42 Best Sci-Fi TV Series
by Margaret_Nieter | created - 26 Aug 2018 | updated - 20 Mar 2021 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009)
TV-14 | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
When an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protect a small civilian fleet - the last of humanity - as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth.
Stars: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, James Callis
Votes: 175,502
2. Doctor Who (2005–2022)
TV-PG | 45 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
The further adventures in time and space of the alien adventurer known as the Doctor and his companions from planet Earth.
Stars: Jodie Whittaker, Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, Matt Smith
Votes: 246,442
3. Westworld (2016–2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
At the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, waits a world in which every human appetite can be indulged without consequence.
Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, Thandiwe Newton
Votes: 532,607
4. Dark (2017–2020)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A family saga with a supernatural twist, set in a German town where the disappearance of two young children exposes the relationships among four families.
Stars: Louis Hofmann, Karoline Eichhorn, Lisa Vicari, Maja Schöne
Votes: 443,826
5. Lost (2004–2010)
TV-14 | 5,445 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
The survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.
Stars: Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Yunjin Kim, Evangeline Lilly
Votes: 594,867
6. Star Trek (1966–1969)
TV-PG | 50 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols
Votes: 92,871
7. The OA (2016–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Having gone missing seven years ago, the previously blind Prairie returns home, now in her twenties with her sight restored. While many believe she is a miracle, others worry that she could be dangerous.
Stars: Brit Marling, Jason Isaacs, Scott Wilson, Alice Krige
Votes: 115,797
8. Black Mirror (2011– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Featuring stand-alone dramas -- sharp, suspenseful, satirical tales that explore techno-paranoia -- "Black Mirror" is a contemporary reworking of "The Twilight Zone" with stories that tap into the collective unease about the modern world.
Stars: Wunmi Mosaku, Monica Dolan, Daniel Lapaine, Hannah John-Kamen
Votes: 639,602
9. Stranger Things (2016–2025)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl.
Stars: Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Winona Ryder, David Harbour
Votes: 1,335,104
10. The Twilight Zone (1959–1964)
TV-PG | 51 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Ordinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner.
Stars: Rod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts, James Turley
Votes: 93,097
11. The X-Files (1993–2018)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two F.B.I. Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.
Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis
Votes: 249,676
12. The Mandalorian (2019– )
TV-14 | 40 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The travels of a lone bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic.
Stars: Pedro Pascal, Chris Bartlett, Katee Sackhoff, Carl Weathers
Votes: 586,610
13. Firefly (2002–2003)
TV-14 | 45 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Five hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin
Votes: 281,616
14. Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988–1999)
TV-14 | 90 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
In the not-too-distant future Joel Robinson is held captive by Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank, forced to watch B-Grade movies on the Satellite of Love with the help of his robot friends: Cambot, Gypsy, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot.
Stars: Joel Hodgson, Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, Kevin Murphy
Votes: 25,849
15. The Expanse (2015–2022)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
The disappearance of rich-girl-turned-political-activist links the lives of Ceres detective, accidental ship captain and U.N. politician. Amidst political tension between Earth, Mars and the Belt, they unravel the greatest conspiracy.
Stars: Steven Strait, Dominique Tipper, Wes Chatham, Shohreh Aghdashloo
Votes: 172,170
16. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016–2017)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Holistic detective Dirk Gently investigates cases involving the supernatural.
Stars: Samuel Barnett, Elijah Wood, Hannah Marks, Jade Eshete
Votes: 57,296
17. Babylon 5 (1993–1998)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the mid 23rd century, the Earth Alliance space station Babylon 5, located in neutral territory, is a major focal point for political intrigue, racial tensions and various wars over the course of five years.
Stars: Mira Furlan, Richard Biggs, Stephen Furst, Andreas Katsulas
Votes: 34,610
18. Devs (2020)
TV-MA | 51 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A computer engineer investigates the secretive development division in her company, which she believes is behind the disappearance of her boyfriend.
Stars: Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman, Jin Ha, Cailee Spaeny
Votes: 47,823
19. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
Set after the events in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Sarah Connor and her son, John, try to stay under-the-radar from the government, as they plot to destroy the computer network, Skynet, in hopes of preventing Armageddon.
Stars: Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau, Richard T. Jones
Votes: 62,817
20. Maniac (2018)
TV-MA | 39 min | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
Two strangers are drawn to a mysterious pharmaceutical trial for a drug that they're assured will, with no complications or side-effects whatsoever, permanently solve all of their problems. Things do not go as planned.
Stars: Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Sonoya Mizuno, Justin Theroux
Votes: 86,682
21. Utopia (I) (2013–2014)
TV-MA | 50 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After a group of people, who meet online, discover a bizarre graphic novel which seems to hold mysterious answers, they find themselves being tracked down by a merciless organization known merely as 'The Network'.
Stars: Adeel Akhtar, Paul Higgins, Neil Maskell, Fiona O'Shaughnessy
Votes: 51,109
22. Tales from the Loop (2020)
TV-MA | 50 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
The townspeople who live above "The Loop," a machine built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe, experience things previously consigned to the realm of science fiction.
Stars: Daniel Zolghadri, Paul Schneider, Rebecca Hall, Robert Nahum
Votes: 22,764
23. Sense8 (2015–2018)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A group of people around the world are suddenly linked mentally, and must find a way to survive being hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world's order.
Stars: Bae Doona, Jamie Clayton, Tina Desai, Tuppence Middleton
Votes: 162,964
24. Torchwood (2006–2011)
TV-MA | 50 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
The members of the Torchwood Institute, a secret organization founded by the British Crown, fight to protect the Earth from extraterrestrial and supernatural threats.
Stars: John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Kai Owen, Gareth David-Lloyd
Votes: 43,440
25. Dune (2000)
Not Rated | 265 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
A three-part miniseries on politics, betrayal, lust, greed and the coming of a Messiah. Based on Frank Herbert's classic science fiction novel.
Stars: William Hurt, Alec Newman, Giancarlo Giannini, Uwe Ochsenknecht
Votes: 24,858
26. Electric Dreams (2017–2018)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
A sci-fi anthology series with stand-alone episodes based on the works of Philip K. Dick.
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Steve Buscemi, Richard Madden, Timothy Spall
Votes: 18,761
27. Timeless (2016–2018)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
An unlikely trio travels through time to battle unknown criminals and protect history as we know it.
Stars: Abigail Spencer, Matt Lanter, Malcolm Barrett, Paterson Joseph
Votes: 47,090
28. V: The Final Battle (1984)
TV-14 | 91 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A small group of human resistance fighters fight a desperate guerilla war against the genocidal extra-terrestrials who dominate Earth.
Stars: Jane Badler, Michael Durrell, Robert Englund, Faye Grant
Votes: 9,300
29. Quantum Leap (1989–1993)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During an experiment into time travel, a scientist finds himself trapped in the past, "leaping" into the lives of different people, sorting out their problems and changing history in hopes of getting back to his own life in the present.
Stars: Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell, Deborah Pratt, Dennis Wolfberg
Votes: 36,457
30. The Man in the High Castle (2015–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
In a dystopian America dominated by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, a young woman discovers a mysterious film that may hold the key to toppling the totalitarian regimes.
Stars: Alexa Davalos, Luke Kleintank, Rufus Sewell, Rupert Evans
Votes: 110,895
31. Raised by Wolves (2020–2022)
TV-MA | 55 min | Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Androids are tasked with raising human children on a mysterious planet.
Stars: Travis Fimmel, Amanda Collin, Abubakar Salim, Winta McGrath
Votes: 86,522
32. The 4400 (2004–2007)
TV-14 | 43 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
As the reappearance of 4,400 missing persons on a single day confounds the global community, federal agents on the case slowly discover the ways in which the victims have been changed.
Stars: Jacqueline McKenzie, Joel Gretsch, Patrick John Flueger, Conchita Campbell
Votes: 46,874
33. The Walking Dead (2010–2022)
TV-MA | 45 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma to learn the world is in ruins and must lead a group of survivors to stay alive.
Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan
Votes: 1,081,373
34. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton
Votes: 135,912
35. Orphan Black (2013–2017)
TV-MA | 44 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A streetwise hustler is pulled into a compelling conspiracy after witnessing the suicide of a girl who looks just like her.
Stars: Tatiana Maslany, Dylan Bruce, Jordan Gavaris, Kevin Hanchard
Votes: 116,930
36. Fringe (2008–2013)
TV-14 | 46 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
An F.B.I. agent is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist and his son in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.
Stars: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Jasika Nicole
Votes: 257,418
37. 12 Monkeys (2015–2018)
TV-14 | 42 min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery
Follows the journey of a time traveler from the post-apocalyptic future who appears in present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will nearly destroy the human race.
Stars: Aaron Stanford, Amanda Schull, Noah Bean, Barbara Sukowa
Votes: 48,696
38. Life on Mars (2006–2007)
TV-14 | 959 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
After a near-fatal car accident, smart, savvy, sharp-suited detective Sam is mysteriously transported back to 1973. Confused by his new surroundings, Sam tries to return to the present, but the police force of long ago needs his help.
Stars: John Simm, Philip Glenister, Liz White, Dean Andrews
Votes: 32,360
39. Russian Doll (2019–2022)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
A cynical young woman in New York City keeps dying and returning to the party that's being thrown in her honor on that same evening. She tries to find a way out of this strange time loop.
Stars: Natasha Lyonne, Charlie Barnett, Greta Lee, Elizabeth Ashley
Votes: 107,029
40. Farscape (1999–2003)
TV-14 | 50 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Thrown into a distant part of the universe, an Earth astronaut finds himself part of a fugitive alien starship crew.
Stars: Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Anthony Simcoe, Lani John Tupu
Votes: 40,262
41. Caprica (2009–2010)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Two families, the Graystones and the Adamas, live together on a peaceful planet known as Caprica, where a startling breakthrough in artificial intelligence brings about unforeseen consequences.
Stars: Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson, Alessandra Torresani
Votes: 26,172
42. Space: 1999 (1975–1977)
TV-14 | 50 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
The crew of Moonbase Alpha must struggle to survive when a massive explosion throws the Moon from Earths orbit and into deep space.
Stars: Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Nick Tate, Zienia Merton
Votes: 9,428
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