The best thing about science fiction is that no two takes on it are ever quite the same. That’s what gives the genre such wide-ranging appeal: There are sci-fi dramas, sci-fi thrillers, sci-fi horror, animated sci-fi… you name it, someone’s put it into the universe (and in the case of space sci-fi, really put it into the universe). The most engaging sci-fi stories can make you feel like you too are traversing another planet.

If you’re looking for something to watch that’s an escape from this world, check out this list. These sci-fi shows, from the mind-bending Black Mirror to the suspenseful Alice in Borderland, play around within the confines of the genre — and they’re all totally worth your time.

3 Body Problem

From creators David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo, and inspired by the internationally celebrated novel The Three-Body Problem, comes this epic sci-fi series spanning space and time. When scientists all over the world begin suddenly dying, a group of friends must band together with an unflinching detective to confront an impending threat to all of humanity. As this mysterious and existential threat looms over the world, even seemingly sure things like the laws of science and the fabric of reality are thrown into question. If you need a few more reasons to check it out, the stacked ensemble includes Benedict Wong, Jess Hong, Jovan Adepo, Eiza González, John Bradley, Alex Sharp, Rosalind Chao, Zine Tseng, Jonathan Pryce, Ben Schnetzer, Liam Cunningham, Marlo Kelly, Sea Shimooka, Saamer Usmani, and Eve Ridley.

3 Body Problem

2024

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The Umbrella Academy

This superhero series mixes in sci-fi elements and complicated family dynamics, which is to say that it pretty much has everything. Created by Steve Blackman and based on the comic book by My Chemical Romance front man Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, The Umbrella Academy centers around an estranged family of adopted, superpowered siblings who reunite after their father dies. (And when we say estranged, we really mean it: One of the siblings, for example, lives on the moon after becoming part ape.) The death of their father opens up new questions about the secrets he kept from them — and their own origins. With the fourth and final season of this delightfully weird gem set to premiere on Aug. 8, there’s never been a better time to get caught up. 

The Umbrella Academy

2019

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Bodies

Don’t make the mistake of thinking Bodies is an average crime drama. Based on Si Spencer’s graphic novel of the same name, the eight-episode British series plays around with the genre by adding an intriguing sci-fi element as it follows four detectives in four different time periods who happen to be investigating the same murder. Between the years of 1890 and 2053, the detectives — played by Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Amaka Okafor, Kyle Soller, and Shira Haas — stumble across the same naked corpse of a man in the exact same location, which unknowingly links them together as they try to get to the bottom of what happened. Yes, the show is inherently a murder mystery, but the time travel element adds just enough sci-fi weirdness to give Bodies even wider appeal.

Bodies

2023

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Stranger Things

Stranger Things is a perfect watch for sci-fi die-hards, the sci-fi curious, and anyone in between. Matt and Ross Duffer’s series invokes that quintessentially ’80s coming-of-age feeling, following a group of kids living in small-town Indiana whose lives are changed forever after their friend suddenly vanishes. They discover supernatural beings, alternate dimensions, and government conspiracies. That’s how it starts, anyway — the show weaves a vast web as it ratchets up the stakes every season, blending horror and science fiction with day-to-day teen drama. Come for the intriguing supernatural stuff, stay for the charming relationships between the show’s young characters.

Stranger Things

2016

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Black Mirror

It simply wouldn’t be a list of sci-fi shows without Charlie Brooker’s anthology, which dives deep into the paranoia born out of our increasingly online existences. All of the episodes across its six seasons are set in worlds that look like our own, but with some sort of eerie twist — and all tap into the unease that surrounds the ever-growing influence of technology. Each hour also stands completely alone. While some deal with similar themes — “The Entire History of You” and “Crocodile” both toy with the thorny concept of memory, while “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too” and “Joan Is Awful” probe at the nature of celebrity — every episode feels distinct from the one that came before it.

Black Mirror

2011

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Maniac

Emma Stone and Jonah Hill star in this cerebral limited series, created by Patrick Somerville, about two strangers living in a retro-futuristic version of New York City. They meet when they sign up for a peculiar pharmaceutical trial. Both have their own reasons for embarking on the treatment, which the scientists allege can heal their broken minds by forcing them to confront their trauma and blocks to happiness. They’re sent on wild subconscious journeys that allow them to become entirely different people as they’re thrown into a variety of genre-bending situations (like a 1940s séance and one memorable scene involving a lemur). 

Maniac

2018

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Dark

Dark doesn’t reveal itself all at once. The German series, created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, is set in a fictional small town at the center of a generation-spanning conspiracy that connects four local families. The truth slowly begins to come to light after a child goes missing, and it just so happens that the truth involves a wormhole and a whole lot of time travel. Don’t expect the spooky and complex Dark to rush into its core puzzle, but if you’re willing to go along for the ride, it makes every moment worth it.

Dark

2017

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Alice in Borderland

This Japanese thriller is an adaptation of the manga of the same name, following Arisu (Kento Yamazaki), a video game fanatic who finds himself trapped in an alternate, and seemingly abandoned, version of Tokyo. He’s forced to play life-or-death games, and along the way he allies with Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya), a mountain climber competing in the games by herself. Together, they fight for their lives while unraveling the mystery of how they ended up there. Alice in Borderland creates an edge-of-your-seat mix of sci-fi and dystopian survival elements, but what really makes it special is the way it turns its ordinary protagonists into heroes.

Alice in Borderland

2020

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Lost in Space

What kind of sci-fi list would this be without a show actually set in space? A reimagining of the classic 1965 series of the same name, Lost in Space is set in 2046 and follows the Robinsons, a family of space colonists who find themselves stuck after crash-landing on a mysterious planet. Deep in the intergalactic unknown, the family must find ways to rescue each other from the many lurking dangers while trying to get back to their mission. With impressive space visuals setting the scene, the series focuses on the characters and their relationships. It’s a classic sci-fi adventure updated for the modern age.

Lost in Space

2018

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Love, Death & Robots

With a wide range of animation styles on display, Love, Death & Robots makes for a truly unique viewing experience. The anthology collection of animated shorts was created by Deadpool director Tim Miller and executive produced by David Fincher. The title refers to the series’ three central themes, but each story runs the gamut in terms of genre and tone. An episode like Season 1’s zany historical fantasy “Alternate Histories” will make you laugh, while the toxic romance in Season 3’s “Jibaro” will chill you right to the core. And with each installment coming in at around 20 minutes, it makes for a quick, easy watch.

Love, Death & Robots

2019

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Welcome to Eden

If Fyre Fest taught us anything, it’s that Instagram-worthy parties are rarely as cool as they seem from the outside. Welcome to Eden, a zippy Spanish-language sci-fi thriller, takes that concept to the next level. The series revolves around a small group of influencers who are invited to an exclusive party on a remote island, only to wake up the morning after to find that the other guests have left, leaving them alone on a commune called Eden. Without spoiling too many of the series’ twists and turns, we’ll just say that the commune is run by a sinister cult made up of people who claim that the world is falling apart outside of their version of paradise. 

Welcome to Eden

2022

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Supergirl

This one isn’t as dark as some of the other entries on this list, but sometimes lighter fare is exactly what you need. The series revolves around Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist), who comes to Earth from planet Krypton as a preteen and finds a home with the Danvers family. As an adult, Kara works to keep her powers under wraps and balance her secret identity as the titular Supergirl, and the series has fun subverting the well-trodden Superman mythos. Plus, there are so many different kinds of aliens! 

Supergirl

2015

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The Rain

The eponymous rain in the Danish series The Rain references the virus carried by a bout of deadly rainfall that wiped out most of Scandinavia’s population. Six years later, two siblings emerge from their bunker and enter into a postapocalyptic wasteland, joining a band of survivors as they set out to find safety. But even as they attempt to rediscover their humanity in the wake of tragedy, the ever-present threat of a resurgence of the virus lurks every time a cloud passes over their heads. 

The Rain

2018

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