fun and lighthearted sci-fi shows are more invested in exploring the cool consequences of the sci-fi concept instead of focusing on how the sci-fi world works and how it came to be.

But, some sci-fi shows like to spend time on why their worlds came to be and focus on the mystery element of the science fiction. Some of the best British sci-fi shows of all time are all about the mysteries of the Universe. The characters try and figure out the various anomalies that made their world the way it is, or else are centered around mystery-solving characters like detectives or scientists.

10 Silo (2023-Present)

2 Seasons

Apple TV+'s Silo is set in a post-apocalyptic world where people are forced to live in an underground silo away from the surface, which has been deemed unfit for survival. The power dynamics between the people in the silo are the crux of the show's drama, but while there is a lot of scientific exposition on the new technologies and the various ways humans learned to survive, the best part of Silo is that it has a major mystery element.

The first season of Silo was largely focused on the nature of the occurrence that turned the surface world uninhabitable and how difficult it is to survive there. Using recovered information and footage from the few people who made excursions into the above world, the characters were trying to piece together a total understanding of what the surface world is like and what would be needed to survive there. The Silo Season 2 mysteries are not as exciting, but the show has still retained its mystery-focused narrative structure.

9 Severance (2022-Present)

2 Seasons

What if people could surgically remove one part of themselves to improve their work-life balance? Severance answers this question by introducing a world where people have a work self (innie) and a home self (outie), who have no awareness of each other. The work self doesn't experience any of the domestic things the home self does, and vice versa. So, this naturally leaves many unanswered questions for characters. Their journey of finding answers is one of the many s Severance is worth watching.

Many of the innies have adjusted to not recollecting what they did over the weekend or even getting ready for work, but some of them find the experience to be understandably disorienting. Most of the first season of Severance sets up the world and normalizes the characters' experience for the viewers, before delving into the mysteries in the second half. It's never fully clear what kind of company the characters work for, how the severance procedure works, or how people adjust to not having some of their memories. The show is all about such mysteries.

8 Orphan Black (2013-2017)

5 Seasons

While Orphan Black is primarily a biopunk drama and thriller, it has a compelling mystery element to it. The first season is focused on establishing the lore of the world and introducing the organizations that are responsible for the cloning of the characters. One of the main elements of that season is the aspect of mystery, as the main characters try to figure out what is going on, who they should and shouldn't trust, and why one of the clones was able to have a child despite clones being designed to be sterile.

A spinoff sequel series to Orphan Black came out in 2023, but unfortunately, Orphan Black: Echoes wasn't renewed for a second season.

While those mysteries are soon resolved in their own time in later seasons, the show retains an air of mystery throughout, all the way to Orphan Black's brilliant Season 5 ending. The allegiances between the characters, the intricacies of technological advancements, and the conceptual discrepancies in the working theories of the two opposing organizations create mysteries for the characters that they solve on their adventures to survive persecution and perhaps stop the proliferation of the deranged philosophy that motivates cloning.

7 Lost (2004-2010)

6 Seasons

There was a time when everyone was obsessed with the sci-fi TV show Lost. The detailed fan theories and well-developed in-world lore for Lost comprise its mythology, which many felt the finale completely laid waste to. Defenders of the last episode of Lost will prove that it was largely misunderstood, but whichever side of the debate one takes, everyone must agree that it's one of the most influential and greatest sci-fi shows of the 2000s.

Most of the show is focused on solving the various mysteries of this unknown island and its unique inhabitants.

Premised on a plane crash that leaves the characters stranded on an unknown island, Lost follows them on their expeditions and their adventures as they try to figure out a way to survive the attacks by The Others. Most of the show is focused on solving the various mysteries of this unknown island and its unique inhabitants, from The Others to the inexplicably dangerous and complicated creatures that the characters encounter regularly.

6 Dark (2017-2020)

3 Seasons

One of the most incredible international sci-fi shows streaming now, Dark is a twisted time-travel drama that follows the chaotic lives of the residents of a German town where an anomaly opens up a portal inside a cave. The show, much like its name suggests, is a gritty drama. It has a literal mystery at its center - a detective works on uncovering the dark web of lies surrounding a disappearance in the town.

The mystery element only gets stronger with time as the characters discover the portal in the cave and start using it to travel through time. Some of the characters want to understand how it works, some want to use the portal to fix mistakes, and at the end of the day, the show uncovers the mystery behind how the anomaly came to be. The mystery aspect of Dark is thus three-pronged - firstly, the inexplicable anomaly, secondly, the actual disappearance and the various ading crimes, and thirdly, who comes from which timeline and what they've done.

5 From (2022-Present)

3 Seasons

As a horror show with many intriguing monsters and circumstances, From is like a replacement for Lost as both are set in a closed environment where characters are forced to tackle unknown creatures and forces of nature to survive. A survivalist sci-fi show, From features dark and gritty encounters between humans and monsters, which often lead to extremely gory bloodshed. So, the horror element is predominant.

However, mystery abounds in From as the characters often encounter unforeseen circumstances and monsters and have to figure out what they're dealing with and how to take care of the dangers. The overarching mystery of why they're trapped in the town and how to leave also plays a small role, but as it is still developing as a show, that arc hasn't taken over yet.

4 Russian Doll (2019-2022)

2 Seasons

Russian Doll features one of the most fascinating uses of the time-loop structure of sci-fi storytelling. Starring Natasha Lyonne as the protagonist stuck in the time-loop, it follows her as she tries to figure out why she's stuck and how she might break the loop. She spends the first season of the show behaving like a detective, making mental notes of what she believes she might be doing wrong, and tracking down leads about her past as she tries to puzzle her way out of the time loop.

Charlie Barnett plays a character who further adds to the intrigue of the sci-fi aspect but also sets up the heartwarming finale of the show that works on the chemistry between Barnett and Lyonne. Character development is the central focus of the show, as the time-loop premise pushes Lyonne's character into a journey of self-discovery and introspection, guided by her sleuthing skills as she tries to get to the bottom of the mystery of what has kept her stuck in a time loop, especially in the second season where it unexpectedly repeats, much to her frustration.

3 Twin Peaks (1990-2017)

3 Seasons

Whatever main genre David Lynch works with for a project, supernatural surrealism invariably gets attached to it. So, even a show about an LA detective trying to solve the murder of a local girl is a sci-fi show in his hands. As a sci-fi show, Twin Peaks has a strong mystery element because it's basically a detective series at its core. The sci-fi aspect, while fleshed out, is treated as Lynchian idiosyncrasies by fans.

After two seasons, Twin Peaks was discontinued in 1991, although a prequel movie was made in 1992. The show returned in 2017 for a third season, and while season 4 hasn't been confirmed, David Lynch has said he has more ideas for the show.

Twin Peaks is one of the most surreal crime TV shows that borders on absurd, with weirdly stilted and over-the-top interactions between characters, which is almost melodramatic and reminiscent of soap operas. The supernatural elements, on the other hand, are more akin to the horror genre. Overall, there's an uncanny atmosphere with enough inexplicable circumstances and phenomena that add an element of mystery to Twin Peaks on top of the central investigation.

2 The X-Files (1993-2018)

11 Seasons

One of the longest-running sci-fi TV shows in history, The X-Files has a significantly strong mystery element. It follows two FBI agents as they attempt to solve the X files, the cases that have been abandoned as unsolved because of their supernatural nature, which no one can navigate. One of the protagonists, a criminal profiler, is a supernaturalist while the other, a doctor, is skeptical.

The series was widely popular and ran for 9 seasons between 1993 and 2002.

The dynamic between the characters evolves over the seasons, as they deal with supernatural mysteries on a weekly basis and also uncover a government conspiracy as part of an overarching storyline. The series was widely popular and ran for 9 seasons between 1993 and 2002. There were two feature films released in 1998 and 2008 too. And then it was reprised in 2016 for a tenth season, which received such good ratings that it prompted an eleventh season in 2018. There is talk of another The X-Files reboot that Gillian Anderson may return for.

1 Fringe (2008-2013)

5 Seasons

The impact of The X-Files is best seen through the conception and success of Fringe, which has a similar premise of following the FBI's Fringe division that investigates supernatural phenomena all around the world which threaten humanity. From unethical scientific exploration to parallel universes, it has every element of scary sci-fi that any aficionado of the genre would enjoy.

Fringe is like a procedural, so there's a mystery to solve in every episode. As a sci-fi show with a mystery element, it's quite unparalleled in lore. There is complicated interconnected lore and world mythology in Fringe which creates a very immersive viewing experience that viewers can lose themselves in. The show masterfully balances complex sci-fi theories with character development, pacing out absurd and unexpected revelations so that viewers never feel overwhelmed.