These finished sci-fi shows on Hulu are perfect for a binge
These finished sci-fi shows on Hulu are perfect for a binge
Some of television’s greatest sci-fi mysteries are waiting to be binged, including a few that still have fans debating their endings.
A great sci-fi show takes you to worlds you’ve never imagined. Or at least it should. It helps if there’s a great mystery underneath as well, pulling you deeper and deeper until you finally start seeing the bigger picture for yourself. Not that any of it should be predictable. It shouldn’t. From plane crashes to science experiments to unexplained FBI cases, every answer should produce three more questions. Every explanation should have surprising consequences. That’s what a great sci-fi binge does… and these shows deliver. Each one has three seasons or more, plenty of episodes, and has finished airing, so there’s no waiting for new seasons. Here are my picks for the best binge-worthy sci-fi TV shows streaming on Hulu.
Best binge-worthy sci-fi TV shows streaming on Hulu
Best mystery binge: ‘Lost’
There is no sci-fi mystery show more famous (infamous?) than “Lost.” At the height of its power, it was a cultural phenomenon, I think because of the sheer depth of the mystery. The show starts with a plane crash on an island, where the survivors have to figure out how to stay alive. The group includes surgeon Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox), fugitive Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly), con artist Sawyer (Josh Holloway), and the strange John Locke (Terry O’Quinn). It begins as a survival story. But very quickly, they learn that something strange is happening on the island — noises from the jungle, unexplained creatures, and the idea that maybe they aren’t alone…
What’s really happening? That’s the question that will pull you through six seasons. And I promise it won’t be hard to keep watching. As you go, you’ll learn more about the backstory of each character — flashbacks before the crash — and what you see will recontextualize the character entirely. And as the mythology gets bigger, the storytelling gets stranger. Now, the ending is the big asterisk on this show. It’s divisive, no question, but a show that’s still debated more than 15 years after it’s over is something special. Love the ending or hate it, this show is a wild binge you need to experience.
Lost
Stripped of everything, the survivors of a horrific plane crash must work together to stay alive. But the island holds many secrets.
Best mind-bending sci-fi binge: ‘Legion’
“Legion” is a different kind of superhero show… one where the hero is seen as mentally ill instead of gifted. That’s the case with David Haller (Dan Stevens), who’s spent years in psychiatric hospitals with a schizophrenia diagnosis. Voices, visions, breaks from reality — he doesn’t know what’s real from what’s imagined. And then he meets fellow patient Syd Barrett (Rachel Keller), and wonders if what he’s seeing is actually real… and he’s psychic? Melanie Bird (Jean Smart) finds him and takes him to her facility for mutants (yes, really) to try and figure out what’s really happening.
What’s most fun about this show is that you’re trying to figure out what’s real right alongside David. There are clues along the way, so it pays to pay attention. And the creative style of the show works to constantly trip you up. Memories change, scenes shift without warning, and you get entire sequences played out inside people’s heads — all supported with off-beat editing, music, and lighting choices to tell the story. Creator Noah Hawley planned it as a three-season story, so you’re getting a complete package. It’s the shortest binge on this list, but perhaps the one that demands the most of you.
Legion
David Haller, AKA Legion, is a troubled young man who may be more than human. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, David has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for years. But after a strange encounter with a fellow patient, he’s confronted with the possibility that the voices he hears and the visions he sees might be real.
Best sci-fi crime procedural binge: ‘Fringe’
“Fringe” starts with a plane landing at Boston’s Logan Airport… but everyone on it is dead. Enter FBI agent Olivia Dunham, played by Anna Torv, to investigate. And what she finds is everything from mind control to mutations. It’s kind of like a case-of-the-week weird science-gone-wrong show, with Walter Bishop, a scientist who’s spent years in a psychiatric hospital, and his estranged son, Peter (Joshua Jackson), along for the ride.
The binge factor here is that the deeper you get, the more serialized things become. You’ll encounter parallel universes, alternate selves, and a whole lot of weird science. And there’s an understated romance story here too, with Dunham and Peter growing closer the stranger things get.
Fringe
FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham, brilliant but formerly institutionalized scientist Walter Bishop and his scheming, reluctant son Peter uncover a deadly mystery involving a series of unbelievable events and realize they may be a part of a larger, more disturbing pattern that blurs the line between science fiction and technology.
Best paranormal sci-fi binge: ‘The X-Files’
“The X-Files” is a big nostalgia pull for me because my sister loved it. That means I watched a lot of it at an age I probably shouldn’t have. Still, when it didn’t scare the bejesus out of me, I loved it. And for a show that started in 1993, this thing still works. Yes, some episodes hold up better than others, but the monster-of-the-week premise where two FBI agents (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson) investigate weird cases no one can explain still totally works.
And a big part of that is the relationship and banter between Mulder and Scully. Scully is skeptical, coming at things with reason. Mulder leads with his heart and his desperate need to believe in something bigger. That back-and-forth fuels many a great episode. Add in a pretty solid serialized arc and plenty of great monster episodes (the Flukeman absolutely terrified me), and you’ve got 11(!!!) seasons of sci-fi weirdness to sink into.
The X-Files
The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder’s discoveries that debunk Mulder’s work and thus return him to mainstream cases.
More binge-worthy sci-fi TV shows:
‘The Strain’
The Strain
A high concept thriller that tells the story of Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, the head of the Center for Disease Control Canary Team in New York City. He and his team are called upon to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak with hallmarks of an ancient and evil strain of vampirism. As the strain spreads, Eph, his team, and an assembly of everyday New Yorkers, wage war for the fate of humanity itself.
‘Misfits’
Misfits
When five young outsiders on Community Service get caught in a strange storm, they discover that they have developed superpowers.
‘Solar Opposites’
Solar Opposites
A family of aliens from a much better world must take refuge in middle America after the destruction of their planet. Their mission: protect the Pupa, a living super computer that will one day evolve into its true form, consume them and terraform the Earth.