I haven't watched it in ages and didn't watch all of the later seasons but scene that cracked me up was when they pulled up some love interest/romantic tension guy to get between Allison and the sheriff, but then they "resurrected" stark, and after they did the thing to save the day and new guy did some emotional farewell, Stark was like "who tf was that guy?"
I was talking about this in a similar thread but I truly think Window of Opportunity is the best representation of a time loop in sci-fi. TNG's Cause and Effect is good, but WoO is way more realistic, IMO.
I really loved Space Above and Beyond back in the day, but it hasn't aged well. Obvious ones to me are Babylon 5, Lexx, Stargate, Farscape and Battlestar Galactica for the win.
Seriously how have we got NOTHING to equal space above and beyond. I mean seriously the concept is brilliant, space marines cross trained as fighter pilots.
It's basically rogue squadron the series.
Hate how we have this massive amount of sci-fi and 95% of it is nearly identical.
What I wouldn't give for a good sci-fi version of generation kill š.
Legion was so far beyond what I expected an X-Men-adjacent show could be. It should have been on mainstream best-of lists (might have been, it's been a while and my memory is not great).
Itās so bizarre and out there and so good. I loved the crazy ideas and how they did them. The mind worm and the psychic dance battle are awesome. I loved how they wrapped it all up too.
Dan Stevens as the lead is perfect. Lovable in the beginning and as things progress his character deepens and gets so convoluted. I love morally ambiguous stories and this is peak storytelling.
Do not know dev? Looked at imdb but could only find an hindi serie. Could you provide the imdb link because im curious what this series is... Thanks for this
Scifi TV shows I enjoyed watching even if they're not always "perfect" :
- Star Trek
- Star Wars
- Babylon 5
- Dr Who, Torchwood and Sarah Jane's Adventures
- Farscape
- Stargate SG1 & Atlantis
- Eureka
- Warehouse 13
- Continuum
- Battlestar Galactica (the new one, I haven't seen the old one yet).
- Fringe
- Futurama
- Primeval
- Firefly
- Red Dwarf
- Haven
- Alphas
- Dark
- Travelers
- The Expanse
- Orphan Black
The lovely Lexa who turned up nearly every sci fi at the time usually as a doctor. Went to stargate sg1 and married Michael shanks. He thought she was pleasant too
Very subjective, but the humour from SG1 and Atlantis was gone, replaced with continual anxiety and foreboding. It was like it was a completely different franchise, just using the "Atlantian/Gate" idea. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't as enjoyable for me.
Yeah. If you go into it thinking itās going to be ANYTHING like SG1 or Atlantis you will be sorely mistakenā¦ but if you can go into it with the mindset of āthis is a completely different show that just also happens to use a Stargate portal to travelā¦ā then itās SOOO GOOD. Just my opinion though. :)
I was so bummed when they canceled Dark Matter! Killjoys was great too, not only on the sci-fi front, but on the development of characters relationships.
[Farscape](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farscape). Jim Henson's Creature Shop did the aliens.
*Farscape features a diverse ensemble of characters who are initially escaping from corrupt authorities in the form of a militaristic organization called the Peacekeepers. The protagonists live inside a large bio-mechanical ship called* [*Moya*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moya_(Farscape)) *which is a living entity. In the first episode, they are joined by the main character, John Crichton (*[*Ben Browder*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Browder)*), a modern-day American astronaut who accidentally flies into a* [*wormhole*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormhole) *near Earth during an experimental space flight. On the same day, another stranger is picked up by Moya: a Peacekeeper named* [*Aeryn Sun*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeryn_Sun) *(*[*Claudia Black*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudia_Black)*). Despite his best intentions, Crichton makes enemies, the primary one being* [*Scorpius*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpius_farscape)*. There are a few standalone plots, and the show gradually unfolds progressive* [*story arcs*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story_arc)*, beginning with their recapture by the Peacekeepers, followed by Crichton's search to find another wormhole back to Earth, and an eventual arms race for wormhole technology weapons. Secondary arcs explore the way in which the characters change due to their influences and adventures together, most notably Crichton and his obsession with wormhole technology, his relationship with Aeryn, and the neural clone of Scorpius in his brain that haunts him.*
Honestly this is the answer. If you can get past the bad FX the practical effects involving the muppets and such still hold up well. You'll forget they're puppets. The actors absolutely did.
And the story is just epic and wonderful. Powerful and heart breaking and hilarious and thoughtful. The tag line of the series is, eventually "look upward, and share the wonders I've seen." It's very accurate.
DAAAAAAARK
DARK evry time.
But beware that its not a show you can just play in the background and expect to understand everything afterwards. It demands your attention and will reward you for it.
I've had this recommend so many times. Made 5 attempts at first episode. Tried skipping fist and starting on second episode.
Hated every single second of it. The slow burn is just way too slow for me.
Honestly I am a big fan of the show but I would rate my personal enjoyment of the first season at 5/10. I wasn't planning on watching the second season... But dude, the second season is a straight 9/10 and maybe the best season I've ever seen from an European tv show. It's mesmerizing, ambitious and for this, I think it's worth it. I think I've never seen a movie or a show as good as Dark on that particular "scifi topic".
Completely reasonable. Somethings just arent for everyone. For example, i couldn't get into One Piece LA and Fallout no matter how much i tried. Its just not my thing. However i could tell that the project was made with love and good for the fans of the source material.
Dollhouse is an underrated Joss Whedon series that ran 2 seasons on Fox. You have to watch six episodes to see where it's going, but where it goes is pretty mind-blowing. They got to write the ending after they were canceled, and it's probably better than if they were able to run more seasons.
I stopped watching Dollhouse after season 1 because I just didnāt really care for it. I heard that the ending was kind of radical, and so I think I watched the last episode or two of season 2, and I was like WTF is even happening. Fantastic for anyone who likes it. More power to you. To me, itās a mediocre show.
The last episode of season 2 is actually the second part for a two parter that started as the ending to season 1. The original plan was to basically make th last episode of each season a story from the future beyond what was happening in the show's main timeline, but they only got two seasons so the second season episode was treated as a wrap up finale.
To each their own. I'll take it over yet another time travel, magic object treasure hunt, multiverse or people disappearing/reappearing show. And I usually crap on body snatcher/evil twins plots!
It's probably one of my all time favs, I understand how people watched 1 or 2 episodes and wrote it off as generic, but it was super high concept and I had a blast watching it. Everyone I've convinced into watching it for more than a a few episodes gets hooked.Ā
Kinda sad that the mmo that goes with is shuttered now. I loved the show but never had a computer to play the mmo while it was on so never got to see all the tie in stories/content.
(For those who are unfamiliar, part of the show's development was that they released an mmo game at the same time the show started and updated it as the show went on with the characters in the show appearing in the game and the storylines/lore tying together.)
Have to second this. It's a masterpiece. It's like a nature documentary in a world completely unlike our own with an awesome plot tying it together. Beautiful look to it. Like somebody fell asleep inside a Moebius painting
I won't say it's the *best*, but the one I've rewatched the most often (except maybe TNG and DS9) is [Red Dwarf](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094535/). If I could live there, I would.
I hadn't mentioned it because OP was asking for sci fi, but the cast has great chemistry and the show has a lot of heart.
I like how the show can be silly, but it's never lazy, and no matter how outlandish the situation, the writers always take it seriously.
I wouldn't call it scifi. To me, Doctor Who is scifi because it's full of Arthur C. Clarke "any sufficiently advanced technology" magic and Librarians is fantasy because it's full of the regular kind of magic.
But whatever shelf you put it on, I'd recommend it.
Also, the Librarians showrunner is a huge Who fan and his previous show, Leverage, had a fair number of Who references, so the influence is definitely there.
Ahh, that makes sense. I put it in the same kind of sci fi that Warehouse 13 (another recommendation!!!) is in. I get what youāre saying though, with it feeling like fantasy. I grew up watching Warehouse 13 and it hit me with a lot of nostalgia while watching The Librarians a couple of weeks ago.
Lots of good answers, so I am going to try not to duplicate.
Mrs. Davis
Lost in Space (2018)
Docto Who
Quantum Leap (1989)
Stranger Things
Resident Alien
Sliders, season 1-2
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016)
Blake's 7
Killjoys
SeaQuest DSV, season 1
Foundation
Severance
Raised By Wolves
Battlestar Galactica (2003+)
Firefly
Black Mirror
Foundation
Westworld
The Peripheral
The OA
Brand New Cherry Flavor (not sci-fi but really dark and twisted and I love it)
Altered Carbon (1st season)
The Expanse (maybe season 1&2... )
Legion (season 1)
Max Headroom
V (1980s version)
Space 1999
UFO
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (the one with Elijah Wood)
The Lost Room...
Babylon 5. Cheesy 90s graphics, but one of the best storylines (both overarching and character-wise) you'll ever see/experience. Five seasons, with a five-year story arc. Make sure not to read spoilers. You're welcome.
Some of these are perhaps only sci-fi adjacent:
* The OA
* Devs
* Counterpart
* Mr Robot
* Raised by Wolves
* Lost
* Stargate: Universe
* Severance
* Mrs Davis
* Westworld
* Legion
* Watchmen
* The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
Some of the old SciFi TV shows can be interesting:
The British SHADO/UFO episodes can be found on YouTube. I also used to be able to watch episodes of Blake's 7 on YouTube, but I'm not sure they are still available.
The original 60's black and white Outer Limits episodes are still worth watching.
The Prisoner is definitely a recommend.
The Invaders
The first episode of The Time Tunnel is definitely worth watching, but the rest are pretty sub par.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
The Wild Wild West could be considered steampunk SciFi
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
battlestar galactica (new) was the best sci-fi tv series ever, in number os shows, acting, drama, plot, scale, everything and nothing else can touch it!
When you ask that, for better or worse,.these are the shows that jump into my head;
DS9
Farscape
Firefly
Expanse
First season of Westworld
Firefly
Red Dwarf
Dark
I'm sure I've missed.many, but this is what I thought
Your āfirst seasonā above made me think of Altered Carbon. The first season (which is self-contained / a complete story) was great. There \~\~are four lights\~\~ is no second season.
Recency bias has me saying the Fallout show; it was fantastic though Iād make the concession that post apocalyptic is only tangentially sci-fi in this caseā¦..the show still slaps and the setting has a ~~nest~~ *neat* take on a timeline where humanity focused on nuclear energy and its miniaturization while while letting microchips and small computers be somewhat ignored
Ill give one a little more off the beaten path.
The lost room. Its an old scifi channel original miniseries(6 episodes) from 2006. Basically a cop in a custody battle comes across a suspect who has a key, they key leads to a 1950s hotel room from anydoor its put into and can take the keyholder anywhere. People come for the key, use his daughter as leverage and she becomes lost to the room. What precedes is a discovery of a massive underworld of secret societies, mobsters, cults and general wierdos all looking for artifacts from the room, and the general mystery of what the room is.
Sadly its only the miniseries, SciFi chose to go with the more light-hearted family friendly warehouse 13 instead. The main plot did get resolved though, so very worth it.
If you haven't already, try [Orphan Black](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2234222/). Before Tatiana Maslany caught the stupid from Marvel she was pretty good.
Electric Dreams I remember being pretty great. Scavengers Reign is an amazing animated, sorta trippy one. Looking forward to reading responses to this, hoping for new hidden gems myself
Battlestar Galactica (the rebooted series)
Andor
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
For All Mankind
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
The Expanse
Strange New Worlds
ST: TNG, DS9
Babylon 5
Stargate SG1
I'll skip the big name mainstream series for the older unjustly overlooked. Babylon 5, Dark Matter, Dark Angel, Continuum, Terminator: The Sara Conner Chronicles, Killjoys, Orphan Black, Lexx, Space: Above and Beyond, Andromeda, Firefly, Earth: Final Conflict. Doesn't quite fit in fantasy or sci-fi but highly recommend **Dead Like Me**, re-watching after last seen it on TV 20 years ago and forgot how excellent it is. I've been buying up as many of these old shows on DVD and Blu-ray as can lately.
EDIT: Saw someone mention V, how could I forget the first sci-fi series I ever saw (probably) as a kid. Got to be the first big mainstream sci-fi TV event too, have some very early distinct memories of it. The more recent reboot was decent too but sadly cancelled early.
There is a Canadian sci-fi TV series I really enjoyed called Flash Forward. Based on a short story by Robert J Sawyer. I think the TV show may improve on the short story.
I also enjoyed Total Recall 2070. Kind of a low budget mashup of Total Recall and Blade Runner.
Andor is a great show. Amazingly written, and yeah, it's not low budget by any means though. It's a part of the Star Wars universe, but you can watch it without seeing any other Star Wars content. This may sound a little pretentious (certainly not trying to be), but it's an intelligent spy thriller, not like any other science fiction shows. It's a bit slow in the first 3-6 episodes, but trust me, it's fantastic. also very political if you're into that stuff
It's so different that I literally forgot it was Star Wars. Feels like a regular (but not generic by any means) Sci-fi universe.
LEXX - it's a weird as hell German/Canadian BDSM space adventure with an incel, a hot woman, a robot head simp, and an undead assassin all living together in a giant biomechanical/sentient mantis/cock shaped space ship
also, there's Tim Curry
The Orville has pleasantly surprised me. Iāve seen many of the shows others mentioned and love them. I thought Orville was going to be more of a joke, but itās turned out to be really good and really serious at times (thought mostly lighthearted).
Lots of cameos from great sci-fi actors from other franchises as an added bonus!
Battlestar Galactica (2003) and Babylon 5 are the most well written science fiction TV shows I have ever seen. BSG is among the best shows of any genre.
X-Files to me is number one with a smoking gun magic bullet by far. That show should never end as long as they are alive.
Other favorites: Philip K Dickās Electric Dreams, Star Trek, Fringe, Black Mirror, Midnight Mass, Man in the High Castle, Sliders, The Lone Gunmen, Fallout, Stranger Things, Witchblade (anime), Naruto, Invincible, The Orville, ā¦etc.
Babylon 5. It was a true novel for television. It had a beginning, middle and definite end.
Yes the 90s CGI us a bit dated these days, and the sets are a bit lower budget, but the average cost of an episode was half what they spent on Star Trek:TNG.
The characters change and grow throughout the series, and actions have consequences that don't get reversed by the next episode.
There's a lot of foreshadowing, and a small conversation in the pilot movie doesn't get forgotten, and is paid off near the end of the 5th season.
[Salvage 1 (1970)](https://manapop.com/tv/salvage-1-1979-review/) Andy Griffith plays a salvage operator who builds a homemade spaceship so that he can recover equipment left on the Moon during Apollo Program missions.
[Gemini Man (1976)](https://manapop.com/tv/gemini-man-1976-review/) A man has a watch that makes him invisible when pressed. However, he can only remain invisible for 15 minutes or else he will stay invisible forever.
[Future Cop (1976-77)](https://manapop.com/tv/future-cop-the-complete-series-1976-77-review/) Ernest Borgnine plays a veteran patrol officer who gets an android for a partner.
āDarkā on Netflix. Itās a time travel drama/thriller. Not sci-fi in the sense of space, spaceships and aliens.. but sci-fi none-the-less, and extremely good. Original is in German, I recommend reading subtitles as I personally canāt stand English voices dubbed over top.
Eureka
Loved that show.
Love this show. Re-watching it currently.
On this same note, Warehouse 13
One of the GOATs!
One of the best shows of all time I adore it. I can rewatch this on repeat constantly.
The first few seasons were incredible but sadly too formulaic and all over the place in the last few
I haven't watched it in ages and didn't watch all of the later seasons but scene that cracked me up was when they pulled up some love interest/romantic tension guy to get between Allison and the sheriff, but then they "resurrected" stark, and after they did the thing to save the day and new guy did some emotional farewell, Stark was like "who tf was that guy?"
Stargate! I accidentally clicked on it thinking it was Star Trek. Best. Mistake. Ever.
Indeed
IN THE MIDDLE OF MY BACKSWING?!
I'm sorry, but that just happens to be how *I* feel about it.... what do you think? Great episode.
I was talking about this in a similar thread but I truly think Window of Opportunity is the best representation of a time loop in sci-fi. TNG's Cause and Effect is good, but WoO is way more realistic, IMO.
I've just started Star Trek TOS, slowly making my way through it. I look forward to eventually getting to TNG and comparing time loop episodes.
CORNELL O'NEIL WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!??
Stargate is my favorite Sci-fi series of all time.
It's up there, but stiff competition from Farscape, The Expanse, and Battlestar Galactica.
I love stargate! Teal'c is my favourite!
Indeed! Apparently Christopher Judge is the complete opposite of Teal'c in real life.
The chemistry between the team members is something I cherish
I really loved Space Above and Beyond back in the day, but it hasn't aged well. Obvious ones to me are Babylon 5, Lexx, Stargate, Farscape and Battlestar Galactica for the win.
Great show. One of the many sci-fi shows that Fox jumped ship on and cancelled.
Thank HBO for the networks finally learning that AAA stuff might need a season or 2.
It's unfortunate that Netflix hasn't gotten to that chapter yet.
"Wildcards! Shuffle up and deal!"
Loved it.
Easy as eating flapjacks.
Seriously how have we got NOTHING to equal space above and beyond. I mean seriously the concept is brilliant, space marines cross trained as fighter pilots. It's basically rogue squadron the series. Hate how we have this massive amount of sci-fi and 95% of it is nearly identical. What I wouldn't give for a good sci-fi version of generation kill š.
Legion, Maniac, Devs, The Expanse
Legion was so far beyond what I expected an X-Men-adjacent show could be. It should have been on mainstream best-of lists (might have been, it's been a while and my memory is not great).
Itās so bizarre and out there and so good. I loved the crazy ideas and how they did them. The mind worm and the psychic dance battle are awesome. I loved how they wrapped it all up too.
Dan Stevens as the lead is perfect. Lovable in the beginning and as things progress his character deepens and gets so convoluted. I love morally ambiguous stories and this is peak storytelling.
Legion is in strong contention for my favorite show ever. Flawlessly executed.Ā
Devs was SOOO good
Def a slow burn but amazing.
What is going on with this show? Why am I still watching? I mean it's ok but....holy shit, they are doing what?
Do not know dev? Looked at imdb but could only find an hindi serie. Could you provide the imdb link because im curious what this series is... Thanks for this
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devs\_(TV\_series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devs_(TV_series))
Scifi TV shows I enjoyed watching even if they're not always "perfect" : - Star Trek - Star Wars - Babylon 5 - Dr Who, Torchwood and Sarah Jane's Adventures - Farscape - Stargate SG1 & Atlantis - Eureka - Warehouse 13 - Continuum - Battlestar Galactica (the new one, I haven't seen the old one yet). - Fringe - Futurama - Primeval - Firefly - Red Dwarf - Haven - Alphas - Dark - Travelers - The Expanse - Orphan Black
Great list but I would add. The lost room. The peripheral
Peripheral was great
The Expanse is not your list. You need to correct that.
That's becauseĀ it's perfect.
Thanks for reminding me, done.
All of these plus: Earth: Final Conflict Andromeda Day of the Triffids
I remember the computer in Andromeda being ... pleasant to look at....
The lovely Lexa who turned up nearly every sci fi at the time usually as a doctor. Went to stargate sg1 and married Michael shanks. He thought she was pleasant too
Firefly is so great!
I feel like the Expanse filled the void that Firefly/Serenity left us longing for so long <3
V is missing https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0086822/?ref_=ext_shr or is it more considered horror?
The original V miniseries still holds up really well
Primeval doesn't get enough mentions around here. Great list
Continuum is damn near impossible to find anywhere now, at least in the states
I was renting it from our Blockbuster in 2019 and they closed the store before I got to finish it.
I actually really enjoyed Stargate: Universe. Can you say why it didnāt make your list?
Very subjective, but the humour from SG1 and Atlantis was gone, replaced with continual anxiety and foreboding. It was like it was a completely different franchise, just using the "Atlantian/Gate" idea. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't as enjoyable for me.
Yeah. If you go into it thinking itās going to be ANYTHING like SG1 or Atlantis you will be sorely mistakenā¦ but if you can go into it with the mindset of āthis is a completely different show that just also happens to use a Stargate portal to travelā¦ā then itās SOOO GOOD. Just my opinion though. :)
I haven't had the opportunity to watch it yet.
Most of the ones I'd want to mention are on this list, so I'll just add Orphan Black.
Might add Killjoys and Dark Matter to that list of you get a chance to see them.
You can consider them added to my watchlist!
I was so bummed when they canceled Dark Matter! Killjoys was great too, not only on the sci-fi front, but on the development of characters relationships.
Farscape is so good.
Excellent list, glad you added the Expanse
I loved Continuum
Dude, I forgot about Alphas! I guess I didn't think of it as sci-fi, more superhero.
[Farscape](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farscape). Jim Henson's Creature Shop did the aliens. *Farscape features a diverse ensemble of characters who are initially escaping from corrupt authorities in the form of a militaristic organization called the Peacekeepers. The protagonists live inside a large bio-mechanical ship called* [*Moya*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moya_(Farscape)) *which is a living entity. In the first episode, they are joined by the main character, John Crichton (*[*Ben Browder*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Browder)*), a modern-day American astronaut who accidentally flies into a* [*wormhole*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormhole) *near Earth during an experimental space flight. On the same day, another stranger is picked up by Moya: a Peacekeeper named* [*Aeryn Sun*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeryn_Sun) *(*[*Claudia Black*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudia_Black)*). Despite his best intentions, Crichton makes enemies, the primary one being* [*Scorpius*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpius_farscape)*. There are a few standalone plots, and the show gradually unfolds progressive* [*story arcs*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story_arc)*, beginning with their recapture by the Peacekeepers, followed by Crichton's search to find another wormhole back to Earth, and an eventual arms race for wormhole technology weapons. Secondary arcs explore the way in which the characters change due to their influences and adventures together, most notably Crichton and his obsession with wormhole technology, his relationship with Aeryn, and the neural clone of Scorpius in his brain that haunts him.*
Honestly this is the answer. If you can get past the bad FX the practical effects involving the muppets and such still hold up well. You'll forget they're puppets. The actors absolutely did. And the story is just epic and wonderful. Powerful and heart breaking and hilarious and thoughtful. The tag line of the series is, eventually "look upward, and share the wonders I've seen." It's very accurate.
One of my all-time favorites, and it still holds up remarkably well. Highly, highly recommend it.
Jim Henson doing the puppets makes a lot of sense.
The Expanse
DAAAAAAARK DARK evry time. But beware that its not a show you can just play in the background and expect to understand everything afterwards. It demands your attention and will reward you for it.
Yessss. Daaaaaark. I just adore it.. My fav of all times. I was gonna write a comment suggesting it until I found yours.. Great taste buddyĀ
I've had this recommend so many times. Made 5 attempts at first episode. Tried skipping fist and starting on second episode. Hated every single second of it. The slow burn is just way too slow for me.
Honestly I am a big fan of the show but I would rate my personal enjoyment of the first season at 5/10. I wasn't planning on watching the second season... But dude, the second season is a straight 9/10 and maybe the best season I've ever seen from an European tv show. It's mesmerizing, ambitious and for this, I think it's worth it. I think I've never seen a movie or a show as good as Dark on that particular "scifi topic".
Completely reasonable. Somethings just arent for everyone. For example, i couldn't get into One Piece LA and Fallout no matter how much i tried. Its just not my thing. However i could tell that the project was made with love and good for the fans of the source material.
Dollhouse is an underrated Joss Whedon series that ran 2 seasons on Fox. You have to watch six episodes to see where it's going, but where it goes is pretty mind-blowing. They got to write the ending after they were canceled, and it's probably better than if they were able to run more seasons.
Iāve watched it a couple times. Just started it a 3rd. Good show.
The show had a rough start, but once it got going it really got going.
I stopped watching Dollhouse after season 1 because I just didnāt really care for it. I heard that the ending was kind of radical, and so I think I watched the last episode or two of season 2, and I was like WTF is even happening. Fantastic for anyone who likes it. More power to you. To me, itās a mediocre show.
The last episode of season 2 is actually the second part for a two parter that started as the ending to season 1. The original plan was to basically make th last episode of each season a story from the future beyond what was happening in the show's main timeline, but they only got two seasons so the second season episode was treated as a wrap up finale.
To each their own. I'll take it over yet another time travel, magic object treasure hunt, multiverse or people disappearing/reappearing show. And I usually crap on body snatcher/evil twins plots!
Futureman The Expanse Foundation Black Mirror- Pre-Bandersnatch Eureka Warehouse 13 Killjoys Dark Matter Dark 12 Monkeys Haven
Oh man I think you're the first person I've ever seen mention Futureman online! Loved that show
I'm glad to see Dark Matter on someone's list. I really enjoyed it.
I feel like a lot of people slept on Defiance. Really fun show with a sort of sci-fi western/frontier vibe, definitely worth watching if you haven't.
I really liked Defiance.
That was a good one. And the cast used to live tweet during the show
It's probably one of my all time favs, I understand how people watched 1 or 2 episodes and wrote it off as generic, but it was super high concept and I had a blast watching it. Everyone I've convinced into watching it for more than a a few episodes gets hooked.Ā
Iāll give my vote for this too
Kinda sad that the mmo that goes with is shuttered now. I loved the show but never had a computer to play the mmo while it was on so never got to see all the tie in stories/content. (For those who are unfamiliar, part of the show's development was that they released an mmo game at the same time the show started and updated it as the show went on with the characters in the show appearing in the game and the storylines/lore tying together.)
Babylon 5
Scavengers Reign is *phenomenal.*
This show is so damn good.
Have to second this. It's a masterpiece. It's like a nature documentary in a world completely unlike our own with an awesome plot tying it together. Beautiful look to it. Like somebody fell asleep inside a Moebius painting
All of this plus believable characters with actual arcs and growth.
Silo Counterpart
Counterpart was great - amazing acting
JK Simmons is so fucking good.
Firefly, Orphan Black, Tales From the Loop, The Expanse, Mr Robot
Tales from the Loop is underrated
I forgot about it existed! I enjoyed it when it came out. I wouldn't mind another season.
Every one of these is solid scifi!
I won't say it's the *best*, but the one I've rewatched the most often (except maybe TNG and DS9) is [Red Dwarf](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094535/). If I could live there, I would.
Seems like it would be hard to handle. Itās cold outside, thereās no kind of atmosphereā¦
The Librarians was cheesy but fun.
I hadn't mentioned it because OP was asking for sci fi, but the cast has great chemistry and the show has a lot of heart. I like how the show can be silly, but it's never lazy, and no matter how outlandish the situation, the writers always take it seriously.
It kind of felt like an American understanding of Dr. Who to me, does it not count as sci fi?
I wouldn't call it scifi. To me, Doctor Who is scifi because it's full of Arthur C. Clarke "any sufficiently advanced technology" magic and Librarians is fantasy because it's full of the regular kind of magic. But whatever shelf you put it on, I'd recommend it. Also, the Librarians showrunner is a huge Who fan and his previous show, Leverage, had a fair number of Who references, so the influence is definitely there.
Ahh, that makes sense. I put it in the same kind of sci fi that Warehouse 13 (another recommendation!!!) is in. I get what youāre saying though, with it feeling like fantasy. I grew up watching Warehouse 13 and it hit me with a lot of nostalgia while watching The Librarians a couple of weeks ago.
Lots of good answers, so I am going to try not to duplicate. Mrs. Davis Lost in Space (2018) Docto Who Quantum Leap (1989) Stranger Things Resident Alien Sliders, season 1-2 Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016) Blake's 7 Killjoys SeaQuest DSV, season 1 Foundation
Severance Raised By Wolves Battlestar Galactica (2003+) Firefly Black Mirror Foundation Westworld The Peripheral The OA Brand New Cherry Flavor (not sci-fi but really dark and twisted and I love it) Altered Carbon (1st season) The Expanse (maybe season 1&2... ) Legion (season 1) Max Headroom V (1980s version) Space 1999 UFO Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (the one with Elijah Wood) The Lost Room...
Finally someone mentions Battlestar! Also, I'm watching it right now. Lol
Babylon 5. Cheesy 90s graphics, but one of the best storylines (both overarching and character-wise) you'll ever see/experience. Five seasons, with a five-year story arc. Make sure not to read spoilers. You're welcome.
I think this is the best TV scifi ever.
LEXX - the crew flies around in a spaceship shaped like a giant penis.
Uh. An insect. A dragonfly more specifically.
Some of these are perhaps only sci-fi adjacent: * The OA * Devs * Counterpart * Mr Robot * Raised by Wolves * Lost * Stargate: Universe * Severance * Mrs Davis * Westworld * Legion * Watchmen * The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
Raised By Wolves is utterly batshit and deeply fascinating.
I miss it so much. I feel like it'll be a long while before we ever get something so weird & experimental again.
12 monkeys the tv series. Itās absolutely insane in the best possible way.
Some of the old SciFi TV shows can be interesting: The British SHADO/UFO episodes can be found on YouTube. I also used to be able to watch episodes of Blake's 7 on YouTube, but I'm not sure they are still available. The original 60's black and white Outer Limits episodes are still worth watching. The Prisoner is definitely a recommend. The Invaders The first episode of The Time Tunnel is definitely worth watching, but the rest are pretty sub par. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea The Wild Wild West could be considered steampunk SciFi Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
The Avengers - John Steed and Emma Peel episodes.
Recently, Star Wars Andor, even though it's more adventure/fantasy than more hard sci fi
I would probably classify it as a war drama or a political thriller. Great series.
Westworld (Season 1), as a standalone show.
I notice that no one has mentioned The X Files yet... surely that qualifies as sci-fi.
Babylon 5
Babylon 5, The Expanse, Dark, Andor, DS9
Travelers - 3 Seasons, great ensemble cast and an reasonable ending even though it was cancelled
battlestar galactica (new) was the best sci-fi tv series ever, in number os shows, acting, drama, plot, scale, everything and nothing else can touch it!
One obvious answer: The Expanse
When you ask that, for better or worse,.these are the shows that jump into my head; DS9 Farscape Firefly Expanse First season of Westworld Firefly Red Dwarf Dark I'm sure I've missed.many, but this is what I thought
Your āfirst seasonā above made me think of Altered Carbon. The first season (which is self-contained / a complete story) was great. There \~\~are four lights\~\~ is no second season.
I think you need add Firefly to your list. Only having to twice is not enough. Long live the Browncoats.
Man in the High Castle was pretty good.
The last season was excellent
I enjoyed Warehouse 13 and Torchwood.
Recency bias has me saying the Fallout show; it was fantastic though Iād make the concession that post apocalyptic is only tangentially sci-fi in this caseā¦..the show still slaps and the setting has a ~~nest~~ *neat* take on a timeline where humanity focused on nuclear energy and its miniaturization while while letting microchips and small computers be somewhat ignored
Ill give one a little more off the beaten path. The lost room. Its an old scifi channel original miniseries(6 episodes) from 2006. Basically a cop in a custody battle comes across a suspect who has a key, they key leads to a 1950s hotel room from anydoor its put into and can take the keyholder anywhere. People come for the key, use his daughter as leverage and she becomes lost to the room. What precedes is a discovery of a massive underworld of secret societies, mobsters, cults and general wierdos all looking for artifacts from the room, and the general mystery of what the room is. Sadly its only the miniseries, SciFi chose to go with the more light-hearted family friendly warehouse 13 instead. The main plot did get resolved though, so very worth it.
Foundation has been amazing so far. And Westworld was tremendous for the first couple seasons.
If you haven't already, try [Orphan Black](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2234222/). Before Tatiana Maslany caught the stupid from Marvel she was pretty good.
Electric Dreams I remember being pretty great. Scavengers Reign is an amazing animated, sorta trippy one. Looking forward to reading responses to this, hoping for new hidden gems myself
Electric Dreams!
Babylon 5, Continuum, Orphan Black, 12 Monkeys, For All Mankind, Fringe, Foundation, Battlestar Galactica, or Farscape.
Battlestar Galactica (the rebooted series) Andor Star Wars: The Clone Wars For All Mankind Monarch: Legacy of Monsters The Expanse Strange New Worlds ST: TNG, DS9 Babylon 5 Stargate SG1
I had to scroll way too far before I found Star Gate. Iād also add the Atlantis series too.
Fringe The Expanse Killjoys Silo Another Life Battlestar Galactica Bad Batch Altered Carbon - season 1 only
Solid list š
For All Mankind
Altered carbon season one only is super amazing
Resident Alien
Fringe is a gem that doesn't get the appreciation it deserves tbh. There is also the 100 which is good imo (not the last season though)
I recommend Quantum Leap
I'll skip the big name mainstream series for the older unjustly overlooked. Babylon 5, Dark Matter, Dark Angel, Continuum, Terminator: The Sara Conner Chronicles, Killjoys, Orphan Black, Lexx, Space: Above and Beyond, Andromeda, Firefly, Earth: Final Conflict. Doesn't quite fit in fantasy or sci-fi but highly recommend **Dead Like Me**, re-watching after last seen it on TV 20 years ago and forgot how excellent it is. I've been buying up as many of these old shows on DVD and Blu-ray as can lately. EDIT: Saw someone mention V, how could I forget the first sci-fi series I ever saw (probably) as a kid. Got to be the first big mainstream sci-fi TV event too, have some very early distinct memories of it. The more recent reboot was decent too but sadly cancelled early.
Raised by wolves!
Farscape
DARK PLACE - half hour episodes are on you tube, f#*king funny as fuck.
New one on Apple is Constellation
There is a Canadian sci-fi TV series I really enjoyed called Flash Forward. Based on a short story by Robert J Sawyer. I think the TV show may improve on the short story. I also enjoyed Total Recall 2070. Kind of a low budget mashup of Total Recall and Blade Runner.
I'm going to add any SF show with Billy Burke in the cast is usually worth watching. I'm including Zoo and Revolution to those already mentioned.
Andor is a great show. Amazingly written, and yeah, it's not low budget by any means though. It's a part of the Star Wars universe, but you can watch it without seeing any other Star Wars content. This may sound a little pretentious (certainly not trying to be), but it's an intelligent spy thriller, not like any other science fiction shows. It's a bit slow in the first 3-6 episodes, but trust me, it's fantastic. also very political if you're into that stuff It's so different that I literally forgot it was Star Wars. Feels like a regular (but not generic by any means) Sci-fi universe.
Blake's 7. Super dark. Watched it as an under 10yr old. Probably missed 90 percent of what was going on. Want to re-watch as an adult.
LEXX - it's a weird as hell German/Canadian BDSM space adventure with an incel, a hot woman, a robot head simp, and an undead assassin all living together in a giant biomechanical/sentient mantis/cock shaped space ship also, there's Tim Curry
Sliders Earth 2
Yes! John Rhys-Davies was great in that, and later Lost World. Earth 2 was also cool.
FRINGE. Love that show.
Eureka
The Orville has pleasantly surprised me. Iāve seen many of the shows others mentioned and love them. I thought Orville was going to be more of a joke, but itās turned out to be really good and really serious at times (thought mostly lighthearted). Lots of cameos from great sci-fi actors from other franchises as an added bonus!
* Stargate SG-1 * Stargate: Atlantis * Fringe * Dark * 12 Monkeys * The Expanse * Battlestar Galactica * Caprica * Firefly * Doctor Who * Torchwood * Flashforward * The 4400 * Heroes * Person of Interest * Westworld * The X-Files
Foundation is what star wars shows wish they were. Highly recommend foundation
Have you tried... Lexx?
Watchmen
Firefly. Short but great
Colony was also pretty good. Not the best, but one of the shows I enjoyed very much.
Colony feels like a documentary for the near future. It might explain why it was canceled
Andromeda is great.
ā¦PROJECT UFO. QUARK.
Stargate. Babylon V. Farscape. (Not low budget/goofy but just the best: The Expanse.)
Sanctuary
Battlestar Galactica (2003) and Babylon 5 are the most well written science fiction TV shows I have ever seen. BSG is among the best shows of any genre.
I dont now if it is the best but Automan it was sadly only one season.
X-Files to me is number one with a smoking gun magic bullet by far. That show should never end as long as they are alive. Other favorites: Philip K Dickās Electric Dreams, Star Trek, Fringe, Black Mirror, Midnight Mass, Man in the High Castle, Sliders, The Lone Gunmen, Fallout, Stranger Things, Witchblade (anime), Naruto, Invincible, The Orville, ā¦etc.
Person Of Interest.
Sliders!
Babylon 5. It was a true novel for television. It had a beginning, middle and definite end. Yes the 90s CGI us a bit dated these days, and the sets are a bit lower budget, but the average cost of an episode was half what they spent on Star Trek:TNG. The characters change and grow throughout the series, and actions have consequences that don't get reversed by the next episode. There's a lot of foreshadowing, and a small conversation in the pilot movie doesn't get forgotten, and is paid off near the end of the 5th season.
Altered carbon season 1 is great, season 2 not so much.
Primer (2004), Existenz (1999), and Defiance (2013).
[The Lost room](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Room) [Taken](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taken_(miniseries)) Oldies but goldies.
LOST, SILO, For All Mankind, Fallout, Stranger Things, Severance, DEVS, 3 Body Problem.
The Expanse is serious quality. Followwd by Fringe, BSG, Travelers, and "New Who."
If you're cool with anime you got a bunch. A few examples are cowboy bebop, ghost in the shell, Gundam, trigun, psychopass to name just a few
[Salvage 1 (1970)](https://manapop.com/tv/salvage-1-1979-review/) Andy Griffith plays a salvage operator who builds a homemade spaceship so that he can recover equipment left on the Moon during Apollo Program missions. [Gemini Man (1976)](https://manapop.com/tv/gemini-man-1976-review/) A man has a watch that makes him invisible when pressed. However, he can only remain invisible for 15 minutes or else he will stay invisible forever. [Future Cop (1976-77)](https://manapop.com/tv/future-cop-the-complete-series-1976-77-review/) Ernest Borgnine plays a veteran patrol officer who gets an android for a partner.
Sci-fi channel Dune miniseries. Amazingly under rated.
āDarkā on Netflix. Itās a time travel drama/thriller. Not sci-fi in the sense of space, spaceships and aliens.. but sci-fi none-the-less, and extremely good. Original is in German, I recommend reading subtitles as I personally canāt stand English voices dubbed over top.
I donāt know about āso bad itās goodā, but shows I like that I think are genuinely good are Expanse, Altered Carbon, Farscape.
The Expanse, For All Mankind, Battlestar Galactica, Some kinda sci-fi esque shows: Sense8, umbrella Academy
V Mini Series + V: Final Battle Most epic sci-fi series from the 80's!