizing on the boom in supernatural teen romance in a way that few others were able to manage. But it was the show's first spin-off, The Originals, that received higher praise. The series followed TVD's most interesting villains, the Mikaelson siblings, as they moved to New Orleans and attempted to raise a miracle child amidst constant attacks from centuries-old rivals.
Rather than relying on high school drama and romance, The Originals fully embraced the darker sides of the supernatural genre. Along with exploring the politics of different supernatural sects and the complexities of siblings who love each other but also keep killing each other, the show was open to confronting historical terrors, like slavery and bigotry.
While it took a little while to find its groove, the second, third, and fourth seasons all earned 100% approval scores on Rotten Tomatoes, and the fifth did a good job introducing the star of the franchise's final spin-off, Hope Mikaelson.
Superhero: Legion
The 2010s were a huge decade for superhero content, from the dominance of the MCU in the film industry to the strength of the Arrowverse on TV. But the best example of that subgenre actually comes from one of Marvel's extended properties: Legion. The series follows a man named David Haller who must navigate both his schizophrenia and his experiences as a mutant.
According to producer Simon Kinberg, the intent with Legion was always "to do something completely original in the genre, in some ways to sort of blow up the paradigm of comic book or superhero stories," but it does so in a way that doesn't feel the need to denigrate the stories that came before it. Instead, it tells a deeply emotional story, where the stunning visuals pair with clever writing and complex character explorations to make something utterly unique.
Fairytale: Grimm
As fairytale retellings grew more popular in the literary realm, the television landscape saw the rise of two major series that took fairytale characters and creatures and pulled them into the modern day. While Once Upon A Time was the more prominent example, Grimm had the advantage of getting better as it went along, while its more optimistic counterpart generally lost quality after the first few seasons.
Grimm follows David Giuntoli, a homicide detective and descendant of the legendary Grimm fairytale collectors, as he learns about the existence of fairytale and folk tale creatures, stepping in when they interact with humans in violent ways. While audiences complain about some of the characters being annoying, most reviews praise the show for its compelling adaptation of the classic stories to relate to (and terrify) modern audiences.
Time travel: DC's Legends of Tomorrow
When it first began, DC's Legends of Tomorrow seemed like a clear-cut Doctor Who rip-off, even casting Who alum Arthur Darvill in the leading role. But as it progressed, the show used its premise (lesser-known superheroes saving the world with a time machine) to introduce a wide variety of interesting characters and lore to the Arrowverse.
Once Legends gave up on trying to win a popularity contest against the other series in its universe, it became surprisingly complex. Each season's conclusion introduced a new catastrophe for the characters to solve, with time travel alternating between the problem, the solution, and the setting. Embracing its own weird spot as the black sheep of the superhero family, Legends of Tomorrow shows how great time travel can be when it doesn't take itself too seriously.
Self-aware fantasy: The Magicians
If you ever wanted to climb into a wardrobe and escape to Narnia, get your Hogwarts letter, or fall down a rabbit hole into Wonderland, The Magicians has a message for you: No, you don't. The series begins with a group of young adults getting into a magical grad school called Brakebills, but magic doesn't make everything wonderful. Definitely not a series for children, The Magicians reminds fantasy-lovers that all the worst people in the world also having access to magic is horrifying.
The first season is full of references to the most famous fantasy series in history, which both the audience and characters can recognize. But it thrives because each member of the ensemble cast has a different perspective on the childish wonder of magic, giving each the chance to shine when pitted against their genre of villain in the constant battle against malicious forces intent on using magic as a weapon rather than a source of whimsy.
More sci-fi/fantasy recommendations:
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