Science fiction and fantasy have long been playgrounds for adventurous ideas. On television, the two genres have served equally as experimental laboratory, cult retreat, and pop culture touchstone. Some series disappeared into the black hole of lost archives, while others have been brought back to life repeatedly through reboots, streaming, and fan enthusiasm. And then there are the programs that not only entertained audience members, they changed the course of TV storytelling itself. Here’s a countdown of 10 sci-fi and fantasy shows that remade the medium, each in its own weird and unexpected fashion.
10. The Likely Lads – A Nod to What We’ve Lost
It may seem strange to begin a list of sci-fi and fantasy shows with a working-class British sitcom, but The Likely Lads is an important piece of TV history: the days of wiped archives. In the 1960s and ’70s, networks like the BBC reused tapes to cut costs, erasing entire swaths of television history. That policy claimed hundreds of shows, including early episodes of Doctor Who, Top of the Pops, and yes, The Likely Lads. The fact that chunks of these series are simply gone forever is a sobering reminder of how fragile TV history really is. All it takes is a short-sighted policy and, voilà, entire worlds disappear.
9. Land of the Giants – Pulp Camp with Grand Ideas
Irwin Allen, sometimes referred to as the “Master of Disaster,” adored scale, and nothing demonstrated that more than Land of the Giants. A world where everything is twelve times bigger than you: pencils, cats, humans. The series combined 1960s pulp camp with political subtext regarding power and staying alive. Though it only ran two seasons, its outlandish special effects made it memorable. A reboot is currently in development along with other Allen favorites, set to bring the idea into the era of CGI. If oversized phones and matchbooks were fantastical at the time, just wait until contemporary effects take the notion to the extreme.
8. The Time Tunnel – TV’s Original Time Travelers
Before multiverses, before Loki, even before Quantum Leap, there existed The Time Tunnel. Two scientists are blown through time uncontrollably and end up on the Titanic one week, the Alamo the next, sometimes in the midst of alien takeovers. The show lasted only a season, but it sowed seeds that continue to sprout in time-travel narratives today. Each series that wrestled with paradoxes, alternate realities, or historical excursions owes a small debt to The Time Tunnel. And with a new reboot in the works, the experiment continues unabated; it just hasn’t made its next leap yet.
7. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea – Underwater Adventure Before Its Time
Half spy adventure, half monster-of-the-week, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea transported audiences where few programs were brave enough to venture: beneath the sea. Beginning with Cold War espionage storylines, the show quickly dived into crazy sci-fi, with giant lobsters, subterranean civilizations, and otherworldly sea monsters. Though the tone varied throughout its lifetime, the combination of submarine suspense and fantasy spectacle etched out something distinct on television. With aquatic environments still something of a rarity on television, it seems like a perfect time for a contemporary reboot, allowing for a rediscovery of the awe and terror of the ocean depths.
6. Lost in Space – The Family That Keeps Coming Back
Few shows have been remade as frequently as Lost in Space. The original from the 1960s indulged in camp and bright adventure, while the 1998 film coasted on late-’90s science fiction clichés. But it wasn’t until 2018’s Netflix reboot that the Robinsons’ tale really got moving. The new take combined tear-jerking family drama and life-or-death survival, at last living up to the potential of a family trying to navigate its way through a hostile universe. And, naturally, no Lost in Space adaptation would be complete without the robot, every iteration boasting its own secrets, threats, and devotion.
5. Westworld – An Ideas Theme Park
When HBO reimagined Michael Crichton’s 1973 movie Westworld, hopes were low. What audiences received was a vast exploration of AI, free will, and the essence of consciousness, packaged with some of the most breathtaking imagery ever presented on TV. The first season, however, was a quick instant classic, asking questions about what is “real” and whether creators are ever actually able to control their creations. Although subsequent seasons became mired in their own self-indulgence, the ambition of the show raised the bar for what could be done in sci-fi television in the era of prestige.
4. Black Mirror – Technology’s Dark Reflection
Black Mirror adapted the anthology style of The Twilight Zone and brought it into the digital age. Every episode is a self-contained horror, analyzing how our reliance on technology can distort relationships, politics, and identity. From social credit systems to memory implants, it has the tone of less fiction and more cautionary warning labels for the future. What makes it stick is not only the fear, but the creepily plausible—you feel like you’re catching a glimpse of tomorrow when you walk out of episodes, and it’s more terrifying than any monster. It’s the kind of show that gets you laughing uneasily at your phone before you put it down with a shiver.
3. Stranger Things – Nostalgia with Teeth
On paper, Stranger Things is a mix of 1980s nods—Dungeons & Dragons, Spielberg atmosphere, Stephen King scares—but what keeps it glued is its heart. The bonds between the children, the allegiance among outcasts, and the brittle bravery of small-town heroes make the supernatural show profoundly human. Sure, there are monsters from the Upside Down, experiments by the government, and lots of neon-colored nostalgia, but fundamentally, it’s about connection. That emotional connection is why the show blew up into an international sensation, making its teen cast stars and solidifying the notion that sci-fi doesn’t have to be scary and can be sweet too.
2. Doctor Who – The Show That Wouldn’t Die
No sci-fi show has lived longer than Doctor Who. Since 1963, the Doctor has made his journeys in time and space inside the TARDIS, changing bodies but not losing his spirit as the program itself remodels its tone and style relentlessly. And still, Doctor Who almost lost its great archive—more than 90 episodes of the early period are missing, and only audio or scattered reels remain. In spite of this, the show not only survived but flourished, shaping generations of writers with its blend of fantasy, adventure, and profound moral issues. Half a century later, the Doctor continues to travel and continues to encourage enthusiasts to be more ambitious.
1. Star Trek – The Franchise That Boldly Went Everywhere
Leading the pack is Star Trek, the pinnacle of science fiction television. Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a multiracial future where exploration crews venture out among the stars wasn’t escapism; it was a model for hope. The initial series lasted just three years, but its television concepts concerning equality, discovery, and collaboration set new standards for what television could achieve. Unlike most of its peers, its record was saved, enabling the franchise to branch into films, spin-offs, and a lasting fan base. Star Trek did not simply revolutionize television; it became a cultural marker that continues to influence science, politics, and how we envision the future of humankind.
These programs weren’t mere entertainment—they were milestones. Some were lost and found, some were revived for new audiences, and some never actually left. As a whole, they attest to the fact that sci-fi and fantasy aren’t niche genres per se, and they’re where television has consistently been at its most experimental, innovative, and influential.