Science fictionis a genre that will always be loved, and will never get old. It encompasses so many wonderful things about the human imagination, often showing incredible worlds beyond planet Earth. Movies and shows about parallel universes, the paranormal, the supernatural, and the outer-spaceyare often among the best industry creations of all time, ranging fromStanley Kubrick’s masterpiece2001: A Space Odysseyto various iterations ofStar Warsin both series and movie forms.
For fans who are just now getting into the genre or wish to revisit some of its aspects,it’s important to check out sci-fi’s most essential contributions.The essential science fiction moviesare great, but short-lasting enjoyment; if you really want to become immersed in a magical and elaborate world, definitely go for a TV series. The best and most important sci-fi shows are often the mold for other inspired creators, and they’re worth sitting down for a long binge-watch.
10’The Outer Limits' (1995–2002)
Created by Leslie Stevens
The 1995 revival ofThe Outer Limitsseries that ran in the 1960s was first rejected as unnecessary, but as it went, people warmed up to it and found that it had some relatable and memorable episodes.The Outer Limitslasted for seven seasons and had 152 episodes,posing as an anthology series rooted in principles of science fiction, dark fantasy, and horror. While viewers used to praise the original more, the revival series has a special, something that raised people who were teens and young adults during the late 1990s.
The Outer Limitsrevival has original stories that encompass various genres but lean the closest to sci-fi; some episodes are screen adaptations of stories byStephen King(season 3, episode 15, “The Revelations of ‘Becka Paulson”) andGeorge R.R. Martin(season 1, episode 1, “The Sandkings”). Many of the episodes present a different interpretation of events that have already happened, while others question the “current” state of the world (at the time) and give potential visions for the future.The Outer Limitswas, and still is, a pretty big deal in the sci-fi world.
The Outer Limits
9’Fringe’ (2008–2013)
Created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci
The big three of modern American science fiction,J.J. Abrams,Alex Kurtzman, andRoberto Orcihave equally great collaborations and standalone projects. One of the series they wrote together wasFringe, a highly successful sci-fi show that lasted for five years and five seasons, ending after exactly 100 episodes. The show feels inspired byThe X-Files, sinceit’s a police procedural with a new supernatural mystery taking place in every episode.Anna TorvandJoshua Jacksonlead the series, with Torv becoming a sci-fi darling during the show.
Fringe follows FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), who investigates unusual cases that border on the supernatural and fantastical. She works together with fringe science researcher Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his son Peter (Joshua Jackson). Together,they engage in FBI cases while discovering truths about themselves, including learning about a parallel universe.Fringewas a big show during its airtime, and it still has a faithful fanbase; though it was initially not so well-accepted, the later seasons gave the show a cult series status.
8’Futurama' (1999–)
Created by Matt Groening
Futurama, much likeMatt Groening’s other project,The Simpsons, is a television miracle. If Groening ever wanted to end them, the undying loyalty from the fandom and networks would easily try to stop him.Futuramawas actually canceled in 2003 after five seasons, but was picked up again byComedy Centralin 2009. It aired until 2014, and the world bid its seemingly final farewell to the possiblygreatest animated sci-fi seriesof all time. Then,in 2023, Hulu pulled another Hail Mary for the show andordered more episodes, with the series expecting seasons 13 and 14 in the upcoming couple of years.
Besides being an undead series,Futuramais abeautifully crafted blend of humor, science fiction, romance, drama, and just good old fun. As opposed to its dark and even depressing animation rivalRick and Morty(which is also a great show),Futuramadives into all sorts of emotions and human conditions, despite most of its characters not even being human; many would call it a workplace comedy about societal misfits of the 31st century. The main character, Philip J. Fry (Billy West),often just known as Fry, is the face of numerous memes, and Turanga Leela (Katie Sagal) is one of the most badass female characters in sci-fi.
7’Black Mirror' (2011–)
Created by Charlie Brooker
Charlie Brookeris an author and comedian who dove into writing sci-fi/horror so smoothly it feels almost criminal. Before creatingBlack Mirror, Brooker penned the miniseriesDead Set, about the participants of Big Brother being unaware of a zombie invasion happening on the outside. He also hostedWeekly WipeandNewswipe, satirical shows in whichhe’d comment on world events with a brilliantly dark humor and insightful observations. Brooker’sWipealso gave the worldPhilomena Cunk, who now dominatesNetflixwith her standalone content.Black Mirrorfeels like a natural progression for Brooker, since it’s writtenwith almost prophetic accuracyand with dark humor and social issues in mind.
Black Mirroris devised as an anthology series, with episodes unrelated to each other in every season - though most ofthe stories heavily lean on futuristic use of and the consequences of relying on technology. In some episodes,Black Mirrorfeels likeThe Twilight Zone, and it leans into horror here and there. The groundbreaking episode,Bandersnatch, allowed Netflix users to interact with the episode and discover its various endings and dead ends, much like playing a multiple choice video game. Season 7 is gearing up to start in 2025, with guest stars likeAwkwafina,Billy Magnussen,Issa Rae,Peter Capaldi, and many more.
Black Mirror
6’Star Trek' (1966–1969)
Created by Gene Roddenberry
One could argue that everyStar Trekshow is great. Every spin-off, generation, or revival works on its own terms, and people mostly respect how new showrunners are able to follow the original lore, upgrading the sequels in a way that respects the original rather than moving away from it. Still, the most iconic and essentialStar Trekseries is the original one, withWilliam ShatnerandLeonard Nimoyas Captain Kirk and Spock.Interestingly, the show’s first airing was not that successful, which is why it only had three seasons and 79 episodes. When the show aired on various networks during the 1970s, it gained enough traction to finally become a cult show; this majorly helpedStar Trekbecome the massive franchise it is today.
Star Trekfollows the crew of the spaceship USS Enterprise; their captain is James T. Kirk (Shatner), an Earth-born ship commander with the skill to pilot a ship and navigate outer space. Other people aboard the Enterprise are Kirk’s friends Spock (Nimoy), a half-human, half-Vulcan who uses logic (like most Vulcans) to solve most problems, and McCoy (DeForest Kelley), the ship’s medical officer who likes to lead with emotion. In many ways,Spock and McCoy serve as extensions of Kirk’s balance between emotion and logic, but they’re also great characters independently and don’t exist only for Kirk’s sake. The world-building inStar Trekis spectacular, but it also has many relatable storylines for its Earth-bound viewers.
Star Trek: The Original Series
5’The Expanse' (2015–2022)
Created by Daniel Abraham, Mark Fergus, and Ty Franck
The Expansecame unexpectedly and stayed for a long time, after becomingrecognized as one of the best and most complex sci-fi seriesbased on an equally complex and entertaining book series of the same name. The novels' (and story) creator,James S.A. Corey, wrote nine novels and nine additional novellas, developing an elaborate and fascinating world that won numerous awards. The show grew along with the books, though the first five books came out before 2015, giving the showrunners a lot of material.
It’s potentially the best original project bySyfy, though they cancelled the show after three seasons.Amazonpicked it up for an additional three, and the production quality made the show even better (not that it was bad before). The story follows several characters from different backgrounds, like the ship captain James Holden (Steven Strait), a diplomat, Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo), and a hardened detective from the outer planet area, Josephus Miller (Thomas Jane).Thestory has a surprising political twist, which makes it more than just a visual feast; it often questions the complex relations between human-colonized planets, motivating viewers to pun on a thinking cap every once in a while.
The Expanse
4’Battlestar Galactica' (2004–2009)
Created by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick
One of the most beloved sci-fi shows of all time,Battlestar Galactica, is also a revival, similar toThe Outer Limits. The original show ran during the 1970s, butthe one that started in 2004 was a much bigger hit and is a cult series today. The writing, the costumes, the visual design, and brilliant character development are the factors that makeBattlestar Galacticaso great and loved; many publications have named it one ofthe best shows of the 2000s, withThe New York Timesputting it ona list of the 20 best shows(sinceThe Sopranos).
Battlestar Galacticarevolves around the survivors of an alien invasion that causes the human race to go nearly completely extinct. The group of survivors flees across space in a battleship called Galactica, which is a nearly extinct ship ready to be turned into a museum piece. Still, the ship runs well, especially under the guidance and control of the intelligent and capable Commander Bill Adama (Edward James Olmos). Next to him, there’sKatee Sackhoffin the role of Galactica pilot Starbuck,which brought her international acclaim and adoration from the show’s massive fandom. The series is atense and dark but optimistic depictionof human perseverance, and one that doesn’t just look great, but makes viewers feel great, too.
Battlestar Galactica
3’Doctor Who' (1963–)
Created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson
Doctor Whois one of the longest-running science fiction series of all time, if notthelongest-running. Though it had a long break, theBBCheld onto the show firmly as a legacy series that’s as original as it is entertaining. It first started airing in 1963 and ran until 1989;each season had around six episodesthat followed a continuous story, presenting a mystery for the Doctor to solve ora nemesis to defeat.The show was revived in 2005, with each episode becoming more of a standalone adventure, though there were some overall arcs, like the famousstory of River Song.
Doctor Whofollows a highly intelligent alien called “The Doctor”; he travels the universe to exact justice wherever he sees fit,battling sworn enemies and creatures across wide open space. With each season, the Doctor “regenerates,” or experiences a renewal in appearance,giving an opportunity to different actorsto win over audiences with their interpretations of the Doctor. The stories were initially meant to be family-friendly, but the beautiful world and possibilities of science fiction took over the concept, which is lucky for fans of the genre; families can still enjoy it, though there areepisodes that verge on horror.
Doctor Who
2’The X-Files' (1993–2018)
Created by Chris Carter
The X-Filesis a pivotal showin many people’s lives. It was the first introduction to the world of sci-fi thrillers for some, and a milestone for others who were already established genre fans. This show hasa lotof lore and interesting side characters, butit also represents its lead duo through great character developmentand a will-they-won’t-they sort of chemistry. The first run ofThe X-Fileslasted for nine seasons and 202 episodes, between 1993 and 2002. When fans thought the show was over, a revival was announced, and two more seasons ran from 2016 to 2018; in the meantime, two feature films,The X-FilesandThe X-Files: I Want to Believewere made in 1998 and 2008, respectively.
The story follows two leads, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), an open-minded FBI agent and skilled profiler, and his partner, Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), a skeptical doctor and fellow agent. Mulder believes in the supernatural, while Scully doesn’t, and the two complement each other during their investigations of the “X-Files,“cases that have paranormal or supernatural phenomena attached to them. Scully grounds Mulder while Mulder inspires Scully, andthat relationship is one of the best on TV, ever.The X-Filesepisodes weren’t always connected, and the only long-lasting arc is the relationship between Mulder and Scully.
The X-Files
1’The Twilight Zone' (1959–1964)
Created by Rod Serling
The most iconic science fiction series of all time is, undoubtedly,The Twilight Zone. It’s one of the first shows that combined genres and explored topics like time travel, parallel universes, and multiverses; besides the sci-fi, it also dove into horror very often. The show precedes mostsci-fi anthology seriesthat investigate outer worlds and inner human conditions, and, very often, their connection to each other. CreatorRod Serlingserved as the narrator,introducing each episode and its main character through a quick but interesting recap, giving a reason as to why this particular person “entered the Twilight Zone.”
Serling was also the co-writer on the majority of the episodes and the executive producer, making himself one of the rare TV creators to have nearly full control of his own ideas. The Twilight Zone ran for five years and concluded with its 156th episode. It often featured stories by famous sci-fi and horror authors, fromRay Bradbury(season 3, episode 35, “I Sing the Body Electric”) toRichard Matheson, a horror writer who penned several ofThe Twilight Zoneepisodes. The show had a couple revivals, one byJordan Peele, but they were ultimately unsuccessful. Nothing could follow or replicate the beauty and terror of the original series; because of that, Rod Serling remains one of the world’s biggest contributors to the popularity of science fiction and horror.
