After a year, I thought I’d revise this list as I have been continually amazed at the quality of speculative fiction series on television. Since my last post on the topic over a year ago, many series have ended, some have come and gone in very limited runs, and others are just hitting their stride. And with more and more streaming service options, more and more series are becoming available. (I don’t have every known streaming service, though I have several, and I’m sure there are some quality shows I either don’t have access to or simply missed.)
But nature abhors a vacuum and it seems speculative fiction on TV does the same because just as many, if not more, outstanding series have taken their place. Below are my top thirty shows that are either new and currently running or on hiatus between seasons. My ranking is totally subjective, as is my opinion. But in coming up with the list, I considered the story, directing, casting, quality of acting, and production quality including sets, costumes, and effects. I didn’t include any animated series.
Without further ado, here is my list of the top thirty speculative fiction television series for 2022:
The Man Who Fell to Earth (Showtime)
The Mandalorian (Disney+)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
Outlander (Starz)
Orville: New Horizons (Hulu)
Resident Alien (Syfy)
His Dark Materials (HBO)
Star Trek: Discovery (Paramount+)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount +)
The Boys (Amazon Prime)
Outer Range (Amazon Prime)
Ragnarok (Netflix)
Star Trek: Picard (Paramount+)
A Discovery of Witches (AMC)
Night Sky (Amazon Prime)
The Witcher (Netflix)
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix)
Doctor Who (BBCA)
For All Mankind (AppleTV+)
Snowpiercer (TNT)
Wheel of Time (Amazon Prime)
Squid Game (Netflix)
Love, Death, & Robots (Netflix)
Station Eleven (HBOMax)
Locke & Key (Netflix)
Cowboy Bebop (Netflix)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Devs (FX/Hulu)
Counterpart (Amazon Prime)
Some of the shows included in this ranking are obvious, and there are some glaring omissions. I’ll admit, there are some series I just don’t like as much as the mainstream populace. On the other side of that coin, I hope there are a few here that people discover and enjoy as much as I did.
And there are even plenty more, depending on your tastes. I haven’t watched all of these, so let me know if some should be ranked higher. Other titles to consider:
Avenue 5 (HBO)
Better Than Us (Netflix)
Dark (Netflix)
The Fades (BBCA/Hulu)
Fate: The Winx Saga (Netflix)
The First (Hulu)
From (EPIX)
The Irregulars (Netflix)
Pandora (Amazon Prime)
See (AppleTV+)
Shadow & Bone (Netflix)
The Silent Sea (Netflix)
Space Force (Netflix)
Sweet Tooth (Netflix)
Upload (Amazon Prime)
Warrior Nun (Netflix)
Since my last list, here are the shows that have ended their run but are still available and perfect for binging. I will miss several of them, and some I still need to watch:
Altered Carbon (Netflix)
American Gods (STARZ)
Another Life (Netflix)
The Book of Boba Fett (Disney+)
Cursed (Netflix)
The Expanse (Amazon Prime)
Falcon & The Winter Soldier (Disney+)
Hawkeye (Disney+)
I Am Not Okay with This (Netflix)
Loki (Disney+)
Lost In Space (Netflix)
Moon Knight (Disney+)
NOS4A2 (AMC)
October Faction (Netflix)
Van Helsing (Netflix)
WandaVision (Disney+)
Watchmen (HBO)
What We Do in the Shadows (FXX/Hulu)
The 100 (Netflix)
Let me know in the comments what you agreed with and what I missed.