Television Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV shows?

[Fizzzzle]

I've been on a big sci-fi/fantasy TV kick lately. It made me realize that there's probably a lot of things I've missed over the years. TV generally isn't my thing as my attention span sucks, but when I get sucked into something, I get really sucked in.

 

So I made a spreadsheet, because that's just kind of what I do. There isn't any "comprehensive list of sci-fi/fantasy shows" in the internet, so I'm beginning to wonder if I missed things. I kind of had to put soft boundaries on it. No Marvel/DC shows, just because they're kind of their own separate category and they're all intertwined to greater or lesser degrees. Also no anime, because then the list would be like 90% anime. I also narrowed it to the last 20 years, because watching TV shows from before then with no nostalgia attached is like pulling teeth, at least for me. Also no animated comedies, because like... they're kind of all fantasy/sci-fi in some way? Same situation with anime, basically. Also no outright horror, because vibes.

 

Even with all those limiting factors, there's still 130 series that fit in the last 20 years. Of those, 39 were cancelled, 2 were cancelled but got a movie, 42 are ongoing, and 47 had a conclusion.

 

Sorted by IMDB rating:

 

Cancelled

Spoiler

Universally acclaimed (8+):

Firefly (Fox 2002, 1 season, 14 episodes)

Carnivale (HBO 2003-2005, 2 seasons, 24 episodes)

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix 2019, 1 season, 10 episodes)

Pushing Daisies (ABC 2007-2009, 2 seasons, 22 episodes)

Counterpart (Starz, 2017-2019, 2 seasons, 2 seasons, 20 episodes)

Travelers (Netflix 2016-2018, 3 seasons, 34 episodes)

Into the Badlands (AMC 2015-2019, 3 seasons, 32 episodes)

Humans (AMC 2015-2018, 3 seasons, 24 episodes)

Almost Human (Fox 2013-2014, 1 season, 13 episodes)

Generally Favorable (7.5+)

The OA (Netflix 2016-2019, 2 seasons, 16 episodes)

Torchwood (BBC/Starz 2006-2011, 4 seasons, 41 episodes)

American Gods (Starz 2019-2021, 3 seasons, 26 episodes)

Timeless (NBC 2016-2018, 2 seasons, 28 episodes)

Dollhouse (Fox 2009-2010, 2 seasons, 26 episodes)

Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles (Fox 2008-2009, 2 seasons, 31 episodes)

Stargate Universe (Syfy 2009-2011, 2 seasons, 40 episodes)

Heroes (ABC 2006-2010, 4 seasons, 77 episodes)

Dark Matter (Syfy 2015-2017, 3 seasons, 39 episodes)

Constantine (NBC 2014-2015, 1 season, 13 episodes)

Mixed (6.5+)

Colony (USA 2016-2018, 3 seasons, 36 episodes)

The 4400 (CBS 2004-2007, 4 seasons, 44 episodes)

Sanctuary (Syfy 2008-2011, 4 seasons, 59 episodes)

The Shannara Chronicles (MTV 2016-2017, 2 seasons, 20 episodes)

Caprica (Syfy 2010, 1 season, 19 episodes)

Defiance (Syfy 2013-2015, 3 seasons, 38 episodes)

The Order (Netflix 2019-2020, 2 seasons, 20 episodes)

Terra Nova (Fox 2011, 1 season, 13 episodes)

Z Nation (Syfy 2014-2018, 5 seasons, 68 episodes)

Jupiter's Legacy (Netflix 2021, 1 season, 8 episodes)

Revolution (NBC, 2 seasons, 42 episodes)

Cowboy Bebop (Netflix 2021, 1 season, 10 episodes)

Atlantis (BBC 2013-2015, 2 seasons, 25 episodes)

The Outpost (CW 2018-2021, 4 seasons, 49 episodes)

Camelot (Starz 2011, 1 season, 10 episodes)

The Messengers (CW 2015, 1 season, 13 episodes)

Bad (<6.5)

Ghost Whisperer (CBS 2005-2010, 5 seasons, 107 episodes)

Wu Assassins (Netflix 2019, 1 season, 10 episodes)

October Faction (Netflix 2020, 1 season, 10 episodes)

V Warz (Netflix 2019, 1 season, 10 episodes)

Cursed (Netflix 2020, 1 season, 10 episodes)

Pandora (CW 2019-2020, 2 seasons, 23 episodes)

 

 

 

Ongoing:

Spoiler

Universally Acclaimed (8+):

Arcane (Netflix 2021, 1 season, 9 episodes)

The Mandalorian (Disney+ 2019, 2 seasons, 16 episodes)

Stranger Things (Netflix 2016, 3 seasons, 25 episodes) - Next season is final

Invincible (Amazon 2021, 1 season, 8 episodes)

The Boys (Amazon 2019, 2 seasons, 16 episodes)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX 2019, 3 seasons, 30 episodes)

Westworld (HBO 2016, 3 seasons, 28 episodes)

Love, Death + Robots (Netflix 2019, 2 seasons, 26 episodes)

Outlander (Starz 2014, 5 seasons, 67 episodes)

The Walking Dead (AMC 2010, 11 seasons, 161 episodes) - Next season is final

The Witcher (Netflix 2019, 2 seasons, 16 episodes)

Good Omens (Amazon 2019, 1 season, 6 episodes)

The Orville (Fox/Hulu 2017, 2 seasons, 2 seasons, 26 episodes)

The Umbrella Academy (Netflix 2019, 2 seasons, 20 episodes)

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+ 2021, 1 season, 16 episodes)

Generally Favorable (7.5+)

For All Mankind (Apple+ 2019, 2 seasons, 20 episodes)

His Dark Materials (HBO 2019, 2 seasons, 15 episodes)

Beforeigners (HBO 2019, 2 seasons, 12 episodes)

Sweet Tooth (Netflix 2021, 1 season, 8 episodes)

Shadow and Bone (Netflix 2021, 1 season, 8 episodes)

See (Apple+ 2019, 2 seasons, 16 episodes)

Carnival Row (Amazon 2019, 1 season, 8 episodes)

Bulgasal: Immortal Souls (2021, 1 season, 1 season, 16 episodes)

Ragnarok (Netflix 2020, 2 seasons, 12 episodes)

Raised by Wolves (HBO 2020, 1 season, 10 episodes)

Mixed (6.5+)

Legacies (CW 2018, 4 seasons, 4 seasons, 57 episodes)

Locke & Key (Netflix 2020, 2 seasons, 20 episodes)

Foundation (Apple+ 2021, 1 season, 10 episodes)

The Nevers (HBO 2021, 1 season, 6 episodes)

The Wheel of Time (Amazon 2021, 1 season, 8 episodes)

Star Trek: Discovery (CBS/Paramount+ 2017, 4 seasons, 47 episodes)

Manifest (NBC/Netflix 2018, 3 seasons, 42 episodes)

The Silent Sea (Netflix 2021, 1 season, 8 episodes)

Warrior Nun (Netflix 2020, 1 season, 10 episodes)

Fear the Walking Dead (AMC 2015, 7 seasons, 93 episodes)

Snowpiercer (TNT 2020, 2 seasons, 20 episodes)

Fate: The Winx Saga (Netflix 2021, 1 season, 6 episodes)

Tribes of Europa (Netflix 2021, 1 season, 6 episodes)

Bad (<6.5)

Amazing Stories (Apple+ 2020, 1 season, 5 episodes)

Invasion (Apple+ 2021, 1 season, 10 episodes)

Another Life (Netflix 2019, 2 seasons, 20 episodes)

Charmed (CW 2018, 3 seasons, 59 episodes)

 

 

 

Concluded:

Spoiler

Universally Acclaimed (8+)

Avatar: The Last Airbender (Nickelodeon 2005-2008, 3 seasons, 61 episodes)

Game of Thrones (HBO 2011-2019, 8 seasons, 73 episodes)

Dark (Netflix 2017-2020, 3 seasons, 26 episodes)

Black Mirror (Netflix 2011-2019, 5 seasons, 22 episodes)

Battlestar Galctica (Syfy 2004-2009, 4 seasons, 76 episodes)

The Expanse (Syfy/Amazon, 2015-2022, 6 seasons, 58 episodes)

Avatar: The Legend of Korra (Nickelodeon 2012-2014, 4 seasons, 52 episodes)

Supernatural (WB/CW 2005-2020, 15 seasons, 327 episodes)

Fringe (Fox 2008-2013, 5 seasons, 100 episodes)

The Leftovers (HBO 2014-2017, 3 seasons, 28 episodes)

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (WB/Netflix/Disney+, 7 seasons, 133 episodes)

Lost (ABC 2004-2010, 6 seasons, 121 episodes)

Orphan Black (BBC, 2013-2017, 5 seasons, 50 episodes)

Sense8 (Netflix 2016-2018, 2 seasons, 24 episodes)

Castlevania (Netflix 2017-2021, 4 seasons, 32 episodes)

The Good Place (NBC 2016-2020, 4 seasons, 53 episodes)

The Originals (CW 2013-2018, 5 seasons, 92 episodes)

Penny Dreadful (Showtime 2014-2016, 3 seasons, 27 episodes)

Watchmen (HBO 2019, 1 season, 9 episodes)

Lucifer (Fox/Netflix 2016-2021, 6 seasons, 93 episodes)

The Man in the High Castle (Amazon 2015-2019, 4 seasons, 40 episodes)

Da Vinci's Demons (Starz 2013-2015, 3 seasons, 28 episodes)

Altered Carbon (Netflix 2018-2020, 2 seasons, 18 episodes)

Generally Favorable (7.5+)

Merlin (Syfy 2008-2012, 5 seasons, 65 episodes)

Grimm (NBC 2011-2017, 7 seasons, 123 episodes)

True Blood (HBO 2008-2014, 7 seasons, 80 episodes)

Once Upon a Time (ABC 2011-2018, 7 seasons, 155 episodes)

The Vampire Diaries (CW, 2009-2017, 8 seasons, 171 episodes)

Midnight Mass (Netflix 2021, 1 season, 7 episodes)

Station Eleven (HBO 2021-2022, 1 season, 10 episodes)

Lost Girl (Syfy 2010-2015, 5 seasons, 77 episodes)

12 Monkeys (Syfy 2015-2018, 4 seasons, 47 episodes)

Continuum (Syfy 2012-2015, 4 seasons, 42 episodes)

The 100 (CW 2014-2020, 7 seasons, 100 episodes)

Mixed (6.5+)

Electric Dreams (Amazon 2018, 1 season, 10 episodes)

Lost in Space (Netflix 2018-2021, 3 seasons, 28 episodes)

Killjoys (Syfy 2011-2015, 5 seasons, 50 episodes)

Falling Skies (TNT 2011-2015, 5 seasons, 52 episodes)

Star Wars: Visions (Disney+ 2021, 1 season, 9 episodes)

Heroes Reborn (NBC 2015-2016, 1 season, 13 episodes)

Under the Dome (CBS 2013-2015, 3 seasons, 39 episodes)

Bad (<6.5)

The Rain (Netflix 2018-2020, 3 seasons, 20 episodes)

Van Helsing (Syfy 2016-2021, 5 seasons, 65 episodes)

The Letter for the King (Netflix 2020, 1 season, 6 episodes)

Luna Nera (Netflix 2020, 1 season, 1 season, 6 episodes)

The I-Land (Netflix 2019, 1 season, 7 episodes)

The Walking Dead: World Beyond (AMC, 2020-2021, 2 seasons, 20 episodes)

 

 

[BloodyHell]

I don't know how Shannara Chronicles ended up in the mixed category. Thats one of the worst shows ive ever watched. They completely butchered the source material  then made sure every part of it was bad.

[Mercury33]

That Ongoing:Mixed category has some really fantastic shows in it. People are morons. 

[Massdriver]

This is a great list that I will come back to reference. 

 

I thought Altered Carbon got cancelled. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

3 minutes ago, Massdriver said:

I thought Altered Carbon got cancelled. 

 

It definitely was.

 

‘Altered Carbon’ Canceled After Two Seasons at Netflix

VARIETY.COM

---

The second season of the sci-fi series aired on the streaming service back in February

 

[Jason]

How does your list not include DS9 or Babylon 5.

 

Stargate: Atlantis got cancelled for Universe. There was supposed to be a wrap-up movie but that obviously never happened.

[Fizzzzle]

6 hours ago, Jason said:

How does your list not include DS9 or Babylon 5.

 

Stargate: Atlantis got cancelled for Universe. There was supposed to be a wrap-up movie but that obviously never happened.

Yeah, I missed those somehow!

[Fizzzzle]

7 hours ago, Massdriver said:

This is a great list that I will come back to reference. 

 

I thought Altered Carbon got cancelled. 

It was cancelled, but each season is kind of its own thing. Like, it does have an "ending." Both seasons kind of have an ending. So it's like it wasn't renewed, but it wasn't cancelled on a cliffhanger, either, which most shows that are cancelled usually are.

[Fizzzzle]

12 hours ago, Mercury33 said:

That Ongoing:Mixed category has some really fantastic shows in it. People are morons. 

I mean, I'm pretty sure wheel of time is angry book fans, which is to be expected. I haven't seen it yet, so I don't know for sure. Which are your favorite there?

[BloodyHell]

27 minutes ago, Fizzzzle said:

I mean, I'm pretty sure wheel of time is angry book fans, which is to be expected. I haven't seen it yet, so I don't know for sure. Which are your favorite there?

I mean, book fans have every right to be upset about that mess. They made changes that fundamentally change the story and can only cause it to Spiral out of control down the line.

All seemingly to not hurt the feelings of a very few people who will care. 

[Fizzzzle]

56 minutes ago, BloodyHell said:

I mean, book fans have every right to be upset about that mess. They made changes that fundamentally change the story and can only cause it to Spiral out of control down the line.

All seemingly to not hurt the feelings of a very few people who will care. 

Yeah, I literally know nothing about Wheel of Time. I do generally despise the "HUGGGHHH BUT IT'S NOT LIKE THE BOOKS, THOUGH" criticisms.

 

[BloodyHell]

5 hours ago, Fizzzzle said:

Yeah, I literally know nothing about Wheel of Time. I do generally despise the "HUGGGHHH BUT IT'S NOT LIKE THE BOOKS, THOUGH" criticisms.

 

I generally do to, but these changes fundamentally change the story so much, that its barely even really WoT.

 

Even Brandon Sanderson spoke on how he tried to convince Judkins that these choices don't make sense to the story as told. (Sanderson finished the story off Jordan's notes). Before the series came out, he spoke about he gave judkins notes on the script, (hes a producer), but was mostly ignored). 

 

Robert Jordan said many times that the books were an exploration of sex, and how the sex's are different (but equal). The books are already full of strong, independent women, thats something that made WoT different from most other fantasy of the 90's, where women were damsels in distress. This series has a huge female following because of that.

 

Making Saidin and Saidar one single power changes the story in ways that just don't make sense. Them being separate is a major plot point that is central to the first ten books, and the story as a whole. Cutting and speeding things up is fine, but in this case, they made really bad story decisions (which already snowballed into the absolutely terrible episode 8 we just got).

[TheLeon]

I keep meaning to watch The Expanse, but then I think “or I can just watch BSG again”.

[TwinIon]

I think what threw me off on some of the rankings was that this is on IMDB score, which often has an different perspective than I would expect. Like, I was surprised that See was generally favorable when I'd not heard the best things. That's not to say that IMDB score isn't a fine way to do this exercise.

 

A few that I saw on Metacritic that might fit in:

 

Ongoing:

The Handmaids Tale
Undone (haven't seen, but seems well liked)

Russian Doll

The Tick

 

Completed:

Legion (I guess you said no comic book stuff, but it's not exactly connected universe stuff)

Eureka

Chuck

[Mercury33]

11 hours ago, Fizzzzle said:

I mean, I'm pretty sure wheel of time is angry book fans, which is to be expected. I haven't seen it yet, so I don't know for sure. Which are your favorite there?

Wheel of Time was up there till the finale. Now I’m in the cautiously optimistic camp for season 2. 
 

Foundation is probably my favorite show on any of those lists period. Manifest and the Nevers I think are also very good. 

[skillzdadirecta]

Walking Dead in the Universally acclaimed category while Invasion is in the bad category makes me go  then  then  again.

[Fizzzzle]

5 hours ago, TwinIon said:

I think what threw me off on some of the rankings was that this is on IMDB score, which often has an different perspective than I would expect. Like, I was surprised that See was generally favorable when I'd not heard the best things. That's not to say that IMDB score isn't a fine way to do this exercise.

 

A few that I saw on Metacritic that might fit in:

 

Ongoing:

The Handmaids Tale
Undone (haven't seen, but seems well liked)

Russian Doll

The Tick

 

Completed:

Legion (I guess you said no comic book stuff, but it's not exactly connected universe stuff)

Eureka

Chuck

 

I don't necessarily like IMDB ratings, but there really isn't a good critical metric of TV shows. Critics only generally rate individual seasons and there aren't even that many of them. I would love it if there were like a reliable rottentomatoes for TV, but there really isn't. I do also have metacritic in the spreadsheet, but only like 2/3 of the shows even have a rating, and a lot of them are only based on a small handful of reviews.

 

 

3 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said:

Walking Dead in the Universally acclaimed category while Invasion is in the bad category makes me go  then  then  again.

 

I think both The Walking Dead and Supernatural have a lot of "it was really good but they should have wrapped that shit up 5 years ago" kind of energy. I've only seen a handful of episodes of TWD, but Supernatural was another one that was really good for like... 5 seasons. I think 5 seasons is about how long a show that doesn't have an endgame from the beginning should run. Fringe is a perfect example. By the end of season 4, it was getting really stale, then they got the news that season 5 would be it, so they went nuclear option and made the fifth season a miniseries set in an alternate future, and I thought it was brilliant. Grimm is another one that went about 3 seasons too long. It was decent for the first 3-4 seasons.

[Mercury33]

11 hours ago, BloodyHell said:

I generally do to, but these changes fundamentally change the story so much, that its barely even really WoT.

 

Even Brandon Sanderson spoke on how he tried to convince Judkins that these choices don't make sense to the story as told. (Sanderson finished the story off Jordan's notes). Before the series came out, he spoke about he gave judkins notes on the script, (hes a producer), but was mostly ignored). 

 

Robert Jordan said many times that the books were an exploration of sex, and how the sex's are different (but equal). The books are already full of strong, independent women, thats something that made WoT different from most other fantasy of the 90's, where women were damsels in distress. This series has a huge female following because of that.

 

Making Saidin and Saidar one single power changes the story in ways that just don't make sense. Them being separate is a major plot point that is central to the first ten books, and the story as a whole. Cutting and speeding things up is fine, but in this case, they made really bad story decisions (which already snowballed into the absolutely terrible episode 8 we just got).

Where are you getting that Saidin and Saidar are one single power from?

 

I think 8 and to an extent 7 were weird because they were the two post covid episodes and they got blind sided by the actor playing Mats departure. 

[Chadatog]

Absolute travesty that Maniac isn't on the completed list.

[ARZ]

@TwinIon aaah man, Eureka. Loved that show!

 

I really liked Jericho....can go in either the concluded or cancelled section really...