10 Best Sci-Fi Shows On Apple TV

Content is currently more readily available to us than at any other point in the history of mass media. But it requires subscriptions to multiple streaming services, whose fees seem to go up almost by the month. It adds up quickly, to the point that many people keep only one or two paid services at a time and rotate them as needed. If you're a fan of sci-fi shows, this is especially necessary. The genre is so spread out across the various services that it would be a costly endeavor to pay for all the ones you'd need to access them all at once.

Should Apple TV be one of the services you are currently paying for? If it's the next one you were intending to rotate to, you'll want to know which sci-fi shows to add to your watchlist. If you're more of a hidden gem type of person, our list of underrated Apple TV sci-fi shows you have to watch might be more your speed. Otherwise, the picks below encompass what we believe are the actual best sci-fi shows on the service, some of which have already wrapped up, and others that have more seasons yet to come. 

Creator: Blake Crouch
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga
Years aired: 2024-present
Rating: TV-MA

Not to be confused with the 2015 SyFy Channel series of the same name, Apple TV's "Dark Matter" sees physicist Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) accidentally transported to an alternate reality version of his life. In the process, the version of him from the alternate reality — which the show refers to as Jason #2 — is now in the original Jason's reality and seems to prefer being there. Thus begins the battle between the two Jasons as one wants to return to his original reality while the other prefers the new arrangement. Playing Jason #1's wife is Jennifer Connelly, who has found a rather fitting niche of late on sci-fi TV shows after playing one of the lead roles on TNT's "Snowpiercer."

Fans of the novel "Dark Matter," on which the show is based, will be happy to know that author Blake Crouch not only created the series himself but also serves as its main showrunner. This has allowed Crouch to ensure the show stays true to his original vision while also expanding his characters and universe in ways that make creative sense. As of yet, only one season of "Dark Matter" has aired, but Season 2 has been greenlit and is in the works. 

Creator: Kim Jee-woon
Cast: Lee Sun-kyun, Lee Yoo-young, Park Hee-soon
Years aired: 2021
Rating: TV-MA

K-dramas aren't limited to romance stories and historical fiction. They can also include sci-fi — and some really great examples of it, to boot. Case in point, "Dr. Brain," which was Apple TV's first Korean series when it hit in 2021 and also marked the streaming service's expansion into the Korean market. The title references the main character, a brain scientist named Sewon Koh (Lee Sun-kyun), who develops technology that allows him to sync with the brains of dead people. He uses the tech to try to solve the death of his family, whose fatal accident seemed to be anything but.

"Dr. Brain" was well received by critics and audiences alike and went on to score Sun-kyun an International Emmy nomination. All the buzz pointed to the likelihood of a second season. But Sun-kyun died in December 2023, before that presumed second season could happen. It's not quite a project that was canceled because someone died, but short of recasting his role, Sun-kyun being the lead character of "Dr. Brain" made it all but impossible to continue the show after his passing. Still, we at least have that one great season of "Dr. Brain" that's watchable as a complete story, with a cliffhanger that could just as easily work as an ambiguous final ending. 

Creator: Dan Erickson
Cast: Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower
Years aired: 2022-present
Rating: TV-MA

Lists like this generally serve two main purposes. One purpose is to be a list of recommendations, and in this case, that means recommending sci-fi shows for Apple TV subscribers to watch. The other main purpose is simply to celebrate the best in a given category. Considering it's nearly impossible for you to love sci-fi, have an Apple TV subscription, and not have already watched both seasons of "Severance" — and probably several times over at that — then its inclusion is primarily to fulfill the latter purpose of top 10 lists.

From the dark, mind-bending weirdness to the goofy scenes fans can't help but love, "Severance" is that rare show that has seen mountains of praise heaped upon it but still doesn't ever seem to leave anyone calling it overhyped. For those who don't know, it's about a company that allows its employees to mentally disconnect so that they don't have to know or remember that they were at work. Which sounds appealing and all, until you realize all the sinister things that an organization can do with and to people who have given over so much control of their consciousness, memories, and free will. 

With the release of Season 2 of "Severance," it became the new all-time most-watched show on Apple TV. It has also won 10 Primetime Emmys thus far, a number that is sure to grow with the eventual release of the already confirmed third season. 

Creators: Dan Harmon, Nathan W. Pyle
Cast: Tunde Adebimpe, Demi Adejuyigbe, Lori Tan Chinn
Years aired: 2023
Rating: TV-PG

Though Dan Harmon has done a fair amount of work in live action — most notably, cult hit sitcom "Community" — he is now primarily associated with animation. While "Rick and Morty" might always be his most famous work in that realm, Harmon has also created or co-created several other excellent animated shows, even if they didn't hit as big or last as long as his hugely popular "Back to the Future" love letter. Fox's "Krapopolis" is currently the frontrunner for his second most well-known animated series, but that's only because not enough people have found their way to "Strange Planet."

"Strange Planet" is an animated sci-fi comedy about a group of blue beings — who are only ever referred to as such and are never given any sort of official species name — who are just going about their regular, mundane lives on their own planet. They seem to be trying to mimic human life, though it's never really made clear why. It also doesn't particularly matter. The point is that it looks at all the bizarre things we humans do in trying to get by and in maintain relationships with others, things we never stop to scrutinize as strange since it's just ... what we do. 

"Strange Planet" would've been a far worse show if it had shoehorned in some premise about why the beings are trying to be like us, and is all the better because it just is what it is. And what it is is an extremely charming sci-fi slice-of-life series that deserved far more than a single season.

Creators: Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz
Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Noma Dumezweni, David Dastmalchian
Years aired: 2025-present
Rating: TV-MA

"Murderbot." It's the type of title that could either be for a show that is meant to be taken with the utmost seriousness and not a single trace of self-awareness, or a show that is "heartfelt and hilarious." Considering that's the quote we used in our review of "Murderbot," it's clear which one of those two descriptors applies to the 2025 Apple TV series starring Alexander Skarsgård as the title cyborg. It's one of countless sci-fi universes that warns us against giving robots and AI too much autonomy, warnings we seem content to continually ignore. But that's a discussion for another day.

In "Murderbot," a private security program becomes self-aware and diverges from its programming. It finds itself both fascinated and disgusted by humans, hating how weak people are but loving all the trashy television they create. Murderbot tries to hide the way it has changed and reprogrammed itself from its bosses and keeps carrying out its missions as instructed — but the cracks in the facade start to show. 

Shows that blend sci-fi and comedy often struggle to maintain a proper balance between the two, usually leaning heavier on one subgenre while treating the other as more of an afterthought. But "Murderbot" does it so well that it will likely appeal to dedicated fans of sci-fi TV and comedies equally, though those who like both will obviously be its biggest fans. 

Creators: David S. Goyer, Josh Friedman
Cast: Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell
Years aired: 2021-2025
Rating: TV-MA

It is only fairly recently that stories by the great sci-fi writers have started to be adapted to television rather than strictly film. It seems like a no-brainer since so many sci-fi novels are dense, have tons of characters, and have stories that span too much time to be properly realized in a two-hour film. But it took a long time for people to adapt sci-fi books to TV series, and Isaac Asimov finally got his first one in 2021 with "Foundation." But considering Asimov's original "Foundation" series spanned seven stories published across five decades, even a whole trilogy of films was never going to cut it.

As for the series, it's the type whose synopsis can't really be summed up in a few sentences. It involves humanity trying to rebuild after being exiled by a powerful, tyrannical force. Sounds simple enough, but the epic scale and scope of this series is difficult to really put into words. Numerous planets are involved, there are over 50 main and recurring characters to keep track of — to say nothing of the fact that some of them go on to spawn multiple clones — and the story has spanned three centuries by the end of Season 3. Yes, we said centuries. And there's a fourth season on the way.

"Foundation" is not for passive viewing while you're scrolling on your phone. It requires every bit of your focus and attention, or it will quickly leave you behind. It's not for everyone, but it is well worth the effort if you're up for the challenge. 

Creator: Bobs Gannaway
Cast: Jeanine Mason, Teri Hatcher, Brad Garrett
Years aired: 2024-2025
Rating: TV-PG

After his scandal-fueled exit from Disney/Pixar, John Lasseter was made the head of animation for the recently formed Skydance Animation. The studio has thus far exclusively made projects for streaming services, with its first big project being the Apple TV original film "Luck." After releasing its second movie, "Spellbound," to Netflix, Skydance Animation took its first crack at an animated series by coming back to Apple TV with "WondLa." 

Based on the "WondLa" trilogy of YA fantasy novels, the series follows a teenager named Eva (Jeanine Mason) who ends up on a mysterious planet on which she is seemingly the only human. With the help of the robot who raised her (Teri Hatcher) and the various native creatures she meets, Eva comes to learn why she's on this planet and what she is destined to do there. 

Each season of the show roughly corresponds to each of the three "WondLa" books — "The Search for WondLa," "A Hero for WondLa," and "The Battle for WondLa" — with it coming to its logical end with Season 3. Fortunately, they didn't try to stretch the story beyond the books, which rarely seems to work out for shows that attempt that. 

Creator: Graham Yost
Cast: Rebecca Ferguson, Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo
Years aired: 2023-present
Rating: TV-MA

Not only is "Silo" one of the best sci-fi shows on Apple TV and the best on any streaming service, but we even called it one of the best sci-fi TV shows of all time, period. Also following a trilogy of novels, "Silo" takes place in the title structure, an underground construct with over 100 levels housing 10,000 people. Not surprisingly, given this is a sci-fi show, the silo exists because the surface has become uninhabitable. Also not a huge shocker is that the people running the silo don't all seem to have the best interests of the collective at heart, and as corruption is revealed, anarchy makes its way through the structure's confined community.

In addition to shockingly high production values — you'll assume each episode had the budget of an entire summer blockbuster — and incredible writing, "Silo" succeeds in no small part because of an absolutely stellar ensemble of some of the best character actors in the business. The ever-reliable Rebecca Ferguson serves as the de facto protagonist and is more than up to the task, with big names like Tim Robbins, Rashida Jones, and Steve Zahn mixed in among a bunch of talented performers that you might not be able to name but who you've definitely seen in a million awesome things. 

A third and fourth season of "Silo" are already in production. So, as of yet, we're only halfway through this mesmerizing journey.  

Creator: Steven Knight
Cast: Jason Momoa, Sylvia Hoeks, Hera Hilmar
Years aired: 2019-2022
Rating: TV-MA

Jason Momoa has always been a sci-fi guy, going back to his early role on "Stargate Atlantis" and up through his role in the rebooted "Dune" trilogy. But one of his lesser-known sci-fi efforts is arguably one of his best — the Apple TV series "See." The reason Jason Momoa signed on for "See" is that he instantly fell in love with the script for the pilot, and after watching it, it's easy to see why he was so excited to be a part of the project.

Momoa stars as Baba Voss, a member of one of the tribes that encompasses the descendants of the two million people who managed to survive after a virus decimated the rest of the population. Baba Voss, like all of the descendants, is blind, and the world has had to recalibrate itself to accommodate the fact that no remaining humans are able to see. But it is soon discovered that a small group of humans actually do possess the ability to see, something that they have to keep hidden as the idea of anyone being "sighted" is dismissed as heresy and leads to punishment. 

"See" not only has a unique premise but also brings a more "Mad Max"-style flair to Apple TV's sci-fi offerings. This is opposed to the cyberpunk leanings of most of the service's other sci-fi offerings. 

Creator: Vince Gilligan
Cast: Rhea Seehorn, Karolina Wydra, Carlos-Manuel Vesga
Years aired: 2025-present
Rating: TV-MA

What do you do if you're Vince Gilligan and you've just come off creating two of the greatest crime dramas of all time? Well, you take a complete left turn and create one of the most inventive sci-fi shows of the new millennium so far, of course. In all seriousness, those who are familiar with Gilligan's career already know that he isn't new to sci-fi, as he began his television career as a writer, director, and producer on "The X-Files." And it's nice to see him break away from the Saul Goodman-verse with which he had been working almost exclusively for 15 years.

"Pluribus" takes place in a world where almost all of humanity has been assimilated into a hive mind by a mysterious force known as The Others. Thirteen unassimilated people remain, including Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn), who, for reasons that aren't initially made clear, was immune to the process. The Others don't treat the 13 as adversaries and instead co-exist with them peacefully, though they make it clear that they indeed will assimilate them if they ever crack the code of why they couldn't. Thus begins a race against time as Carol tries to unassimilate the rest of humanity before she and the others join them. 

The best-reviewed show on this list, with an impressive 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, "Pluribus" is the kind of show that is worth subscribing to Apple TV just to watch. Unfortunately, Season 2 could yet be as long as two years off, according to Gilligan — but we really hope that isn't the case.