The best multi-season sci-fi shows to binge on HBO Max
The best multi-season sci-fi shows to binge on HBO Max
‘Orphan Black,’ ‘The Leftovers,’ and two very different superhero shows offer some of the best complete sci-fi binges on HBO Max.
HBO Max boasts one of the greatest TV streaming libraries of all time. So, it’s no surprise that when it comes to bingeable sci-fi shows, it delivers. This list has four complete shows that will pull you into a well-crafted world and won’t let go. There are a few superhero picks, a cult-classic clone show, and a high-concept sci-fi drama that just keeps getting weirder. And all have three or more seasons so you won’t run out of episodes anytime soon. Here are my picks for the best binge-worthy sci-fi TV shows to stream on [HBO Max ].
Best binge-worthy sci-fi shows streaming on HBO Max
Best sci-fi conspiracy binge: ‘Orphan Black’
There’s a little bit of irony here because “Orphan Black” isn’t even an HBO show — it originally aired on BBC America. But almost from the start, this show built a very passionate audience. And it makes sense because the concept is seriously gripping. Tatiana Maslany plays Sarah Manning, a con artist and single mom, who watches a woman who looks exactly like her jump in front of a train. So, she takes on the identity of the dead woman, hoping to steal her money and make a better life for her kid… except the woman was actually a police detective, and there’s a conspiracy afoot.
From there, it’s all about the clones, and Maslany’s incredible performance as she plays all these different kinds of people — a scientist, a tightly wound mom, an assassin, and many more. They are asking the same questions we are: where did the clones come from? And why? Things get even more meta when clones start impersonating other clones… but in the end, it’s their relationships and how they bond together to fight back that gives the series its heart. It’s got five seasons, 50 episodes, and a real ending that delivers.
Orphan Black
A streetwise hustler is pulled into a compelling conspiracy after witnessing the suicide of a girl who looks just like her.
Best sci-fi mystery binge: ‘The Leftovers’
Tara and I watched this series about five years ago, and I still remember how powerful it is. “The Leftovers” asks the question: what if two percent of the world’s population (140 million people) suddenly disappeared without a trace? How would the rest of the world react? It’s told mostly through the eyes of police chief Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), as he works to keep the peace in Mapleton, New York, three years after the “Departure.”
What’s most interesting about the show is how it explores the consequences in different ways. You get religious movements, conspiracy theories, and cults like the Guilty Remnant, whose members take a vow of silence, wear only white, chain-smoke, and remind everyone of what the world lost. Over three seasons, the story reinvents itself multiple times, even jumping time to seven years from the Departure. And it gets weirder, funnier, and more surreal as it goes. If you want one of the best sci-fi dramas out there, watch “The Leftovers.”
The Leftovers
When 2% of the world’s population abruptly disappears without explanation, the world struggles to understand just what they’re supposed to do about it. This is the story of the people who didn’t make the cut.
Best superhero family binge: ‘Superman & Lois’
I’m not even a huge superhero fan, but maybe that’s why “Superman & Lois” works for me. Because it plays more like a family drama with superheroes. Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) are married, working parents raising teenage twin boys, Jonathan and Jordan. After Clark’s mother dies, they move back to Smallville so Clark can reconnect to his roots and spend a bit more time with his family.
Yes, you still get the big superhero battles in this show. But you also get the domestic ones. Like the twins trying to figure out how to be Superman’s sons, especially when one of them gets powers, and the other one doesn’t. Or how Clark deals with Lois getting breast cancer — a villain he can’t just overpower. They fight about normal parent stuff: how to raise the kids, how to balance their careers with family, how to support each other. With four seasons and real closure, this show is worth getting lost in.
Superman & Lois
After years of facing megalomaniacal supervillains, monsters wreaking havoc on Metropolis, and alien invaders intent on wiping out the human race, The Man of Steel aka Clark Kent and Lois Lane come face to face with one of their greatest challenges ever: dealing with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today’s society.
Best offbeat superhero binge: ‘Doom Patrol’
This is probably the most under-the-radar show on this list. “Doom Patrol” isn’t your normal superhero show because the superheroes are far more complicated than you think. They’re mostly outsiders whose traumatic experiences have given them powers. Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser) is a former race car driver whose brain was transplanted into a robot body. Rita Farr (April Bowlby) is a former actress who struggles to control her shape-shifting body. Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer) lives with a mysterious energy being inside him, while Jane (Diane Guerrero) has a bunch of distinct personalities, some of them with their very own superpowers.
This one’s so fun because it’s very unpredictable. You get alternate dimensions, time travel, strange monsters, and insane villains that don’t seem very threatening until they are. But really, it’s the found-family dynamic between these characters that will keep you watching. Cliff and Jane’s relationship in particular is lovely, even when they’re at each other’s throats. And with four seasons and an emotionally satisfying ending, it’s a great one for your list.
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol’s members each suffered horrible accidents that gave them superhuman abilities — but also left them scarred and disfigured. Traumatized and downtrodden, the team found purpose through The Chief, who brought them together to investigate the weirdest phenomena in existence — and to protect Earth from what they find.
More binge-worthy sci-fi TV shows:
‘Batman Beyond’
Batman Beyond
As new villains overrun Gotham City of the future, the aging Bruce Wayne hangs up the cape of the once invincible Batman. But when troubled teenager Terry McGinnis stumbles upon the Dark Knight’s secret, a new alliance is forged. And a triumphant new Batman is born.
‘Titans’
Titans
A team of young superheroes led by Nightwing (formerly Batman’s first Robin) form to combat evil and other perils.
‘DC's Stargirl’
DC’s Stargirl
Courtney Whitmore, a smart, athletic and above all else kind girl, discovers her step-father has a secret: he used to be the sidekick to a superhero. “Borrowing” the long-lost hero’s cosmic staff, she becomes the unlikely inspiration for an entirely new generation of superheroes.