The sci-fi genre is expanding to include more shows that toe the line between sci-fi and drama, and I’m all for this “light sci-fi” slant. It started for me in a big way with Orphan Black, which I absolutely loved. Then there were shows like Person of Interest, which slowly morphed from network procedural to one of the best sci-fi shows on television. Before I knew it, I had become a bona fide sci-fi fan.
For others, however, hard sci-fi has always been the way to go, with shows like The X-Files, Star Trek, and Battlestar Galactica ranking among favorites. Then, there are newer shows like The Expanse, Black Mirror, and Severance, plus series that take a blended sci-fi stance like Paradise. If you’re really into hard sci-fi and find these shows too mainstream, I’ve included some hard sci-fi gems that have long been forgotten.
Why You Should Trust Me: I watch a lot of TV and have been writing about TV for about 12 years. While I have long preferred light sci-fi shows, I have gotten more into the hard sci-fi genre. I have watched several of these forgotten sci-fi series and know a lot about the others and why they are so popular. As I’m also a technology writer, I have a deeper understanding of AI-centric plots, and know how much they can potentially mirror reality.
Honorable Mentions:
‘Farscape’ (1999–2003): The sci-fi series, which hails from The Jim Henson Company and Hallmark Entertainment, features an ensemble cast of characters who escape from a military organization called the Peacekeepers. The story begins with astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder), who accidentally flies into a wormhole. Farscape aired for four seasons, and a three-hour miniseries followed its abrupt cancellation to wrap up loose ends. Although a web series was planned, Farscape has become all but forgotten, despite its intriguing premise.
‘Space: 1999’ (1975–1977): The British sci-fi series Space: 1999 told the story of researchers residing in a scientific research center on the crater Plato, located in the Moon’s Northern Hemisphere. The story suggests that a thermonuclear explosion has occurred on the Moon, leaving everyone stranded in deep space. Space: 1999 was considered visually stunning for its time, and although it was criticized for its scientific inaccuracies, it was fun. It also clearly inspired many others.
‘Orphan Black’ (2013–2017)
An Incredible Multi-Character Performance From the Lead
Orphan Black hasn’t necessarily been forgotten. There was even a spin-off in 2022 called Orphan Black: Echoes, although admittedly, it’s not worth watching. However, Orphan Black is one of those underrated masterpiece sci-fi series that people love but rarely talk about. Meanwhile, those who haven’t seen it yet often say they will, but never get around to it. It’s one of the most compelling sci-fi stories on television with an incredible performance by lead actor Tatiana Maslany. She plays 17 different clones, five of whom are main characters who often appear in the same scenes. (Her body double also deserved an Emmy.)
It’s worth watching to see how Maslany captures the individual essence of each character with such ease and distinctiveness. Orphan Black also tells a thought-provoking story about the morality and ethics of cloning, as well as what it means to be human. Over five seasons, the sci-fi thriller takes you on a journey with Sarah Manning (Maslany) as she meets her clones, and they band together to fight back against the establishment that created them.
Skip This: If you’re not interested in a show about cloning and don’t want something with a few campy and far-fetched plotlines.
Watch This: If you want to see a masterclass in acting from one of this generation’s greatest actors.
‘Travelers’ (2016–2018)
A Post-Apocalyptic, Futuristic Tale
What if time travel were possible? That’s the premise that the sci-fi series Travelers explores. Operatives in the post-apocalyptic future have their consciousnesses sent back in time and placed in the host body of someone about to die in the present day. They reside in these people for the remainder of their lives. Their goal is to prevent a catastrophic world event by saving someone else.
Starring Eric McCormack, who also serves as a producer, Travelers was one of the earliest shows to consider the concept of transferring a person’s consciousness. It’s fast-paced and unpredictable, with host bodies ranging from single moms to college students, and every episode feels fresh.
Skip This: If you’ve grown tired of shows that explore the idea of transferring consciousness.
Watch This: If you love fast-paced narratives and characters that present moral dilemmas instead of being black and white and good and evil.
‘Between’ (2015–2016)
A Ridiculous But Entertaining Hidden Gem
Hailing from Canada as a co-production between Citytv and Netflix, Between is a sci-fi drama that might make you roll your eyes. Set in the small town of Pretty Lake, a mysterious disease seems to be killing everyone in town. Well, not everyone. Those 22 and older are the only ones who are affected. Before long, the town is left with only teenagers and people in their early 20s. They are quarantined, cut off from the rest of the world, and left to fend for themselves as the disease ravages them and conflict arises.
Looking at the difficult decisions these young adults need to make, Between has some memorable moments that hark back to movies like Lord of the Flies. It’s an entertaining, unconventional, and campy coming-of-age story with a sci-fi twist. The high-stakes mystery draws you in, and it also features a dark role for star Jennette McCurdy.
Skip This: If you’re looking for something that bucks clichés and features more impressive acting and more likable characters.
Watch This: If you like the idea of shows with young adults as the stars and dystopian narratives that show a town descending into chaos.
‘NeXt’ (2020)
A Show That Had Promise, But Also An Expiry Date
NeXt had such promise with a great cast and a topical story. However, the underrated sci-fi crime drama missed the mark, largely because it didn’t have a viable narrative that could last. John Slattery plays Paul LeBlanc, a brilliant former tech CEO who has become worried about the influence and power of technology and AI. However, he’s suffering from a degenerative brain disease. With only a few months to live, he enlists the help of FBI special agent Shea Salazar (Fernanda Andrade) to help him take down a rogue AI.
NeXt is more relevant today since AI is everywhere. Many wondered how the series could continue once Paul, the heart of the show, would inevitably die. The series was canceled before the first season finished airing. However, the show was intriguing, and the relevant premise draws you in.
Skip This: If you have AI content fatigue and want a show that continues beyond just a single season.
Watch This: If you love traditional cat-and-mouse type shows with high intensity and urgency, timely themes of AI, and John Slattery’s acting.
‘Devs’ (2020)
A Deep Dive Into Free Will and Tech Dominance
The sci-fi thriller miniseries Devs starring Nick Offerman is one of the most underrated sci-fi shows of the 2020s. Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno) is a software engineer who investigates the mysterious death of her boyfriend on the first day he started working for the Devs team at the same company. Offerman plays Forest, the CEO of the company Amaya.
Devs explores topics of free will and is set in the busy tech hub of Silicon Valley. Featuring a talented cast that also includes Jin Ha, Cailee Spaeny, and Alison Pill, the series touches on philosophical topics and has stunning visuals as well. The acting is excellent, too.
Skip This: If you don’t like stories with slower pacing and that trade some of the sci-fi themes for heavy-handed preaching.
Watch This: If you love murder mysteries with an existential slant, heavy tech themes, and conversations about free will and determinism.
‘Firefly’ (2002)
A Cult Following After Cancellation
Firefly developed a cult following despite only lasting a single season of 14 episodes, and its cancellation remains one of TV’s greatest tragedies. Nathan Fillion stars in the Western space drama set in the year 2517 as humans enter a new star system. The crew aboard Serenity does their best to survive. While the setting has changed from Earth to space, the same political, moral, and ethical issues exist.
The show was like nothing else on television and remains one of the most unique, blending sci-fi with Western themes and at times oddball storylines. As far as imaginative shows go, Firefly takes the cake. While those who love it haven’t forgotten it, the passage of time means it’s talked about less and less.
Skip This: If you’re looking for more traditional hard sci-fi without interference from other genres like Westerns and space operas.
Watch This: If you want to see what all the fuss is about, dive into a hard sci-fi show that subverts its genre and explores the story in a way you might not expect.
‘Westworld’ (2016–2022)
A Creepy Adult Playground With AI Hosts
When Westworld was released on HBO, it was all people could talk about for a little while. The series tells the story of an adult playground created by a corporation, where wealthy adults can pay to play. They live out their deepest and darkest fantasies. They become heroes of their own stories, acting like cowboys to shoot down enemies in a bar brawl, sleeping with beautiful women, and riding off into the sunset. They can play scenarios over and over again because everyone who works there is actually an android host. However, you would never know, as they look and act human, the product of incredible technological innovation. However, as the plot progresses, you begin to understand that there’s more behind the project than meets the eye. And when the androids start to become sentient, that leads to a frightening revolt.
Westworld lost its way in the final seasons as the story left the confines of the playground and started to take weird turns. But the first few seasons of the show based on the 1973 movie of the same name are brilliant and thought-provoking. I have to mention, though, that Westworld was removed from HBO in 2022, so you’ll have to buy or rent it to watch.
Skip This: If you’ve had enough of shows about AI and robots and don’t want to be disappointed by the lackluster final season that takes a sharp pivot in the plot and setting.
Watch This: If you loved the 1973 movie and want to marvel in this fictional fantasy world and the stunning backdrops, compelling story, and fantastic acting.
‘Wayward Pines’ (2015–2016)
A Duffer Brothers Show That Predates ‘Stranger Things’
Lasting just two seasons, Wayward Pines is a mystery sci-fi series based on the novel series of the same name by Blake Crouch. It begins with the investigation into the disappearance of two U.S. Secret Service agents. Ethan Burke (Matt Dillon) wakes up in a strange town where he finds one of the agents dead and another alive and residing there. Apparently, everyone in the town is trapped by an electric fence and under the rule of the tyrannical Sheriff Arnold Pope (Terrence Howard).
The chilling story that arguably paved the way for shows like Stranger Things (and the Duffer Brothers wrote several episodes) explodes from there. Ethan reunites with his wife and son and tries to figure out what’s going on and how he got there. It’s tense and psychologically driven, with a huge plot twist that will keep you glued to the screen.
Skip This: If you don’t like dark sci-fi with a small-town vibe, survival stories with a hint of horror, and massive twists that flip the script halfway through.
Watch This: If you like fast-paced stories. The first season is intense, making it a binge-worthy show.
‘Odyssey 5’ (2002)
Space Travel in the Wake of the Earth’s Destruction
Back in 2002, this Canadian sci-fi series debuted on Showtime in the U.S. Created by Manny Coto, who also created the show NeXt and worked on series like Star Trek: Enterprise and American Horror Story, Odyssey 5 is about five space travelers who are given the chance to travel back in time to prevent the destruction of Earth. Featuring interesting characters including disembodied AIs called Sentients and humanoid robots, the series has all the right elements to make for a compelling sci-fi show.
Despite receiving high praise and starring well-known character actor Peter Weller, Odyssey 5 was cancelled after its first 19-episode season. Coto talked about reviving it at some point, but his death in 2023 closed the door on the concept for good. Odyssey 5 remains one of those forgotten sci-fi shows that hard sci-fi fans should check out if they haven’t already.
Skip This: If you want something that goes longer than a single season and would be angered by a cliffhanger ending with no resolution in sight.
Watch This: If you like shows with bizarre premises and a heavy focus on AI, along with those that explore the concept of time travel.
‘The 100’ (2014–2020)
All Post-Apocalyptic Hope Hinges on Troubled Youths
Based on the young adult novel series by Kass Morgan, The 100 focuses on a group of young delinquents in a post-apocalyptic world who are sent from the space station orbiting Earth to see if the planet where they once lived is still habitable. When they arrive, the kids realize there are factions of people who survived the catastrophic nuclear event. They have all become very different from what they used to be, and are at war.
The 100, a sci-fi action series that defined the 2010s, tells a familiar story that has the feeling of “we are not alone.” But it’s not humans finding aliens, but rather humans finding surviving other humans who are cannibals, mountain men, and more, all fighting one another for power.
Skip This: If you’re tired of post-apocalyptic stories that present moral and survival questions and show competing groups duking it out for dominance.
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