The world of science fiction is endless and
there's no shortage of new stories to tell.
But sometimes, the best sci-fi stories on
television are the ones you've never even
heard of.
Set in a small German town, Dark is a sci-fi
thriller where strange, supernatural occurrences
have exposed secrets hiding in the closets
of several families.
"Hi, nanny. Hi, grampy.”
More than living up to its title, the show
includes scenes of adultery, kidnapping, and
homicide. Plus, it's all set against the backdrop
of time travel. This Netflix series is a slow
burn and, at times, the physics of Dark's
time travel can be a little hard to follow.
But when it all comes into focus, the emotional
impact of the larger storyline is worth every
second of the journey.
"Welcome to the future."
Fans of Superman will find many reasons to
binge Syfy's prequel series Krypton. Set two
generations before the destruction of the
Man of Steel's home planet, the show focuses
on Superman's grandfather and on the choices
he must make to ensure his grandson's future
survival.
In its second season, Krypton started introducing
some DC fan favorites into the mix, including
Lobo, an intergalactic bounty hunter in the
same gritty vein as Marvel's Wolverine and
Punisher...only much cooler.
"Please stop, you’re making me blush."
Although most comic-book geeks already know
how the story turns out, Syfy has found a
way to deliver enough surprises to keep even
the most hardcore Super-fans guessing about
what will happen next.
The Expanse is based on a series of novels
by James S. A. Corey and follows a group of
future antiheroes in a space-colonized world
on the verge of war. Often compared to Battlestar
Galactica, The Expanse is a sort of space
opera that not only delivers a compelling
story but benefits from special effects that
don't feel like they belong on basic cable.
"Meow."
Luckily, if you didn't get a chance to catch
the show before it was cancelled by Syfy,
another network is giving the series a second
life. Following a huge "save-The-Expanse"
social media campaign, Amazon stepped in and
picked up the show.
"We just dodged a massive bullet."
In Netflix's The Society, a group of teens
return to their hometown to discover that
it's been mysteriously dropped into the middle
of nowhere — with no adults, no outside
resources and, worst of all, no internet.
"What? Nah. Come on."
Thrown into a reality where technology no
longer exists, these teens not only need to
adapt, they need to grow up far faster than
anyone should. Like a mash-up between Lord
of the Flies, and Lost, The Society says as
much about humanity as it does about technology.
The OA feels like nothing else that's come
before it. The show centers on a young woman
who reappears after having been kept in captivity
for seven years. But unlike most captives,
she has the ability to travel through parallel
dimensions.
This supernatural, sci-fi thriller is packed
with surprises. From questioning its main
character's mental state to throwing a huge
curveball at the end of its sophomore run,
The OA has taken nearly every twist and turn
a proper science fiction series can take...including
a guest spot from a telepathic octopus.
"What the f--- is this?”
“I just do the lights, bro."
Unfortunately, future episodes won't be twisting
and turning on Netflix — the streaming service
decided to end its involvement with the series
after its second season. But with a "save-the-OA"
campaign in full swing, one never knows when
or where the show might resurface.
Despite a few surface similarities to Rick
and Morty, Final Space is a show all its own.
This animated sci-fi comedy on Adult Swim
is the demented brain-child of Olan Rogers
— with a little help from executive producer
Conan O'Brien. It's centered on the space
adventures of Gary Godspeed and his planet-destroying
alien friend, Mooncake. Along for the ride
is a rag-tag group of intergalactic characters,
ranging from a cat-like bounty hunter to a
robot companion voiced by Fred Armisen.
"Hey, Gary! My name is Kevin, I’m your deep
space sanity avoidance companion. Nice to
meet you.”
“I already hate you."
The show's lighthearted tone perfectly balances
its often thoughtful storylines. While it
may take a few episodes to sort things out,
it's worth the trip and trippiness to see
it through.
Imagine if The Chronicles of Narnia and Harry
Potter were written for adults. The result
would be Syfy's The Magicians. This intelligent,
fun, and remarkably relevant series deals
with complex themes while dropping pop culture
references at every turn.
"You watch Battlestar, right?”
“Yeah, I love when they do terrorism allegory
with mostly white people.”
It's from the creative mind of Sera Gamble,
who spent over a decade on the CW's Supernatural.
The overall tone of the show is similar to
Supernatural but The Magicians deals with
more adult subject matter. And it does so
in a way that's conscious and inclusive...while
also throwing in the occasional epic magic
battle.
The premise of Future Man sounds a lot like
something that would have been featured in
a 1960s TV show — an underachieving janitor
travels back in time to save the world. But
in the hands of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg,
this simple time travel comedy turns into
a brilliant, star-studded misadventure that
pays homage to our greatest sci-fi films.
"The Matrix”
“Back to the Future.”
“Star Wars.”
“Terminator.”
“Mad Max."
Despite the show's second season receiving
a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Deadline
announced in April 2019 that Future Man would
call it quits after its third season on Hulu.
While Future Man might soon be a thing of
the past, it's guaranteed to go out with a
bang...and it just might save the world in
the process.
Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams features
an approach to anthology storytelling similar
to Black Mirror. Where the Amazon series differs
is in its more optimistic outlook on the future.
Drawing from various short stories by the
man who created Blade Runner and The Man in
the High Castle, Electric Dreams doesn't actually
believe the future is without hope.
"The future ain’t what it used to be."
Delivering stories that span vastly different
time periods, the series creates extraordinarily
diverse settings that explore technology in
wildly different ways. The result is modern,
but also tangible. Electric Dreams feels like
a reality that could actually happen, and
that isn't such a bad thing.
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