Sci-Fi TV (see description): My Favorites

2 seasons / 20 episodes: Ongoing Series

It's Sci-fi within a dystopian framework. It is also a great drama.

It engages, it immerses... you are a part of this experience and are drawn into all of the questions. And... when a season ends as powerfully as the first season does, the wait is agonizing.
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update: season 2 felt very stretched out. I found myself fast-forwarding through convoluted sections designed to stretch out episodes in the most unimaginative ways.

For example... if our hero needed a screwdriver, she needed to wade through 100 feet of water, build a breathing machine, create a pulley system, etc... just to get an item. The entire season was littered with stuff like this.

I hope they get back to moving the story forward because I feel like I'm still stuck on season 1. Is there nothing compelling left?

2 seasons / 19 episodes: Ongoing Series

Wonderful drama that builds up nicely during the season. Terrific hook where an individual lives dual lives via technology. Great character depth. A good look at how a dystopian society can get started.

I'll admit that the trailer didn't pull me in and almost passed on this series. I gave it a chance because I liked the premise. So happy I did.
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update, 23mar2025: have not started seeing season 2 yet. I hope it's as good as the first season.

We waited long enough and so many series seem to quit after a strong start.

1 season / 8 episodes: Ongoing Series

I had very low expectations for this series. I have been so disappointed by the effort behind so many other series that I thought this was going to be another money grab. I expected lots of flashy effects and not much else.

I was so happy to be wrong. Great script (the single most important thing in any series), terrific production values, fantastic cast and of course... everything accentuated with SFX. This series has it all.

2 seasons / 20 episodes: Ongoing Series

update, 13dec23: Just finished watching season 2. Season 1 was great. Season 2 was exceptional. I cannot believe how good this series is. I am drawn in completely.

2 season / 17 episodes: Series Complete

21jul2024: There will be no season 3... Cancelled. Heartbreaking! I connected with so many characters in this series.
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The series follows a 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant.

I found the first season to be excellent. Loved the advanced science-evolved humans known as Spartans, the United Nations Space Command, the Covenant, the technological breakthroughs developed in this series and even the Artificial Intelligence.

Immersive plot; characters with depth helping establish both positive and negative emotional connections; high production; great acting. 'Halo' was one of the better series to come out in 2022.

(update, 17apr2024: season 2 was even better than season 1).

1 season / 8 episodes: Ongoing Series

This series surpassed my best expectations. Strong drama, excellent character building, engrossing mystery, a worldwide threat, terrific story-telling, advanced alien tech.

This is how you do long-form story telling. Happy that it was renewed. I so hope that the focus continues to be the exceptional writing.

3 seasons / 35 episodes: Ongoing Series

A top-tier gem! Mostly 3D graphics animation. An easy 10 rating from me for the first 2 seasons.

So very impressed. Many episodes remind me of the upper tier episodes of the 90s Outer Limits. Top quality stuff, thought provoking, immersive.

The series also contains episodes that focus on other genres.
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The third season (about a 7 rating) didn't quite have the same appeal as it segued into the artistic.

Preferred to make a point about humanity (or people) in a kind of artistically, half-hearted way. Too much emphasis on animation instead of telling complete stories.

Love, Death & Robots remains on this list based on the strength of its first two seasons.

14 seasons / 180 episodes: Through season 14 (2026).

Enjoy the tech, the characters, the far-out stories, the humor... it's pure sci-fi in the best way possible.

This show just keeps coming back:-) Its first run was from 1999-2003 (72 episodes, Fox). Its second run lasted from 2008-2013 (68 episodes, Comedy Central).

Now it's Hulu which is currently giving us an additional total of 40 episodes (season 11-14).

2 seasons / 16 episodes: Series Complete

Started watching the series on 20may2024 and it pulled me in! So much better than I expected.

Great drama, strong focus on characters, interesting mystery, the flashback episodes are nicely incorporated into the series. The best part...

I had two complete seasons of episodes to watch - no waiting.

2 season / 40 episodes: Series Pending

Watched the first 10 episodes (the next 10 episodes are in the queue).

I thought the show was trying to appeal to both kids and adults through their choices of characters.

While I connected to the younger characters, I really liked that it was the older characters that drove the core of each episode. It helped maintain the seriousness of the evolving story.

The serious overtones, good Sci-fi elements and the way the story is organically growing made a huge difference for me.

I also love the addition of Hologram (Captain) Janeway. Everyone has their favorite captain. Janeway happens to be my favorite post-TOS captain and Kate Mulgrew has delivered on the role once again.

3 seasons / 36 episodes: Series Complete

First two seasons were on Fox. Hulu picked the series up for a terrific season 3 (10 episodes).

Loved this series for doing Star Trek better than the official rights holders have been doing of late. (Exception: loved Picard; listed here).

It started off as a parody (kinda, of sorts) and has since moved toward a dramatic series. The show does a remarkable job of filling you with that sense of wonder & awe; amazing alien vistas & worlds; and always making you feel like you are a part of this future.

Great cast, great scripts, both fun and serious.

The Orville has become the unofficial continuation of Star Trek proper. This group has delivered Star Trek in the way it was intended.

10 seasons / 214 episodes, 2 films: Series Complete

Includes Stargate: The Ark of Truth (2008) (which caps off the series) and Stargate: Continuum (2008) (a great standalone addition, capping off the Ba'al thread).

Stargate established early on that it would focus on great writing - producing great storytelling during its entire run.

Their set of core characters, galactic allies and even the (often) series-long (unbelievably great) villains immersed us even further.

While the franchise has only taken a hiatus (one hopes), it has left behind 354 terrific episodes and 2 great films - plus the original movie.

5 seasons / 100 episodes: Series Complete

I absolutely love this series. The extended Stargate concept, the new alien threat(s), the phenomenal city/ship that is Atlantis and a great cast. Just writing this comment makes me want to watch the series again!

But (I feel compelled to say this)... I can never, ever forgive them for replacing Torri Higginson as leader of the expedition. It was the first time I resented seeing Amanda Tapping in anything Stargate related. I still resent seeing her on this particular series.

I don't blame Tapping. Something about how this played out always felt unjust and so wrong to me. Still does... We may never really know what happened here. Dr. Elizabeth Weir was truly one of the great leaders (and captains) in Sci-fi. I liked her thoughtful, intelligent and communicative management style.

I also very strongly felt the loss of Rainbow Sun Francks as part of the team. He was a good actor with a very natural comedic pacing. Also preferred his (stylish, real-world) fighting style. I not only resented seeing Jason Momoa (who basically replaced Francks when there was room for both) but considered him a non-actor and a grunt early on.

During my second viewing of Atlantis, I did warm up to Momoa and finally accepted his character as the in-house prototype warrior (ala: Teal'c, Worf & Ka D'Argo) while also becoming a cast favorite of mine.

2 seasons / 40 episodes: Series Complete

When this series first came out, many expected a style similar to SG-1 and Atlantis. This expectation created an initial lukewarm reaction - many considering it "slow". SGU, however, boldly went to a place few Sci-fi shows had ever gone:

This was a battlefield experience with a crew that was bruised, often in retreat and looking for that one last chance. It looked at relationships during the most difficult of times. It told a story of survival and perseverance.

In a world full of TV shows & Films that pull off miracles weekly, SGU reminded us that in the real world, we are more often humbled. But... even in retreat, we can find solutions when we have people working together.

SG: Universe is also the kind of series that gets better during its second and third viewing. Lots of folks who didn't like it during their first go around, loved it during the second viewing.

Often, it's about expectations. So if you've only seen this once... see it again, for the first time.
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There is a 6-issue comic book series that takes place after the end of the season 2 finale called 'Stargate Universe: Back to Destiny'. Published by 'American Mythology Productions'.

I thought it was a great storyline while also providing a great series ending. I loved it. I needed it. If you loved Stargate Universe - I enthusiastically recommend reading this series. I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

1 season / 14 episodes plus 1 film: Series Complete

Serenity (2005) caps off this series.

Firefly is one of the greatest action, adventure Sci-fi series ever made along with one of the greatest cast of characters.

The 2005 film made for one of the best series ending finales I've ever seen.

4 seasons / 88 episodes plus miniseries: Series Complete

The exceptional 2 episode miniseries, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004), caps off the series.

Of all the similar sci-fi franchises, I think this one was the bravest and most creative. It wasn't afraid to experiment with alien lifeforms. It had, quite possibly, the best variety of aliens I've seen in a series.

They made sure that their technology made practical sense. That it didn't feel like lazy writing or magic. Their version of the Universal Translator, for example, was brilliant.

They made the "far out" believable. You were immersed in their world. Humanoids felt distinct. You felt like a (lesser) alien yourself in someone else's backyard. This is a feat very few other shows have been able to accomplish.

In too many other similar series, the self-important humans are always right and it's their worldview/culture that is the most important. That kind of human-centered hubris (mostly) did not exist in this series.

This series just got better and better as it went along. Finishing as one of the greatest Sci-fi adventures of all-time.

3 seasons / 39 episodes: Series Complete

One of the best space adventures produced. I was really surprised at how good it was when I came across this.

When I discovered this gem, I thought how could something this good fly under my radar? At the time, it was truly a hidden gem. Nowadays, people have discovered it and based on the rating... enjoying it as much as I did.

miniseries / 3 episodes or 6 episodes: Complete

Superb drama driven by exceptional Sci-fi mystery.

I saw this again Nov/2022 and it was as good, as engaging as the first time I watched it.

7 seasons / 152 episodes: Series Complete

The 1995 'Outer Limits' far surpasses the original. So many episodes in this series that were truly excellent. So many episodes that could have easily evolved into their own standalone series. Great, immersive story-telling. Great performances. Great drama.

'The Outer Limits' is closing in on 30 years since it first aired but still feels as immersive and vital as it did when it premiered.

1 season / 23 episodes: Series Complete

If you loved the first Starship Troopers film (which came out later), you'll love this series too. Nearly three decades old, it remains modern viewer friendly and engaging.

3 seasons / 10 episodes: Series Complete

ST: Picard delivered three fantastic seasons with a great mix of storytelling, cast (including some old favorites), Sci-fi elements (AI, Time-travel, new/old Aliens) and great acting.

It not only established itself as one of the best Star Trek series produced to date, it helped restore my faith that the Star Trek Franchise could be salvaged...

1 season / 8 episodes: Series Complete

From 2015 and on what was called Yahoo! Screen. Lasted only a season because Yahoo closed their streaming service by January 4, 2016.

'Other Space' is one of the best Sci-fi Space Shows ever produced - comedy or otherwise.

I find that I connect with this series, its characters and its humor in a way that keeps me coming back for more. I've seen it twice and I'd be lying if I said that was enough.

Light, enjoyable, funny, great characters. Truly a (low budget) hidden gem.

5 seasons / 103 episodes: Series Complete

Great character-driven "conspiracy" drama with nice touches of sci-fi and action.

7 seasons / 172 episodes: Series Complete

Taken as a complete series (its entire 7 year, 172 episode run) - Voyager had the best consistent set of great scripts and fantastic multi-episode arcs. It started off extremely well and somehow managed to get even better.

Other series had some good to great short-term arcs, a smattering of decent episodes, interesting characters of their own but none... I mean none... matched Voyager for its great story-telling consistency during their entire runs. None. I've seen them all.

Voyager has my vote as the best post-TOS TV series produced and the best post-TOS captain. Includes every series that is post-TOS. Everything from ST:TNG to the most recent Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Only 'Star Trek: Picard' comes close.

3 seasons / 79 episodes: Series Complete

The Original Series isn't listed as an all-time great out of some sense of respect, homage or because of its pioneering influence on TV.

It's here because it remains a great series with great stories centered around great (iconic) characters.

It is a series that continues to deliver the message that humanity could overcome many of its negative impulses to help drive this vision of tomorrow.

Star Trek: TOS still shines as a beacon of hope for today and a testament to what we can conceivably achieve.