So that you don’t have to spend hours searching through thousands of movies, some good, some bad and everything in-between, we’ve compiled a list of the best science-fiction movies and television shows currently on Netflix.
Movies
1. Blade Runner (The Final Cut)
Synopsis: Early in the 21st century, robot evolution advanced considerably and a giant multinational company, called the Tyrell Corporation developed the Nexus range. These were artificially created humans, known as replicants. The Nexus 6 models were superior in strength and agility and at least equal in intelligence, to the genetic engineers who built them. They were used for manual labor in the hazardous colonization of other planets. However, after a particularly gruesome mutiny by a Nexus 6 combat team in an off-world colony, Replicants were declared illegal on Earth. Special police squads, called Blade Runner units, were used to track down and shoot any trespassing replicant. Now, six replicants have escaped and made their way back to Earth and it’s up to one man (Harrison Ford) to hunt them down.
Why you should watch: This is one of the greatest movies ever made. Period. Despite being made 40 years ago, it still stands the test of time. The story clever and compelling, it’s visually stunning and it features an incredible cast that delivers career-topping performances. Moreover, it’s regarded the default, defining cyberpunk-styled cinematic motion picture and has influenced countless other sci-fi movies since. There are a few different variations, from the significantly different “theatrical release” to the “director’s cut,” but this is the only version over which Scott had complete artistic and editorial control.
2. Chappie
Synopsis: In the near future, the crime-ridden streets of Johannesburg in South Africa are patrolled by law enforcement robots. When one police droid, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself. Needless to say, the criminals see the opportunity to have a robot on their side and immediately set about attempting to train the robot to help them in their illegal activities.
Why you should watch: This is the third of Neill Blomkamp’s big-budget sci-fi movies, following the epic “District 9” “and the only-ever-so-slightly-less-epic “Elysium.” Despite an impressive cast that includes Sigourney Weaver, Hugh Jackman and Sharlto Copley however, “Chappie” is arguably the weakest of the three — but that’s not to say it isn’t well worth a watch, consider this a bronze medal winner. It remains infinitely more entertaining than many of the why-did-they-make-this sci-fi features that somehow still end up on Netflix, “Cosmic Sin” for instance.
3. Dark Skies
Synopsis: As the Barrett family’s peaceful suburban life begins to unravel as an escalating series of disturbing events take place around their home. They come to learn that a terrifying and deadly force is after them, one which may have arrived from beyond the stars.
Why you should watch: More science fiction/thriller/horror than purely sci-fi, this is a longer, darker version of Barry’s abduction in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” More suspenseful than scary, the predatory aliens we see in this movie like to mess with people’s minds before actually abducting them. It’s effectively unsettling and is a little like “The Twilight Zone” meets “Poltergeist.” The cast includes a lot of people you’ll recognize from something you watched at some point, including Keri Russell (“Mission Impossible III”), Josh Hamilton (“Alive”) and J.K. Simmons, most recently seen in “The Tomorrow War.”
4. Don’t Look Up
Synopsis: Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence), an astronomy grad student, and her professor Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) make an astounding discovery of a comet orbiting within the solar system. The problem is that it’s on a direct collision course with Earth. The other problem is that no one cares. Turns out warning mankind about a planet-killer the size of Mount Everest is an inconvenient fact to navigate.
Why you should watch: Not only does this boast an amazing cast, including Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Ron Perlman and Mark Rylance, but the writer and director behind it is the same individual who gave us “The Big Short” and “Vice” And “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” Adam McKay. It has all the signs that it’s going to be a well-written, very funny, deeply disturbing and beautifully observed dark comedy-cum-satire. It is, in essence, a message about climate change and mocks those who willfully, repeatedly scoff at the science. And sadly, that could be applied to a number of things, including the pandemic, pollution, orbital debris…etc etc.
5. I Am Mother
Synopsis: In the wake of humanity’s extinction, a teenage girl is raised by a robot designed to repopulate the earth, but their unique bond is threatened when an inexplicable stranger arrives with alarming news.
Why you should watch: Before “Raised With Wolves” came “I Am Mother,” which also deals with the notion of robots raising humans. This Australian indie film stars Hilary Swank and features the voice of Rose Byrne; the story is well-written and relative newcomer Grant Sputore does an excellent job of directing, keeping your attention focused, right up until the plot twist at the end. It’s simple and very effective.
6. Mars Attacks!
Synopsis: It’s a normal, run-of-the-mill day for everyone on our peaceful planet, until the President of the United States (Jack Nicholson) announces that a fleet of flying saucers has been spotted circling Earth having travelled through space from Mars. After a less-than-perfect attempt at communication is made, a landing site is chosen and a first contact meeting is arranged. However, not everything goes to plan and the Martians seem to have other plans for Earth.
Why you should watch: Sure, there are other alien invasion movies, like “Battle Los Angeles” or even “War of the Worlds” but there are none quite like this. This is a sci-fi comedy that bears that the trademark warped humor of director Tim Burton, who taps into the pulp-style, comicbook look and feel from the 50s and 60s. Slick special effects are accompanied by a fairly straightforward story and a truly interstellar cast, including Pierce Brosnan, Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Danny DeVito, Annette Bening, Michael J. Fox, Martin Short and Tom Jones.
7. Johnny Mnemonic
Synopsis: In the year 2021, the most valuable of information is transported in implanted memory chips in the heads of professional mnemonic couriers like Johnny (Keanu Reeves). But he has to dump his own memories to make room for the information he smuggles. To buy them back, he agrees to deliver priceless data that has already set an army of professional killers on his trail. However, the massive upload is too much for his brain and Johnny must find the secret codes to download the information or he will die.
Why you should watch: This movie was made back in 1995 when the wonder of the ‘net and cyberspace were still being imagined by sci-fi writers – other examples form the time include “The Net,” “The Lawnmower Man” and “Strange Days.” It also undoubtedly contributed to the casting of Keanu Reeves in “The Matrix,” made just a few years later. This is an entertaining — albeit slightly dated — action romp, but fans of William Gibson, who wrote the source novel, should not expect anything resembling that.
8. The Midnight Sky
Synopsis: Set in the near future, where Earth has recently undergone an apocalyptic event and a lonely scientist in the Arctic (George Clooney) as he races the frozen tundra to reach a radio transmitter powerful enough to contact an exploration spacecraft still in space and warn them not to return home. Along the way, he finds and rescues a very young girl and the two form an inseparable friendship.
Why you should watch: This is a low-on-action, character-driven movie, that only just sneaks in under the genre banner of sci-fi. It’s directed by and stars George Clooney and is very much a portfolio piece for him. If you like Apple TV+’s “Invasion” then you’ll enjoy this, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. The cinematography is stunning and this features an impressive cast, all in cameo roles, including David Oyelowo, Felicity Jones, Kyle Chandler, Ethan Peck and Tim Russ. Clooney however, has coaxed an outstanding performance from newcomer Caoilinn Springall. Aside from one or two liberties taken with the laws of thermodynamics, this is an enjoyable, in-depth illustration of Clooney’s skills, both in front of, and behind the camera.
9. Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo
Synopsis: At the very heart of the Apollo space program was a team of hundreds of engineers, scientists, doctors and astronauts based in Houston, Texas, who monitored every single aspect of every single mission. This was a unique group of people whose purpose was to ensure the safety and success of every Apollo mission; they were the NASA mission controllers, the men and women behind the scenes who made the moon landing possible.
Why you should watch: Documentaries like this are always great to watch, plus any new footage of Gerry Griffin, Gene Kranz or Chris Kraft sharing their stories, is worth making time for. That said, while it’s fascinating to learn every single detail about how much effort was needed to make the Apollo program work, it would’ve been nice to learn more about exactly why Mission Control was located in Houston after Gemini: there were many factors, but the facts that the Vice President was a Texan and the chair of the House appropriations subcommittee in charge of NASA represented Houston was without a doubt an influence.
10. Mute
Synopsis: A mute man with a violent past is forced to take on the teeming underworld of a near-future Berlin as he searches for his missing girlfriend.
Why you should watch: This is Duncan Jones second major sci-fi motion picture set in the “Moon” universe and it does not disappoint. (The trilogy was concluded with the graphic novel “Madi.”) Paul Rudd and Alexander Skarsgård lead the cast and deliver strong performances in this vastly underrated, gritty sci-fi thriller set in the not-too-distant future.
11. Oxygen
Synopsis: A woman wakes in a cryogenic chamber with absolutely no recollection of how she got there. Unable to exit the status pod and slowly running out of oxygen, she must try to rebuild her memory in order to find a way out of her nightmare.
Why you should watch: One of the good things streaming services have enabled is for relatively low-budget sci-fi movies — that would never have seen the light of day 10 or 15 years ago — to be made. And this is one of them. “Oxygen” follows a simple premise and demonstrates that less quite often can be more. It has very little in the way of set changes and is focused entirely on the incredible performance of Mélanie Laurent (“Inglorious Basterds,” “Beginners,” “Enemy”). Another French heavyweight, Mathieu Amalric (“Munich,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Quantum of Solace”) provides the voice for the Medical Interface Liaison Officer or MILO, the AI incorporated into the cryogenic chamber.
12. Project Power
Synopsis: In the very near future, on the streets of New Orleans, a new pill that unlocks superpowers unique to each user is becoming popular. However, the catch is that you don’t know what will happen until you take it. While some develop bulletproof skin, invisibility, and super strength, others exhibit a deadlier reaction. A local cop (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) teams with a teenage dealer (Dominique Fishback) and a former soldier fueled by a secret vendetta (Jamie Foxx) to fight power with power and risk-taking the pill in order to stop its production.
Why you should watch: Netflix’s homegrown sci-fi often makes you wonder who on Earth is giving the green light to some of these projects, (“Another Life,” nuff said), but this one is worth a watch. Gordon-Levitt is guaranteed to be outstanding in just about any movie he’s in and Fishback also gives a stellar performance. It has a gritty, indie feel, with some nuanced layers to the story, making an enjoyable, interesting sci-fi noir. The cinematography in this movie is what Kathryn Bigelow’s 1995 sci-fi noir thriller “Strange Days” desperately needed.
13. Prospect
Synopsis: A teenage girl and her father travel to a remote alien moon, aiming to strike it rich. They’ve secured a contract to harvest a large deposit of the elusive gems hidden in the depths of the moon’s toxic forest. But there are others roving the wilderness and the job quickly devolves into a fight to survive. Forced to contend not only with the forest’s other ruthless inhabitants, but with her own father’s greed-addled judgment, the girl finds she must carve her own path to escape.
Why you should watch: Just like “Oxygen” above, “Prospect” would most likely never have been made, much less snagged Pedro Pascal, aka the Mandalorian, had it not been for Netflix investing in smaller-budget movies. Consequently, greater emphasis is placed on the story, the dialogue and the quality of writing in general. As such, this is an entertaining science fiction thriller that will captivate from start to finish.
14. The Signal
Synopsis: Three college students on a road trip across the Southwest experience a detour — the tracking of a computer genius who has already hacked into MIT and exposed security faults. When the trio finds themselves drawn to an eerily isolated area, suddenly everything goes dark. When one of the students regains consciousness, he finds himself in a waking nightmare.
Why you should watch: This little-known movie is a tense thriller with an epic twist at the end. A great cast — including Olivia Cooke, Brenton Thwaites and Laurence Fishburne — together with a well-written script, add up to an edge-of-seat sci-fi thriller.
15. Snowpiercer
Synopsis: In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet and leaves the Earth completely covered in snow and ice, a class system evolves aboard the Snowpiercer, a train that travels non-stop around the globe. Finally, an uprising gathers enough momentum to crash through barriers put in place and work its way to the front of the train.
Why you should watch: It took the success of “Parasite” at the 2020 Academy Awards for the work of Boong Joon-ho to be bought to mainstream attention, but “Snowpiercer” is also one of his and it’s really very good. Chris Evans leads an amazing cast that includes John Hurt, Ed Harris, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton and Alison Pill. Unfortunately, the TV adaptation currently airing on TNT has utterly failed to capture the essence of this movie and has instead taken the plot in a ludicrous new direction.
16. Space Sweepers
Synopsis: In the year 2092, space is full of dangerous floating garbage like discarded satellites and deserted spaceships. The crew of The Victory trawls between the Earth and the Moon looking for the garbage they can sell to make money, while also competing with junk collector ships from other countries and using the speediness of their craft to defeat their rivals.
Why you should watch: The South Koreans have produced some quality movies in the past that should really be watched if you have any interest in contemporary foreign cinema, including “The Brotherhood of War,” “Parasite” and “The Host” and while this might not be up to quite the same standard of dramatic quality, it’s an enjoyable sci-fi action romp with high production values and extremely effective special effects.
17. Spectral
Synopsis: Set in the not too distant future, a US special forces unit fighting somewhere in Europe in what appears to be a global conflict encounters a weird, ghost-like entity that can be killed and is only visible in certain light spectrums. Before long, more of these phenomena are detected and troops are being wiped out, left and right. Can a scientist from DARPA work out how to defeat these deadly, ethereal demons?
Why you should watch: It’s a little bit “Aliens,” a little bit “Battle Los Angeles” and maybe even a little bit “World War Z” and if you like all of those, you’ll enjoy this too. A great cast including James Badge Dale, Max Martini, Bruce Greenwood and Gonzalo Menendez — all veterans of quality action movies — carries this straightforward, but stylish sci-fi drama that shows off extremely high production values.
18. Stargate
Synopsis: A down-on-his-luck archaeologist, whose unusual theories about aliens and ancient Egypt are ridiculed by his peers, is recruited to decipher an ancient hieroglyph on mysterious giant ring-like device found in Giza in the 1920s. It turns out that his theories were actually correct and he’s able to unlock the device, which then activates a wormhole portal between worlds on different sides of the galaxy.
Why you should watch: This is the movie that spawned one of the most successful television sci-fi spin-off franchises in history. Kurt Russell stars as Colonel Jack O’Neill and James Spader as Dr. Daniel Jackson, two roles that were perfectly filled by Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks in the TV show.
19. Stowaway
20. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Synopsis: The direct sequel to the epic 1984 original “Terminator” sees Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton) incarcerated in a maximum-security insane asylum for continuing to believe that the world ends on August 29th, 1997. Meanwhile Skynet sends another, more advanced Terminator back in time in a second attempt to assassinate John Conner (Edward Furlong), this time when he’s just a boy. However the resistance is also able to send a Terminator through – one of the earlier T-800 models (Arnold Schwarzenegger).
Why you should watch: Not only is this one of the rare instances where the sequel is at least as good as the original (other examples include “Aliens,” “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “Superman II”) but this is also one of the best sci-fi action movies ever made. Writer and director James Cameron truly pushed the edge of the VFX envelope back in 1991 when he gave us the magnificent mimetic polyalloy T-1000 (Robert Patrick).
21. Total Recall (1990)
Synopsis: When lowly construction worker Douglas Quaid visits Rekall for a virtual vacation memory of Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events unfolds, leading him to discover along the way to the Red Planet that he might be a secret agent under deep cover.
Why you should watch: Let’s get one thing clear, forget the 2012 remake, the original 1990 version is vastly superior. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside and directed by Paul Verhoeven, when he was at his peak. This adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” is an epic rollercoaster ride of Verhoeven-style action and adventure and has become considered a classic sci-fi movie of the 90s.
22. Total Recall (2012)
Synopsis: When lowly construction worker Douglas Quaid visits Rekall for a virtual vacation memory of Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events unfolds, leading him to discover along the way to the Red Planet that he might be a secret agent under deep cover. If that sounds the same as the film above, that’s because this is basically a remake.
Why you should watch: You shouldn’t watch this, it’s that simple. We’ve included it on this list as a warning to stay away from it, especially if you enjoyed the Verhoeven 1990 version. An impressive cast is utterly wasted and it relies much more heavily on computer generated effects to wow the viewer into thinking this is a quality flick, ’cause it isn’t. Gimmicks have been added as excuses to use extensive VFX and it just cheapens the memory of the vastly superior earlier version. Total Waste of Time.
23. The Wandering Earth
Synopsis: Set in the distant future when the sun is about to expand into a red giant and devour the Earth, mankind makes an audacious attempt to save the planet. People all around the world unite and build giant planet thrusters to move Earth out of its orbit and sail Earth to a new star system. Yet the 2500-year journey comes with unexpected dangers, and in order to save humanity, a group of young people in this age of a wandering Earth fight hard for the survival of humankind.
Why you should watch: This is without the Chinese equivalent of a Michael Bay sci-fi movie and as such it’s utterly bonkers, but beautiful to watch. The performances are good, but the VFX, along with the out-of-this-world concepts, are truly the stars of this flick as our now frozen planet begins its slow journey through space, powered by hundreds of giant “planet engines.”
24. Zathura: A Space Adventure
Synopsis: Two brothers try to kill boredom by playing an old and forgotten game recently discovered in the basement of their house. However, they quickly discover the space-themed game has some unusual qualities; a roll of the dice unexpectedly launches their house into outer space and before long, they’re fending off menacing robots, angry aliens, and showers of interstellar debris outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
Why you should watch: In essence, this could be considered “Jumanji” in space and in fact it’s actually a sequel, both books being written by Chris Van Allsburg. It’s a great family film and thankfully director Jon Favreau doesn’t rely too heavily on CGI, instead choosing practical effects, models and real sets to convey the chaotic adventure undertaken by the Budwing family. Strong performances from the cast complete this entertaining sci-fi adventure flick.
TV Series
1. Altered Carbon
Synopsis: After 250 years on ice, a prisoner returns to life in a new body with one chance to win his freedom: by solving a mind-bending murder
Why you should watch: Season 2 is now available, so if you haven’t seen Season 1, you’ve got 8 hours and 52 minutes worth to get through first. The second season is considerably better than the first, but to get maximum enjoyment, we suggest taking in the first season as well. The production design on this is incredible and thankfully Anthony Mackie helps bring the story up to the same standard of the Blade Runner-esque visual aesthetic. Tragically, Netflix canceled “Altered Carbon,” so there won’t be a third season, but these are without a doubt still worth watching.
2. Another Life
Synopsis: Set in the not too distant future, an anomaly from space appears in Earth’s orbit and plants a stalk-like object into the ground. Humans attempt to determine what it is, why it’s been placed there, and what’s going to happen next, but it’s taking too long to crack the code so they send a team into space to the source of the object to investigate further.
Why you should watch: Why you should watch this? Well…er, it’s got Katee Sackoff in it, isn’t that reason enough? No..? Oh, OK. There’s no other way to put this, “Another Life” is a mostly below par sci-fi and frankly we’re amazed that it got renewed for a second season. Sackoff herself seems to bounce around like a pinball inbetween amazing and atrocious sci-fi: “The Mandalorian” and “Battlestar Galactica” for example…and then “Riddick” and then this show. But, some people – mostly young kids – do enjoy it and if you’ve watched all the other sci-fi on Netflix, it couldn’t hurt to give it a go, right..?
3. Away
Synopsis: An US astronaut struggles with leaving her husband and daughter behind to embark on a dangerous mission with an international space crew.
Why you should watch: This drama set in space really looks at the issues around family and relationships and in particular being a long distance away from them and what better backdrop is there than the life of a married astronaut. Hilary Swank stars in this 10-part series and while it’s not perhaps as extreme as “Lucy in the Sky,” it covers much of the same emotional ground. Granted, some liberties have been taken with some of the plot points, but then that just wouldn’t make for compelling television would it?
4. Black Mirror
Synopsis: A contemporary British re-working of “The Twilight Zone” with stories that tap into the collective unease about our modern world. Over the last 10 years, technology has transformed almost every aspect of our lives before we’ve had time to stop and question it; in every home; on every desk; in every palm — a plasma screen; a monitor; a smartphone — a black mirror of our 21st-century existence.
Why you should watch: There are only a few episodes in each season and among those are some truly inspired moments of genius from the show’s creator Charlie Brooker. The first episode “The National Anthem” will frankly shock you into watching more and the standalone episode entitled “Bandersnatch” was the world’s first interactive television experience, where you determine what happens to the principal character.
5. Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space
Synopsis: Follow four civilians as they launch into space on a three-day trip orbiting Earth and reaching an altitude higher than that of the International Space Station (254 miles). The SpaceX Dragon mission, dubbed Inspiration4, was the most ambitious step to date in the rapidly-developing age of civilian space exploration, making history as the first all-civilian mission to orbit. The mission launched on Sept. 15, 2021 and returned to Earth three days later.
Why you should watch: This five episode miniseries is the closest many of us will get to experiencing what it’s like to train and then travel into space. The crew will embark on a three-day mission to orbit Earth in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. The mission launched on Sept. 15, 2021 from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and returned to Earth three days later. The privately funded mission will raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Related: Watch the first trailer for the Inspiration4 documentary from Netflix
6. Dark Matter
Synopsis: The six-person crew of a derelict spaceship awakens from stasis in the farthest reaches of space. Their memories wiped clean, they have no recollection of who they are or how they got on board. The only clue to their identities is a cargo bay full of weaponry and a destination: a remote mining colony that is about to become a war zone. With no idea whose side they are on, they face a deadly decision.
Why you should watch: Sadly, this show is yet another example of poor judgment by the studios as it was canceled while still very much in its prime. Despite there only being three seasons, it’s still well worth a watch. The action scenes were enthralling and fun to watch, especially on a nice, big TV screen, but at the heart of the show was the relationship that slowly developed between the characters as they all found themselves in the same position and were forced to work together.
7. Lost In Space – season 3
Synopsis: In the third and final season, the stakes are higher than ever and the Robinson family’s survival instincts will be put to the ultimate test. After a year of being trapped on a mysterious planet, Judy, Penny, Will and the Robot must lead the 97 young colonists in a harrowing evacuation — but not before secrets are unearthed that will change their lives forever. Meanwhile John and Maureen — with Don at their side — must battle overwhelming odds as they try to reunite with their kids. The Robinsons will have to grapple with the emotional challenge of not just being lost — but being separated from the ones they love… as they face the greatest alien threat yet.
Why you should watch: A solid cast including Toby Stephens, Molly Parker, Taylor Russell, Maxwell Jenkins, Mina Sundwall, Ignacio Serricchio and of course, Parker Posey, together with good writing make this compelling viewing, but perhaps more importantly, for this third and final season, it’s going to be really interesting to see how the story has developed and even incorporated the time that has passed.
8. Lost in Space – seasons 1 & 2
Synopsis: The human race has been forced to organize an evacuation from Earth and a giant spacecraft has been built that’s made up of smaller ships, designed to act as landing craft that can each accommodate one family. On the way to Alpha Centuri, the Robinson’s landing craft crash lands on an uncharted planet and they struggle to survive against all the odds as they must deal with weird indigenous creatures, alien robots and potentially fatal flora and fauna.
Why you should watch: Remember how “Battlestar Galactica” was reimagined? The same has been done to the old 1965, black and white show that came from the mind of Irwin Allen. And the result is amazing. The first season is marginally better than the second, but both are worth binge-watching in their entirety. You’ll laugh, you’ll definitely cry and you’ll be on the edge of your seat as you watch John Robinson, his wife, Maureen, their children (Judy, Penny and Will) and Major Don West fight to survive against the natural elements of an alien world.
9. Love Death + Robots
Synopsis: A collection of short stories, ranging from eight minutes to 18 minutes, each one in a different style of animation with the occasional live action one thrown in. They usually incorporate technology and /or robots in the plot and often taking place in a dystopian future.
Why you should watch: This is the best original series Netflix has produced since “Lost in Space.” Each story is totally different and while some follow a familiar theme, or perhaps feature some ideas seen before, each one has a totally unique twist. Some episodes are dark and disturbing, while others exhibit a very dark, but hilarious, sense of humor, but every one is creative, well written and beautifully produced. The first season contains 18 episodes and the second just eight and quite often there are very subtle nods to well known sci-fi franchises, including “The Terminator” and “Aliens.”
10. The Movies That Made Us
Synopsis: A series of light-hearted, hour-long documentaries that focus on the production history of some of pop-culture’s favorite flicks.
Why you should watch: Chances are, you’ve probably seen this before on Netflix, but this third season includes a look two of the biggest science fiction blockbusters to come out in the 80s, “Robocop” and “Aliens.” We many of the cast recount their experiences along with former senior studio executives. No matter how much of a fan you already call yourself of these epic sci-fi flicks, you will almost learn something new. It’s great to see Sigourney Weaver offer her insight, but sadly Peter Weller is a no-show. However, if you’re a fan of “Robocop” you should definitely keep tabs on the fan-made “Robodocumentary” currently in production. And we’ll keep you up to date with all the latest news about that here on Space.com.
11. Mystery Science Theater 3000
Synopsis: Set in the not-too-distant future, a Gizmonic Institute employee is lured to the dark side of the moon by third-generation mad scientist Kinga Forrester (Felicia Day) and her flunky, Max (Patton Oswalt). He is sat in front of cheesy movies with his robot buddies and forced to tortuously watch bad B-movies in their entirety as these mad scientists study the effects on his mind.
Why you should watch: Arguably one of the best hangover cures or rainy day shows ever made for television. During each atrociously bad B-movie, the crew of the SOL space station, Jonah, Servo, Crow and Gypsy, mercilessly shred it, with sarcastic and side-splittingly funny comments. The current Netflix offering is two seasons; the first is called “The Gauntlet” (six episodes) and the second is “The Return” (14 episodes). Back in November 2019, Netflix canceled the show, but in April of 2021, creator and star Joel Hodgson launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of more episodes and a dedicated platform to show every season of the show. The campaign reached its minimum goal of $2 million within 25 hours of launch and ended with more than $6.5 million, assuring that more episodes will be produced.
12. The Silent Sea
Synopsis: During a perilous 24-hour mission on the moon, space explorers try to retrieve samples from an abandoned research facility steeped in classified secrets.
Why you should watch: If “Squid Game” is anything to go by, Korean television is on a hot streak. This is an 8-episode series based on the short film “The Sea of Tranquility” that was written and directed by Choi Hang-Yong, the man behind this show. At the time of writing this December round-up, we had been unable to watch a preview, but we’re excited by what this show has to offer and it drops onto Netflix on Dec. 24.
13. Star Trek: The Next Generation
Synopsis: Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk’s five-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers set off in the Galaxy-class USS Enterprise-D on their own mission to go where no one has gone before.
Why you should watch: Way back in October 1986, a sequel series to the original “Star Trek” was announced and met more or less universally with a positive reception. Any lingering doubt was left far behind as it reached almost 12 million viewers in its fifth season. With the first season of “Picard” available on Paramount+ this is a great opportunity to catch up with all the relevant episodes, including “The Measure of a Man” (S02, E09), “The Best of Both Worlds” parts 1 & 2 (S03, E26 & S04, E01) and of course “All Good Things” parts 1 & 2 (S07, E25).
14. The Twilight Zone
Synopsis: A series of unrelated, standalone stories containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and/or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist.
Why you should watch: This, the original “Twilight Zone” that ran for five seasons from 1959 to 1964, should really be on the national curriculum. The iconic opening narration and music are instantly familiar and the show influenced an entire generation of sci-fi writers, including Harlan Ellison and Gene Roddenberry and other shows, like “The Outer Limits.” In fact, “the Twilight Zone” was a big influence on “Black Mirror” that we mentioned above.
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