Summary

• TV is becoming the new frontier for amazing sci-fi stories, attracting top talent like Christopher Walken and delivering impressive viewership.
• Emmy-winning series like Stranger Things and Westworld showcase the power of TV to tell complex, multi-layered sci-fi narratives.
• Shows like Resident Alien, Silo, and Dark Matter demonstrate how TV allows for deep world-building, character development, and nuanced storytelling not possible in film.

At some point, the future of amazing science fiction stories will mostly transition from movies to TV. Over the past few years, some of the best TV series of all time have been released, and they sit firmly in the sci-fi genre. Major streaming services have released incredible shows, and Academy Award-winning actors like Christopher Walken, Anthony Hopkins, and Daniel Kaluuya have ed them. For many of the series, critics' ratings have been fantastic, and viewership for shows like Fallout has been very impressive.

The success doesn't stop there. Sci-fi shows like Stranger Things, Severance, and Westworld have collected Emmy Awards annually for years. The Last of Us and Stranger Things have jump-started the careers of young actors like Bella Ramsey and Millie Bobby Brown. Whether it's hard sci-fi that focuses on the future of the human race in space, a post-apocalyptic wasteland chock-full of mutants, or monster-filled alternate dimensions, TV has taken quality sci-fi to a new level.

10 Resident Alien (2021-Present)

Alan Tudyk Is Back In The Sci-Fi Spotlight

A SYFY original, Resident Alien follows the story of an alien who crash lands in Colorado, accidentally kills a man named Harry Vanderspeigle, and steals his identity. He's sent to Earth to exterminate the human race but ends up having second thoughts after developing relationships with the humans he was sent there to kill. Harry is played by Alan Tudyk, who returns to the sci-fi spotlight almost two decades after playing Hoban "Wash" Washburne in Firefly.

Not only is Tudyk ed by a strong ing cast of up-and-comers, but veteran sci-fi actors have appeared in several episodes, including Linda Hamilton (Terminator), Terry O'Quinn (Lost), and Tudyk's Firefly co-star, Nathan Fillion. The series toes the line perfectly between comedy, sci-fi, and drama for a rare blend of genres that would likely be harder to achieve in film. Resident Alien season 4 hasn't been greenlit just yet, but the show's impressive ability to balance several different tones suggests it deserves to return.

9 Silo (2023-Present)

A Dystopian Mystery Starring Rebecca Ferguson

Apple TV+'s Silo is based on the popular science fiction novel series by Hugh Howey, titled Wool. The series is created by Justified's Graham Yost and follows a dystopian future in which humanity has been confined to a massive silo, believing the world outside is too toxic to live in. The silo is governed to keep order among its people and control its population, but certain of its population believe the truth is being hidden. Rebecca Ferguson leads an impressive cast that includes Academy Award winner Tim Robbins, Will Patton, Common, and Rashida Jones.

Silo weaves a murder mystery subplot throughout its bleak, dystopian theme, which gives it an unwavering level of intensity with each episode. Notably, Silo has already finished filming season 2 and will introduce new characters and locations in the series. Considering the books follow a prequel storyline, it's rumored the subsequent seasons will branch off from the novels completely, with flashbacks as references. This level of scope wouldn't be possible in a movie, highlighting why Silo works so well as a show.

8 Black Mirror (2011-Present)

Bleak Doesn't Begin To Describe This Netflix Anthology

Since 2011, Black Mirror has been possibly the bleakest and most realistic sci-fi series on television. Ironically created by English comedy writer Charlie Brooker, the series follows an anthology layout that tells a different hard sci-fi story with each episode. Most of the episodes cover some kind of futuristic technological danger that serves as a warning due to how similar it is to current technologies used today.

The standalone nature of each episode is one of the show's greatest strengths, allowing it to tell a variety of meaningful, self-contained stories in a way that wouldn't be feasible in film. Additionally, due to its anthology structure, Black Mirror has attracted a variety of massive stars throughout its seven seasons, including Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya, Bryce Dallas Howard, Hayley Atwell, Jon Hamm, and Miley Cyrus. The series has had some ups and downs in of audience approval but overall remains a standout in the sci-fi genre.

Andrew Scott, Letitia Wright, and Jesse Plemons were all nominated for Primetime Emmys for acting in Black Mirror.

7 Dark Matter (2024-Present)

A Fascinating Premise With Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly In The Leading Roles

Apple TV+'s Dark Matter is based on Blake Crouch's fast-paced 2016 novel of the same name. The series follows Jason Dessen, a college professor who is kidnapped and switches places with a parallel universe version of himself. Jason must find his way back to his family by traveling through a countless number of universes, even some he isn't alive in. Dark Matter stars Joel Edgerton as Dessen, Jennifer Connelly, Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), and Alice Braga (I Am Legend).

The series' special effects are incredible, using a nice blend of CG and practical sets to show off the multiple universes, including some that have been destroyed by the elements. This approach is a key example of why Dark Matter works so well as a show; on a TV budget, the practical sets are a must, but they enhance the viewer experience rather than taking away from it. This is likely part of the reason Dark Matter has done well with critics, scoring an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.

6 Severance (2022-Present)

Ben Stiller's Psychological Sci-Fi Thriller

In another excellent Apple TV+ release, Ben Stiller directs one of the most unique sci-fi shows ever made with Severance. The story follows a group of office workers who have had their brains altered in order to separate the "at work" personas of themselves from the "at home" personas, without the former knowing that the latter exists (until they begin to figure it out). Adam Scott leads an all-star cast that consists of Christopher Walken, John Turturro, Patricia Arquette, Gwendoline Christie, and John Noble.

The show is revered for its thrilling and interesting take on the effects of capitalism on the human psyche and its incredibly original technological ideas. This layering of themes is made for the TV medium, allowing the show to go deep on nuanced ideas. Severance has also been lauded for its superb world-building, with a level of detail much easier to achieve on television.

5 Westworld (2016-2022)

A Complicated HBO Show With Plenty Of Emmys Love

Max's Westworld is based on Michael Crichton's 1973 movie of the same name and introduces its audience to the company of Delos Inc. The company creates theme parks filled with lifelike, biomechanical robots known as hosts that the patrons can befriend, have relationships with, and even kill. In their Old West-themed park known as Westworld, the hosts begin to become sentient and rise up against their human creators and abs. Over its four seasons, Westworld starred Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Aaron Paul, James Marsden, Thandiwe Newton, and Ed Harris.

The series got a little overcomplicated towards its last two seasons, but critics and audiences adored the first two, with some citing it as one of the best sci-fi shows ever made. Considering Westworld started as a movie, the show is the perfect example of expanding a story for TV to great effect. The Westworld series was able to fully flesh out a world in a way the movie couldn't simply because of its shorter runtime.

4 Fallout (2024-Present)

A Comedic Post-Apocalyptic Drama Starring Walton Goggins And Ella Purnell

Prime Video's Fallout stars Walton Goggins, Ella Purnell, and Aaron Moten as its three main characters, who must travel across the American wasteland 200 years after it's leveled by nuclear bombs. Based on the popular game franchise, Fallout perfectly mixes comedy with a dramatic and sometimes heartbreaking storyline. Comedic ing actors like Matt Berry, Chris Parnell, and Michael Rapaport are peppered in throughout the series to keep its levity going. ​​​​​​​

The series has already achieved the impressive feat of becoming Prime Video's second-most-watched show ever, proof that sci-fi is absolutely having a moment on TV. Even fans of the video game are mostly impressed by the series, celebrating the number of Fallout Easter eggs throughout season 1. That level of detail and commitment to portraying the game authentically, while possible to achieve on film, is arguably better suited to TV.

3 The Expanse (2015-2022)

Is The Expanse The Greatest Hard Sci-Fi TV Show Of All Time?

Prime Video's hard sci-fi political thriller The Expanse is based on James S. A. Corey's nine-novel, 5,062-page Hugo Award-winning series. In the future, humans have colonized space. They still live on Earth but also on Mars and some of the outer planets of the solar system. The series dives into the political and social discourse between the futuristic factions of humanity in one of the more realistic sci-fi shows ever made.

The cast is built of mostly lesser-known TV actors, but that's part of its appeal. Because the show features relatively few "names," viewers can truly see the actors as their characters and immerse themselves in the story. This wouldn't be possible in a movie version of The Expanse, where bigger stars would likely be cast. Additionally, The Expanse is one of the few successful shows where the first season is considered the weakest by its audience. The show being granted that time to find its footing (impossible in film), is a big part of why it became a success.

2 The Last of Us (2023-Present)

Pedro Pascal Show Is Possibly The Best Video Game Adaptation Ever Made

Max's post-apocalyptic zombie-drama, The Last of Us, was one of 2023's biggest and most pleasant surprises. Starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the lead roles, the series follows Joel and Ellie, two lost souls who meet one another in an American dystopia. After discovering Ellie is immune to a fungal virus that's turning humans into raging zombies, Joel agrees to guide Ellie to safety so she can help save millions of lives.

The Last of Us stands with every single heavy-hitter TV show that HBO has released over the decades, winning eight Primetime Emmys and being nominated for three Golden Globes. While some ers of the game don't like the creative differences made to the series, those changes are exactly why The Last of Us works so well as a show. A movie version of the story would likely be a more straightforward adaptation, while the series isn't afraid to take risks.

1 Stranger Things (2016-Present)

Netflix's Claim To Fame In The Sci-Fi Genre

At this point, Stranger Things isn't just a TV show; it's a global phenomenon. The series follows the coming-of-age story of four friends in the 1980s who meet a telekinetically powered girl around the same time several townspeople go missing. The show is filled with multidimensional sci-fi themes, monsters, '80s references, and a killer synth soundtrack. Stranger Things is responsible for kick-starting the careers of its younger cast, including Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown, as well as sparking new-found interest in veteran actors like Winona Ryder, Matthew Modine, and David Harbour.

Since its release, many horror and sci-fi movies have tried to unsuccessfully capture the Duffer Brothers' nostalgic magic that Stranger Things expels to its audience. However, the show neatly takes advantage of its position as a TV show in key ways. For example, the story's emotional beats hit a lot harder when considering that audiences have watched many of its characters literally grow up on screen. Stranger Things is not just one of the best sci-fi shows of all time; it's one of the best TV shows ever made.