10 Best Sci-Fi Shows On Netflix

10 Best Sci-Fi Shows On Netflix Jibaro in Love Death and Robots By  Faith Roswell Published Feb 8, 2026, 9:45 PM EST

Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones.  You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep." Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant. 

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Netflix has some excellent sci-fi TV shows available to stream, from the top-rated new shows to underrated sci-fi masterpieces you might have missed. While other streaming platforms are catching up to Netflix, producing original content and often giving shows more of a chance to grow a following instead of canceling them too early, Netflix remains a streaming giant with a great range of sci-fi.

Sci-fi is one of the most versatile genres around, with concepts that include high-budget epics like Lost to self-contained stories with a small cast, like Black Mirror. The best sci-fi TV shows of all time give us worlds that feel real, even if the technology is not (yet,) and for viewers looking to binge-watch, Netflix has sci-fi TV shows better than any blockbuster movie.

10 Sense8

Daryl Hannah in Sense8

With just two seasons and a feature-length episode, Sense8 deserves a weekend binge. It is a testament to the show's support that after it was canceled before the story could be completed, fans campaigned for Sense8 to be brought back, resulting in the feature-length finale. The show is about human connection rather than futuristic technology, and has an excellent cast.

Sense8 follows eight very different strangers living in locations around the world, who discover that they are psychically connected. The members of this group, known as "sensates," are being hunted, and they must combine their skills to help themselves and the people they love. The show has been praised for its fight choreography and diverse cast with strong LGBT+ representation.

30 9.1/10

Sense8

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed Sci-Fi Drama Release Date 2015 - 2018-00-00 Showrunner Lilly Wachowski Directors Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski Writers Lilly Wachowski

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• Max Riemelt
• Jamie Clayton

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9 Arcane

Jinx with a blank expression in Arcane

The animated masterpiece is based on the League of Legends video game, but you do not have to be familiar with the game to enjoy Arcane. The story is set in a futuristic city caught in a battle between the rich and poor, and on the brink of a magical revolution. When the young and impulsive Powder accidentally triggers an explosion, the world changes forever.

Arcane has changed the animation industry forever, raising the bar for the quality of animated shows. Its visuals, soundtrack, storylines, and character development have been widely praised, with the show getting a rare 100% critic's score on Rotten Tomatoes. The two seasons can be watched in about 12 hours, making it a perfect weekend binge with a satisfying ending.

Arcane TV-14 Animation Drama Action Fantasy 9/10 243 9.3/10 Release Date 2021 - 2024

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8 The OA

Prairie dancing in The OA

Netflix's most heartbreaking cancellation is undoubtedly The OA, which remains one of the most uniquely complex and mind-bending sci-fi TV shows to have ever been made. The OA stars Brit Marling as Prairie, a young blind woman who goes missing and returns with her sight and an incredible story, while calling herself "The OA," standing for "The Original Angel."

The OA was canceled after two seasons, just as it introduced a shocking twist. However, the story is both fascinating and beautiful, and well worth watching despite its unfinished ending. The show takes viewers through a multiverse in which several versions of a person can exist at one time, and promotes the power of dance, making it an extremely unusual sci-fi with many original ideas.

The OA TV-MA Mystery Drama Science Fiction 41 8.5/10 Release Date 2016 - 2019-00-00

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7 Black Mirror

The cast of Black Mirror's USS Callister

Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror is one of the best anthology shows of the 21st century, and while different episodes will appeal to different people, the show is an enduring dystopian hit. Black Mirror looks at existing concepts like social media, AI, and virtual reality, and takes them further, exploring the dangers of unchecked power in technology and feeling disturbingly prophetic at times.

Black Mirror is not always an easy watch, with many episodes hitting very close to home as technology advances. However, some of the show's standout episodes have rare happy endings, like the phenomenal "San Junipero," which is a love story set in a virtual reality party town. There are often familiar faces, too, with the excellent "White Christmas" featuring Jon Hamm.

Black Mirror TV-MA Drama Mystery Science Fiction Thriller 6/10 80 8.0/10 Release Date December 4, 2011

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6 Rick And Morty

Rick and Morty on a colorful alien world

Rick and Morty's eight seasons have earned the show a 90% positive critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it is one of the best adult-oriented animated shows to have been made. Appealing to fans of shows like Futurama and BoJack Horseman, and definitely not a family show, Rick and Morty is equally hilarious and disturbing, featuring both absurdist and dark humor.

Rick and Morty began as a short parody of Back to the Future, and the show is about the intergalactic and multidimensional adventures of the mad scientist, Rick, and his grandson, Morty. While some episodes hold up better on a rewatch than others, it was immediately obvious that the show would be different, with characters like Pickle Rick and Mr. Meeseeks becoming instantly iconic.

Rick and Morty TV-14 Animation Comedy Adventure Science Fiction 8/10 135 8.9/10 Release Date December 2, 2013

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5 Love, Death + Robots

Love, Death + Robots is a 10/10 sci-fi masterpiece, and a fantastic showcase for different creative teams with wildly different artistic styles and approaches to storytelling. This has resulted in a cyberpunk anthology show that some viewers may find uneven, while others will appreciate the range of different stories shown across the 45 episodes of Love, Death + Robots.

Love, Death + Robots has involved satire, comedy, disturbing imagery, and compelling characters, sometimes all within the same episode. Many of the standout episodes will live in your head for some time, like "Spider Rose," in which a lonely woman gets a terrifying pet, and "Bad Traveling," which tells an old-fashioned sailor's tale from a sci-fi perspective, including body horror and zombie imagery.

Love, Death & Robots TV-MA Animation Horror Science Fiction Thriller 61 8.7/10 Release Date March 15, 2019

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4 Lost

Charlie looking at the wreckage in Lost

Lost is a sci-fi epic that changed television by popularizing the concept of fan theories. The show was incredibly ambitious, beginning with a plane crash that left an enormous cast of people stranded on an island where nothing was as it seemed. Despite having an ensemble cast, Lost rarely left anyone on the sidelines, and yet their individual stories remained easy to follow.

Lost introduced new mysteries with each episode, with each tiny detail inspiring debates amongst fans. Unfortunately, this ended up working against the show, which had a finale that was never going to satisfy everyone. That said, Lost has grown better with time as you can now watch the sci-fi mystery on your own terms, removed from the original hype.

Lost TV-14 Mystery Drama Adventure Supernatural 9/10 176 8.4/10 Release Date 2004 - 2010-00-00

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3 Stranger Things

Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna with young Will Byers in the Upside Down.Everett

It is hard to talk about great sci-fi without mentioning the multi-genre powerhouse that is Stranger Things. Stranger Things blended fantasy, horror, and sci-fi with visuals that would not be out of place in a Stephen King novel against a backdrop of 1980s nostalgia. The show began as a spooky missing person story and became a cultural phenomenon.

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The five seasons of Stranger Things grow progressively darker, aging with the children at the center of the story. While the show's ending has been polarizing, Stranger Things contains moments that will stick with you, like Max's desperate fight to save herself from the show's "big bad," and any scene involving the Demogorgon, one of the scariest sci-fi TV show monsters of all time.

Stranger Things TV-14 Drama Mystery Horror Science Fiction 8/10 648 9.1/10 Release Date 2016 - 2025-00-00

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2 Pantheon

Characters looking at a hologram of a brain in Pantheon

Pantheon is an underrated hidden gem on Netflix. The sci-fi series has been criminally underrated despite its 100% positive critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes. The story follows Maddie, a teenage girl whose deceased father has managed to communicate as an artificial version of himself. While dying of cancer, he allowed his company to upload his consciousness, reaching out to Maddie online after his death.

Pantheon lasts for just two seasons, and its 16 episodes make it an ideal binge-watch. Reflecting a current threat, the show explores the concept of unchecked and rapidly evolving technology while also asking questions about what it means to be a person. Pantheon is both beautiful and dark at times, and essential to watch in the age of AI.

Pantheon TV-14 Animation Drama Science Fiction 7.0/10 Release Date 2022 - 2023-00-00

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1 Dark

MovieStillsDB

Dark begins with a missing persons' story that appears simple at first, with children disappearing from the fictional German town of Winden. However, the show quickly becomes a mind-bending sci-fi series involving time travel and a complex, layered multiverse. While Dark has not reached the level of fame it deserves, it remains the best sci-fi TV show on Netflix.

While some sci-fi TV shows polarize critics and audiences, Dark has impressed both, earning a 95% positive Rotten Tomatoes rating from both groups. Netflix has an unfortunate reputation for canceling great shows before they have a chance to gain the recognition they deserve, but fortunately for viewers, Dark builds to a real ending, which was planned before season 1 even aired.

Dark TV-MA Crime Drama Mystery Science Fiction Supernatural 63 9.2/10 Release Date 2017 - 2020

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