Summary
At some point, the future of amazing science fiction stories will mostly transition from movies to TV. Over the past few years, some of the best TV series of all time have been released, and they sit firmly in the sci-fi genre. Major streaming services have released incredible shows, and Academy Award-winning actors like Christopher Walken, Anthony Hopkins, and Daniel Kaluuya have joined them. For many of the series, critics' ratings have been fantastic, and viewership for shows likeFallouthas been very impressive.
The success doesn’t stop there.Sci-fi showslikeStranger Things,Severance, andWestworldhave collected Emmy Awards annually for years.The Last of UsandStranger Thingshave jump-started the careers of young actors like Bella Ramsey and Millie Bobby Brown. Whether it’s hard sci-fi that focuses on the future of the human race in space, a post-apocalyptic wasteland chock-full of mutants, or monster-filled alternate dimensions,TV has taken quality sci-fi to a new level.
The World Of Fallout Explained
In celebration of Fallout’s release on Prime Video, here’s Screen Rant’s complete guide to the franchise’s characters, locations, lore, and changes.
Resident Alien
Cast
A television adaptation of the comic book series, Resident Alien is a sci-fi comedy that stars Alan Tudyk as an alien who crashes on Earth with one mission - destroy humanity to save the planet. When Tudyk’s character takes the identity of a doctor, he arrives at a small town and begins to act the role preparing his plan. As time passes, he develops human emotions against his will - but his plans are further complicated when he meets the son of the mayor - who can see his actual appearance.
A SYFY original,Resident Alienfollows the story of an alien who crash lands in Colorado, accidentally kills a man named Harry Vanderspeigle, and steals his identity. He’s sent to Earth to exterminate the human race but ends up having second thoughts after developing relationships with the humans he was sent there to kill. Harry is played by Alan Tudyk, who returns to the sci-fi spotlight almost two decades after playing Hoban “Wash” Washburne inFirefly.
Not only is Tudyk joined by a strong supporting cast of up-and-comers, but veteran sci-fi actors have appeared in several episodes, including Linda Hamilton (Terminator), Terry O’Quinn (Lost), and Tudyk’sFireflyco-star, Nathan Fillion. The series toes the line perfectly between comedy, sci-fi, and drama for a rare blend of genres that would likely be harder to achieve in film.Resident Alienseason 4hasn’t been greenlit just yet, but the show’s impressive ability to balance several different tones suggests it deserves to return.
Silo
In a dystopian future, men and women reside in a vast underground silo governed by strict regulations, believed to shield them from the hazardous world above. The series delves into the complex social order within the silo and the mysteries surrounding their subterranean existence.
Apple TV+‘sSilois based on the popular science fiction novel series by Hugh Howey, titledWool. The series is created byJustified’sGraham Yost and follows a dystopian future in which humanity has been confined to a massive silo, believing the world outside is too toxic to live in. The silo is governed to keep order among its people and control its population, but certain members of its population believe the truth is being hidden. Rebecca Ferguson leads an impressive cast that includes Academy Award winner Tim Robbins, Will Patton, Common, and Rashida Jones.
Siloweaves a murder mystery subplot throughout its bleak, dystopian theme, which gives it an unwavering level of intensity with each episode. Notably,Silohas already finished filming season 2and will introduce new characters and locations in the series. Considering the books follow a prequel storyline, it’s rumored the subsequent seasons will branch off from the novels completely, with flashbacks as references. This level of scope wouldn’t be possible in a movie, highlighting whySiloworks so well as a show.
Black Mirror
Black Mirror is a dystopian anthology series that explores the unsettling and profound impact of modern technology on society. Premiering in 2011, it examines various scenarios where technological advancements intersect with human nature, creating thought-provoking narratives about contemporary and future issues.
Since 2011,Black Mirrorhas been possibly the bleakest and most realistic sci-fi series on television. Ironically created by English comedy writer Charlie Brooker, the series follows an anthology layout that tells a different hard sci-fi story with each episode. Most of the episodes cover some kind of futuristic technological danger that serves as a warning due to how similar it is to current technologies used today.
The standalone nature of each episode is one of the show’s greatest strengths, allowing it to tell a variety of meaningful, self-contained stories in a way that wouldn’t be feasible in film. Additionally, due to its anthology structure,Black Mirrorhas attracted a variety of massive starsthroughout its seven seasons, including Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya, Bryce Dallas Howard, Hayley Atwell, Jon Hamm, and Miley Cyrus. The series has had some ups and downs in terms of audience approval but overall remains a standout in the sci-fi genre.
Andrew Scott, Letitia Wright, and Jesse Plemons were all nominated for Primetime Emmys for acting inBlack Mirror.
Dark Matter
Dark Matter (2024): Jason Dessen is thrust into an alternate reality where he must confront an ominous version of himself. His quest to return to his original life leads him on a challenging journey to reunite with his family, navigating the complexities of parallel existences.
Apple TV+‘sDark Matteris based on Blake Crouch’s fast-paced 2016 novel of the same name. The series follows Jason Dessen, a college professor who is kidnapped and switches places with a parallel universe version of himself. Jason must find his way back to his family by traveling through a countless number of universes, even some he isn’t alive in.Dark Matterstars Joel Edgerton as Dessen, Jennifer Connelly, Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), and Alice Braga (I Am Legend).
The series’ special effects are incredible, using a nice blend of CG and practical sets to show off the multiple universes, including some that have been destroyed by the elements. This approach is a key example of whyDark Matterworks so well as a show; on a TV budget, the practical sets are a must, but they enhance the viewer experience rather than taking away from it. This is likely part of the reasonDark Matterhas done well with critics, scoring an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Severance is a psychological thriller series featuring Adam Scott as Mark Scout, an employee at Lumon Industries who undergoes a “severance” procedure to separate his work and personal memories. However, as work and life personas mysteriously begin to collide, it quickly becomes clear that not all is as it seems. Created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle.
In another excellent Apple TV+ release,Ben Stiller directs one of the most unique sci-fi shows ever made withSeverance. The story follows a group of office workers who have had their brains altered to separate the “at work” personas of themselves from the “at home” personas, without the former knowing that the latter exists (until they begin to figure it out). Adam Scott leads an all-star cast that consists of Christopher Walken, John Turturro, Patricia Arquette, Gwendoline Christie, and John Noble.
The show is revered for its thrilling and interesting take on the effects of capitalism on the human psyche and its incredibly original technological ideas. This layering of themes is made for the TV medium, allowing the show to go deep on nuanced ideas.Severancehas also been lauded for its superb world-building, with a level of detail much easier to achieve on television.
Westworld
Westworld is a television series set in a futuristic Wild West-themed amusement park where advanced android hosts cater to human guests’ desires. The series explores the themes of artificial consciousness and human morality as the lines between reality and artificiality begin to blur.
Max’sWestworldis based on Michael Crichton’s 1973 movie of the same nameand introduces its audience to the company of Delos Inc. The company creates theme parks filled with lifelike, biomechanical robots known as hosts that the patrons can befriend, have relationships with, and even kill. In their Old West-themed park known as Westworld, the hosts begin to become sentient and rise up against their human creators and abusers. Over its four seasons,Westworldstarred Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Aaron Paul, James Marsden, Thandiwe Newton, and Ed Harris.
The series got a little overcomplicated towards its last two seasons, but critics and audiences adored the first two, with some citing it as one of the best sci-fi shows ever made. ConsideringWestworldstarted as a movie, the show is the perfect example of expanding a story for TV to great effect. TheWestworldseries was able to fully flesh out a world in a way the movie couldn’t simply because of its shorter runtime.
Fallout
Set 200 years after an apocalypse, Fallout follows residents of luxury shelters as they re-enter a post-nuclear world. Confronted with a bizarre and violent landscape, the series explores the stark contrasts between their sheltered existence and the harsh realities of the outside universe.
Prime Video’sFalloutstars Walton Goggins, Ella Purnell, and Aaron Moten as its three main characters, who must travel across the American wasteland 200 years after it’s leveled by nuclear bombs. Based on the popular game franchise,Falloutperfectly mixes comedy with a dramatic and sometimes heartbreaking storyline. Comedic supporting actors like Matt Berry, Chris Parnell, and Michael Rapaport are peppered in throughout the series to keep its levity going.
The series has already achieved the impressive feat of becoming Prime Video’s second-most-watched show ever, proof that sci-fi is absolutely having a moment on TV. Even fans of the video game are mostly impressed by the series, celebrating the number ofFalloutEaster eggsthroughout season 1. That level of detail and commitment to portraying the game authentically, while possible to achieve on film, is arguably better suited to TV.
The Expanse
The Expanse is a sci-fi series set in the distant future where humanity has spread out across the solar system, but the alliances between the three most potent governing bodies have reached a state of the cold war. In the series, a mixed crew finds themselves at the center of a dangerous intergalactic conspiracy that threatens to bring war to the colonized worlds.
Prime Video’s hard sci-fi political thrillerThe Expanseis based on James S. A. Corey’s nine-novel, 5,062-page Hugo Award-winning series. In the future, humans have colonized space. They still live on Earth but also on Mars and some of the outer planets of the solar system. The series dives into the political and social discourse between the futuristic factions of humanity in one of the more realistic sci-fi shows ever made.
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The cast is built of mostly lesser-known TV actors, but that’s part of its appeal. Because the show features relatively few “names,” viewers can truly see the actors as their characters and immerse themselves in the story. This wouldn’t be possible in a movie version ofThe Expanse, where bigger stars would likely be cast. Additionally,The Expanseis one of the few successful shows where the first season is considered the weakest by its audience. The show being granted that time to find its footing (impossible in film), is a big part of why it became a success.
The Last Of Us
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama series set two decades after a global catastrophe. It follows Joel, a seasoned survivor, who is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl, across a desolated United States, transforming into a harrowing journey of survival and companionship.
Max’s post-apocalyptic zombie-drama,The Last of Us, was one of 2023’s biggest and most pleasant surprises.Starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the lead roles, the series follows Joel and Ellie, two lost souls who meet one another in an American dystopia. After discovering Ellie is immune to a fungal virus that’s turning humans into raging zombies, Joel agrees to guide Ellie to safety so she can help save millions of lives.
The Last of Usstands with every single heavy-hitter TV show that HBO has released over the decades, winning eight Primetime Emmys and being nominated for three Golden Globes. While some supporters of the game don’t like the creative differences made to the series, those changes are exactly whyThe Last of Usworks so well as a show. A movie version of the story would likely be a more straightforward adaptation, while the series isn’t afraid to take risks.
Stranger Things
Stranger Things is a Netflix series set in the 1980s, where the mysterious disappearance of a young boy leads a small town to uncover secret experiments and supernatural forces. A significant focus is on a peculiar girl who may hold the key to the unfolding mystery.
At this point,Stranger Thingsisn’t just a TV show; it’s a global phenomenon. The series follows the coming-of-age story of four friends in the 1980s who meet a telekinetically powered girl around the same time several townspeople go missing. The show is filled with multidimensional sci-fi themes, monsters, ’80s references, and a killer synth soundtrack.Stranger Thingsis responsible for kick-starting the careers of its younger cast, including Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown, as well as sparking new-found interest in veteran actors like Winona Ryder, Matthew Modine, and David Harbour.
Since its release, many horror and sci-fi movies have tried to unsuccessfully capture the Duffer Brothers' nostalgic magic thatStranger Thingsexpels to its audience. However, the show neatly takes advantage of its position as a TV show in key ways. For example, the story’s emotional beats hit a lot harder when considering that audiences have watched many of its characters literally grow up on screen.Stranger Thingsis not just one of the best sci-fi shows of all time; it’s one of the best TV shows ever made.
