Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) stares ahead angrily with blood from her nose in Stranger Things Season 5.
The genre of sci-fi, aka science fiction, can be an umbrella for a number of different stories. From TV shows that explore time travel and dangerous extraterrestrials to dystopian shows about the power of technology, sci-fi shows can approach a series of subjects, all while leaving viewers at the edge of their seats.
Over the years, Netflix has proved that time and time again with a TV sci-fi catalog that spans from Black Mirror and Stranger Things, to Germany's first Netflix original series, Dark. Check out our favorite sci-fi shows available to stream on Netflix below. 1 'The Rain' The Danish TV series The Rain might have a simple premise, but it's still one of the most effective shows on the list. Five years after a virus-infected rain wiped most of the planet, siblings Simone and Rasmus emerge from their bunker in an attempt to find their dad, a scientist who's potentially behind it all, and anyone who can give them answers. In their search, they join a small group of survivors, together facing danger from both the infected environment and the desperate people left behind. Throughout its three seasons, the series balances its sci-fi elements with heart and emotion. After all, while it's a story of two siblings facing never-before-seen danger and life-threatening moments, it's essentially a human story about hope, love and family. Plus, the mysteries surrounding the virus and the sudden outbreak will have viewers guessing until the very last episode. 2 'Supacell' One of the most unique sci-fi series on Netflix is the Rapman-created show Supacell. The series follows five Black residents of South London as they discover they have superpowers. Among them are time traveler Michael , psychic Sabrina , super-strong Andre , speedster Rodney , and invisible gang leader"Tazer" . While they don't know each other at first, they soon unite against a mysterious organization that's been hunting others like them. With Rapman as the creator, the series sets itself apart in both tone and perspective. Unlike so many of the sci-fi shows out there, these characters' motivations are personal, fighting for themselves and their loved ones' safety, not to stop the destruction of the world. Plus, by not shying away from the real-life struggles of these Londoners, the show blends social commentary with all the action and twists sci-fi lovers crave. 3 'Travelers' Starring Will & Grace's very own Eric McCormack, the three-season series Travelers is one of the most overlooked TV shows on this list, and it doesn't deserve it. The Canadian series takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where a team of operatives, aka the"travelers," are sent back to the 21st century, assume the lives of seemingly random people, and perform missions in order to save the future of humanity. But while the premise might seem straightforward, what Travelers excels at was balancing the show's action-packed and high-stakes missions with the real lives of the humans they inhabit. While maintaining their identities as a single mom, a woman who suffered brain damage, and a heroin addict, and more, the travelers' mission proves to be more complex and layered. Through those lives, the series examined morality, grief, and identity with a restraint rarely seen in genre television. As such, the show becomes much more than a sci-fi show with time travel: It's a unique view on humanity, and the price one might pay to save the world. 4 'The Lazarus Project' The two-season sci-fi thriller The Lazarus Project, which originally aired in the UK on Sky Max back in June 2022, was a true hit with critics. Earning a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the show proved to have the perfect blend of sci-fi, action and thought-provoking moral dilemmas. The series follows main character George as he finds himself in a time loop, no longer being able to distinguish a nightmare from reality. That's when he is enlisted into The Lazarus Project, a top secret organization dedicated to preventing mass extinction events and with the ability to make time go backwards to stop them from ever taking place. It's the TV show version of Jake Gyllenhaal's Source Code, if you will. Every year on July 1, a checkpoint is created, and at any point in the next twelve months, if disaster strikes, the team can reset the timeline back to that day. But only to that day, not before or after. So if they’ve solved the crisis, they will move forward. If they haven't, they keep reliving the same year again and again until they get it right. 5 'Dark' Germany's first Netflix original series Dark did more than just establish the country's presence on the platform — it left viewers waiting for more. The series spanned three enthralling seasons and is one of Netflix's highest-rated shows on IMDb of all time. Dark follows the events after the disappearance of two children in the small town of Winden. As four families search for them, their intertwined secrets and destinies come to light. While the series starts out deceptively simplistic, it rapidly evolves into a complex, interwoven narrative beyond the realms of physics and understanding, establishing numerous intersecting plotlines and timeframes through time travel. It's the type of series you might need a notebook for to keep up, but doing so is well worth it. As the mysteries unravel, Dark becomes totally mind-boggling, leaving critics and viewers alike impressed and oftentimes speechless . 6 'Black Mirror' Black Mirror is such a unique, trailblazing TV show that no short description of it would do it justice. Created by Charlie Brooker in 2011, the anthology series tells standalone stories in which near-future technology exposes the darkest corners of human behavior. Through completely different stories in each episode, with their very own casts, themes and takeaways, Black Mirror thrives on its versatility and adaptability. Some dystopian episodes, like"Be Right Back" and"San Junipero" can be more tender and hopeful, while others, like"White Bear" and the unforgettable pilot episode"The National Anthem" can be downright horrifying. In each season, viewers press play and buckle in for an eye-opening experience, one that leaves viewers, regardless of what episode they watch, hyper aware of the power and influence of technology in their daily lives. With such a unique structure, Black Mirror has carved its own category on Netflix, with fans knowing their favorite episode titles by heart, with the ability to watch them over and over again to their heart's content. 7 '3 Body Problem' Based on Liu Cixin's eponymous 2008 Chinese novel, 3 Body Problem is an epic sci-fi thriller that you might need to watch a few times to fully grasp. The series follows a group of young scientists in the present day who uncover a chilling truth: Earth has made contact with an alien civilization, and they're preparing to invade. At the same time, a hardened detective investigates a series of suicides by brilliant scientists decades prior. As both storylines unfold, all clues lead to a scientist in China in the 1960s who makes a fateful decision that changes the course of history. In addition to a star-studded ensemble cast featuring Benedict Wong, Jess Hong, Eiza González, and John Bradley, 3 Body Problem has sprawling visuals, rich world-building and a series of mysteries that make up a complex, intricate puzzle. With each episode, viewers are left with more and more questions, making the series not only a must-watch, but one you might have to watch a few times to fully figure out. 8 'Stranger Things' There's no talking of Netflix sci-fi shows without mentioning Stranger Things. The series, which is gearing up for its fifth and final season in November, has thrilled fans since the very first episode, and has only continued to grow since. Season 4, for instance, became Netflix's third most-watched TV show of all time, racking up 140,700,000 views in just the first 91 days of release. Stranger Things follows a group of kids from Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s, who see bizarre things happening in their town after a young psychokinetic girl called Eleven opens a door to the Upside Down, an alternate dimension that isn’t too friendly with earthlings. The mystery only deepens when their friend Will goes missing, and the group of friends embarks on a treacherous journey for answers. The series is filled with daring yet grounded performances, twists that have fans guessing at every turn, and an alternate dimension filled with so many monsters it'll keep them up at night. Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Your comment has not been saved Like Stranger Things TV-14 Drama Mystery Horror Science Fiction 52 9.3/10 Release Date 2016 - 2025 Network Netflix Showrunner Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer Directors Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz Cast See All Writers Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock Main Genre Drama Seasons 5 Producers Rand Geiger, Justin Doble Franchise Stranger Things Creator Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer Story By The Duffer Brothers Streaming Service Netflix Executive Producer Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Curtis Gwinn, Cindy Holland, Karl Gajdusek Powered by Expand Collapse
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