7 Apple TV Sci-Fi Shows With No Bad Seasons, Ranked
Christine is a freelance writer for Collider with two decades of experience covering all types of TV shows and movies spanning every genre. With a particular affinity for dramas, true crime, sitcoms, and thrillers, if it's a top TV show, Christine has likely watched it and is eager to share her thoughts. When she's not furiously writing away, you can find her enjoying the next binge obsession with a glass of wine in front of the TV.
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Apple TV is quickly carving a space for itself as one of the best streamers for sci-fi TV shows. These series run the gamut from cerebral and mind-binding to apocalyptic, even comedic. If you're looking for a good sci-fi show, Apple TV has you covered. There's even a long forgotten hidden gem series that is unlike any other you've ever seen on television.
With many of these shows still going, set to debut new seasons within the year, it's the perfect time to catch up or re-watch so you're ready for the continuation of the story. They not only count among the best sci-fi series on Apple TV, but the best sci-fi series of the last five years, period.
7 'Dark Matter' (2024–Present)
A seriously mind-bending show, Dark Matter stars Joel Edgerton as Jason Dessen, a physicist and college professor who is abducted by an alternate version of himself known as Jason2 and taken to another reality. If Jason doesn't get back to his reality, Jason2 threatens to infiltrate his life and take up with his family, posing as the real Jason.
With a fantastic cast that also includes Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, and Jimmi Simpson, Dark Matter is a near-perfect hard sci-fi show with two seasons under its belt so far, the second season wrapping up at the end of October 2026. There's no official renewal yet for a third season, but the story was originally planned as a three-season arc, so it would be surprisingly if Apple TV prematurely pulled the plug. This is all the more reason to watch seasons one and two and be ready for the likely end to the story. The series, based on the Blake Crouch novel, uses sci-fi to pose existential questions about humanity, living with your choices, and the concept of exploring the road not taken to determine if fate is defined, and what is the sum of one's choices.
6 'Murderbot' (2025–Present)
Alexander Skarsgård is brilliant in the sci-fi action comedy Murderbot as the title character, a private security construct who has managed to hack its own governor module and become sentient. But this is a dangerous position to be in, because if anyone finds out, Murderbot will be destroyed. So, it does its best to pretend it's simply a robot there to obey demands with no awareness beyond that. But that's easier said than done because humans are downright weird. Murderbot gets assigned to work with an eccentric team whose members begin to realize that something is off. Meanwhile, all Murderbot wants to do is binge-watch episodes of its favorite sci-fi show, stored in its own memory.
Murderbot is a sweet and funny tale about fitting in, acceptance, and understanding human nature and emotions. The show explores topics of AI, sentient robots, and, at its core, human weakness, human nature, and autonomous thinking. Unlike more serious sci-fi shows, you'll get plenty of laughs as this powerful robot displays very relatable, socially awkward traits housed in its human-like body. Alongside Skarsgård, the talented cast is led by Noma Dumezweni, a standout as team leader Ayda Mensah, and David Dastmalchian as Gurathin, a construct/human hybrid and tech expert who prides himself (itself?) on being able to understand both worlds.
5 'Calls' (2021)
I had never seen anything like Calls on television before and still haven't since. The mystery thriller analog animated miniseries based on the French series of the same name isn't a show you watch like a traditional one. All that you see on screen are geometric shapes, moving lines, and text that appears and disappears, pulses, and scrolls as dialogue is being spoken. Every episode is a phone call between two or more people as they discuss strange happenings.
The narrative comes together in the end, but every episode feels like a standalone story before you start to piece things together. What makes Calls stand out even more is the incredible voice cast with dozens of names, including actors like Aubrey Plaza, Clancy Brown, Pedro Pascal, Nick Jonas, Rosario Dawson, and more. The stories are bizarre yet terrifying, from a woman reporting to her boyfriend that an entity that doesn't look human has entered her home, to another who receives a phone call from her while standing next to what appears to be her dead body. You will initially want to turn Calls off, thinking it isn't for you. But stick with it: it pays off, and you'll be deeply invested by the end of Episode 1.
4 'For All Mankind' (2019–Present)
The sci-fi drama For All Mankind takes you on a journey through alternate history. What if the global space race didn't end once the Soviet Union achieved the first Moon landing ahead of the U.S.? Set in 1969, Alexei Leonov is the first human to land on the Moon and NASA is deflated. It pushes forward with its research projects, matching the Soviet Union's decision to train female astronauts as well as ethnic minorities so it can keep up. The competition heats up throughout the story in the "what if" scenario, which will continue through to a sixth and final season in 2027.
Once you catch up on For All Mankind, one of the best sci-fi shows released since 2010, you can check out the equally great Star City. The spin-off focuses on the Soviet space program and has received rave reviews. That show premiered in May 2026, and though it has not yet been officially renewed for a second season, it's likely there will be one. But start with For All Mankind, one of Apple TV's first original series. It's a stunning visual show with a narrative that spans decades, fantastic performances, and a plot that dives as much into the human side of the story as the alternate historical space race one.
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Sci-Fi/Quizzes/Hero Match
PAUL ATREIDESCAPTAIN KIRKPRINCESS LEIAELLEN RIPLEYMAX ROCKATANSKY
Collider QuizWhich Sci-Fi Hero
Are You8 Questions · 5 LegendsFive iconic heroes. Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one.On The Manifest
Paul Atreides
Captain Kirk
Princess Leia
Ellen Ripley
Max Rockatansky
Jump 01 / 080% Plotted
Question 01LEADERSHIP
01How do you lead when the stakes couldn't be higher?The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you.
Pick one, then Next
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Question 02STRENGTH
02What is your greatest strength in a crisis?The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails.
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Question 03MOTIVATION
03What is the thing you'd sacrifice everything else for?Your deepest motivation is your truest compass.
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Question 04PEOPLE
04How do you relate to the people around you?Who you are to others under pressure is who you really are.
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Question 05THREAT
05You're facing a threat that no one else believes is real. What do you do?How you respond when you're the only one who sees it defines everything.
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Question 06COST
06What has your heroism cost you personally?Every hero pays. The question is what, and whether they'd pay it again.
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Question 07RULES
07How do you feel about the rules of the world you're in?Every hero has a relationship with the system. What's yours?
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Question 08PURPOSE
08When everything is on the line, what keeps you going?The answer is the most honest thing about you.
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Your Hero Has Been IdentifiedYour Sci-Fi Hero Is
Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.
DunePaul AtreidesArrakis · Dune, 2021The hero who knows exactly what becoming one will cost.
You carry a weight most people would crumble under: the knowledge of what you're capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become.Why This Is You
- You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you.
- You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn't ask for but can't escape.
- Paul Atreides is not simply a hero. He is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway.
- That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won't, is exactly you.
From The Collider File
- Dune: Part Three closes Denis Villeneuve's trilogy on December 18, 2026, adapting Dune Messiah.
- Messiah is the book that turns on its own hero, which is why Villeneuve waited to film it.
Sees It ComingCarries The WeightArrakis
Star TrekCaptain KirkUSS Enterprise · Star Trek, 1966The captain who refuses to accept that a no-win scenario exists.
You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario, because you've always believed there's a third option nobody else has thought of yet.Why This Is You
- You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously.
- Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you've earned it.
- Kirk's genius isn't tactical, it's human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction.
- That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours.
From The Collider File
- Paul Wesley's Kirk took the center chair in Strange New Worlds season 4, which premiered July 23, 2026.
- The producers have confirmed Kirk stays with the show through its final season.
No-Win ScenarioCrew FirstStarfleet
Star WarsPrincess LeiaThe Rebellion · A New Hope, 1977The one who holds the line when the line is all that's left.
You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith, not because you're fearless, but because giving up simply isn't something you're capable of.Why This Is You
- You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakable.
- You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you've never looked back.
- Leia is not a supporting character in her own story. She is the moral center of the entire rebellion.
- That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you.
From The Collider File
- Carrie Fisher was 19 when she shot A New Hope, and Leia's first scene in the saga is a refusal.
- Lucasfilm ruled out recreating her digitally, so her last appearance was built from footage she had already filmed.
Holds The LineThe CauseRebellion
AlienEllen RipleyThe Nostromo · Alien, 1979No speeches. Just the person still standing at the end.
You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone's hero. You just refuse to stop when it matters.Why This Is You
- You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself.
- Ripley's heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn't have a speech. She has a plan and the nerve to see it through.
- You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn't there.
- When it counts, you don't flinch. That's everything.
From The Collider File
- FX renewed Noah Hawley's Alien: Earth for a second season, pushing the franchise onto the home planet.
- Sigourney Weaver has said she is seriously weighing a return to Ripley after reading a new script.
No SpeechesHandles ItNostromo
Mad MaxMax RockatanskyThe Wasteland · Mad Max, 1979Lost everything, kept going anyway.
You have been through fire that would break most people, and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril.Why This Is You
- You don't ask for help, don't need validation, and don't wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply.
- Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute, but it's earned in silence and tested in action, not in words.
- Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting.
- That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours.
From The Collider File
- George Miller has a script for the next Mad Max, The Wasteland, but has said only that we will see whether it gets made.
- The 1979 original was shot for a few hundred thousand Australian dollars and became one of the most profitable films ever made.
Outlasts ItEarned LoyaltyWasteland
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3 'Pluribus' (2025–Present)
Sure, it's easy to deliver a show with no bad seasons when the series only has one season so far. But it's safe to assume that when Pluribus returns for its confirmed second season, it will likely be just as fantastic as Season 1. Hailing from the warped mind of Vince Gilligan, the post-apocalyptic sci-fi show tells the story of an alien virus that takes over Earth. Yes, people die. But many survive. There's just one problem: they are now unwittingly part of a hive mind, connected with shared knowledge, memories, resources, and a goal. They seemingly want to create a utopian society where everyone lives in peace and harmony.
Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) survives, but she's one of a baker's dozen of humans from around the world who are immune. With all its vast knowledge, the hive mind can't yet figure out why and is working furiously on a way to have these 13 people "join us." The story explores the importance of individuality and power over your own life. It forces you to ask questions about whether a perfect society is even achievable. The cycle of life suggests that for some to survive, others can't. Watching will make you rethink the idea of world peace if it comes at a cost of personal agency.
2 'Silo' (2023–Present)
One of the most gripping sci-fi series of the last five years, Silo is set to end its four-season arc in July 2027. So, you have plenty of time to catch up on the three seasons to date. The sci-fi dystopian drama is set in a far future when civilization has existed in underground silos for centuries. A catastrophic event obliterated Earth above and everyone lives with the supposed knowledge that it's not safe to go outside. Doing so will result in immediate death. Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) is a razor-sharp engineer caught up in a tragedy when her boyfriend winds up dead, and murder is suspected. As she follows clues given to her by others, she discovers that not everything is what it seems.
Silo doesn't dive fully into the sci-fi angle until Season 3, but the set-up through the first two seasons is worth the wait. The story and characters are compelling. The way the silo operates on a class-based system leaves you wondering if recreating society would only lead to us making the same mistakes all over again. Based on the Hugh Howey novels, which count among the greatest dystopian book trilogies of all time, Silo diverts from the novel narrative just enough such that even if you're already familiar with the story, you'll find the show equally compelling but different enough to keep you guessing.
1 'Severance' (2022–Present)
A show arguably hasn't been dissected and analyzed so much since Lost. In the 10/10 masterpiece dystopian sci-fi show Severance, Mark Scout (Adam Scott) undergoes an experimental procedure to sever his memories. His "innie" persona goes to work every day sitting at a computer doing a mundane and repetitive task he doesn't even understand. At home, his "outie" is unaware of what he has done all day but is happy for the reprieve from grieving the loss of his wife. As these two versions of the same person start to intersect, Mark becomes aware of things he shouldn't, and he and his team members start to question the nature of their realities and who they really are.
The sci-fi psychological thriller is bizarre, yet captivating, and one of the most visually stunning shows on television right now, arguably ever. Elements of the story will rack your brain. You'll become emotionally invested in every character. Yes, even those who are sort of two different people inside and outside the office. It's a workplace show like no other that explores the topics of human emotion, dealing with grief, and playing with identity.
Severance
- Release Date
- February 17, 2022
- Network
- Apple TV
- Showrunner
- Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman
- Directors
- Ben Stiller
-
Mark Scout
-
Helly Riggs
- Writers
- Anna Ouyang Moench, Wei-Ning Yu
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Seasons
- 2
- Producers
- Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, Aoife McArdle, Amanda Overton, Sean Fogel, Wei-Ning Yu, Gerry Robert Byrne, Jessica Lee Gagné
- Creator(s)
- Dan Erickson
- Story By
- dan erickson
- Streaming Service(s)
- AppleTV+
- Executive Producer(s)
- Adam Scott, Beau Willimon, Ben Stiller, Caroline Baron, Dan Erickson, Andrew Colville, Chris Black, Jackie Cohn, John Cameron, John Lesher, Jordan Tappis, Mark Friedman, Nicholas Weinstock, Richard Schwartz, Sam Donovan
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