Missing some exciting and captivating sci-fi? On January 15, the series 'The Last of Us' premieres, which will surely give you a lot of emotions. If that's not enough for you, here's another selection of sci-fi from different eras and for every taste...
The long-awaited HBO adaptation of the game 'The Last of Us' starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey finally premieres on January 15. This project can be classified as both horror and sci-fi, because the scenario depicted in the series is not pure fantasy but one of the possible outcomes (depending on which way the scientific wind blows).
In honor of the release of 'The Last of Us', our soul craves more sci-fi feast. And we offer you to watch the timeless classics of the genre (without 'Star Trek', but its presence is felt in almost every show listed) and a bit of something new.
Disclaimer: there will be no shows about epidemics, viruses, or zombies on this list.
'The Twilight Zone' (1959-1964)
You can't compile a list of memorable sci-fi series without including the original 'The Twilight Zone'. The project was launched by CBS in the mid-20th century and is considered one of the best anthologies, containing stories with ambiguous endings about aliens, various monsters, and, of course, people with abilities (and vices). All this thanks to and based on the stories of Rod Serling, who created the so-called 'what-a-twist' concept on television (and he was one of the first to try breaking the 'fourth wall').
This show is a classic of the genre, whose influence is felt in many series and films that came after ('The Outer Limits', 'Star Trek', 'A Nightmare on Elm Street', 'The X-Files', the list would be endless). And of course, the spirit of 'The Twilight Zone' was most revived in the updated 'The Twilight Zone' from the same CBS.
'Doctor Who' (1963 — present)
This sci-fi project is the main pride of British television and one of the longest-running series in the world. Perhaps we won't recommend the very first seasons, filmed back in the 60s or 70s; you can start with 2005, when the show returned to the small screens of TVs and laptops after a long hiatus.
The plot of 'Doctor Who' is probably known even to those who haven't watched it. But just in case, briefly: a humanoid alien calling himself the Doctor travels through cosmic universes in a phone booth (spaceship), defeats villains, and helps save Earth from various alien invasions.
Throughout the series' run, the main role was played by different actors — among the recent ones are David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and Christopher Eccleston. The Thirteenth Doctor from 2018-2022 was Jodie Whittaker. The fourteenth season with the new Doctor played by Ncuti Gatwa — star of 'Sex Education' — is expected to premiere in November 2023.
'Quantum Leap' (1989-1993)
Another sci-fi classic that started and inspired many other series about space-time travel. Despite the show's outdated graphics and special effects (though at the time of release it all looked more impressive for television capabilities), its ideas were striking. And they probably still are, since NBC took on the development of a new series in the 'Quantum Leap' universe after more than 20 years.
The plot of the original show centers on Dr. Sam Beckett, who developed the quantum accelerator technology. Thanks to the invention, he can 'leap' into someone else's body at different time periods in the past. Taking on the appearance of another person, the main character each time tries to correct some historical mistake and change the past for the benefit of the future.
'Babylon 5' (1993-1998)
Mentioning the classics of television sci-fi, one cannot miss the 90s sci-fi show 'Babylon 5' — a prime example of quality space opera. The series tells about a space station — a kind of neutral territory where diplomats reside — whose main task is to maintain peace between different alien civilizations, as well as ensure trade and cooperation between them. Unsurprisingly, this station eventually becomes the birthplace of political intrigues and conflicts.
Through 'Babylon 5', the authors reflected on the international situation in the world, social upheavals and their impact on the development of humanity and individual states, etc. This is an adult sci-fi show that borrowed ideas and issues from politics, religion, and philosophy of different eras.
Subsequently, video games were even created expanding the universe of 'Babylon 5'. And it's possible that we may soon see a reboot of the show, inspired and supplemented by 21st-century ideas.
'Stargate SG-1' (1997-2007)
The 'Stargate' universe began in 1994, and 'Stargate SG-1', which started in 1997, became another branch in the overall history of the project. The series strengthened the franchise and added new locations, ideas, and characters.
The main plot of 'Stargate SG-1' is that a team of researchers — heroes trained in combat skills — uses the stargate technology to travel to other worlds and races (potentially to find a new home), and also tries to protect Earth from the invasion of alien enemies — the Goa'uld.
If you didn't grow up on the 'Star Wars' or 'Star Trek' franchises, you were probably in the company of the guys from 'Stargate'. And if this series still passed you by, then maybe now is the time for this television sci-fi.
'Firefly' (2002)
This is a cult series in the space western genre, created by Joss Whedon (long before the barrage of criticism and scandals over Zack Snyder's 'Justice League' reworking). Appearing on screens in 2002 and lasting only one season, 'Firefly' set the quality bar in its genre and continues to ideologically influence many sci-fi shows even now. And in 2005, due to fan pressure, Universal Pictures together with Whedon released the feature film 'Serenity' to logically conclude the adventures of the crew.
The number of references to 'Firefly' in various projects grows every year, as does the fan base. Moreover, these are often not genre relatives, but, for example, the police procedural 'Castle', where Nathan Fillion (actor from 'Firefly') lovingly dresses up in the costume of the captain of the ship 'Serenity'. Or 'The Big Bang Theory'. In 2015, the series 'Con Man' was released — a parody with Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion about the lives of former 'Firefly' actors.
If you haven't yet enjoyed this sci-fi creation, here's a brief synopsis to whet your appetite. At the center of the plot is the crew of the 'Firefly'-class ship 'Serenity' (they are also smugglers), who earn money by transporting goods and people, as well as robberies and various not-quite-legal activities, while simultaneously getting into curious situations.
'Battlestar Galactica' (2004-2009)
At the center of the story is a battlestar named 'Galactica', which turns out to be the last refuge of humanity when their planet is captured by Cylons — a cybernetic civilization once created by humans themselves. The survivors set out to find a new home, or rather a new Earth (the old one is no longer functional), which is mentioned in ancient legends.
Despite the series being filmed essentially in the early 2000s, the plot of the first two seasons (at least) presents an interesting mix of political ideologies, astrology, Western and Eastern religions, and various cultures (the creators especially love Eastern motifs in the music). The characters are well-written, the graphics are quite decent for that time (and for TV), and the interiors of the ship, as well as the entire universe of 'Battlestar Galactica', are well thought out. There's a bit of espionage, detective work, and space opera. By the way, the main villains, the Cylons, can be encountered, for example, in the new sci-fi series 'The Orville' by Seth MacFarlane.
In addition to the 4 seasons that aired from 2004 to 2009, there are also 2 large episodes from 2003 (prequel) that describe how the Cylon attack began and everyone ended up trapped on the ship. As well as the spin-off 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor' specifically about the crew of the 'Pegasus'.
'The Expanse' (2015-2022)
Despite 'The Expanse' being developed and filmed already in the 21st century, and not like most of the listed projects in the mid or late 20th century, this series was highly praised and recognized as a quality science fiction drama.
The sci-fi show is based on the books by James S.A. Corey (a pseudonym for two authors, Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck). The world of 'The Expanse' is a world of the (distant) future, where human beings live not only on Earth but also on Mars, the Moon, and even on the outer edges of the Solar System (the Belt). At the center of the plot is the crew of the ship 'Rocinante', who become embroiled in geopolitical intrigues and a long-standing conflict between the leaders of different human habitats.
The series was canceled in 2022 after the sixth season. Despite the fact that the authors logically concluded many storylines, there is enough room for plot development, and there is also a literary continuation of the story. Perhaps new seasons will appear if another platform buys the show (the series was released by Prime Video).
'BrainDead' (2016)
The first and only season of 'BrainDead', released on CBS in 2016, is not pure sci-fi, but a project in the genre of political satire + science fiction. Nevertheless, its close relatives can be called, for example, '' and 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' (a parody of it). By the way, one of the executive producers of 'BrainDead' was the famous sci-fi enthusiast Ridley Scott.
While Tim Burton's series 'Wednesday' is breaking records one after another on Netflix, our team decided to choose the 10 best projects of the master of gothic and unconventional cinema.
Open materialThe plot of this dark satire with elements of sci-fi revolves around the work of government officials who have to make (hopeless and stupid) decisions on a state scale. At the same time, their approaches are sometimes so incomprehensible, as if not of this world. Hence the possible explanation-suspicion: alien insects have taken over the officials, and they are actually the source of all human troubles.
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