Science fiction isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but some sci-fi shows are so well-crafted and accessible that even mainstream audiences should give them a watch. There are some sci-fi shows that casual viewers wouldn’t take to. A lot of theStar Trekshows are hard sci-fi of the highest order, so they only appeal to hard sci-fi fans. Something as devilishly complex asDarkorOrphan Blackneeds an audience that’s used to unraveling complicated narrative webs.12 Monkeysis a great show, but it can be alienating to viewers who aren’t familiar with the intricacies of the genre.
But sci-fi shows aren’t exclusively for sci-fi enthusiasts. Some of the masterpieces of this genre are crossover hits, appealing to different fandoms.Game of Thronesattracted audiences outside fantasy fans, because it’s a riveting political thriller that happens to take place in a medieval fantasy setting.The Walking Deadattracted audiences outside horror fans, because it’s a sprawling soap opera that happens to take place during a zombie apocalypse. FromStranger ThingstoFuturama, there are plenty of science fiction shows that are so brilliantly executed and universally relatable that even non-sci-fi fans should watch them.
10Rick & Morty
Rick and Mortyis the perfect intersection between a grounded family sitcom and a mind-bending, verse-jumping extravaganza. At its core, it’s about a mad scientist and his grandson, who love each other but share a deeply toxic relationship. The scientist has perfected interdimensional travel, so every episode takes audiences through splotchy green portals to alternate realities and strange new worlds, but there’s always real, relatable emotion at the heart of each story. It’ll explore the pain of a breakup through a fling with a hive mind; it’ll explore an aversion to therapy through a human’s transformation into a talking pickle.
9Stranger Things
Netflix cashed in on nostalgia for the ‘80s to create one of the biggest hit shows of the 21st century withStranger Things. It takes place in a small American town — the kind you might find in a Stephen King novel — as it’s terrorized by ghouls, monsters, and parasites from a parallel dimension called “The Upside Down.”The Duffer brothers’ curious vision forStranger Thingscombines the affable warmth of classic Amblin movies likeE.T.andThe Goonieswith the supernatural terror of the horror films of Wes Craven and John Carpenter. It’s anchored by an ensemble of lovable characters.
8Lost
The mysteries ofLosthad all kinds of audiences — hardcore sci-fi fanatics and average television viewers alike — captivated for six long years. It starts off with a typical dramatic premise with no promise of sci-fi, as a group of plane crash survivors are marooned on a remote island. But that island turns out to be the home of some bizarre scientific research and experimentation. Each season introduces a new gonzo sci-fi concept, from jungle-dwelling polar bears to flash-in-the-sky time travel. But it’s as much a character-driven soap opera as it is a chilling sci-fi mystery.
7Black Mirror
Charlie Brooker’s bleak satirical anthologyBlack Mirroris an incisive, prescient takedown of our obsession with technology. Each episode takes place in a dystopian near-future (or sometimes just in the cold, unforgiving present), where technological phenomena like social media and subscription services are taken to the extreme. Brooker has written episodes where people’s digital footprint can be used to create a cyborg clone, where social media engagement determines the socioeconomic hierarchy, and where robotic bees are used to kill “canceled” celebrities. It touches on such timely real-world issues that you don’t need to be a sci-fi fan to appreciate it.
6Firefly
Fireflywas canceled after just one season, thanks to Fox’s baffling decision to air the episodes out of order, but ever since then, it’s consistently popped up on lists of shows that deserved to run for much longer.Fireflyis as much a western as it is a sci-fi series. It takes place in a distant star system in the distant future, but it borrows concepts from the American frontier, like pioneer culture and a devastating civil war.Fireflyhas as much in common withBonanzaas it does withStar Wars.
5Star Trek: The Next Generation
Since theStar Trekfranchise is a cornerstone of hard sci-fi, most of its shows wouldn’t appeal to audiences who aren’t sci-fi fans. ButStar Trek’s most binge-worthy show,Star Trek: The Next Generation, is so good that it transcends the trappings of hard sci-fi and simply falls into the category of great television. It’s got a terrific ensemble cast of well-rounded, three-dimensional characters who all bounce off each other in interesting ways as they’re forced to work together in a confined space. Incidentally, that confined space is the Starship Enterprise, boldly going where no one has gone before.
4Andor
You don’t have to be aStar Warsfan, or even a sci-fi fan, to appreciate Tony Gilroy’s two-season masterpieceAndor.Andoris a grounded political thriller about the dangers of authoritarianism and the cost of revolution — it just happens to be set in a galaxy far, far away. Gilroy takes all the historical patterns of real-life dictatorships and their downfall and translates them into the accessible realm of a familiar space opera universe.Andorisn’t just the bestStar Warsshow, or one of the best sci-fi shows; it’s one of the greatest TV series ever produced, period.
3Futurama
Matt Groening used his clout from creatingThe Simpsonsto launch a much weirder, wilder, and more profound series.Futuramasends a simple-minded but good-hearted ‘90s slacker to the year 3000. It’s a fiendishly intelligent exploration of scientific concepts like Schrödinger’s cat, the Möbius strip, the grandfather paradox, and the notion that the universe will keep repeating itself over and over again — it’s a really trippy, thought-provoking ride. But at its heart, it’s a hilarious workplace sitcom about a group of eccentric, endearing characters who (as TV workforces often do) become a sort of dysfunctional found family.
2The X-Files
Chris Carter’sThe X-Filesputs a sci-fi spin on a typical police procedural. It revolves around two detectives solving a case-of-the-week in each episode, but those detectives are from an underground FBI department that specializes in UFOs, supernatural monsters, and other unexplained phenomena. Every episode sets up an intriguing mystery with a clever sci-fi premise, but the hook of the series is the relationship between its central duo,Agents Mulder and Scully. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson share spectacular chemistry in the roles. Whether you love sci-fi or not, you’ll enjoy spending time with this unconventional double act.
1The Twilight Zone
Rod Serling made television history with his classic anthologyThe Twilight Zone. Serling couldn’t get his darker, more politically charged scripts produced under the scrutiny and sensitivity of 1960s television, so he came up with an ingenious solution. Instead of writing stories directly about contemporary issues like McCarthyism and the civil rights movement, he allegorized those issues through science fiction. So, rather than telling a story about a neighborhood trying to oust the communist in their midst, he’d tell a story about a neighborhood trying to identify the alien impostor that infiltrated one of their homes.
Since Serling addressed timely topics indirectly through allegories and metaphors, a lot ofgreatTwilight Zoneepisodesstill hold up today. It has episodes about otherization, racial tension, unchecked technology, the looming threat of nuclear war, and political divisions tearing American society apart, all of which are sadly still relevant today.The Twilight Zoneis one of the most important TV shows ever made.
