Netflix has the science-fiction TV shows you’re looking for. Sure, the powerhouse streamer is packed with all types of entertainment, but it absolutely does not skimp on the genre goods. In recent years, the platform has acquired syndicated hits originally from other networks, which has helped bolster an already strong programming slate.
When discussing Netflix originals, Black Mirror and Stranger Things are always good options. But if you want to delve deeper into its genre catalog and don’t know where to start, don’t fret; I’ve got you covered.
Whether you want something bleak and dystopian or light-hearted and fun, the streamer has the sci-fi TV shows you’re looking for.
I’ve curated a helpful guide to send you on your way to catching some awesome science-fiction entertainment. Scroll on for the best Netflix sci-fi TV shows you should be watching. Check back regularly, as I’ll be updating this list monthly.
Heroes
Before the CW’s Arrowverse capitalized on the superhero genre for TV audiences, Heroes hit NBC with the idea of ordinary people discovering they have extraordinary abilities. What followed was a fun twist on the good vs. evil expectations that often come with the comic book genre. “Save the cheerleader; save the world.” Find out what that tagline means by clicking play.
Paramount Plus released this live-action series, which was inspired by the popular video game franchise, in 2022. The show follows the iconic Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) and his crew of supersoldier Spartans as they endure an ongoing war against the brutal alien race known as the Covenant. The show diverts from the canon of the games and books and lasted two seasons.
The Flash
It feels like ages since the Arrowverse was alive and kicking on The CW. One of my favorite shows from that time is The Flash, which still feels like the best adaptation of the comic. Grant Gustin stars as Barry Allen (also known as The Flash) in the series, which ran for nine seasons. This fun series is full of comic book action, emotional stakes and smart writing.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow is the most fun I’ve had watching a CW superhero series. That’s probably due to the show’s time travel premise, which follows a group of lesser-known heroes and villains who voyage to different points in time to ward off all types of threats. If this premise sounds like Doctor Who to you, you’re not alone. The show features former Doctor Who companion actor Arthur Darvill as Rip Hunter, the Time Master who helms the Waverider, the ship they travel on.
The Boroughs
The Boroughs is executive produced by the Duffer Brothers, but this isn’t Stranger Things. Well, there are some similarities, but instead of children banding together to fight monsters, this show follows old people who do it. The cast is stacked with genre legends, making it an easy choice to click play on. The series leans into that nostalgic Amblin vibe from the ’80s and is set in a retirement village in the middle of the desert, where strange things are happening.
Falling Skies
Before Noah Wyle returned to the emergency room to lead HBO’s acclaimed drama The Pitt, he was fighting aliens. No, seriously. Falling Skies originally aired on TNT, so consider theThat said, Falling Skies is a fun ride
11.22.63
11.22.63 premiered on Hulu a decade ago, and it’s now resurfaced here. The series, based on an epic piece of historical fiction by Stephen King, posits the existence of a doorway that can transport you back in time. What would happen if someone went through it with the goal of saving JFK from being assassinated? That’s the question King tries to answer in the book and this show. Riveting stuff.
Pantheon
Pantheon premiered on AMC in 2022 and disappeared a year later, which is a shame because the show is solid sci-fi entertainment. The program takes place in a reality where human consciousness can be uploaded to the cloud. Netflix’s comedy Upload, which is also on this list, tackles similar subject matter. Pantheon is a lot darker and explores all sorts of hot-button issues like corporate responsibility, immortality and morality, all against a backdrop of an unraveling tech conspiracy.
Orphan Black
Discussing what Orphan Black is about would immediately put me in spoiler territory. All you really need to know is this is one of the most thought-provoking, engaging and original sci-fi programs to hit TV in the past decade. Tatiana Maslany is the highlight; she shows off her acting skills in playing a total of 17 clones here, each with their own mannerisms and accents.
Russian Doll
Russian Doll
Time loop stories are nothing new in the sci-fi world, but Russian Doll still manages to etch its own unique space in the genre. Natasha Lyonne stars as a woman who gets stuck in said loop on her 36th birthday — every time she dies, she restarts her day. Themes of grief, generational trauma and addiction permeate the show, making this more than a simple run-of-the-mill comedy.
Resident Alien
Resident Alien, like Orphan Black, is not a Netflix Original series. However, I believe both shows deserve to be included on this list — not just because they’re currently streaming on Netflix, but because their cult-like status tells me more people need to be introduced to them. Alan Tudyk stars as an alien residing among humans, trying to follow through on a world domination mission. The only problem? He sorta likes being human. He’s just not that great at it.
I Am Not Okay With This
It’s one thing to be a teenager and navigate the awkward elements that high school life has to throw at you. But add some newfound superpowers into the mix, and the challenges become even more complicated. This is basically what I Am Not Okay With This is about. The series is based on Charles Forsman’s graphic novel, and there is only one season. After being renewed, the show was ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in 2020 and budgetary issues.
Joko Anwar’s Nightmares and Daydreams
It’s sort of expected that when a new genre anthology series premieres, someone will eventually compare it to The Twilight Zone. Well, that’s exactly what I’m going to do with Joko Anwar’s Nightmares and Daydreams. The new seven-episode anthology series leans heavily into horror territory and does so through an Indonesian lens.
Devil May Cry
The popular video game series gets the anime treatment in Netflix’s Devil May Cry. The gist in a nutshell: Dante, a charismatic demon hunter, has to, well, hunt demons to save humanity. Power Rangers alum Johnny Yong Bosch supplies the voice for Dante in the action-packed series co-created by Castlevania and Dredd producer Adi Shankar.
Stranger Things
Stranger Things caught on like wildfire when the genre series quietly premiered its first season on Netflix in 2016. What began as an homage to ’80s cinema, with callouts to E.T., Dungeons & Dragons, Goonies and the works of Stephen King, has blossomed into a layered and sweeping sci-fi adventure. The program follows a group of kids in Hawkins, Indiana, who, after meeting a mysterious girl they call Eleven, discover a sinister dimension hiding right under their feet. Government cover-ups, demonic hell-beasts and a cast full of beloved misfit characters make up this tour de force genre series.
The Eternaut
Netflix’s beautifully shot, postapocalyptic series is the long-awaited adaptation of the beloved Argentine graphic novel, El Eternauta, first published in 1957. The story follows Juan Salvo and a group of survivors who make it through a lethal snowstorm (where the snowflakes literally kill) only to discover the real threat against humanity isn’t a weather anomaly but an alien invasion.
Maniac
Emma Stone and Jonah Hill star in this mind-bending drama from Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective) and Patrick Somerville (The Leftovers). The 10-episode series follows Annie (Stone) and Owen (Hill) as they enter a drug trial for a medication that will allegedly cure all their problems. As you can probably guess, it doesn’t. Stone and Hill look like they’re having crazy fun throughout the program as they get to try on a variety of different characters. The addition of Sonoya Mizuno, Justin Theroux and Sally Field to the cast make this an underappreciated gem worth your attention.
Travelers
Time travel is the name of the game in this sci-fi series that flew under the radar for many. Led by Will & Grace alum Eric McCormack, the show follows a group of people whose consciousnesses are sent back in time to inhabit other people’s bodies to make humanity better by changing the past. It sounds complicated, but I assure you, it isn’t.
3 Body Problem
3 Body Problem was created by Game of Thrones alums David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, along with The Terror showrunner Alexander Woo. The show is based on the Hugo Award-winning novel by Liu Cixin. The high-concept sci-fi series connects a watershed moment in 1960s China to the present day, where a group of scientists must face an emerging global threat unlike anything humanity has ever seen.
Archive 81
This sci-fi horror series, loosely inspired by the found-footage podcast of the same name, follows a film archivist who restores documentary footage from a bunch of videotapes from 1994. Through his work, he’s sucked into a terrifying mystery surrounding the stuff on the tapes. Netflix may have only given this series one season, but it’s still a riveting watch.
The Umbrella Academy
Inspired by the comic book created by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, the series follows a group of adopted superhero siblings raised to save the world. From time travel to saving humanity from multiple apocalyptic events, the ongoing adventures of the dysfunctional Hargreeves family flip expected genre tropes on their heads. It’s weird, off-beat, hilarious and poignant.
Supacell
Supacell takes the familiar superhero narrative and flips the script. The series follows four Black people living in South London who suddenly develop superpowers. What connects each of them to their newfound abilities is their families’ histories with sickle cell disorder — a common hereditary condition. Using the genre as its narrative foundation, the show delves into the human drama that plays out among these characters while highlighting relevant cultural themes like racism, human trafficking and predatory health-care practices.
Black Mirror
Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror set the standard for what a modern-day genre anthology series can do. Each story featured throughout the series, which currently has six seasons and an interactive stand-alone movie worth visiting, takes place in a near-future world where technology has affected humanity in wonderful, strange and terrifying ways. Uplifting to horrific, Black Mirror is a brain bug of a television show that’ll keep you thinking long after the credits roll.
The OA
They broke the mold when they made The OA. The two-season series created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij follows Prairie Johnson (Marling), a young blind woman who, after being missing for seven years, returns to her family with her sight restored. Where was she all these years? How can she see? Parallel existence across multiple dimensions, that’s how. OK, that answer barely scratches the surface of this extremely unique and layered program. Come for the quantum physics — stay for the interpretive dance routines.
Like Stranger Things, Dark kicks off with the inexplicable disappearance of a child. Instead of another version of the Upside Down plaguing the town, the German series explores time travel and how a family and community can be affected when a kid goes missing. A noir slow burn that leans heavily on the horrors of generational trauma, Dark lasted three seasons on Netflix. It will definitely get under your skin.
Netflix’s 1899 was created by Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar — the same duo who brought Dark to Netflix — and follows a group of passengers aboard a ship bound for New York during the turn of the century. This is more than a run-of-the-mill period piece. As soon as things kick off, the show throws time travel, multiple dimensions, reality simulations and other bits of chaotic sci-fi elements at the screen. It may not have gotten a season 2, but there’s still a lot of genre goodness to mull over here.
Parasyte: The Grey
In Parasyte: The Grey, alien parasites land on Earth and begin turning people into shape-shifting monsters. To battle this growing Invasion of the Body Snatchers-style threat, survivors — otherwise known as “the Grey” — rise up to save humanity and the planet. Inspired by the manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki, this Korean series should please any horror and sci-fi fan.
Sense8
Matrix creators Lilly and Lana Wachowski teamed up with Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski to bring Sense8 to Netflix. The supernatural drama follows eight random people from around the world who learn they are emotionally and mentally linked. Labeled “sensates,” the group learns from one another as they literally are forced to walk in each other’s shoes and take on new and exciting skills. Things wouldn’t be complete without the inclusion of a shadowy organization that’s hunting them all down. Over two seasons, the program explored timely issues — like gender, sexuality and identity — while blending genres like telenovela, K-drama, Bollywood and Euro-noir as it hops around the globe.
Altered Carbon
Based on the book by Richard K. Morgan, Altered Carbon is set in a future world where consciousness can be moved from one body to another. Joel Kinnaman starred in the first season as ex-soldier Takeshi Kovacs. His mission to solve a murder evolves into a journey of self-discovery as he works to track down his lost love and uncover answers about his previous life. Season 2 found Anthony Mackie stepping into the role to further the cyberpunk noir tale.
Love, Death + Robots
Mixing different animation styles with live-action, Love, Death + Robots is an anthology unlike many others. The series, which has drawn comparisons to Black Mirror, dips into a multitude of standalone stories that explore a world where sentient robots, creatures and other such beings have more humanity than humanity itself.
Lost in Space
Using the 1965 series as inspiration, Lost in Space follows the Robinson family on a space mission to colonize a planet as humanity teeters on the brink of collapse. The show is heavy on family drama, which can be off-putting at times. Thanks to the sociopolitical conflict, a cool alien robot friend and Parker Posey’s deliciously villainous Dr. Smith, the show holds up.
Manifest
For its first three seasons, Manifest was an NBC original. After the network canceled the series, Netflix swooped in to revive it. The story follows the passengers of Flight 828, who end up arriving at their destination five years after originally taking off. The survivors begin having premonitions and visions that help them save others from disasters that have yet to happen. It’s sorta like Lost and Final Destination had a baby, kinda.
Alice in Borderland
Alice in Borderland is based on the manga by Haro Aso. The show follows a group of characters in a parallel version of Tokyo, where they are forced to compete in a series of twisted games to stay alive. This battle royal-style thriller will appeal to fans of life-or-death competition titles like Squid Game, The Hunger Games and Battle Royale.
