Charlie Brooker’s dystopian anthology Black Mirror might be one of the most disturbing TV shows around, but virtually every episode is fascinating. Each focuses on an aspect of modern technology, but pushes it to the limits, creating a “what if” tone that is occasionally optimistic but usually terrifying. The best episodes of Black Mirror combine sci-fi and horror.

Black Mirror is a perfect show for viewers new to sci-fi, as most of the technology and themes already exist. These include AI, social media, and military testing. Many of the episodes star recognizable actors, like Aaron Paul and Jesse Plemons, and if you aren’t a fan of one, there are plenty more to watch.

Fringe

The Sci-Fi Elements Are Introduced Gradually

Fringe takes the investigative elements from shows like CSI and applies them to the sci-fi genre. Viewers who are already crime fans but new to sci-fi will likely enjoy Fringe, as the show will start on a familiar note. Fringe is about FBI agents investigating unexplained phenomena, but the show begins like a crime drama, with a heavy emphasis on science.

Fringe might begin with a monster-of-the-week style format, but the lore grows over time, allowing viewers to gradually get invested. It is an underrated sci-fi masterpiece that you may have missed because it is often compared to better-known shows like The X-Files. However, Fringe stands on its own and has a proper ending, unlike many series that end on frustrating cliffhangers.

Resident Alien

A Hilarious Mix Of Comedy And Sci-Fi

Alan Tudyk’s best TV role is in this fish-out-of-water comedy about a shape-shifting alien who arrives on Earth and disguises himself as the local doctor, only to become involved in a murder investigation. Resident Alien combines sci-fi tropes, like aliens and government experiments, with heartwarming comedy. This makes it easy to understand, with the wider conspiracy unfolding over time.

The show has some fantastic performances from sci-fi legends like Linda Hamilton, while also being hilarious and quotable throughout its four seasons. Resident Alien is a great show for sci-fi newcomers because, while it includes hidden details for fans of the genre, you do not have to be a fan to enjoy it.

Star Trek: The Original Series

The Perfect Introduction To A Franchise

Custom image by Ana Nieves

Star Trek is one of the greatest sci-fi franchises of all time, and the show had a groundbreaking impact on the world through its diverse cast and boundary-pushing narratives. That said, Star Trek is huge, with spinoffs taking multiple different forms, and it may be difficult to know where to begin. The Original Series is the perfect show to start with.

As Star Trek: The Original Series begins with self-contained episodes, it is not essential to watch every single one. Watching a few of the best Star Trek episodes is a great introduction to the sci-fi genre, as the concept was relatively new to TV before the show popularized it. If you like The Original Series, the door is then open to the rest of the franchise as well.

The X-Files

A Simple Premise And Great Team

The X-Files is a masterpiece TV show that shaped the industry, making it culturally important and a sci-fi staple. Mulder and Scully are two of the best detective duos on TV, and their believer-and-skeptic dynamic is great fun to watch. The relationship between the two is at the heart of the show, with the sci-fi elements being secondary in some episodes.

Many of the best episodes of The X-Files are a blend of genres, with both horror and police procedural elements driving the story. The show follows a monster-of-the-week format and is easy to understand, making it a perfect place for newcomers to start. And The X-Files’ themes generally hold up well, even when the special effects do not.

Firefly

A Short Series With Lovable Characters

Firefly is a character-driven show with a fantastic ensemble cast, and while Joss Whedon may have fallen from grace, Firefly is still widely regarded as one of the best sci-fi shows around. The show is often described as a Western set in space, and fans of the Western genre will likely recognize many of its elements, like gunslingers, vigilante justice, and even saloon-style bars.

Firefly‘s compelling characters outshine the sci-fi elements. This has allowed the show to stand the test of time, while appealing to both sci-fi fans and people who don’t usually like the genre. While it was originally aired out of order, to its detriment, it attracted a cult following. And fortunately, the movie Serenity was able to finish telling the story.

Stranger Things

A 1980s-Inspired Cultural Phenomenon

People new to sci-fi often associate the genre with advanced technology and futuristic spaceships, but Stranger Things is set in the 1980s and pays homage to coming-of-age shows, as well as horror and fantasy. Despite featuring a secret government laboratory and themes of science gone rogue, the show is not always immediately recognizable as sci-fi, and this genre-defying practice has made it a cultural phenomenon.

While Stranger Things features body horror and one of the best sci-fi monsters of all time, it is not always scary. The show includes some of the typical tropes of 1980s teen movies, like montages and adventurous kids saving the day. New sci-fi fans should watch Stranger Things because, if you enjoy the sci-fi elements, there are plenty more shows that elaborate on those themes.

Sense8

From The Creators Of The Matrix

The Matrix is one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, and this is a great endorsement for Sense8, as it was also made by the Wachowski Sisters. The overarching theme in the show is human connection, as eight people from different countries find that they share a psychic link, allowing them to pool their skills while discovering what happened to them.

The acting in Sense8 is excellent, but the show features one of the best sci-fi TV show performances of all time: Toby Onwumere as Capheus. Most of the main characters are easy to identify with, and while the series is relatively short, but despite being canceled, it has a well-rounded, happy ending, leaving it on a perfect note without ever being too complicated.

Futurama

A Bitesize Sci-Fi Comedy

Futurama is one of the best animated shows of the 1990s, and it is still running today. When pizza deliverer Fry is accidentally cryogenically frozen, he wakes up in the far future in a world that is both familiar and truly bizarre. Futurama has plenty of sci-fi staples, like spaceships, robots, mutants, and aliens, but it is both simple and hilarious.

While Futurama has overarching plotlines and running gags, most episodes stand on their own. The best episodes of Futurama tend to add a sci-fi twist to a real-world issue. This makes the show a fun opener to the genre. As Futurama has a few crossovers with The Simpsons, it is especially ideal for Simpsons fans who want to try sci-fi.

Love, Death + Robots

An Eclectic Mix Of Stories In An Anthology

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