10 Best Sci-Fi Shows Of 2025, Ranked

2025 was a good year to be a sci-fi fan. The best sci-fi movies of 2025 showcased some of the best from the genre this decade so far, with a mix of new entries and legacy sequels, as well as almost every subgenre you can name. And sci-fi on the small screen was no different, with stellar entries that encompassed both brand new shows and subsequent seasons of returning favorites. To that end, in order to be eligible for this list, the season in question needed to start and end within the calendar year.

There was hard sci-fi, fantasy sci-fi, sci-fi horror, and even sci-fi comedy in the mix for the genre on television last year. Franchises that pre-date the moon landing had strong showings in 2025, as have a few that floundered on the big screen but are finding a new — and arguably better — home on television. 

Apart from returning favorites and refreshed classics, several brand new shows also proved they were worthy to stand besides the giants in 2025, and may very well still be talked about by the time humans finally land on Mars.

When ranking every "Star Trek" series ever made so far, "Strange New Worlds" falls only behind the big three — "The Original Series," "Next Generation," and "Deep Space Nine" — in terms of quality. That's pretty impressive for a show that initially just seemed like it was going to be a fun little experiment to pick up where they original, and subsequently abandoned, pilot for "TOS" left off 60 years ago. 

Season 3 is a perfect balance of "Strange New Worlds" continuing to forge its own way, while also bringing in legacy elements — Scotty officially joins the crew, for example — in a way that feels satisfying rather than just cheap fan service. It also saw the show get more experimental in terms of tone and style, branching out into a variety of subgenres and nailing each one. Recent "Star Trek" shows were already getting to a "do we really need another season of this?" at this point in their runs, but with "Strange New Worlds," there is nothing but excitement to see what comes next. 

Creators: Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet

Cast: Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush

Current Season: 3

Number of Episodes In Season: 10

Where to Watch: Paramount+

So many "Black Mirror" episodes have freakishly predicted technology's future. Between that, and how dire things were looking in the real world thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and other unfortunate events at the turn of the 2020s, a sci-fi anthology series about how doomed we all are didn't feel so fun anymore. So after Season 6 in 2019, the show had its longest hiatus to date by taking four years to deliver a Season 7 — and the reception for its return was lukewarm.

But with Season 7, "Black Mirror" is back and the best it's been in a decade. Some of the territory is similar (finding ways to cheat death via technology), and some is brand new for the show (someone builds a computer that manipulates the very fabric of reality in real time). And like previous "Black Mirror" seasons — and any anthology show, really — some episodes of Season 7 are better than others. Still, there isn't an outright dud in the bunch, and the highest points of Season 7 are some of the best "Black Mirror" episodes of all time. 

Creator: Charlie Booker

Cast: Rashida Jones, Paul Giamatti, Cristin Milioti

Current Season: 7

Number of Episodes In Season: 6

Where to Watch: Netflix

One of the untold truths of "Foundation," the Apple TV+ series that debuted in 2021 and saw Season 3 air in 2025, is that the books it is based upon were previously said to be unfilmable. It isn't necessarily because of technological limitations, but the unique approach the books take to storytelling in which the action mostly happens "off page," featuring a main character who is only ever heard and not seen.

While the show obviously tweaks some of those elements, it does so in a way that still feels faithful to the book, never alienating its fans or betraying the source material. In Season 3, alliances are broken, betrayals happen left and right, and The Mule is as threatening as ever — and also might not even be who we think he is. While it's a slight step down quality-wise from the incredible Season 2, that shouldn't suggest that Season 3 isn't still excellent. At a bare minimum, it continues to prove that some stories aren't unfilmable — they just need to be multi-season prestige streaming shows instead of movies. 

Creators: David S. Goyer, Josh Friedman

Cast: Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell

Current Season: 3

Number of Episodes In Season: 10

Where to Watch: Apple TV+

It isn't only returning shows that encompassed the best sci-fi TV of the year. One of the best newcomers is "The Eternaut," an Argentine series that was released globally by Netflix. Based in its native country, "The Eternaut" sees much of the world decimated in just a single day after a bizarrely powerful blizzard. As hard as it already is for the few remaining survivors to go on in this new ice age, they soon discover that this was no natural disaster — and was actually a laying of groundwork for an alien invasion.

The Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus for "The Eternaut," in front of a 96% rating, reads, "Grounded by layered performances and a foreboding pace, 'The Eternaut' is a post-apocalyptic adventure that derives its thrills from character as much as it does set pieces." While stars Ricardo Darin, Carla Peterson, Cesar Troncoso, and Andrea Pietra are mostly known only in Argentina, the rest of the world will see what they've been missing out on through their strong performances in "The Eternaut" — especially with a second season already greenlit. 

Creator: Bruno Stagnaro

Cast: Ricardo Darin, Carla Peterson, Cesar Troncoso

Current Season: 1

Number of Episodes In Season: 6

Where to Watch: Netflix

After pulling off the impressive trick of turning a movie like "Fargo" into an acclaimed anthology series, Noah Hawley has shifted his attention to the "Alien" franchise with "Alien: Earth." And once again, he proves his skill at bringing a film property to television in a way that not only lives up to the source material, but even elevates it. The show has drawn the strongest critical acclaim the franchise has seen since the landmark "Aliens" in 1986 – and it's only just getting started.

While it's easy to roll one's eyes at yet another prequel, the original "Alien" picked up in the middle of the xenomorph invasion. So a show that is set two years before that film is justified, exploring the series of events that puts humanity in the path of the deadly xenomorphs. Spoiler alert — as usual, it has a lot to do with humanity's hubris in thinking it can achieve immortality. 

Shockingly, despite being some of sci-fi's all time scariest monsters, the creepiest detail about "Alien: Earth" isn't its xenomorphs. But we won't spoil it in case you haven't seen it — which you should, and as soon as possible. 

Creator: Noah Hawley

Cast: Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis

Current Season: 1

Number of Episodes In Season: 8

Where to Watch: Hulu

Another completely new property that made waves in the world of small screen sci-fi this year is Netflix's "Cassandra." In a novel premise, it is set in the modern day and is about the titular AI-powered robot who controls a smart home that a family has just moved into. What's so unique about that? Well, said AI and smart home were created back in the 1970s, supposedly the first of their kind.

That means Cassandra looks the way people in the 1970s probably would've imagined a futuristic robot to look. It also means that a lot of creativity had to go into developing something so advanced at a time when technology wasn't there yet to achieve that goal — and as the family discovers, some very dark and twisted corners were cut as a means to that end. 

When "Cassandra" isn't reminding you why we should all be very concerned about the world's increasing reliance on AI in every facet of our lives, it is also making powerful statements about family dynamics and gender roles. As of now, there is no word on a second season, but here's hoping.

Creator: Benjamin Gutsche

Cast: Lavinia Wilson, Mina Tander, Michael Klammer

Current Season: 1

Number of Episodes In Season: 6

Where to Watch: Netflix

As incredible as the first season of "Severance" was, there is always some trepidation when a show like this starts adding on the seasons. Season 1 has the benefit of introducing the premise — in this case, a company that essentially lets you mentally disconnect while you're at work so aren't even aware of it, but makes you do shady stuff in the process. But then Season 2 has to hit the ground running and justify the continued stay in that universe.

Any worries that "Severance" would suffer a sophomore slump were put to rest as soon as Season 2 hit in January 2025. A gut punch of a Season 1 finale cliffhanger rolled right into a breathless Season 2 premiere that took viewers further down the rabbit hole of the show's twisty mysteries. New layers are added, but things always stop just short of being convoluted. "Severance" is ultra high concept sci-fi, but told in a way that makes it digestible and followable for anyone. And that miraculously remains the case, even as Season 2 gets significantly more high concept than the previous season had been.

Creator: Dan Erickson

Cast: Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower

Current Season: 2

Number of Episodes In Season: 10

Where to Watch: Apple TV+

The "Star Wars" franchise has been a divisive one for many years now, in both its film and television iterations. But while the hit-to-miss ratio of the movies increasingly leaned towards the latter over the last 25 years, the TV shows have fared a bit better. In fact, it's easy to make the case that the best of the Disney+ "Star Wars" shows have been able to stand toe to toe with the best of the films. And much of that is thanks to "Andor."

In his "Andor" review for Looper, Matthew Jackson called Season 2 "an almost flawless conclusion to a 'Star Wars' masterpiece." In fact, it is currently the highest-rated "Star Wars" project of all time, film or movie, on Rotten Tomatoes. An incredibly impressive feat, given that it's a prequel to a prequel — it takes place before "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," itself a prequel to "Star Wars: A New Hope." The season also took home five Emmy awards, including beating out "Severance" for outstanding writing for a drama series.

Creator: Tony Gilroy

Cast: Diego Luna, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona

Current Season: 2

Number of Episodes In Season: 12

Where to Watch: Disney+

Those who really know the Vince Gilligan lore weren't totally surprised that he followed up "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" with a pivot to sci-fi. After all, the first TV show he worked on was "The X-Files" — and in fact, it was on that show where he first met Bryan Cranston and knew the actor would have what it took to play Walter White. But Gilligan didn't create "The X-Files," he only wrote and directed for it. So how goes his first foray into sci-fi that was entirely his brainchild?

Well, as it turns out, Gilligan doesn't miss. "Pluribus" is phenomenal, bringing along "Better Call Saul" star Rhea Seehorn to play a woman who is one of a baker's dozen of humans who are immune to being drawn into the hive mind of extraterrestrial invaders. As such, she is forced to take the lead in trying to fight the invasion in a rare example of sci-fi that feels completely original and not just a pastiche of existing properties and tropes. 

Will "Pluribus" only get better as it goes on, like both "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" did? Only time will tell — but Gilligan's track record speaks for itself. 

Creator: Vince Gilligan

Cast: Rhea Seehorn, Karolina Wydra, Carlos-Manuel Vesga

Current Season: 1

Number of Episodes In Season: 9

Where to Watch: Apple TV+

Of all the sci-fi shows this year based on existing source material, "Murderbot" has the most recent origins, based on a 2017 novella called "All Systems Red." Like the story, the show centers on the title creation, a combination of mechanical and organic parts that gives itself that name after hacking itself to become self-aware. Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgard) scoffs at how physically — and especially mentally — weak he perceives humans to be, but he also can't help but become fascinated by their hobbies and pop culture.

Needless to say, "Murderbot" is a sci-fi/comedy hybrid, with Skarsgard bringing a brilliant deadpan charm to his performance of a robot who is discovering his humanity while being disappointed in himself for it in the process. It's a co-creation of brothers Paul and Chris Weitz, frequent collaborators on comedies in the '90s but having mostly done separate work since. Chris already proven his sci-fi bona fides by co-writing the acclaimed "Rogue One," but bringing Paul into the fold for their first work together in decades seems to be where "Murderbot" gets its heart and humor. 

Creators: Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz

Cast: Alexander Skarsgard, Norma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian

Current Season: 1

Number of Episodes In Season: 10

Where to Watch: Apple TV+