History has seen many an exceptional science fiction TV show, but it’s no coincidence that several of the greatest of all time take place in outer space. Indeed, the cosmos has always seemed to be one of the most fascinating settings possible for sci-fi stories, which makes it no surprise that shows like The Expanse and Battlestar Galactica have found such success telling stories among the stars. Of course, it’s one thing for a show to be truly set in space and a wholly different thing for space to play a modest role in a show.
Regardless, there have been eight particular series over the years which have proven that it’s perfectly possible for a sci-fi show set in space to be genuinely perfect. These shows are all fully deserving of a 10/10 rating, and have indeed been able to please audiences over the years and stand the test of time like only the best genre shows in history ever can. Exciting, creative, and incredibly entertaining from pilot to series finale, they’re all essential viewing for people who love sci-fi television.
‘Farscape’ (1999–2003)
Created by Rockne S. O’Bannon and co-produced by Hallmark and The Jim Henson Company, the Australian space sci-fi show Farscape is among the biggest cult classics that sci-fi television has ever produced. One of those classic sci-fi shows that are still worth binge-watching today, it tells the story of John Crichton (Ben Browder), a modern-day American astronaut who accidentally gets sucked through a wormhole into a distant part of the universe, where he joins a starship’s crew while running from a ruthless military empire.
Farscape is frequently hailed as one of the most perfect space opera masterpieces that the small screen has ever seen.
Delectably weird and chaotic in all the right ways, Farscape is frequently hailed as one of the most perfect space opera masterpieces that the small screen has ever seen, and it isn’t hard to see all the reasons why. With some exquisite and downright groundbreaking practical special effects, world-building of the utmost narrative depth, and character dynamics that allow the show to convey an awful ton of heart, it has the perfect blend between absurdist camp and genuinely dramatic storytelling.
‘The Expanse’ (2015–2022)
Based on the series of novels of the same name by James S. A. Corey (the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck), The Expanse is one of the most perfect sci-fi shows worth watching over and over again. It takes place in a colonized solar system on the brink of war between Earth, Mars, and the asteroid belt, following a rogue ship crew and a hardened detective who stumble upon a dangerous alien conspiracy.
Widely praised as one of the modern hard sci-fi shows with the most masterful scientific realism, The Expanse is a neo-noir space opera that feels unlike anything else the genre has produced in years. Without having produced a single bad episode over the course of six exceptional seasons, The Expanse spent that time building deeply human character arcs and a plot infused with sweeping political complexity, stunning world-building, and grounded themes.
‘Babylon 5’ (1994–1998)
In the history of not only science fiction television, but American broadcast television as a whole, there’s a “before Babylon 5” and an “after Babylon 5“. In a twist that was quite unusual at the time, this space opera was devised as an almost entirely serialized “novel for television,” where each season would serve as a chapter in that novel. The story? That of a space station in the mid-23rd century, which becomes a diplomatic hub for a massive galactic war and a struggle against human totalitarianism.
Though such an intense level of serialization was almost unprecedented for American cable television at the time, Babylon 5 has nevertheless aged beautifully, and is still one of those classic sci-fi shows better than most new series. On top of being highly influential, its quasi-Shakespearean, mature political realism, timeless themes, and brilliantly constructed character arcs make it irresistibly entertaining from beginning to end.
‘Andor’ (2022–2025)
Going into 2022, people were, at best, skeptical about Andor. After all, how good could a spin-off prequel show to a spin-off prequel movie really be? In the end, it turned out that the answer was “really damn good.” There are those, in fact, who would confidently say that this gripping space thriller about the eponymous thief (Diego Luna) turning into a dedicated revolutionary is the best that the Star Wars franchise has been since Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm.
One of those sci-fi shows that are perfect for a weekend binge, Andor may only be 24 episodes long, but it’s such a sprawling and ambitious critique of fascist violence and authoritarian oppression that its effects last a lifetime. It’s both perfectly written and technically perfect, a combination that the franchise as a whole has remarkably rarely seen to this admirable a degree.
‘Cowboy Bebop’ (1998–1999)
As one of the shows that greatly helped to popularize anime television among Western audiences in the late ’90s and early 2000s, saying that Cowboy Bebop is one of the most influential animated shows in sci-fi history would be an understatement. This neo-noir space Western is set in the year 2071, following a ragtag crew of space-faring bounty hunters as they chase criminals across the solar system, desperately trying to outrun ghosts from their own pasts.
The result of such an instantly gripping premise is one of the truest masterpieces of ’90s anime. Incredibly daring and enticing in tone and narrative, Cowboy Bebop couples that aesthetic perfection with a deep philosophical meditation on themes like loneliness, existentialism, and the inescapable nature of the past. All in all, it’s a genre-blending creative triumph that transcends the anime medium entirely, worthy of being praised as one of the greatest TV shows of all time—regardless of genre.
‘Firefly’ (2002–2003)
Though Firefly is perhaps best known for having been canceled well before its time, it’s nonetheless one of the most perfect sci-fi shows of the last 25 years. It truly is one of the greatest single-season TV shows in the history of science fiction, following a veteran captain (Nathan Fillion) and the misfit crew of a small transport spaceship as they survive on the outer edges of the galaxy.
Some incredible production values, one of the most iconic ensemble casts in the history of sci-fi television, a deeply endearing set of characters, an enthralling space Western aesthetic—what’s not to love about Firefly? Over the course of 14 of the most fun episodes in all sci-fi television, this exquisitely unique space opera is able to craft a universe that feels so lived-in and so richly intricate that the announced animated continuation cannot come soon enough.
‘Battlestar Galactica’ (2004–2009)
The original Battlestar Galactica from 1978 is still an iconic classic, but already felt pretty dated going into the 21st century. So, after several failed attempts to make a continuation, came the 2003 reboot miniseries and the 2004 full-length series of the same name. One of the most addictive sci-fi shows ever made, it’s about the last surviving military battleship traveling across the stars after a surprise nuclear holocaust wipes out the Twelve Colonies of humanity.
At times deeply thematically tied to the national mood that ruled post-9/11 American television, and entirely timeless from beginning to end, 2004’s Battlestar Galactica has long been regarded as one of the greatest modern sci-fi shows for a reason. With its deep moral ambiguity, its hugely intelligent writing, and some of the most stunning production values that the genre has produced in recent memory (from the wonderful visuals to Bear McCreary‘s score), it’s a true modern classic through and through.
‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ (1987–1994)
Back in 1966, Star Trek: The Original Series introduced the world to one of the greatest, most prolific, and most universally beloved science fiction media franchises of all time. It wouldn’t be until a whopping 21 years after that, however, that the small screen would see the production of what most fans would confidently call the best Star Trek show to date: The Next Generation, where Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D explore strange new worlds and boldly go where no one has gone before.
The Next Generation starts out feeling very much like “more of the same” over the course of two less-than-extraordinary seasons. Once it really picks up steam, though, it fully comes into its own and finds its own distinct identity as one of the most essential sci-fi shows for fans of the genre to watch before they kick the bucket. Wonderfully intelligent in its storytelling, with an exceptional cast, full of fun characters, and filled to the brim with iconic moments and episodes, The Next Generation may very well be the greatest sci-fi show ever to be set in outer space.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Release Date
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1987 – 1994-00-00
- Network
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Syndication
- Showrunner
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Gene Roddenberry
- Directors
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Cliff Bole, Les Landau, Winrich Kolbe, Rob Bowman, Robert Scheerer, Jonathan Frakes, Robert Wiemer, Gabrielle Beaumont, Alexander Singer, David Carson, Paul Lynch, Corey Allen, Patrick Stewart, Chip Chalmers, Joseph L. Scanlan, James L. Conway, Robert Lederman, Tom Benko, Timothy Bond, Robert Legato, Adam Nimoy, Robert Becker, David Livingston, LeVar Burton
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