For the Netflix lovers of the world there are, as always, an overwhelming amount of TV shows to choose from. Superheroes may be dominating the pop-culture zeitgeist of today, but science fiction is the genre that will never truly goes out of style and which, itself, laid the groundwork for today’s most popular films and TV shows. elevision has long been a playground for sci-fi writers and directors to experiment with new ideas and creatives ways to tell a story, and has fostered an incredibly diverse range of work that encompasses all the features of great science fiction With that in mind, as well as the advent of a new Star Wars movie that seems actually worth getting excited over, here are some of the best sci-fi shows on Netflix worth checking out right now.
The X-Files
Beginning in 1993, the X-Files is still acquiring new fans more than 20 years later, gaining so much steam that an abbreviated new season is currently being shot. Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Mulder (David Duchovny) have become lynchpins of the science fiction pantheon. Visually engrossing and accessible to new viewers, the show is already a classic of the genre and one that everyone should try catching up before the newest season debuts.
Doctor Who
50 years and counting, Doctor Who is a cornerstone of sci-fi culture. The Doctor is a Time Lord who travels through time and space finding new worlds to explore and people to befriend, and in turn, save. Now on Peter Capaldi’s roguish 12th Doctor, the show has quite literally stood the test of time, with each incarnation of the alien Doctor bringing their own stylish flare to the character that constantly keeps the show from running out of steam. Luckily with Netflix, you can pick away at the daunting amount of episodes by simply jump right into your favorite Doctor’s run.
Black Mirror
Black Mirror is the type of science fiction show that gets under your skin by exploring all of the potential terrors waiting to be caused by everyday technology and consumerism. Each season consists of three standalone episodes, and starring a long list of talent (including Rory Kinear, Hayley Atwell, and Domnhall Gleeson) all right on the cusp of their big breakthroughs. From political stunts, horrific judicial systems and synthetic boyfriends, Black Mirror has kept its eerie edge throughout the entirety of its run. With a possible Netflix deal on the way, it’s worth catching up on.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Everyone has their own opinion about which version of Star Trek is the best, but there is something undoubtedly charming about the original series. Gene Roddenberry’s creation had a perfect trio in William Shatner’s loyal Captain Kirk, Leonard Nimoy’s logical Spock and DeForest Kelley’s compassionate Dr. McCoy. Progressive for its time and capturing the true spirit of adventure and discovering new worlds, Star Trek may be dated due its laughable fight scenes and plastic looking set pieces, but it was farther ahead in terms of stories of acceptance than many of its peers (and now). At the very least, “The City on the Edge of Forever” is a worthwhile episode of television.
The 100
The lost gem of the current, very strong, run on The CW, Jason Rothenberg’s creation is a surprisingly poignant and exciting series Set 100 years after a nuclear war on earth, the surviving civilization lives in space on a ship called the Arc, where countries are sectioned off with a strict one child per family rule. The government wants to discover whether or not the Earth is livable and sends 100 delinquent teenagers down as surrogate test dummies. Bleak, genuinely moving and action packed, The 100 is worth catching up on before its season three premiere in 2016.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
2015 is a great time to be a Star Wars fan. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is inching ever closer with wonderful and rare secrecy. Rogue One has had it’s cast announced, with actors such as Riz Ahmed and Mads Mikkelsen accompanying Felicity Jones as the lead. For those who can still hardly wait out those days until December 18th, there’s the immensely popular Star Wars: The Clone Wars awaiting you on Netflix with six seasons of adventure. Taking a slightly serious/pg-13 attitude towards an immensely exciting era in Star Wars history populated with a colorful cast of watchable characters, The Clone Wars was a refreshing jolt for the franchise and comes highly recommended for any fan.
The Twilight Zone
Ordinary people in extraordinary situations: isn’t this what makes for good entertainment, and more pointedly, good sci-fi? We watch as people with no superhuman strength, average human intellect and luck, manage to either outwit antagonistic forces, or at the very least discover something new and strange. The 1959 series The Twilight Zone applied this very idea, becoming a must watch for the genre and it’s supporters. Offering a self contained storyin each episode, it was an outlet for some of the most original and inventive work done by sci-fi writers of its time. The Twilight Zone is just the right amount of eerie and entertaining, and with an overwhelming amount of episodes that cover a huge range of content and style, has something for almost any occasion a fan of Science Fiction could dream of.
Firefly
If you want to see dedicated fans, look no further than Firefly‘s Brown Coats. Firefly only ran for 14 episodes before its unceremonious cancellation on Fox, but in that short time, Joss Whedon and his talented cast managed to create a vivid and unique world that was organic, clever, and morally ambiguous. The ultimate space cowboy tale, Captain Mal Reynolds (played with aplomb by Nathan Fillion) and the crew of the Serenity are just trying to survive in a post rebellion ‘verse the best the can, and usually through less than legal means. When a young doctor and his strangely powerful sister come aboard, all hell breaks loose, and Mal and his crew are left in the fight of their lives. If you don’t mind getting your heart broken when you inevitably run out of episodes way too soon, Firefly is definitely worth a watch. Besides, Joss Whedon is now one of Hollywood’s most in-demand directors, so it’s fun to revisit this creative gem from early on in his repertoire.