The 19 best sci-fi shows on Max

Avenue 5 (2020–2022)

Streaming has given high-concept, unique sci-fi shows access to bigger budgets than ever before, but that doesn't mean those projects have to be serious. Exhibit A: Veep creator Armando Iannucci bringing workplace comedy and social commentary to space with Avenue 5.

Hugh Laurie stars as Ryan Clark, captain of a giant space cruise ship full of snobby, rich space tourists, though when the ship's course gets changed from a few weeks to over three years, the classy decorum begins to break down. Also along for the ride is Josh Gad as the vessel's outlandish billionaire owner, plus Zach Woods, Herman Judd, Rebecca Front, Suzy Nakamura, and Nikki Amuka-Bird who appear as various passengers and crew members in this one-of-a-kind space farce. —Eric Maurer

Where to watch Avenue 5: Max

Cast: Hugh Laurie, Josh Gad, Zach Woods, Rebecca Front, Suzy Nakamura, Lenora Crichlow, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Ethan Phillips

Doctor Who (1963–present)

One of the most iconic sci-fi franchises of all time, Doctor Who is bonkers, hilarious, intense, and delightfully British. The universe-wide variety of adventures seen in the 13 seasons on Max (not even counting the original episodes from the 1960s-1980s) means there's plenty of territory to explore with the Doctor and his rotating array of companions.

At its core, Doctor Who is about a Time Lord called the Doctor who travels through space and time while reincarnating into different forms — thus why 12 actors and one actress have assumed the lead role. Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith are among Max's available Doctors, with each putting their own spin on the beloved character. The sheer volume of stories and lore may be intimidating for new viewers, but whether you start at the beginning or pick and choose which Doctors you like best, this BBC series has everything a sci-fi fan could want and much, much more. —E.M.

Where to watch Doctor Who: Max

Cast: William Hartnell, Patrick Throughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, John Hurt, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Michael Jayston, Jodie Whittaker, Ncuti Gatwa

Doom Patrol (2019–2023)

You can never have too many TV superheroes — but this ragtag group of power possessors is not exactly equipped to bring down supervillains. Included in the DC Universe and adapted from the eponymous comic series, Doom Patrol is the story of a team of superheroes who have received their abilities through traumatic incidents and are now living on the outskirts of society.

Holed up in the mansion of a medical doctor called the Chief, the Doom Patrol heroes — who include characters like Robotman, Elasti-Woman, Negative Man, Crazy Jane, and Cyborg — have spent the last four seasons learning truths about themselves, the tragic circumstances that led to the creation of their powers, and generally doing their best to engage in heroic activities. A dark, irreverent, and weird exploration into heroes and villains, Doom Patrol is one of the best series in the DC Universe. —Ilana Gordon

Where to watch Doom Patrol: Max

Cast: Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, Alan Tudyk, Matt Bomer, Brendan Fraser, Timothy Dalton, Joivan Wade

Dream Raider (2020)

Inception lovers looking for new content should consider checking out Dream Raider, a Mandarin-language, sci-fi procedural thriller set in a future version of Taiwan. In the show's reality, technology has enabled criminals to hack into people's minds, allowing them to assume control and commit mind crimes. Detective Li Xiao is determined to crack the case, but soon finds that the only way to combat the criminals is by using a dream raiding machine built by a professor who has since been jailed for two murders caused by his invention. Armed with the machine and a task force of Dream Raiders who can help him operate it, Li Xiao sets out to break into people's dreams in order to help protect the populace from the criminals' mind control.

Containing a plot that moves at light speed across the eight, 45-minute long episodes that comprise the show's first season, Dream Raider first became available to Americans on Max in February of 2022, and is a great option for open-minded sci-fi fans. —I.G.

Where to watch Dream Raider: Max

Cast: Shih-Sian Wang, Weber Yang, Ellen Wu, Aggie Hsieh, David Yao-Qing Wang

Falling Skies (2011–2015)

This gripping sci-fi series from executive producer Steven Spielberg follows the aftermath of a global alien invasion that decimated 90 percent of the population. ER vet Noah Wyle stars as Tom Mason, a history professor who has lost his son, Ben, and becomes second-in-command of a group of survivors fighting back against the predatory aliens. Featuring an equal share of old-school sci-fi thrills and compelling human drama, Falling Skies "rises above any one performance," EW's critic wrote. "It's the spectacle of humans versus aliens that draws you in." —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Falling Skies: Max

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Cast: Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, Drew Roy, Jessy Schram, Maxim Knight, Seychelle Gabriel, Peter Shinkoda, Mpho Koaho, Connor Jessup, Will Patton, Sarah Carter, Colin Cunningham

Fringe (2008–2013)

If you missed this sci-fi procedural during its original run from 2008 to 2013, now is the perfect time to watch all five seasons. Co-created by J.J. Abrams, Fringe takes viewers on an intriguing ride through the weirder side of science through the Fringe Division of the F.B.I., a unit tasked with uncovering the truths of this universe and those beyond. Anna Torv (Mindhunter) plays an agent forced to work with an unconventional scientist and his son to solve unexplainable crimes. John Noble (Lord of the Rings trilogy) plays the eccentric Dr. Walter Bishop while Joshua Jackson plays his son, Peter. The unlikely trio begins to unravel the mysteries on the fringe of science, including alternate dimensions and parallel universes. The result is engrossing television that sucks you in like a black hole with its wider mythos and excellent one-hitter episodes. —E.M.

Where to watch Fringe: Max

Cast: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Jasika Nicole, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Kirk Acevedo, Seth Gabel, Mark Valley

The Last of Us (2023–present)

This highly anticipated adaptation of the beloved Playstation video game franchise proved to be worth the wait. Released on Max a decade after the game taught players how to navigate a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by undead humans who have been infected with a mutant fungus that causes cannibalism, The Last of Us combines the best elements of the game with Max's legendary access to premium talent and top-notch storytelling.

Co-written by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (the co-creator of the gaming franchise), and starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones), as well as some of the game's original actors and a host of killer cameos (you've never seen Melanie Lynskey or Nick Offerman like this before), the biggest issue with season 1 of The Last of Us is that it only offers nine episodes. The third, titled "Long, Long Time", earned Nick Offerman an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, and if the season finale is any indication of where the series is headed, the showrunners are just getting started. —I.G.

Where to watch The Last of Us: Max

Cast: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey

The Leftovers (2014–2017)

Speaking of The Leftovers, let's get into this incredible work of television. While not hard sci-fi in a high-tech or alien sense, the supernatural mystery series is too good to leave off this list. Damon Lindelof, co-creator of Lost and Max's Watchmen, teamed up with author Tom Perrotta to adapt the latter's book about what happens after a small percentage of the world's population suddenly disappears. The show revolves around police chief Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) and his family, as well as others affected by the "Sudden Departure" like Carrie Coon's Nora and her reverend brother played by Christopher Eccleston. Amy Brenneman, Liv Tyler, and Regina King also star in this emotional psychological thriller that only gets better over the course of its three seasons. —E.M.

Where to watch The Leftovers: Max

Cast: Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler, Chris Zylka, Margaret Qualley, Carrie Coon, Emily Meade, Amanda Warren, Ann Dowd, Michael Gaston, Max Carver, Charlie Carver, Annie Q., Janel Moloney, Regina King, Kevin Carroll, Jovan Adepo, Scott Glenn

Paradise (2021–2022)

A fusion of fantasy, mystery, and sci-fi, Max's Paradise is the perfect series to fill the Stranger Things-sized hole in your TV-watching schedule. Set in 1992 in a seaside town on the coast of Spain, Paradise follows what happens after three 15-year-old girls disappear from the Paraiso nightclub. Concerned about the direction of the police investigation, one of the girls' younger brothers leads his friends in their own search for the teens, and discovers their disappearance might be the work of supernatural entities.

Originally released in Spanish but dubbed for English-speaking audiences, Paradise is directed by Fernando Gonzalez Molina — and inspired by Spielberg's films. The first season, which consists of seven episodes, debuted on Max in October of 2021 and a second season began filming that same year. And while the show presents as more cinematic and adult than Stranger Things, both series excel at building suspense, evoking period nostalgia, and luxuriating in the coming-of-age tropes that unite us all. —I.G.

Where to watch Paradise: Max

Cast: Macarena García, Iñaki Ardanaz, Pau Gimeno, Cristian López, León Martínez, Héctor Gozalbo, Yoon C. Joyce, María Romanillos, Patricia Iserte

Rick and Morty (2013–present)

There's no relationship quite like the one between a grandfather and his grandson — especially when it exists across multiple dimensions. 14-year-old Morty is an anxious kid whose attempts to lay low and survive puberty are frequently upended by the erratic experiments of his grandfather Rick, a mad scientist whose drunken misanthropy and hijinks find the two embarking on travels across time and space.

An adult animated sci-fi comedy from the minds of voice actor Justin Roiland and writer Dan Harmon (Community), Rick and Morty takes the concept of the traditional sitcom family and blows it up — sometimes literally. An Adult Swim original, the show is approaching its seventh season — sans Roiland, who was fired due to allegations of domestic violence — and boasts one of the most devoted fan bases on television. Start watching for the subverted Back to the Future vibes, but don't expect McDonald's to bring back their Szechuan sauce anytime soon. —I.G.

Where to watch Rick and Morty: Max

Cast: Justin Roiland, Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, Sarah Chalke

Robot Chicken (2005–present)

When the sun sets, Cartoon Network goes away and Adult Swim — its mature alter ego with content specifically targeted towards an older crowd — comes out to play. Four years after Adult Swim took to the airwaves, the network debuted Robot Chicken, a stop-motion sketch comedy show co-created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, with Green voicing the titular character. Since 2005, the show has aired 11 seasons of 11-minute episodes, making this subversive, pop culture-skewering series a perfect option for a generation that came of age in the era of social media-refined attention spans.

Featuring more famous voices than a celebrity charity concert, Robot Chicken is an immensely bingeable comedy time capsule, and while there's no word yet on whether the show will return for season 12, it remains one of Adult Swim's longest-running and most successful series. —I.G.

Where to watch Robot Chicken: Max

Cast: Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, Breckin Meyer, Tom Root

Scavengers Reign (2023)

This animated sci-fi series, an expansion of the 2016 Adult Swim short Scavengers, is gripping and disturbing all at once. Scavengers Reign follows a group of spaceship crew members stranded on an alien planet who must use their wits to survive. Among the separated crew are horticulturalist Ursula and commander Sam; cargo specialist Azi and robot Levi; and Kamen, who meets a telepathic creature named Hollow who manipulates him using images of his deceased wife. Featuring stunning animation that brings its alien world to life in striking detail, Scavengers Reign has been hailed as one of the best sci-fi shows on television today. —K.J.

Where to watch Scavengers Reign: Max

Cast: Sunita Mani, Wunmi Mosaku, Alia Shawkat, Bob Stephenson, Ted Travelstead

Station Eleven (2021–2022)

What happens when you combine a devastatingly timely story from an award-winning book, the showrunner who wrote the mind-bending and melancholy Maniac, and a top-notch cast? Well, you get the gorgeous and singular miniseries Station Eleven. The 10-episode story develops over multiple timelines, revealing the immediate aftermath of a deadly flu pandemic and the world that springs up decades later.

Mackenzie Davis stars as Kirsten, an actor in a post-apocalyptic traveling theater group who was only eight when the world as she knew it ended. Himesh Patel, Nabhaan Rizwan, Daniel Zovatto, Lori Petty, and Danielle Deadwyler round out the cast while Hiro Murai (filmmaker and frequent Donald Glover collaborator behind much of Atlanta and director of Childish Gambino's "This Is America" music video) helmed the first and third episodes. Meanwhile, the show's creative throughline comes from creator Patrick Somerville, who also wrote for The Leftovers and created Made for Love — and Station Eleven is yet another feather in his impressive cap. —E.M.

Where to watch Station Eleven: Max

Cast: Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Matilda Lawler, David Wilmot, Nabhaan Rizwan, Daniel Zovatto, Philippine Velge, Lori Petty, Danielle Deadwyler

Steven Universe (2013–2019)

Steven Universe may be more science fantasy than science fiction, but this list would simply be incomplete without it. The Cartoon Network favorite centers on Steven Universe, an exuberant young boy, and his friends the Crystal Gems, a trio of immortal aliens. Half-Gem himself, Steven helps them protect Earth from existential threats and grows into a kind, empathetic person along the way. The series has been praised for its warmth and compassion, as well as its authenticity in portraying sensitive topics including racism, sexuality, and gender identity. —K.J.

Where to watch Steven Universe: Max

Cast: Zach Callison, Estelle, Michaela Dietz, Deedee Magno Hall

Titans (2018–2023)

Another offering from the DC Universe, Titans is a Netflix original superhero series and live-action adaptation of the Teen Titan comic books. Full of recognizable superhero names (like Dick Grayson, a.k.a. Batman's sidekick Robin) and less well-known characters (like Rachel, a.k.a. Raven, a young empath), the first season watches as the previously disbanded Titan team reassembles — with a few new additions to the roster — and battles villains, assassins, and their own personal demons. Boasting a strong cast, more violence than is strictly necessary, and moody vibes, the series feels right at home in the DC Universe, and the show takes its time in digging into characters and backstories over the four available seasons. —I.G.

Where to watch Titans: Max

Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Ryan Potter, Teagan Croft

Torchwood (2006–2011)

From the minds of Doctor Who comes Torchwood, a British sci-fi spinoff show centered around a rogue agency of alien hunters. Operating outside the control of the government and law enforcement, Torchwood is led by con man and immortal time traveler Captain Jack Harkness — a character who first debuted in the 2005 season of Doctor Who — and the agency's experts are tasked with investigating extraterrestrial incidents and co-opting alien technology.

Targeted more toward adults than the original show, Torchwood unfolds over four separate series, and places greater emphasis on themes like sex, corruption, and existentialism. Premiering in 2006 and ending in 2011, Torchwood increased in both budget and audience, and while the critical and consumer reception may have varied from year to year, the show is a must-watch for true Doctor Who devotees. —I.G.

Where to watch Torchwood: Max

Cast: John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Kai Owen

Visitors (2022)

All former video game store owner Richard Garcia wants to do is to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and become a policeman. But during his first day on the force, a mysterious explosion takes place and two strange lights appear in the sky. All signs point to aliens, but as Richard and his friends attempt to investigate and understand Pointe-Claire's new visitors and the weird disappearances occurring all over town, they find themselves unraveling truths about both the past and the present.

A French language sci-fi comedy dubbed in English, Visitors was created and directed by the show's star, Simon Astier, and the eight episodes that make up the first season fly by. If you're wondering if the French are any friendlier to extraterrestrial visitors than they are to foreign ones, consider giving Visitors a watch. —I.G.

Where to watch Visitors: Max

Cast: Simon Astier, Gérard Darier, Jérémie Dethelot, Delphine Baril, Antonia Buresi, David Marsais, Florence Loiret-Caille, Alban Lenoir, Henri Guybet, Tiphaine Daviot

Watchmen (2019)

Who watches the Watchmen? Well, we do, and you should. Damon Lindelof's Emmy-winning miniseries picks up 34 years after the events of Alan Moore's Watchmen graphic novel as we follow Det. Angela Abar (Regina King) as she attempts to take down a local white supremacist group targeting the police. Her investigation finds her intersecting with familiar faces from the Watchmen comic as a grand conspiracy is gradually revealed. "Watchmen doesn't overdose on nostalgia, like so many franchise extensions in our reboot-soaked decade," writes EW's critic. "It's dangerous, and invigorating." —K.J.

Where to watch Watchmen: Max

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Cast: Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Louis Gossett Jr., Jeremy Irons, Jean Smart, Hong Chau

Years and Years (2019)

Three years after the British populace voted on a referendum to leave the European Union, a limited series called Years and Years premiered on BBC One. A dystopian science fiction drama told over six episodes and set over the course of 15 years, the show follows Britain's cultural and economic collapse, as told through the eyes of the Lyons family. The country's decline is accelerated by the likes of Vivian Rook (Emma Thompson) a successful businesswoman turned populist politician whose proposed policies — like one that bars anyone with an IQ under 70 from voting — are a sobering reminder of how tenuous our global democracies are, and how easily freedom can free fall into fascism.

Simultaneously compelling and horrifying, Years and Years is a political and social satire that would be a lot funnier if it didn't feel so truthful. —I.G.

Where to watch Years and Years: Max

Cast: Anne Reid, Rory Kinnear, Jessica Hynes, Emma Thompson