10 Best Sci-Fi Shows With Perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes Ratings

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It's no easy feat to get a rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. There are a lot of incredible TV shows that get close, but it only takes a few naysayers to hold you back from the very top of the mountain, and the science fiction genre is known for having some particularly fickle reception. Maybe the special effects leave something to be desired, or the characters are a little one-dimensional, or maybe the central idea of the story is something we've seen done better elsewhere. Whatever the reason may be, it only takes one Rotten review to spoil the whole bunch, and in this list, we'll chart out 10 of the best science-fiction shows that beat the odds and earned a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

These shows range from dark, psychological portrayals of humanity in the post-apocalypse, to goofy comedies about being trapped on a space station with your friends, but one thing they have in common is their universal praise. And we'll start our list with a 2020s arrival that was unfortunately lost in the crowded landscape of streaming TV.

• Creator: Craig Silverstein

• Cast: Katie Chang, Paul Dano, Aaron Eckhart

• Rating: TV-14

• Number of episodes: 16

• Where to watch: Netflix

Is it possible to reconnect with your loved ones in a digital afterlife? Can human cloning be used to resurrect your mind from beyond the grave? What is the difference between a man and a god in the digital world?

Those are the big, heady questions that swirl all throughout the original animated series "Pantheon." Adapting a set of short stories by lauded science fiction writer Ken Liu, "Pantheon" is a rare hour long animated series that uses the medium to tell what starts as a grounded story about Maddie Kim (Katie Chang) grieving the death of her father (Daniel Day Kim), only to discover that he was a pioneer in creating a mind uploading technology that has landed him as a prisoner inside the company's data centers. Enlisting the help of a mysterious hacker Caspian (Paul Dano), the duo set out on a quest to save her father and unravel the conspiracy that will define the future of humanity. In the meantime, on the other side of the globe, a young engineer (Raza Jaffrey) is forcibly uploaded into the digital world and rebels against his human captors.

Using animation to tell a fantastical story that is still very much set in our real world is what made "Pantheon" a critical darling, but because it was cloistered away on the AMC+ streaming service, it was never able to find an audience. Despite its 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, "Pantheon" became the unfortunate victim of a tax write-off for AMC, which canceled the release of the show's second season, though luckily it did eventually get rescued by Netflix.

• Creator: Joseph Bennet, Charles Huettner

• Cast: Sunita Mani, Wunmi Mosaku, Bob Stephenson

• Rating: TV-MA

• Number of episodes: 12

• Where to watch: Netflix

When the crew of the starship Demeter 227 crash on the alien planet of Vesta, a whole new world of mysterious creatures opens up to us on the absolutely stellar HBO Max series "Scavengers Reign."

Animated by the team behind "Common Side Effects," we follow the stories of three sets of people as they attempt to survive the various creatures and wildlife that stand in their way of returning to Earth. First are the duo Sam (Bob Stephenson) and Ursula (Sunita Mani) who uncover hidden secrets throughout the planet. Then there is Azi (Oscar-nominated "Sinners" actress Wunmi Mosaku) and her droid companion Levi (Alia Shawkat) who find themselves being changed by the ecology of the planet. And then there is Kamen (Ted Travelstead), a craven crew member who finds himself being manipulated by one of the planet's mind-bending creatures.

Told in a lavish style that brings this alien planet to life with lush colors and exquisitely detailed animations, "Scavengers Reign" rightly earned its 100% rating. Unfortunately for the crew of the Demeter, it doesn't seem like they'll ever make it home, considering the series was canceled by HBO Max and Netflix decided not to send a rescue party for a second season. But the silver lining is that "Scavengers Reign" is now a great TV show that plays like one wonderfully mysterious film.

• Creator: Kang Full

• Cast: Ryu Seung-ryong, Cha Tae-hyun, Lee Jung-ha

• Rating: TV-MA

• Number of episodes: 20

• Where to watch: Hulu, Disney+

Superhero movies and TV shows became oversaturated over the last decade, but even massively popular shows like "WandaVision" don't have the mass consensus to hit a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. To find a show that makes it to that high benchmark, you instead have to go to South Korea, where the series "Moving" has managed to reach that critical consensus.

This adaptation of a Korean Kakao webtoon follows three families who discover they have gifted superpowers. Their abilities lead to them being ostracized from society as they struggle to keep their powers secret from shadowy governments who want to use them for their own ulterior purposes. Where other superhero shows get sunk by their connections to broader cinematic universes, making them feel less than essential, "Moving" hones in on the characters in this story and leans into both the wish fulfillment of being superpowered and the unintended consequences that come with extraordinary abilities. You have most likely missed this show when it premiered in 2023, but hopefully its 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes will convince you to check it out.

• Creator: Justin Marks

• Cast: J.K. Simmons, Olivia Williams, Harry Lloyd

• Rating: TV-MA

• Number of episodes: 20

• Where to watch: Rent on Amazon Prime

It's hard enough for one season of a TV show to get a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. To get it two seasons in a row is something special, and the Starz series "Counterpart" is one of a small class of shows to pull it off.

This world-bending spy thriller is one of the best sci-fi shows, and gave Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons the opportunity to play not just one but two roles throughout the series. As Howard Silk, Simmons is tasked with keeping the peace between two worlds, one of which is the Earth we call home (known as the Alpha world in the language of the show), while his counterpart Howard Silk Prime works as a clandestine operative on behalf of their alternate Prime world.

This cold war between two alternate but parallel universes threatens to explode into outright conflict which, combined with the stellar performances by Simmons and his co-star Olivia Williams, makes "Counterpart" easy to recommend.

• Creator: Dave Filoni

• Cast: Corey Burton, Ashley Eckstein, Dee Bradley Baker

• Rating: TV-PG

• Number of episodes: 6

• Where to watch: Disney+

It's an understatement to say that Star Wars fans can't agree on anything related to Star Wars, and while the Disney+ era has had its ups and downs, it has created some moments that reach the epic highs of George Lucas' creation. But even a critically acclaimed series like "Andor" did not hit a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, topping out at 96% for season 1 and 97% for season 2. Instead, it's the animated miniseries "Tales of the Jedi" that cleared that hurdle, thanks to the appearance of two of the prequel era's most legendary characters: Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) and Count Dooku (Corey Burton).

Dave Filoni is a student of Japanese filmmakers like Hayao Miyazaki, and he channeled those influences into this dark telling of two very different Jedi through the Galactic Civil War. Ahsoka's starts with her childhood when she is taken from her mother (Janina Gavankar) to become a Jedi warrior, to her training in the Jedi arts with her master Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter), and through to her escape from Coruscant following the death of her friend Padmé Amidala. The other half of the season follows Count Dooku as he's slowly pulled toward the dark side as a padawan, before ultimately sealing his fate when the villainous Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid) tasks him with killing Jedi Master Yaddle (Bryce Dallas Howard) to cover up their secret meeting.

This is one of the darkest iterations of the animated Star Wars universe, thanks in part to Filoni's experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that heightened ambition was rewarded with the series 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

• Creator: Joel Hodgson

• Cast: Jonah Ray, Felicia Day, Patton Oswalt

• Rating: TV-14

• Number of episodes: 33

• Where to watch: Netflix

The premise of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" is fairly convoluted: When lowly space janitor Jonah Heston (Jonah Ray) finds himself the subject of a horrific psychological experiment at the hands of mad scientist Kinga Forrester (Felicia Day) and Max (Patton Oswalt), the demented duo decide to test Jonah's mental fortitude by forcing him to consume hours upon hours of the world's worst movies.

The series is one of the premiere cult classic TV shows, starting from its days as a Minneapolis public access channel before getting passed around on VHS from nerd to nerd around the country who would replay Mystery Science Theater 3000's funniest episodes. And after a blockbuster Kickstarter campaign that brought in over $5 million, "Mystery Science Theater 3000" was rebuilt as "The Return" in 2017, a Netflix series that against all odds appealed to old stalwart fans and neophytes alike.

While the movies Jonah and his friends Tom Servo (Baron Vaughn) and Crow T. Robot (Hampton Yount) were forced to watch aren't anywhere near a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, "MST3K: The Return" got the perfect score by recapturing the spirit of the original series with a new generation of terrible movies to watch. So sit down, strap in, and grab some popcorn to goof along to some cheesy movies with your three favorite moviegoers on this blast from the past.

• Creator: José Rivera, Karl Schaefer

• Cast: Omri Katz, Justin Shenkarow, Mary-Margaret Humes

• Rating: TV-Y7

• Number of episodes: 19

• Where to watch: Amazon Prime, The CW, RokuChannel

Marshall Teller (Omri Katz) is just an ordinary teenager when he's forced to move with his family to the small town of Eerie, Indiana. Things seem normal enough at first, but Marshall quickly discovers that living among the population of 16,661 people in this remote town are a collection of weirdos, ghouls, and supernatural beings.

That's the premise of the NBC young adult series "Eerie, Indiana," which served as director Joe Dante's follow-up to his hit "Gremlins" film. And like "Gremlins," "Eerie, Indiana" is a devilishly clever blending of horror and comedy, as poor Marshall finds himself unraveling one mind-bending secret after another. Whether it's Tupperware that can keep your kids young forever or a retainer that allows you to speak with dogs, you never know what will happen next in "Eerie, Indiana," and that earned the show its 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite it's TV-Y7 rating, the series could be downright terrifying, and "Eerie" was bounced off the air after only 13 of its 19 episodes aired. But thanks to a syndication run on the Disney Channel and its DVD release, a new cult following has been drawn to the spooky and wild world of "Eerie, Indiana."

• Creator: Hideaki Anno

• Cast: Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Kotono Mitsuishi

• Rating: TV-MA

• Number of episodes: 26

• Where to watch: Netflix

What is there to be said about "Neon Genesis Evangelion" that hasn't already been said? It's part mecha action series, part teenage soap opera, and part existential nightmare. In short, there's nothing else like it in the history of TV, and this seminal Japanese anime series remains one of the most influential series of all time.

Set in a post-apocalyptic future in which humanity is fending off wave after wave of attack by all-powerful beings called Angels, the future of mankind rests in the hands of one insecure teenager Shinji Ikari (Megumi Ogata) as he is forced to pilot a powerful mecha unit called an Eva.

Parsing everything that "Evangelion" has to say about human nature and our role in the cosmos is impossible to do in one paragraph, let alone one TV series. And while the various films and spin-offs that have followed "Neon Genesis Evangelion" (and you need to watch them in a certain order) aren't as universally acclaimed, there's no doubt that the original series deserves its 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, if at least for its influence on the entire anime industry.

• Creator: Owen Dennis

• Cast: Ashley Johnson, Owen Dennis, Jeremy Crutchley

• Rating: TV-PG

• Number of episodes: 40

• Where to watch: Rent on Amazon Prime

Most shows that get the rare honor of earning a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes are celebrated for their accomplishment, but unfortunately for the poor souls aboard "Infinity Train," they weren't so lucky.

This Cartoon Network anthology series radically reshaped itself each season, and is among the most ambitious shows the channel has produced in its long and storied history. With each season, a new band of outsiders were tasked with traversing through the various worlds contained within the mysterious Infinity Train. You never know what is coming in the next train car, and the result is one of the best Cartoon Network shows of all time.

Despite this universal acclaim, "Infinity Train" was another animated series that was deleted as a tax write-off by HBO Max. Now the only way fans can watch the show is by renting it on Amazon Prime, but it's absolutely worth buying a ticket to board this ever mysterious Infinity Train.

• Creator: Shinichirō Watanabe

• Cast: Kôichi Yamadera, Unshō Ishizuka, Megumi Hayashibara

• Rating: TV-14

• Number of episodes: 26

• Where to watch: Crunchyroll

"Neon Genesis Evangelion" might be one of the most influential anime of all time, but "Cowboy Bebop" is the only one that could possibly top it. The truth about "Cowboy Bebop" is that it drew inspiration from everything, jazz music to Clint Eastwood westerns. This extremely stylish science fiction anime finds a motley crew of bounty hunters traipsing through the galaxy searching for their next score, barely scraping by one job at a time.

Each episode of the show is a veritable feast for the eyes and there's a special alchemy to "Cowboy Bebop" that is impossible to replicate. A Netflix adaptation tried, and ended up with "Cowboy Bebop" being canceled after only one divisive and costly season, which just goes to show how special and unique this anime remains to this day. "Cowboy Bebop" is the rare anime that you can watch with just about anyone, whether they're a true connoisseur of anime looking to rewatch the series for the umpteenth time or a new fan looking to dip their toe into the genre. See you space cowboy.