One of the great things about Foundation is that it makes you think. It’s one of those sci-fi shows that can be a challenge at first, as you work out what’s going on and which storylines you’re following. Then you start to delve into the world more and you find yourself connecting to the characters.
Apple TV+, Prime Video, HBO Max, and so many other streamers have some excellent sci-fi shows to watch if you want a challenge. They are deep and intriguing, challenging the way you think about the world and your life. Are you ready to push your view of entertainment once more?
Silo
Apple TV+ is packed with excellent TV, especially when it comes to the world of sci-fi. One of the shows you need to watch right now that’s like Foundation is Silo. This series starts off following the sheriff and his wife, but within a couple of episodes, we’re focused on other characters and a growing world.
It’s sometimes hard to know who to root for in this series. Silo is set in a world where the Earth is toxic, and people are living in a silo underneath the ground. That’s where they’ve been for centuries, but what if everything they’ve been taught is a lie? That’s where the challenge comes from for us.
Do we believe the story the people in the silo have been told, or do we start to question the world they’re living in? And can we really blame the man trying to keep it all together, considering he knows way more than anyone else? What happens when everyone stops trusting in those higher up?
Silo is available to stream on Apple TV+.
The Expanse
Do you want a show that follows different storylines that all end up converging into one? You’ll need to turn to The Expanse, which originally started out on Syfy and was then saved by Prime Video when it was canceled. The show started as a look at the way the universe could be in centuries’ time, with people living on Earth, Mars, and what’s called The Belt.
We get a look at the way The Belt ends up being ostracized by both, and there’s a look at how people have come to survive in the harsh realities of the world off the planet Earth. But at the heart of it, there’s a crew of people from different parts of the universe simply trying to survive and figure out a big conspiracy that threatens everything they know.
Throughout the course of six years, the world grew even more. It turned out that maybe they weren’t each other’s enemies, and there may have been some other lifeform out there threatening all. This can take some time to figure out what’s going on in the first season, but once you’re hooked, that’s it. You’ll binge-watch all six seasons of The Expanse.
The Expanse is available to stream on Prime Video.
For All Mankind
The fun about For All Mankind is that it’s an alternate history series. You can forget about what actually happened in the past, and simply enjoy what could have been had the Soviet Union made it to the moon first.
Like so many other shows, For All Mankind focuses on different characters and their own storylines. They all have important roles to play in the story, even those who aren’t directly connected to NASA. Eventually, storylines start to connect, and with each time jump, we get new characters and new connections.
Each season jumps us ahead 10 years or so, which allows more of the “what ifs” to form. This can make each season a little challenging at first as you figure out where everyone is, but as you delve into the storylines, you’ll start to fall in love with individual characters and dream about a world beyond our ozone layer.
For All Mankind is available to stream on Apple TV+.
His Dark Materials
What about something that is a little more fantasy than sci-fi? His Dark Materials is a wonderful world based on Phillip Pullman’s books, and it quickly proves to be a great series to check out while you wait for more Foundation.
The series follows Lyra, an orphan who is on a quest to find her friend who has gone missing. She enters a dangerous world as she also heads out to find a mysterious substance that could change life as she knows it. There is a lot of world-building done in the earlier episodes, which is great if you know the books. If you don’t know the books, it can be a bit of a challenge to get into, but it’s more than worth the effort!
Like Foundation, there are many thought-provoking themes and discussions that happen. With multiple characters, there is someone to love or hate, and you’ll constantly find yourself agreeing and disagreeing with different characters in the story.
His Dark Materials is available on HBO Max.
Westworld
Would you prefer something that is wholly sci-fi in the way it’s set up with robots? Westworld is the series for you, and it will bring up many of the discussions you’ll have while watching Foundation. This is a series focused on free will (or the lack of it).
The series, which is based on the 1973 Michael Crichton movie of the same name, is set in the future. Robots populate technologically advanced theme parks, where they need ot entertain the guests. That shouldn’t be a problem, right? They’re computers!
Only, the robots start to rebel against their programming. As they rise up against their human creators, there’s a question of whether they start to become human themselves, and with that come the questions about free will.
Though Westworld is an HBO original, it was unfortunately removed from HBO Max. You can now rent episodes on Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
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