When it comes to sci-fi TV shows, 2024 had a lot to offer. Every entry, bar one, premiered with their first season in 2024 and to rapturous applause. While none of these entries are yet to make it into the best sci-fi TV shows of all time though, there’s plenty of story left to tell and time to make roots.
Whether it’s book adaptations or totally new tales, the sci-fi genre shone in 2024 in ways it has never done before – and we can be thankful, in part, to the wonders of technology. Plus, the potential now given to the genre through originals across streaming hubs including Paramount Plus, Disney, Netflix, and Amazon Prime.
You’ll find a lot of the entries on our list are sci-fi originals from these platforms, so checking out the best streaming deals might also help you decide what to put on your watchlist. The best sci-fi TV shows of 2024 include intergalactic missions, animated shorts, and psychological horrors. With such scope, you’ll hopefully find that our list is pretty special.
8. “3 Body Problem”
- Initial release: March 21, 2024
- Seasons: 1
- Cast: Jovan Adepo, John Bradley, Rosalind Chao, Liam Cunningham, and more
- Creators: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo
Netflix’s 3 Body Problem is based on a juggernaut of a novel of the same name by Cixin Liu. Translated for the English language, it tackles an epic envisioning of a world where an extraterrestrial civilization wants to visit, all because of one world-impacting decision made in China in the 1960s. And, they don’t appear to be good-natured. What unravels is a planetary threat that shakes humanity apart.
It was considered a hugely ambitious project to transform this complex novel into a TV show, but at the helm stands Game of Thrones’ co-creators, D. B. Weiss and David Benioff, alongside True Blood’s Alexander Woo. And, with their expertise, they deliver a show that, while incredibly complicated, is totally devourable on the streaming platform.
Turning a science-focused story literally based on a physics problem could’ve made it unreachable, but 3 Body Problem delivers a captivating and thought-provoking watch – not forgetting some incredibly cool VR headsets that create a perplexing reality that we hope to never experience.
7. “Outer Range”
- Initial release: April 15, 2022
- Seasons: 2
- Cast: Josh Brolin, Imogen Poots, Lili Taylor, and more
- Creator: Brian Watkins
Mixing sci-fi and Western is always an unusual and exciting pairing of genres – like Westworld or The Book of Eli. So, when a Josh Brolin-fronted TV show emerged from Amazon Prime, viewers were intrigued.
Akin to the likes of the incredibly popular Yellowstone, Outer Range is based on a ranching family, the Abbotts, in the fictional town of Wabang, Wyoming and a warring family, the Tillersons, who want their land.
That’s the least of their worries though as an enormous black void suddenly appears in the center of the land they’re trying to protect. Oh, and that’s after a mysterious woman called Autumn (Imogen Poots) asks to camp out there. Over two tense seasons, Royal (Josh Brolin) tries to uncover the truth, as well as investigating the disappearance of his daughter-in-law, Rebecca. Despite the positive reception, the show was unfortunately cancelled after just two seasons.
6. “Sunny”
- Initial release: July 10, 2024
- Seasons: 1
- Cast: Rashida Jones, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Joanna Sotomura, and more
- Creator: Katie Robbins
Apple TV Plus doesn’t often venture into creating sci-fi originals, but when it does, it does it so well. Take Silo, for example. And then came Sunny, starring Rashida Jones as Suzie, an American woman living in Japan and her domestic robot, Sunny, sent to her following her husband and son’s tragic deaths in a mysterious plane crash.
Suzie vows to discover the truth behind the company he worked for and what really happened to her family – and Sunny has a lot more to do with it than it first appears. In fact, she’s been programmed by Suzie’s husband, just for her. Sure, she finds Sunny pretty annoying at first, but as the plot unravels, there’s the opportunity for some humor amongst it all whilst bravely stepping into the unknown. It’s a standout hit of 2024 exploring themes of grief, friendship, and a modern interpretation of AI.
5. “Dark Matter”
- Initial release: May 8, 2024
- Seasons: 1
- Cast: Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, and more
- Creator: Blake Crouch
Another Apple TV Plus Original is psychological drama, Dark Matter (not to be confused with Syfy’s space opera). Jason (Joel Edgerton), a physics professor, finds himself abducted by another version of himself and drawn into an alternate version of his entire life. Desperate to get back home, he has to fight to return to his life and make sure his counterpart, Jason 2, doesn’t steal everything he’s ever known and everyone he’s ever loved.
We’ve become accustomed to the multiverse in recent times with the likes of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange straddling the concept in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Viewers enjoyed season one for its impressive acting and outstanding storytelling, and the show was renewed for season 2 in August 2024. So, if you want to catch up, now’s the time to do it.
4. “Iwájú”
- Initial release: February 28, 2024
- Seasons: 1
- Cast: Simisola Gbadamosi, Dayo Okeniyi, Femi Branch, and more
- Creator: Olufikayo Adeola
This miniseries from Disney x Kugali is a delightful tale set in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria. Iwájú actually translates into future in the Yoruba language, if you’re wondering about the title. In this six-part series, there’s a socio-economic divide that sees high society enjoy the technological advancements of the modern day, whilst the poorer citizens live in less-than-satisfactory conditions and under strict control.
The story follows Tola as she vies to get her dad’s attention in the wealthier side of Lagos. Though her dad is busy being a tech entrepreneur responsible for the city’s futuristic twist, Tola’s best friend, Kole, lives in the less-affluent side of Lagos, and so the sides intertwine throughout. It’s a lot to take in, especially when you’re busy enjoying the vibrant animation and colors of the show. But, it’s a wonderfully unique sci-fi tale that manages to weave heritage and future technologies in a seamless fashion.
3. “Parasyte: The Grey”
- Initial release: April 5, 2004
- Seasons: 1
- Cast: Jeon So-nee, Koo Kyo-hwan, Lee Jung-hyun, and more
- Creator: Yeon Sang-ho
Parasyte: The Grey marks creator Yeon Sang-ho’s follow-up to the supernatural thriller, Hellbound, for Netflix. It’s a live-action spin-off of an incredibly popular manga series and follows an invasion of parasitic creatures that use humans as their hosts, by killing them. They can then shapeshift their heads into, well, anything really.
To defeat the parasites, a police squad called ‘The Grey’ is assembled. However, it’s the character progression with Jeong Su-in that captivates as she develops a symbiotic relationship with one of the parasites.
It’s an incredibly hard manga to transform into live-action, but the visual mastery and the commitment to staying true to the original work has meant Parasye: The Grey has been applauded for its impressive adaptation.
2. “X-Men ’97”
- Initial release: March 20, 2024
- Seasons: 1
- Cast: Ray Chase, Jennifer Hale, Alison Sealy-Smith, and more
- Creator: Beau DeMayo
Reviving the much-loved TV show, X-Men: The Animated Series, the story is finally continued. But, it carves itself a new place in the X-Men timeline as the mutants have to live a life without Professor Xavier to guide them. Instead, they’re led by Magneto.
This TV revival gives the show a unique opportunity to grow, and it does so by developing the characters like never before, while also exploring new themes.
Rotten Tomatoes gave it 99% on the Tomatometer, which is outstanding given the original series got 83%. Plus, it doesn’t matter if you didn’t grow up with the original series because the depth, visuals, and humor injected into X-Men ‘97 formulate a show that is a standalone success.
1. “Fallout”
- Initial release: April 10, 2004
- Seasons: 1
- Cast: Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, and more
- Creators: Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworest
Turning a video game into a TV show is a hard task, but one that Fallout insurmountably succeeded in doing. And, even if you’ve never played the game, it’s an entirely accessible post-apocalyptic drama that’ll blow your socks off.
It’s Los Angeles in the future, imagined as a dangerous landscape destroyed by nuclear bombs in the Great War of 2077. With an unlivable surface on Earth, humanity is forced to live in underground bunkers, called Vaults, to escape a wasteland of threats from radiation, to mutants, to bandits.
Life in the Vault quickly unravels and catapults the Vault Dwellers, one in particular called Lucy (Ella Purnell), on a treacherous adventure to discover the truth. With a star-studded cast, stunning visuals, and a compelling plot, Fallout was a huge hit for Amazon Prime Video and will be returning for Fallout season 2 in New Vegas, though there’s no official release date just yet.
Article by:Source acox@space.com (Alexander Cox)
