The 20 Best Space TV Shows of All Time

Created by Rebecca Sugar, Steven Universe is presented through the same lens as many of our great superhero stories. A supernaturally-gifted team is tasked with fighting — together — to keep Earth safe. But Steven Universe subverts the typical tropes. You see, the titular character is the only male on the team, and his powers are mostly defensive... and pink. Alongside a group of magical, mineral-based aliens called Gems, who are the survivors of a bygone army dedicated to keeping the planet and its residents safe, Steven lives, learns, grows, and develops, as a young boy does. While there is plenty of action, adventure, and monster-fighting in the show, the most profound moments come when Steven interacts with the Gems at his side. — Kiana Fitzgerald

Watch Steven Universe now on Hulu or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

Stargate SG-1 and its related series aren't exactly shows you watch for space travel, since humanity primarily explores the cosmos via the Stargate devices that make travel between planets an instantaneous process. However, the long-running series (which bounced from Showtime to SYFY over the course of its nine seasons) still hit all the hallmarks of great sci-fi TV, exploring new worlds, battling alien threats, and expanding our understanding of the galaxy. Plus (spoiler alert for Season 6, which aired in 2002), humanity would eventually develop their own starship thanks to some advanced technology and alien friends. And it was developed at Area 51, of course. — L.S. Miller

Watch Stargate SG-1 now on Netflix, MGM+, and Prime Video or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

This one-season animated series was a dazzling and sometimes terrifying burst of imagination from creators Joe Bennett and Charles Huettner. The series begins with an interstellar cargo ship forcing its crew and colonists to abandon ship for a nearby alien planet — a planet filled with flora and fauna poised to kill humans in extremely creative ways. Almost surreal at times in its imagery, Scavengers Reign featured a remarkable voice cast, including recent Oscar nominee Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners), and a no-holds-barred approach to depicting new and exciting alien biology that makes it pretty singular today. — L.S. Miller

Watch Scavengers Reign now on Netflix or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

On its surface, Rick and Morty may seem like a crude Back to the Future rehashing. But when you press play on an episode, it immediately becomes apparent that there is something very different here. The show follows the titular characters Rick Sanchez, a burbling mad scientist, and his worrisome but compassionate grandson Morty Smith. In addition to the typical family dramatics, Rick and Morty helps viewers invest in the characters through wacky, borderline-traumatizing interdimensional misadventures, which occur across an infinite number of realities. Come for the countless planets and portals; stay for the hijinks that ultimately end up grounding the show. — K. Fitzgerald

Watch Rick and Morty now on Hulu and HBO Max or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

Creator J. Michael Straczynski made a groundbreaking declaration when Babylon 5 first arrived in 1993: Unlike so many other creators at that time, he had a complete plan for a five season run. That plan underwent countless changes as the series progressed forward, but it was an early example of a genre show aiming for a deliberately long-form narrative (versus stand-alone stories each week), and the resulting epic became a fan favorite, especially for its diverse characters and rich, complex storytelling. One of its most fascinating threads was Earth's slow descent into fascism, as seen through the evolution of its news programming. Totally unrelatable to today's world, of course. — L.S. Miller

Watch Babylon 5 now on The Roku Channel or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

The Star Wars prequels were... complicated. There were plenty of good aspects and plenty of not-so-good ones; but one of the more intriguing developments was an unseen era of war in between Episodes II and III, expanded upon with outstanding dramatic vision and scope by showrunner Dave Filoni in The Clone Wars. In addition to filling in the blanks (and maybe spiritually atoning for the prequels' poorly-written dialogue), The Clone Wars expanded the Star Wars universe and echoed the best instincts of the franchise. It's certainly earned its place in the canon, and like many great space shows, remains a treasure to explore. — Paolo Ragusa

Watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars now on Disney+ or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

All these decades later, it's wild to recall how Star Trek: The Next Generation was far from a sure thing when it premiered. Yes, the movies featuring the original cast had proven themselves at the box office, but this was a new crew, and — gasp! — the captain was bald. After a little shakiness at the beginning, though, TNG found its footing, and its stars became beloved icons of the genre. Running for seven seasons, the writers created iconic new villains like the Borg, and went deeper in exploring pre-established societies like the Klingons and Romulans, making the galaxy explored by the Federation feel that much more substantial. Without the success of The Next Generation, Trek might never have lasted beyond the original run of Shatner and Nimoy. And the world would have been quite poorer for it. — L.S. Miller

Watch Star Trek: The Next Generation now on Paramount+ or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

Bringing a much needed dose of levity to the space genre, this long-running cult favorite is a rare blend of sci-fi tropes and situational comedy. It’s a classic Odd Couple scenario that follows the last living human and a sentient hologram of his snobbish roommate as they’re forced to coexist, lost in space with nowhere to go. The tone is goofy, but the sci-fi concepts it explores are just as thought-provoking as its higher-browed contemporaries. Red Dwarf’s unique approach to comedy and science fiction have kept fans coming back for nearly 40 years, all while retaining the same core cast. — Tyler Franklin

Watch Red Dwarf now on Britbox and Hoopla or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

Farscape really had it all: A sharp Gilligan's Island-esque premise, a wild alien-filled universe packed with imagination, and genius-level puppetry from The Jim Henson Company to bring those aliens to life. Oh, but lest you think the mention of puppets indicates that Farscape is kiddie fare, it was anything but, thanks to the heartbreaking twists, dark humor, and extremely hot romance. (Let us never forget the sex mist episode). A true under-appreciated gem of the genre. — L.S. Miller

Watch Farscape now on Prime Video, Peacock, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, and Tubi or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

Imagine being the TV exec who grounded this Western space opera? Detailed over just 14 episodes, the world of Firefly remains a cult obsession nearly 25 years later. Set in a true final frontier beyond the grasp of a post-civil war centralized government, the show explores a quadrant of space storytelling typically reserved for one-off episodic adventures. Captain Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and the crew of the Serenity occupy a dangerous, dusty universe where a found family of morally gray misfits makes for the strongest fuel in the black. Problematic behavior and questionable story choices by its creator notwithstanding, love for Firefly burns so bright that Fillion's recent social media teases of a reunion have sparked fresh excitement in Browncoats everywhere. — Ben Kaye

Watch Firefly now on Hulu or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

Based on the novels by James S.A. Corey, The Expanse is hard sci-fi with a human edge, a detail-rich take on life in the 24th century where existence is just as hard for the average Joe as it is today. The series begins with a simple enough hook — a detective (Thomas Jane) searching for a missing girl — but soon enough the fate of Julie Mao is just one small part of an epic mystery with repercussions for the entire solar system. The physical realities of space travel, the political complications that come when trying to govern people on other planets, and the messiness of human prejudices and greed all hang heavily over the lives of these characters. The Expanse ended after five seasons, though book readers know that there's still plenty more story to tell. — L.S. Miller

Watch The Expanse now on Prime Video or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

For All Mankind blasted off with a bold mission: reimagining the second half of the 21st century (and beyond!) in an alternate universe where the USSR beat the United States to the moon in 1969. That wild "what if?", as imagined by creators Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi, leads to an entirely different history in which the space race had even bigger stakes than before, and the world's desire to continue exploring the solar system never fizzled out. Each progressive season has leaped forward several years to show us just how much this reality is drifting from our own; in the Season 5 premiere, it's the year 2012, and the colonists now living on Mars are starting to consider the question of independence. Most space shows are about imagining the future; For All Mankind inspires us to wonder what we could have already achieved with our present. — L.S. Miller

Watch For All Mankind now on Apple TV+ or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

Space societies can often feel a little bit, well alien. But Andor, the remarkable Star Wars series that chronologically precedes Rogue One, depicts a world that's eerily close to today's. The series could have easily functioned as another chance to blend Star Wars action with the framework of a heist story, but creator Tony Gilroy deepens the plot way more than most of us expected. Showing all the ways that the Galactic Empire manipulates its people psychologically in pursuit of total power results in one of the most compelling shows ever made about fascism and its horrors. Space is usually a conduit to stoking our imaginations. On Andor, it's a conduit to something more unsettling: recognition. — P. Ragusa

Watch Andor now on Disney+.

Dreamed up by Matt Groenig, creator of The Simpsons, Futurama is worlds more creative than its predecessor — literally. The show centers on Philip J. Fry, a 20th-century pizza delivery boy who was cryogenically preserved on New Year's Eve 1999. One thousand years later, Fry awakens to an unfamiliar world, where he meets Leela, a purple-haired cyclops, and Bender, a kleptomaniac robot. Together, the makeshift crew embarks on interplanetary expeditions that are both calamitous and character-building. Futurama is one of the best sci-fi products period, beloved for its heart as much as its comedic timing. — K. Fitzgerald

Watch Futurama now on Hulu or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

Battlestar Galactica begins with the near-extinction of a vast human empire of planetary colonies, destroyed by the cybernetic human-created Cylons. Those remaining (around 50,000 at the beginning of the series) are left to search for a mythical new homeland called Earth as they grapple with surviving in space. The show's four season run began stronger than it ended, with an infamous series finale that to this day resonates as one of TV's worst. However, the early seasons of Ronald D. Moore's reboot endure as some of the finest sci-fi television of all time, dark and brutal and deeply, deeply human. — L.S. Miller

Watch Battlestar Galactica now on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

It's not a matter of where Doctor Who became a beloved institution, but when. The where is everywhere; the when is over the course of six decades, making it the longest running sci-fi series ever. With a premise built for endless reinvention, the BBC classic has aired 41 seasons since 1963, cycling through 15 Doctors. (Yes, David Tennant was both the 10th and 14th, but you try explaining that to a non-Whovian.) Naturally, all that variance means some episodes get wibbly wobbly and not every actor to wield the sonic screwdriver becomes a fan favorite. Yet, the show’s sheer creative expanse remains as much a wonder as the TARDIS itself – impossibly bigger on the inside. — B. Kaye

Watch Doctor Who now on Britbox, Hoopla, and Disney+ or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

Every conversation about Cowboy Bebop starts with the same tension: Do you want to talk about the intellectual games, philosophical depths, and emotional weight, or about how it’s just so fucking cool? On the one hand is a show that exploded such disparate genres as Westerns, space opera, pulp fiction, and noir, with a dash of Shakespearean tragedy and French New Wave; and on the other hand are thrilling shootouts, genuinely hilarious jokes, irresistible characters, and some ripping good jazz. The A-plot between futuristic bounty hunter Spike and his former criminal comrade Vicious will keep you glued to your seat, even as the explorations of ennui, depression, and the meaning of life keep you up at night. So which will it be? With Cowboy Bebop, you don’t have to choose. — Wren Graves

Watch Cowboy Bebop now on Crunchyroll or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.

It wasn't that Gene Roddenberry invented the idea of a TV show set in space (the earliest example may be Captain Video and His Video Rangers, which premiered in 1949). It was that he found exactly the right formula for making the concept work on a weekly basis, for a wide audience. Key to that formula was relatable characters coping with dilemmas rooted in then-modern-day issues. Yes, some of its messages were a little on the nose, but other episodes endure as some of the best sci-fi storytelling of all time.

Star Trek famously wasn't a massive hit during its original '60s run; it was a show that built up its popularity post-cancelation, thanks to syndicated reruns and an early, pivotal example of fandom embracing a series. These original three seasons would not only result in a vibrant film franchise, but twelve eventual TV spinoffs — an entire universe devoted to the idea that by seeking out new life and new civilizations, we might better understand our own. — L.S. Miller

Watch Star Trek now on Paramount+ or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.