There are plenty of sci fi and fantasy shows to watch out there, especially with Peak TV cranking out over 500 originals per year across all genres. But amidst the multitude of TV series that have been produced, there have been quite a number of gems that came and went with little notice. My Sci Fi TV Genre Gems column covers shows like this (along with made-for-television movies) and I have compiled a list of ten TV series that are definitely worth seeking. Some of these came and went pretty quickly, some just never received the recognition they deserve. But all count as hidden genre treasures that deserve to be rediscovered.
Links are to the full Sci Fi TV Genre Gems post for each show.
10. American Gothic (CBS, 1995-96, One Season Totaling 22 Episodes)
What Is It? This supernatural horror series from the mid-90’s takes place in the town of Trinity, South Carolina where Sherriff Lucas Buck has a sinister hold over the people that live there. But the young Caleb Temple appears to have powers of his own and the ability to resist the Sherriff’s influence, setting up a standoff between good and evil in this mysterious small town.
Starring: Gary Cole, Lucas Black, Paige Turco, Sarah Paulson
Comments: This creepy show arrived on CBS in the mid-90’s but never found much of an audience. An excellent cast and some good writing (with the exception of a few episodes that were missteps) helped carry the show through its first and only season. It wrapped up some of its storylines by the time it ended, but it still had plenty more story to tell. It is not currently on any of the major streaming services, but the first season can be purchased on DVD and VOD.
9. Men in Black The Animated Series (The WB, 1997 – 2001, 4 Seasons Totaling 53 Episodes)
What Is It? This show (also known as Men in Black: The Series) follows the further adventures of Agents J, K and L along with the other members of the Men in Black organization as they hunt aliens that are loose on the planet and who may pose a threat to the world of humans.
Staring: Ed O’Ross, Gregg Berger, Keith Diamond, Jennifer Lien, Vincent D’Onofrio
Comments: This animated series is a ton of fun and a must-watch for fans of the Men in Black movies. It carries on directly from the first movie (ignoring K’s retirement) and has very much the same wit and humor of the films. The first season of this show has been released on DVD, and Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming for free on Sony Crackle. Hopefully, at some point all four seasons will be more readily available.
8. Men Into Space (CBS, 1959-60, 1 Season Totaling 38 Episodes)
What Is It? This late 50’s speculative fiction entry was a semi-anthology series (with William Lundigan playing the only recurring character) that chronicled the exploration and colonization of the solar system. This series relied heavily on scientifically accurate data for the time and tried to present a realistic, less fanciful portrayal of space travel (i.e., no aliens, time travel, space battles, etc.).
Aired: CBS, 1959-60, 1 Season Totaling 38 Episodes
Comments: Though this long-forgotten series might seem rather quaint to viewers these days, it actually delivered an intelligent look at the exploration and colonization of space that veered far from the kiddie space operas of the day like Captain Video and Space Patrol. The special effects are definitely cheesy, but they were not bad for the time the series was made. And it had episodes that foreshadowed later actual events from the U.S. space program like Apollo 13. The series is not available for streaming that I am aware of (even though it is in the public domain), but DVD collections are available at a reasonable price.
>Keep up with the ratings developments and the status of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Weekly Roundup posts.
7. Space Rangers (CBS, 1993, 1 Season Totaling 6 Episodes)
What Is It? This short-lived 1993 television series followed the adventures of a misfit band of the Space Rangers Corps stationed on the edge of the explored galaxy at Fort Hope. They must defend the colonists in their sector from menaces like inter-stellar bandits, an alien race known as the Banshees, and the most dangerous threat of all: budget cuts.
Starring: Jeff Kaake, Jack McGee, Marjorie Monaghan, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Clint Howard, Linda Hunt
Comments: This blink-and-you-missed-it series was no was no ground-breaker, but it was a ton of fun that drew a bit on Aliens while it also hinted at what would come later with Space: Above and Beyond. There is plenty of cheesiness across its six short episodes, but also plenty of wit, snark, and shoot-em-up sci fi fun. The entire series is available on DVD, though it is out of print and fetching a fairly hefty price these days.
6. Alphas (Syfy, 2011-12, 2 Seasons Totaling 24 Episodes)
What Is It? Five people with extraordinary abilities known as Alphas are brought together to work for a secret organization in the Department of Defense that seeks out others of their kind and tries to contain those that present a threat.
Starring: David Strathairn, Ryan Cartwright, Warren Christie, Azita Ghanizada, Laura Mennell, Malik Yoba, Erin Way
Comments: This show arrived shortly after the Sci Fi Channel rebranded to Syfy and was dismissed by many as another example of the derivative “sci fi lite” the network had turned to. But it deserves a second look because this tale of people with special abilities was basically Heroes done right. Sadly, it ends on quite a cliffhanger, but the show is still worth checking out. It is not currently streaming on any of the major services, but the entire series is available on DVD.
5. Brave New World (1980 Mini-Series)
What Is It? In a future world, humans are born in vitro and designated for one of several castes from the Alpha Plusses which are the brightest and usually among the ruling class to the Epsilons who are sub-intelligent workers. People live a well-regulated life consisting of consuming the latest products, having frequent casual sexual encounters, taking the calming drug known as Soma when they get too emotional, and not asking questions about their society and/or their place in it. A man from an outside settlement who is dubbed John the Savage is brought into this world and has a notable impact on its orderly and conformist ways.
Starring: Kristoffer Tabori, Bud Cort, Keir Dullea, Julie Cobb, Ron O’Neal
Comments: This mostly forgotten mini-series remains faithful to Aldous Huxley’s book and delivers a chilling tale of a future dystopia stratified by classes and obsessed with consumerism. Sadly it has never received a DVD release and it is not available on any of the streaming services. But you can track down the entire mini-series on YouTube.
>Check out our Sci Fi TV Schedule for debut and season finale dates and follow our Weekly Listings for a rundown of the shows airing in the current week.
4. Defying Gravity (ABC, 2009, 1 Season Totaling 13 Episodes)
What Is It? This short-lived 2009 TV series followed the crew of the spaceship Antares on its near-future mission to explore our solar system. The story unfolds through a series of flashbacks covering the training period for the mission as well as the present-day activities (from the perspective of the show) of the crew as they leave Earth for their first destination, Venus. The space mission is filmed as part of a reality show that is beamed back to Earth so that planet-bound audiences can follow their progress. But a series of mishaps beset the crew which leads to a revelation that could jeopardize the mission.
Starring: Ron Livingston, Malik Yoba, Christina Cox, Andrew Airlie, Paula Garces
Comments: ABC dropped this show on its schedule in late-Summer 2009 with very little promotion and it never found much of an audience. Its heavy emphasis on soap opera storylines early in its run may have turned off genre fans. But it started to amp up the sci fi elements pretty quickly and actually delivered a good series following our first attempts to explore space. Sadly, it never had the chance to wrap up its storylines, but the show is still worth watching. It is not available for streaming that I am aware of, but you can purchase the entire series on DVD and VOD.
3. Jeremiah (Showtime, 2002-04, 2 Season Totaling 35 Episodes)
What Is It? Loosely based on the Belgian comic strip of the same name, this series takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a virus (known as “the Big Death”) has wiped out almost everybody above the age of puberty leaving only the youth behind to pick of the pieces of a shattered world. The series starts fifteen years after the plague and focuses on a young man named Jeremiah who is traveling across the remains of the United States looking for Valhalla Sector where his father had told him there might be survivors who can help rebuild the world. Along the way he teams up with another drifter, Kurdy, and these two also join up with a group of survivors who have taken over the Cheyenne Mountain complex (“Thunder Mountain”), the former location of NORAD. Thunder Mountain plans to use their resources to eventually begin rebuilding the world and they use Jeremiah and Kurdy as well as other groups to scout out the country and find bands of survivors that will eventually unite with them.
Starring: Luke Perry, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Sean Astin, Peter Stebbings, Joanne Kelly
Comments: J. Michael Straczynski’s other series, this one never managed to achieve anywhere near the same level of recognition as Babylon 5. And that’s a shame because this is a good post-apocalyptic series with some really hard-hitting stories. It was cancelled after two seasons, but it did wrap up some of its major storylines, though there was still plenty more story to tell. Both seasons are available on DVD, though they are fetching a rather hefty price. You can purchase the first season on VOD and the second season is available on Prime Video with Amazon Prime membership.
2. Carnivale (HBO, 2003-05, 2 Seasons Totaling 24 Episodes)
What Is It? This series follows a traveling carnival making its way through Dust Bowl America in the days of the Great Depression. A young man with strange powers joins the carnival at the behest of “management” and that sets him on the path for an eventual confrontation with the malevolent preacher Brother Justin Crowe who has achieved notoriety throughout the country.
Starring: Nick Stahl, Michael J. Anderson, Clancy Brown, Adrienne Barbeau, Tim DeKay
Comments: Like Jeremiah, this series arrived on television at a time when the premium pay channels were trying to bolster their scripted programming. And also like that series, it was cancelled after only two seasons. Carnivale offered an intricate and involved series with complex characters and dense storylines. It was also epic in scope and delivered an all-time genre great. It wrapped up its initial story at the end of the second year, but creator Daniel Knauf had planned four more seasons that sadly will never be realized. The entire series is available on DVD and it is streaming on Amazon Prime and the HBO streaming apps.
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1. Odyssey 5 (Showtime, 2002, One Season Totaling 19 Episodes)
What Is It? The space shuttle Odyssey is on a routine mission when the crew sees a blinding light followed by the destruction of Earth. The doomed ship is saved at the last minute by a mysterious alien known as The Seeker who has witnessed fifty other worlds destroyed in the same manner. He then sends the consciousnesses of the five surviving crew-members back in time five years to determine what caused the catastrophe and try to stop it from happening again.
Starring: Peter Weller, Christopher Gorham, Sebastian Roché, Leslie Silva, Tamara Craig Thomas
Comments: This was a truly excellent science fiction entry that probably did the best job of any TV show in dealing with time travel. It had a great cast and intelligent stories and should have been allowed to go for at least one more season. Sadly, it will leave you hanging, but it is still worth watching for some of the best sci fi TV you can find. This one is streaming for free on Sony Crackle and it has also been released on DVD.
