With television projects in the streaming era getting significantly larger budgets than networks could ever afford, there has been an influx of ground-breakingSci-FiTV shows over the years. Even the first half of 2025 was dominated by shows likethe incredibleSeveranceandAndor, proving that the genre can continue to thrive. Recently,Fallouthas also become one of the best video game adaptations of all time, with its post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting being one of its greatest aspects andFalloutseason 2 quickly moving forward.
While popular sci-fi TV shows have been around for decades, some truly underrated gems are from only the past several years. A lot of these underrated shows never broke out in the same way as many others, but for fans of the genre, these are all must-watch television. From contemplative human dramas to philosophical debates on AI’s future role in humanity,there has never been a better time to see some of these oft-missed sci-fi shows.
Apple TV+ is one of the best streaming services for prestige science fiction, and one of their most recent efforts,Dark Matter, is further proof that they know what they are doing when it comes to the genre. Based on the book of the same name by Blake Crouch, who also created the series,Dark Matterfollows Jason Dessen, a physicist who is thrust into an alternate reality and must find a way to return to his original life, while confronting an ominous version of himself.
Dark Mattermight not feature the biggest action set pieces, but it doesn’t need to,as it is at its best when it focuses on the characters and the drama that comes with them. The journey Jason goes through is worth watching on its own, and withDark Matterseason 2on the way, there is even more to be excited about in the future. With streaming services canceling shows excessively, hopefully,Dark Matterwill be able to tell the full story it wants to tell.
Adapting a dense novel is difficult enough, but having to adapt an art book with short narrative descriptions is very daunting. Thankfully,Tales from the Loopexcels at doing just that, translating Simon Stålenhag’s evocative art and writing into a beautiful piece of television. Based on his book of the same name,Tales from the Loopfocuses on the residents of the fictional town of Mercer, Ohio, which is home to an underground experimental physics facility known as the Loop.
Tales from the Loopis contemplative science fiction, moving at a slower pace than other stories to explore the humanity and warmth of its characters. The show’s beautiful cinematography perfectly captures the same feeling the source material evokes, proving that Stålenhag’s works can be made into great series. They are worth watching for his iconic imagery, especially if your only exposure to him is throughNetflix’s abysmalThe Electric State, which came out in early 2025.
Sci-fi television is often at its best when it utilizes the genre as a backdrop to really tell heightened, character-driven stories.Night Skyalso does this as it revolves around an older couple who can use a device that is underneath their land to transport themselves to a chamber that looks out over a deserted planet and the star-filled sky. It’s a drama first and foremost, and an excellent one, with amazing performances from J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek as the leads.
The mystery unravels when an unknown man comes into the story and forces them to reassess everything they thought they knew about their own lives.Night Skyis ambitious and weighty and fully realizes each of its charactersin impressive ways. It often reaches for even more than it might be, and succeeds most of the time, making it a must-watch for anyone who loves the genre as a whole. Unfortunately, the show was canceled after only one season.
Taking inspiration from many different sources, including the 1965 series of the same name,Lost in Spaceis an emotionally heartfelt science fiction epic that ran for three well-received seasons on Netflix.Set in 2046, two years after humanity’s survival is threatened, the Robinson family is on a mission to help colonize the Alpha Centauri planetary system, but are forced to crash-land on a random habitable planet after their ship is attacked.
Lost in Space’s primary focus is on the Robinson family, and the journey they must go on together, alongside their individual ones, to make it back to their ship. It’s a beautifully realized series, with some incredible production values across the board. It’s a bit more serious reimagining of the earlier TV series, but it has a lot of heart and retains a solid sense of humor.Lost in Spaceis perfect for the whole family.
Ambitious, philosophical science fiction is almost always fascinating to watch, makingRaised by Wolvesone of the most intriguing shows to come out in the 2020s. The series focuses on two androids named Father and Mother, who are tasked with raising children on another planet after Earth has been destroyed by the Religious War. Like what happened on Earth, religious differences threaten to destroy the colony.
The iconic Ridley Scott served as one of the executive producers and directed the first two episodes;his influence is heavily felt inRaised by Wolves, particularly when it comes to the themes of religion, artificial intelligence, and creation. It’s an ambitious piece of storytelling that grasps for threads that threaten to become unwieldy but ends up being an incredible watch.Raised by Wolveswas unfortunately canceled after two seasons, never really getting the chance for people to see it for the masterpiece it is.
Cyberpunk is one of the coolest subgenres of sci-fi and has only become increasingly popular over the years. Author William Gibson is one of the most influential writers in this space and his novels are the perfect source material to adapt, which leads to great shows likeThe Peripheral. The series is set in the near future, where a gamer, hoping to break free from the mundane, is invited by a major corporation to experience their latest virtual reality project.
Apple TV+ is currently producing aNeuromancerseries, based on another William Gibson novel.
The Peripheral is a well-written series that never looks down on its audience, trusting their ability to follow the complex narrative it weaves. It might not be perfect and stumbles at times, butThe Peripheralisa must-watch series for fans of shows likeWestworld, or evenGhost in the Shell. The series showed so much promise, but like a lot of sci-fi shows in the streaming era, it was axed after only one season.
Writer and director Alex Garland is one of the best modern creatives working in the sci-fi genre. His films likeEx MachinaandAnnihilationare stellar additions to the canon, while he has also written some certified classics likeSunshineandDredd. While he has been prolific in film,Devswas Garland’s first foray into sci-fi television, and he pulls through once again, crafting a contemplative and thrilling look at free will and humanity as a whole.
Like the best of Garland’ssci-fiworks,Devsisn’t afraid to take its time as it unravels the central mysteries at the forefront of the story, as well as slowly exploring the complexities of its characters. The series follows Lily Chan, played brilliantly by Sonoya Mizuno, an engineer whose boyfriend died on the first day of his new job with the Devs team at her company.Devsslowly works its way under the skin, with each revelation leading to something even greater and more thought-provoking.
