Throughout the years, many excellent science fiction TV shows and movies have hit screens. Some have found instant success, like Stranger Things, while others were utterly overlooked on release. With new shows being green-lit every year, it's understandable how some shows, even of good quality and concept, can fall through the cracks or be overshadowed.
Science Fiction is one of the richest genres in fiction, and has long been the best genre for stretching the imaginations of creators and viewers alike. New ideas are tested out in projects all the time, and across varying formats, whether Saturday morning cartoons, anthologies, or miniseries. Unfortunately, as many great and iconic shows as there are at any time, there are also many series that have fallen out of public consciousness.
10 Hanna-Barbera's Space Ghost Was A Great Superhero Cartoon
In the 1960s, before Hanna-Barbera's hit with Scooby-Doo, it had a strong stable of diverse stories in other shows. Their superhero series, Space Ghost, was one of their best creations, and the character even enjoyed later success in a spin-off show and comic books.
However, the twentieth century has seen the superhero's recognition dwindle in the face of other superheroes and the decline of Hanna-Barbera. But the character and his series remain an excellent source of entertainment still to this day, and could use a reboot.
9 Alphas Took A Different Approach To The Superhero Genre
In 2011's Alphas, starring David Strathairn, the series followed a group of superhumans assembled onto a team to investigate others like them. The series combined the likes of police procedural, thriller, science fiction, and action to deliver fans something in the superhero genre but original.
The series at the time developed a small, cult following, but never broke out into the mainstream, despite having a concept similar to the popular X-Men. Alphas is one of many superhero projects that would have been better received had it been released only a few years later.
8 Intelligence Had An Excellent Sci-Fi Concept For A Spy Show
2015's Intelligence was an action/sci-fi spy thriller series starring Josh Holloway as an agent with a chip implanted in his mind that acted as a secret super-computer. Like the more successful Chuck, the premise made for a great espionage mission series.
However, the series failed to gain success for another season and was left with just 13 episodes. But the Mission Impossible feel to it left viewers with a series that had the potential to be much more significant. While the series was not original, it used its formula well.
7 The Triangle Examined The Mysterious Bermuda Triangle
Starring Judd Nelson, 1997's The Triangle (created by Bryan Singer and Dean Devlin), The Triangle explored the secrets of the mysterious Bermuda Triangle. When a wealthy shipping magnate's ships go missing in the triangle, he hires a team of scientists to investigate.
The use of the Bermuda Triangle made this series worth viewing, using one of the world's greatest mysteries to good effect. In addition, the series includes some great sci-fi tropes, and leads viewers on a mysterious adventure with potentially world-ending stakes.
6 Alcatraz Was An Underrated Sci-Fi Mystery
Starring Sam Neill and Sarah Jones, Alcatraz sets up a fascinating plot, beginning with the sudden disappearance of the infamous prison's inmates. However, the lost prisoners soon start to turn up in the present, and a group of investigators is tasked with their capture.
The series combined mystery with conspiracy, channeling an X-Files-themed plot into a unique science fiction mystery story for viewers. With each returning inmate serving a unique purpose, the investigators question if their fate was part of something larger.
5 Helix Was A Fun Sc-Fi/Horror Twist On Vampires
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The series Helix presented an excellent idea as well as a great and time-honored sci-fi horror setting in taking to the Arctic. The series would remind fans of Doom, Resident Evil, and The Thing in the isolated location and horror theme.
With a vampiric and monstrously transformative virus infecting researchers in an underground facility, a group of scientists struggle to uncover a cure. However, as things only get worse, the series takes an increasingly claustrophobic and horrific theme, with a series of plot twists and revelations.
4 Torchwood: Miracle Day Followed An Unexpected Crisis In The World Of Doctor Who
The adult-themed Doctor Who spin-off, which followed Jack Harkness, Torchwood, was an excellent and darker spin on the world of the Doctor. Harkness runs the secretive agency, which tracks and investigates extraterrestrial threats overlooked or missed by others.
In the 10-episode event "Miracle Day," planet Earth experiences a phenomenon of immortality, with not a single human being capable of death. But unfortunately, while it may sound like a gift to some, the ability almost immediately presents a horrifying situation for humanity.
3 Almost Human Was "I, Robot" Meets The Buddy Cop Procedural
2013's Almost Human, starring Karl Urban and Michael Ealy, paired a hardened futuristic cop with an android partner. The series was a traditional police procedural but set in a sci-fi near-future world of new technology and the various new crimes that come with it.
The series was especially great for fans of the dysfunctional cop dynamic, pairing a human weary of androids with one known for quirks and defects. While the high-tech crimes are a great plot device, the on-screen team of Urban and Ealy is what makes this series great.
2 The Andromeda Strain Adapted The Classic Sci-Fi Story To TV
A 2008 adaptation of the classic science fiction story, The Andromeda Strain follows a group of scientists investigating an outbreak in a small town. When they arrive, they find most residents dead, with the few remaining having been driven to uncontrollable violence.
Starring Benjamin Bratt, Ricky Schroder, and Christa Miller, the series explores time travel and conspiracies, with some great twists. Only released as a short miniseries, the story didn't get the attention it deserved, and science fiction fans should be sure to give it a watch.
1 V Was A Phenomenal Alien Invasion Story
Despite an underrated reboot series, the original V miniseries has largely been forgotten by all but its most devoted fans. The series followed the arrival of the "visitors," an alien race whose starships land on Earth, and begin to interact with the people of Earth in a show of friendship.
However, the visitors are soon revealed to be far more sinister than humanity had expected, and a desperate battle for survival ensues. Exploring themes of dual loyalty, classic alien invasion, and freedom fighters, V is a staple of science fiction that's still entertaining today.