10 Of The Best: Sci-Fi Shows On Netflix

though maligned in fandom circles, this 90s-era iteration of the franchise remains worth a rewatch or dipping into for the first time. The series, helmed by Trek’s first female captain (the formidable Kathryn Janeway), is also notable for steps toward better representation in sci-fi and ahead-of-the-curve ethical dilemmas mined for drama.

Wikipedia: Star Trek: Voyager

A sleek reboot of the 1965 cult show, Lost in Space is a cosmic family adventure that swaps out the kitschy elements of the original show (as well as one of its most famous catchphrases) for impressive visual effects.

A tense, dystopian class-war fable of haves and have-nots in a snow-bound future where the last stragglers of a dying human race travel aboard a futuristic train-bunker, which boasts strong performances and an eye-catching Mod aesthetic. A spin-off from the 2014 film, starring Chris Evans, both adapted from the French series of graphic novels.

Redolent of fanfiction soulmate tropes, The One’s high concept near-future sci-fi posits the intriguing idea of a genetic test to match perfect partners. The series finds test co-creator Rebecca Webb and her company at the peak of their success when links to a murder unspool all manner of unsavoury secrets. 

Melding the info-tainment of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos with soaring imagination, Alien Worlds uses the physical rules of our known universe to extrapolate to brilliant effect what extra-terrestrial life might look and sound like.

Uniting a quirky mega-watt cast (including Eliott Page, Robert Sheehan, Mary J. Blige and Kate Walsh), this witty series based on comics of the same name is family drama writ large: a gifted clan of adoptive siblings come together to investigate their father’s mysterious death while saving the world.

Once Netflix’s most expensive show, since supplanted, Sense8 is a globetrotting mystery packed with breath taking locations, in which 8 people around the world witness the same crime via a strange vision that connects them across space and time.

For a more in-depth look at this ground-breaking series, check out Sense8: Transcending Television, a collection of expert essays and cultural commentary on the ways the show breaks free.

Featuring the hilarious Aisling Bea and my all-time favourite Internet Boyfriend Paul Rudd, this surreal series not only skewers our obsessions with self-improvement and productivity but has one of TV’s best-ever dance sequences. 

Taking the dichotomy of online worlds and offline ‘meatspace’ to dizzy, cyberpunk heights, though this adaptation of a graphic novel series ended prematurely, it’s still worth a look for its social comment and flashy brand of noir.

This vivid English language reimagining of a much loved Anime space-western respects and celebrates its’ source material with gusto and charm. While flawed, Cowboy benefits from strong casting, abundant charm and frenetic, super-saturated visuals.