History has seen many an exceptional science fiction TV show, but it’s no coincidence that several of the greatest of all time take place in outer space. Indeed, the cosmos has always seemed to be one of the most fascinating settings possible for sci-fi stories, which makes it no surprise that shows like The Expanse and Battlestar Galactica have found such success telling stories among the stars. Of course, it’s one thing for a show to be truly set in space and a wholly different thing for space to play a modest role in a show.
Regardless, there have been eight particular series over the years which have proven that it’s perfectly possible for a sci-fi show set in space to be genuinely perfect. These shows are all fully deserving of a 10/10 rating, and have indeed been able to please audiences over the years and stand the test of time like only the best genre shows in history ever can. Exciting, creative, and incredibly entertaining from pilot to series finale, they’re all essential viewing for people who love sci-fi television.
‘Farscape’ (1999–2003)
Image via SYFY
Created by Rockne S. O’Bannon and co-produced by Hallmark and The Jim Henson Company, the Australian space sci-fi show Farscape is among the biggest cult classics that sci-fi television has ever produced. One of those classic sci-fi shows that are still worth binge-watching today, it tells the story of John Crichton (Ben Browder), a modern-day American astronaut who accidentally gets sucked through a wormhole into a distant part of the universe, where he joins a starship’s crew while running from a ruthless military empire.
Farscape is frequently hailed as one of the most perfect space opera masterpieces that the small screen has ever seen.
Delectably weird and chaotic in all the right ways, Farscape is frequently hailed as one of the most perfect space opera masterpieces that the small screen has ever seen, and it isn’t hard to see all the reasons why. With some exquisite and downright groundbreaking practical special effects, world-building of the utmost narrative depth, and character dynamics that allow the show to convey an awful ton of heart, it has the perfect blend between absurdist camp and genuinely dramatic storytelling.
‘The Expanse’ (2015–2022)
Image via SYFY
Based on the series of novels of the same name by James S. A. Corey (the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck), The Expanse is one of the most perfect sci-fi shows worth watching over and over again. It takes place in a colonized solar system on the brink of war between Earth, Mars, and the asteroid belt, following a rogue ship crew and a hardened detective who stumble upon a dangerous alien conspiracy.
Widely praised as one of the modern hard sci-fi shows with the most masterful scientific realism, The Expanse is a neo-noir space opera that feels unlike anything else the genre has produced in years. Without having produced a single bad episode over the course of six exceptional seasons, The Expanse spent that time building deeply human character arcs and a plot infused with sweeping political complexity, stunning world-building, and grounded themes.
‘Babylon 5’ (1994–1998)
Image via PTEN
In the history of not only science fiction television, but American broadcast television as a whole, there’s a “before <em>Babylon 5</em>” and an “after Babylon 5“. In a twist that was quite unusual at the time, this space opera was devised as an almost entirely serialized “novel for television,” where each season would serve as a chapter in that novel. The story? That of a space station in the mid-23rd century, which becomes a diplomatic hub for a massive galactic war and a struggle against human totalitarianism.
Though such an intense level of serialization was almost unprecedented for American cable television at the time, Babylon 5 has nevertheless aged beautifully, and is still one of those classic sci-fi shows better than most new series. On top of being highly influential, its quasi-Shakespearean, mature political realism, timeless themes, and brilliantly constructed character arcs make it irresistibly entertaining from beginning to end.
‘Andor’ (2022–2025)
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‘Cowboy Bebop’ (1998–1999)
This neo-noir space Western is set in …
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‘Firefly’ (2002–2003)
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‘Battlestar Galactica’ (2004–2009)
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‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ (1987–1994)
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