Fall's shaping up to be a killer season for sci-fi shows. If you're looking for an exciting bit of escapism when it's cold and gray outside, you can't go wrong with:
This ambitious Seth McFarlane sci-fi comedy series debuted to not-quite-rave-reviews on Fox, but has managed to more than redeem itself. After an excellent second season, the third season will be moving to Hulu this fall. The story takes place in the 25th century, aboard the USS Orville—an exploratory space vessel. The overall vibe is a vintage Star Trek-style dramedy, with more intentional humor. Starring Seth McFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, and many others, including a ton of guest stars.
In this AMC series, which debuted on October 5th, the story isn't set in the distant future—only 15 years—but it raises some interesting questions about technology, responsibility, and the human heart. In a near-future world where you can use tech to find your soulmate for you, do you do it? What happens if you find out your partner isn't the one you're supposed to be with? Every episode focuses on different people and relationships that explore the cost of finding your one true love. Featuring Sarah Snook, Dolly Wells, Patrick Bayele, Kingsley Ben-Adir.
In neXt, which debuted on Fox on October 6th, former tech CEO Paul Leblanc teams up with a Homeland Cybersecurity Agent to stop a rogue AI. (The AI, called neXt, is pretty much what would happen if Alexa and Skynet had a baby.) Faced with the fact that his creation could destroy all of humanity, Leblanc will stop at nothing to end it. Starring John Slattery, Evan Whitten, Dann Fink, Fernanda Andrade.
The Mandalorian continues to earn its must-watch reputation going into its second season. This Jon Favreau series flows less like a show than it does an eight-part film, fluid and immersive. The story, set in the Star Wars universe, centers on a lone Mandalorian bounty hunter that becomes the reluctant guardian of a child. Not just any child, either—the internet-breaking Baby Yoda. Starring Pedro Pascal.
This show, created by Aaron Guzikowski, had its debut September 3rd on HBO Max, and it has a fascinating premise. In this series, directed by Ridley Scott of Alien fame, the story is set on Kepler-22b—a hostile alien world—and revolves around two androids are tasked with raising human children. The first season finale aired recently, and it's heavy on Scott's brand of psychological horror. With Amanda Collin, Travis Fimmel, Abubakar Salim, Winta McGrath, and others.
This CBS All Access series, created by Brian Fuller and Allen Kurtzman, takes place before the original Star Trek. (Yes, the one with William Shatner.) It follows the crew of the USS Discovery. In the first season, Klingon Houses united to battle against the United Federation of Planets. In the second, after the end of the war, the Discovery investigates several mysterious signals and an equally mysterious entity simply called the Red Angel. The third season, premiering on October 15th, sees the Discovery sent 900 years into the future. What will they encounter? Starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Mary Wiseman, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp.
In Amazon's remake of a British series with a cult following, a group of comic fans leap into action when they discover that a mysterious comic book is shaping events in the real world. Unfortunately for these kids, getting their hands on the comic doesn't just thrust them into the role of saving the world, it also marks them as targets of a secretive deep state organization bent on stopping them. This show debuted on September 25th, and features a star-studded cast, including John Cusack, Rainn Wilson, Sasha Lane, and creator Gillian Flynn.
Unlike most other sci-fi shows, Away is very hard sci-fi—there're no rubber foreheads or phlebotinum here. The story debuted on Netflix in September, and follows an astronaut who has to embark on a dangerous three-year mission to Mars. She experiences challenges from the emotional pain of leaving her family behind on Earth, to commanding an international space crew, to the dangers of space. Each of the crew members struggles with these in their own ways, and the show balances their mentally and emotionally gripping stories with impressive visuals. Starring Hilary Swank. All of the events of this year have upset production schedules for a whole host of shows, but there are still plenty to look forward to. When the leaves start turning and the mercury drops, these eight binge-worthy shows can keep you company all season long.
