The best Sci-Fi TV shows on Prime Video

Amazon Studios

Is this the next Stranger Things? Bikes, check. 80s, check. Ali Wong plays the older version of one of the characters who interacts with said younger character in a hilarious way…check? Yes, Paper Girls has its own thing. Based on Brian K. Vaughn’s stunning comic book series, Paper Girls deploys the time-travel shenanigans to the max, placing its four young heroines at the center of a war between time-traveling factions. Starring an impressive young cast whose characters face brutal revelations about each of their future selves, Paper Girls is an adorable blast.

Amazon Studios

Night Sky isn’t the most emotional title, and the series falls short of the hard sci-fi highs some people might be looking for. Although the series features a slow-burning mystery involving an alien planet, its greatest strength is the poignant, at times surprisingly funny drama between an old couple, the most unlikely of characters. Faced with health issues, not to mention dangerous new guests, Franklin and Irene York (the tremendous JK Simmons and Sissy Spacek) do their best to engineer a portal to a mysterious, desolate planet.

Paramount Plus

The Star Trek series just keeps on coming. Set in the decade before Star Trek: The Original Series, Strange New Worlds follows Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and the crew of the starship USS Enterprise as they boldly go where no man has gone before. With nods to the episodic storytelling, narrative and design of the earlier series, Strange New Worlds brings a modern take on the much-loved territory.

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For poignant sci-fi that begs you to turn on your wild theory generator, look no further than Outer Range. The sci-fi western takes place on the Abbott family ranch, where patriarch Royal (Josh Brolin) is hiding an almighty secret. When a stranger comes to town (Imogen Poots), he is forced to confront his past, present and future, and not just metaphorically. Weird in ways you wouldn’t expect, Outer Range is solid sci-fi worth sticking with.

EPIX

This sci-fi horror centers on a small town plagued by mysterious and terrifying events. When a family gets lost, they are drawn into a nightmare involving deadly creatures and equally deadly townspeople. With enough intrigue to keep you hooked and a strong character in Harold Perrineau’s Sheriff Stevens, From is a fascinating destination to pass the time.

Showtime/YouTube/Screenshot

This series, based on the novel by Walter Tevis, features a stunning cast: Chiutele Ejiofor plays an alien who lands on Earth in search of help from a brilliant scientist, and Bill Nighy plays Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien who crashed on Earth in the 1976 film .adaptation. The role was originally played by David Bowie, and each episode in this sequel is named after one of Bowie’s songs. More than a solid, entertaining series that’s best watched without comparing it to previous material. However, if you’re not a fan of split timelines, beware.

Amazon Studios

Amazon rescued The Expanse from the realm of canceled TV, bringing the series to six seasons. Thank God it did, because The Expanse is smart sci-fi with realistic characters, high production values, and a touch of detective noir. In a future where humanity has colonized the solar system, a conspiracy threatens to start a cold war between the superpowers. A group of anti-heroes find themselves at the center. Expect more space western themes in the consistently excellent next seasons.

Screenshot by Amazon Studios/YouTube/CNET

Comparisons to Black Mirror are inevitable with this British series about technology gone wrong. Set in a futuristic London, The Feed centers on an implant that allows people to live stream their lives without ever having to press a button on their phone. No, absolutely nothing went wrong. An impressive cast includes David Thewlis and Michelle Fairley. While not as polished or deep as Black Mirror, The Feed is still worth checking out.

Amazon Studios

Upload’s plan combines Black Mirror and The Good Place to provide a light-hearted look at the virtual afterlife. In the near future, humans may be uploaded to a digital sky where they can still interact with the living. Even when he’s dead, computer programmer Nathan can’t escape his overbearing girlfriend. Meanwhile, he has help solving what may be his own murder. An occasionally witty comedy set in an increasingly intriguing digital space.

Screenshot by BBC Studios/YouTube/CNET

Before the 2005 film starring Martin Freeman, Douglas Adams’ classic sci-fi comedy spawned this cult TV series from the 1980s. Making the most of visual tricks, the six-episode series successfully brought Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Trillian, Zaphod Biblebrox and Marvin to the small screen.

Screenshot by Channel 4/YouTube/CNET

The people may not be completely original, but the assembled parts sing. A British family buys an artificially intelligent robot called a “synth” to help them with their busy lives. This reasoned approach to sentient, possibly dangerous robots is one of humans’ greatest strengths. At the sweet center: an innocent relationship between the family’s youngest daughter and Gemma Chan’s elegant and efficient synthesizer Anita. A mystery involves the family in the origins of the robots, which explore the necessary philosophical themes of humanity, pain, memories and reality.

Elizabeth Sisson

Electric Dreams lives up to its name, with each episode of the anthology series a vibrant, polished product that spins on the ideas of its source material: the works of Philip K. Dick. As with most anthologies, some episodes are better than others, but if you’re craving storytelling with a Black Mirror-like setting, give this reverie a go.

Amazon Studios

The Man in the High Castle imagines an alternate history in which the Axis powers (Rome-Berlin-Tokyo) win World War II. Based on the novel by Philip K. Dick, the series follows characters from the 1960s who live in a parallel universe where Nazi Germany and the Japanese Empire control the United States. But there are impossible newsreel footage of a world in which Germany and Japan are losing the war, causing some to rebel. To really establish its dystopia, The Man in the High Castle is helmed by producer Ridley Scott. Fully realized and with a focused plot, this is compelling television.

Starz/YouTube/CNET screenshot

Counterpart stars JK Simmons playing against JK Simmons. Get excited about that for a second. Set in Cold War Germany, the sci-fi thriller follows a humble office grunt depressed by his dreary life. Then one day he gets shaken up at work and meets himself, but a better version from a parallel world. Mysteries, suspenseful action and a masterful dual lead performance from Simmons make Counterpart a must watch.

Screenshot by Amazon Studios/YouTube/CNET

Not just another show about a small town where strange things happen, Tales from the Loop has layers beneath its pretty surface. Based on a narrative art book by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag, the series is stunning to watch. The precise, symmetrical frames somehow give off a painterly feel. The interconnected townspeople are similarly nuanced, their stories exploring loneliness, aging and the impact of technology.

BBC America

In more ways than one, Orphan Black is Tatiana Maslany’s show. Before she became a household name thanks to Disney Plus’ upcoming She-Hulk, see how she played no less than 14 characters in one series, including a hallucinating scorpion. Just let that sink in for a second. Orphan Black combines smart sci-fi concepts into a fast-paced thriller galloping along with added mystery and comedy in its stride. A must-see sci-fi series exploring the nature vs. nurture debate.