Highlights

• Highly recommended sci-fi shows on Amazon Prime Video:
• "The Peripheral" is a mind-bending series with realistic futuristic elements and strong acting by Chloë Grace Moretz.
• "The Expanse" is a politically charged hard sci-fi show that keeps getting better with each season.
• "Paper Girls" captures the charm of its source material through its well-developed characters, despite a slow start to its time-travel plot.

Science-fiction shows are not particularly common, but when a great one comes along, it tends to be something truly special. Whether someone is seeking a space opera or a low-key futuristic comedy, the sci-fi genre should have them covered, and the same can be said for the myriad of streaming services currently awaiting subscribers.

Amazon Prime Video has a massive selection of movies and shows that can be streamed at the click of a button, and that includes a number of high-profile sci-fi properties. Let's take a look at the best sci-fi shows on Prime Video​​​​​.

Only shows that are part of Prime Video's standard selection will be considered. No channels.

The Peripheral

Launching on October 21, 2022, The Peripheral is a sci-fi show from the minds behind HBO's Westworld. Starring Chloë Grace Moretz and set in 2032, this series envisions a universe that is largely true to the real one, albeit with a few tweaks that could plausibly occur over the next decade. Flynne, a capable gamer, is invited to test out a VR headset, one that delivers unprecedented realism along with an opportunity to lead an action-packed existence. However, before long, Flynne begins to question whether this experience is really just fantasy.

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Based on William Gibson's 2014 novel, The Peripheral presents plenty of exciting concepts and ideas, and the show takes its time exploring them. While the plot is convoluted in places, sci-fi veterans are unlikely to struggle too greatly to follow along. The acting is also good for the most part, and Moretz delivers a strong performance as Flynne.

The Expanse

If there is one sci-fi show on Prime Video that justifies a subscription all on its own, it is The Expanse. Based on James S. A. Corey's novel and lasting for six seasons, The Expanse is a hard science-fiction show that deals with politics, war, and human conflict. Balancing multiple storylines at the same time and introducing lofty ideas that it is more than ready to explore to their fullest, this series is ambitious in terms of both its presentation and narrative.

While alien technology plays a significant role in driving the characters, The Expanse's interest lies in investigating humanity's reaction to these types of discoveries. Season 1's opening few episodes can be disorienting since the show has a lot of world-building it needs to set up, but things pick up steam quite quickly after that. Every season after that is arguably better than the last, although seasons 4 and 5 can be polarizing.

Paper Girls

Amazon Prime Video's adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang's fantastic comic does an admirable job of capturing the tone and charm of the source material, particularly in its depiction of its main characters. Living in Cleveland, four paper-delivery girls from widely different backgrounds form a friendship as they try to withstand the everyday challenges they face while on the job. However, things get a bit strange when they are dragged into a time-traveling adventure.

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Paper Girls is a character-driven sci-fi series, and an argument could be made that the time-travel aspect is the story's weak link because it takes too long to pick up momentum. Thankfully, the leads are fully realized characters with well-established backstories, goals, and flaws. They carry this show on their shoulders, and they do it easily.

The Outer Limits

1959's The Twilight Zone left a huge cultural impact, to the point of still being referenced to this day. Its success has directly or indirectly inspired many creators to try their hands at anthology series, and one of the most successful attempts was 1963's The Outer Limits. The show basically added a heavy dose of sci-fi to The Twilight Zone, and the mix worked brilliantly. In 1995, a revival was launched that lasted for seven seasons, and it arguably surpassed its predecessor in many ways. For quite a long time, this series was not easy to find, but it is now available in its entirety on Amazon Prime Video.

As an anthology concept, most of the show's episodes tell stand-alone stories with a fresh cast of characters and premises; however, The Outer Limits occasionally continues a previous narrative, and these segments are always a delight when they happen. Featuring a strong roster of contributing writers and frequently impressive performers, this 1995 series is surprisingly consistent, with most episodes managing to be at least decent. Obviously, a few stories such as "A Stitch in Time" and "Decompression" stand out from the crowd, but The Outer Limits rarely drops the ball.

Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams

Consisting of standalone episodes, Electric Dreams adapts 10 short stories by Philip K. Dick. As the source material is more than a half-century old by this point, this British series is not afraid to take some creative liberties to adjust the stories' themes for a modern climate. These changes largely work well, even if overall the episodes are hit-and-miss.

Featuring a talented cast of actors such as Bryan Cranston, Steve Buscemi, and Terrence Howard, Electric Dreams has good production value and performances. This show is a good pick for anyone looking for an Amazon Prime Video sci-fi series similar to Black Mirror.

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace cannot be pigeonholed into one descriptor. This short-lived comedy dips into horror, medical dramas, and science-fiction, and it manages to parody all of these genres expertly. Presented as a fictional '80s series that was shelved for roughly two decades for being ahead of its time, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace recreates the look and feel of that era's shows in meticulous detail, be it the inconsistent acting or the cheesy set design.

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While more interested in horror, Darkplace also takes a few stabs at sci-fi cliches, including an alien infection that takes the form of broccoli. Boasting a stellar cast of recognizable British comedians, Darkplace is a loving homage to the corny classics of yesteryear. Since the show only lasted for a measly six episodes, someone can easily watch the entire thing in an afternoon. And, there are certainly worse ways to spend a couple of hours.

Upload

An Amazon Original, Upload imagines a future where humanity has achieved something resembling immortality through the ability for the deceased to live on in a virtual afterlife. After unexpectedly dying, Nathan winds up in the lush Lake View, causing him to become dependent on his girlfriend. In the meantime, Nathan forms a bond with Nora, the customer service agent charged with guiding him through the process of settling down in Lake View.

Upload starts with almost a rom-com tone but quickly reveals itself to be closer to a murder mystery. With likable characters, charismatic performers, and social commentary, Upload's season 1 is an engaging watch that does a stellar job of setting up its sequel, which debuted on March 11, 2022. Season 2 is just as good as its predecessor, and it nicely expands upon the characters, world, and mystery.

Kamen Rider Black Sun

Released in celebration of the franchise's 50th anniversary, Kamen Rider Black Sun is a reboot of 1987's Kamen Rider Black, which is generally considered to be among the license's better releases. Popular as Kamen Rider might be in Japan, the property is not all that well known in North America, and the extensive range of available seasons and incarnations can put off newcomers looking for an entry point. Kamen Rider Black Sun provides an answer for that issue.

The 2022 reboot can be enjoyed without prior knowledge of Kamen Rider or the original Black. Black Sun opts for a more mature tone than the typical entry in the series, although it still retains some goofy charm. Set in a world where some people can transform into Kaijins and suffer discrimination for it, the story follows two young guys with wildly different ideologies.

Utopia

A short-lived and criminally underrated British sci-fi thriller, Utopia centers around an unpublished sequel to a popular comic book, one that might contain shocking details revolving around a global conspiracy. When a group of obsessed fans try to track down this manuscript, they quickly find themselves facing ethical dilemmas as they try to avoid being taken down by hired killers.

Utopia combines a high-octane conspiracy storyline with an everyday British setting, and this juxtaposition works brilliantly. The show can get overly violent at times, but the story, acting, and visuals are consistently great.

The Man In The High Castle

Based on Philip K. Dick's award-winning 1962 novel, The Man in the High Castle is an ambitious alternate history show that envisions a United States run by the Nazis and Japan, a result of the country losing World War 2. As TV has expanded its reach through streaming services, high-concept shows have become more feasible, and few are quite as ambitious as Amazon Prime Video's dystopian sci-fi series.

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The Man in the High Castle is not an easy sit, but it is a constantly compelling one. The series backs its grand visuals with nuanced storytelling that mirrors the current political climate, particularly in its later seasons. Ending after four seasons, The Man in the High Castle is a complete experience and one of the best shows on Amazon Prime Video, even if it is not quite as overtly sci-fi as some other series mentioned in this article.

Dexter's Laboratory

Created by Genndy Tartakovsky, Dexter's Laboratory is a Cartoon Network classic. Launching in 1996, the show hit the ground running thanks to well-defined characters, an instantly recognizable visual identity, and clever humor. The eponymous character is a boy genius capable of crafting scientific creations of both extraordinary and terrifying measure. However, for all of his brilliance, Dexter just cannot seem to find a way to keep his sister, Dee Dee, out of his lab; unfortunately, she tends to play a bit rough with her brother's toys.

Dexter's Laboratory has aged quite well over the last few decades, particularly its first couple of seasons (which cover 52 episodes). The cartoon loses some steam after that point, but most episodes are still competent enough to produce a laugh or two. Regardless of whether someone grew up with the sci-fi animated series or not, they should give the show a try while it is on Amazon Prime Video.

Eureka

Sci-fi stories have a tendency to get heavy, be it through complex storytelling or challenging themes. As captivating as series like The Expanse can be, there is always room for something a touch more lighthearted and easy to digest. When it comes to comforting sci-fi shows, Eureka might be the best on Prime Video.

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The title refers to a town filled with scientific geniuses and an "ordinary" sheriff who has to fix the many issues that pop up on a seemingly daily basis. Eureka is not rocket science but it is entertaining, and sometimes that is all a sci-fi show needs to be.

The Boys

Superhero movies and shows have been inescapable for the last decade, with Marvel and DC both producing a huge amount of content, to mostly mixed results. Amazon Prime Video also has its share of superpowered-themed products, and the streaming service seems to favor more subversive stories. While Invincible is a great animated series, the best superhero show on Prime Video is undoubtedly The Boys.

A loose adaptation of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic book, The Boys envisions a world much like the current one, albeit with a select few figures who possess powers that make them stand out like gods among mortals. The series revolves around two competing forces: The Seven and The Boys. The former are this universe's equivalent of the Justice League, although their public personas are not entirely accurate representations of their true personalities. Conversely, The Boys are "normal" people who have it out for Supes, and they will do anything to bring them down.

Although containing a fair amount of elements that are just straight-up fantasy, The Boys dives into themes like human experimentation, so it very much qualifies as a sci-fi series. More importantly, the show has produced almost nothing but brilliant episodes, and each storyline seems to improve on the last. Season 3 is the most recent entry, and it might be the best one yet. Furthermore, Amazon confirmed that season 4 is on the way, so this twisted take on the superhero formula will be staying around for a while longer. Permitting someone is not put off by gore, The Boys should be a must-watch.

The Boys Presents: Diabolical, an animated spin-off, is also on Amazon Prime Video. The series consists of shorts that, while irrelevant to the main show's central story, add color to The Boys' universe. That said, the show's quality fluctuates significantly from segment to segment.

Stargate SG-1

While not as mainstream as Star Wars or Star Trek, Stargate is still a big deal in its own right. Over the span of 25 years, the franchise produced three movies, three live-action shows, a cartoon, a web series, and a host of games. While content has slowed down considerably since the early 2010s, Stargate's legacy in sci-fi is firmly cemented by this point.

A lot of the goodwill associated with the series can be credited to Stargate SG-1, a 10-season show that built beautifully on the ideas introduced in the 1994 movie. The basic premise revolves around humanity's ability to travel to other planets via a wormhole portal, with episodes revolving around these expeditions. Early on, the series sticks to an episodic format, which was standard practice in the mid-'90s. While its limited budget shined through at times, Stargate SG-1 knew how to put together a strong script. As the seasons progressed, the show gradually grew more ambitious, and this decision generally paid off.

Invader Zim

One of the most deranged and best sci-fi Amazon Prime Video shows is a Nickelodeon cartoon starring an alien. Invader Zim is nightmarishly silly, and it somehow manages to be ghoulishly hilarious and genuinely unsettling. Seen as incompetent by his comrades, Zim is sent to "invade" a planet all on his own, with the world happening to be Earth. In order to achieve his goal, the ambitious alien joins a human school, where he obsesses about trying to kill Dib, the only classmate to recognize Zim as something not from this world.

Invader Zim is technically a "fish out of water" story, although that descriptor does not fully reflect the content. The show presents Earth as a fairly twisted and sadistic place in its own right, so Zim is not actually all that out of place. Still, the alien regularly takes things to the next level by performing stunts and experiments that are shockingly cruel (but funny). Even though it is quite old by this point, Invader Zim has aged well.

The Lost Room

Barely registering during its short 2006 run, The Lost Room is a fascinating miniseries that deserves way more recognition. The core concept involves a key that leads to a special motel room removed from time and space, and the former can be used to unlock any door in the world. More importantly, this room is packed with items that have unique powers. While maybe slightly complicated, this premise is brilliant and could easily have resulted in a multi-season-long epic; however, The Lost Room produced only 6 episodes, although they at least tell a mostly satisfying story.

The show's emotional core comes courtesy of a father who is searching for his daughter, who went missing after using the key and visiting the motel room. Naturally, the protagonist quickly finds themselves attracting the attention of a range of dangerous folks who desperately want to access this strange and powerful room.

The Tick

The Tick is a superhero who has been around since the mid-1980s, and he has starred in a few shows. Amazon Prime Video's The Tick is the most recent attempt to introduce this character to the masses. While not quite as gloriously absurd as the 1994 cartoon, the live-action series has plenty of charm, mainly thanks to Peter Serafinowicz's hilarious turn as the eponymous hero.

The Tick, as a character, seems ripped right out of a Golden Age comic filled with puffed-out chests, catchphrases, and over-the-top destruction. However, The Tick is set in a relatively ordinary world, at least as far as superhero sci-fi shows are concerned. Unsurprisingly, in this setting, The Tick has a habit of making a mess.

Lost In Space

Lost in Space is a classic sci-fi series about the Robinsons, a family that finds itself stranded in the cosmos as they try to make their way back to Earth. Rebooted in 2018 on Netflix, the 1960s Lost in Space is undoubtedly a product of its time, and it is not quite as endearing as Star Trek: The Original Series. The show is corny by any standards, but this element could be seen as a feature rather than a bug.

That said, some of the production design has aged pretty well, in the sense that it is still impressive for a budget project released during the 1960s. Huge sci-fi fans should give Lost in Space a try simply due to its legacy, and the opening two seasons are generally pretty entertaining. The quality diminishes after that point, but some fun can still be had.

Undone

From the same minds behind BoJack Horseman, Undone is a character-driven series about a woman who realizes she might be able to travel through space and time. She learns about this ability from her deceased father, a scientist who was exploring this sort of phenomenon before he died.

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Undone takes the big ideas synonymous with sci-fi and blends them with a family drama that goes back generations. Sequences of extraordinary imagery are sprinkled atop relatable storylines about self-discovery and grief.

Hyperdrive

There aren't all that many pure sci-fi comedy TV shows, and the ones that do exist tend to be engulfed by Red Dwarf's shadow. That British series still sets the standard for scientific hijinks, regardless of the quality of its later seasons. While it never quite reaches the heights of its more acclaimed predecessor, 2007's Hyperdrive also proves that a sitcom in space can work shockingly well, provided the show comes packed with lovable characters and veteran comedians.

Hyperdrive follows the HMS Camden Lock's crew as they try to introduce British sensibility to the cosmos, a goal that frequently proves to be beyond the gang's capabilities. Starring the always charming Nick Frost, this short-lived series has a lot of fun with its premise and also goes out of its way to frequently introduce new alien races.

Night Sky

Blending a number of genres together, Night Sky needs to come with a disclaimer that its sci-fi flourishes can, at times, feel more like a hindrance than an advantage. Franklin and Irene York, portrayed by J. K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek, have lived in a small American town for the majority of their adult days. As the challenges of aging start to take their toll, the couple contemplate leaving behind their home. However, there is one thing holding them back: there is a portal to an alien planet on their estate. Naturally, this artifact eventually complicates things.

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Franklin and Irene's relationship serves as Night Sky's heart, and the show is by far at its strongest when this dynamic takes center stage. Spacek and Simmons deliver nuanced performances that brilliantly reflect the lifetime shared between these characters. Whenever Night Sky shifts towards another plot thread, the story loses quite a bit of momentum; nevertheless, the show's high points outweigh its disappointing moments.

Tales From The Loop

Science-fiction and big ideas go hand-in-hand, but some of the genre's most effective stories are mainly concerned with examining the average person's reaction to the extraordinary. Tales from the Loop takes place in a town built upon a facility housing a machine called the Loop that can produce strange, unexplainable phenomena.

While the Loop might be the catalyst for many of the show's plotlines, the town's residents are its heart. Rather than deciphering the inner workings of a fantastical machine, Tales from the Loop studies human behavior and the way people change over time.

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