Copyright Screen Rant
No streaming service is doing sci-fi television quite as well as Apple TV. There are many good movies on Apple TV, too, but its TV selection has grown bigger and better since joining the streaming wars. Apple TV's best current streaming shows span a diverse array of genres, ranging from mystery-thrillers like Presumed Innocent to dramadies like Shrinking. Looking beyond these genres, however, it becomes clear just how strong Apple TV is in one particular field: science fiction. The biggest sci-fi TV shows that defined the genre tend to be linked to long-running franchises such as Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, or Doctor Who. Apple TV, though, is proving a more original way to lean into sci-fi television. More than any of the other big streaming services, Apple TV is providing a wider range of unique sci-fi adventures. While not all of these shows will go down as the best sci-fi shows of all time, each of them either provides something new to the genre or simply an enjoyable, extremely high-quality, if predictable adventure. Regardless, no one is doing sci-fi like Apple TV. Apple TV Is The Undisputed King Of Sci-Fi Television Apple TV can easily be described as the king of sci-fi TV, if only for the sheer output of shows the streaming service releases in the genre. Apple TV has some more classic sci-fi stories, like Invasion or Foundation. The former tells the story of first contact with extraterrestrials, detailing the chaos that follows once aliens come to Earth. As alluded to earlier, this may be slightly predictable for a sci-fi show, but it is certainly effective. Foundation then offers a more otherworldly brand of sci-fi, complete with interplanetary travel, empires, robots, ancient armies, and political struggles, much like Star Wars. That said, Apple TV sets Foundation apart. These are some of the more typical sci-fi shows Apple TV does, with For All Mankind being another example, but that does not stop it from delving into franchise filmmaking. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters offers sci-fi thrills from the Monsterverse, delving into the modern world of Godzilla. Silo is set firmly in the world of dystopian sci-fi. This, like Foundation, Invasion, and For All Mankind, has been incredibly well-received by fans and critics alike. Finally, there are behemoths like Severance, offering more modernized, grounded sci-fi, which has been revered as not only one of the best of its genre but one of the best overall TV shows in recent memory. Apple TV's Sci-Fi Shows Are Some Of The Best TV Has To Offer These are just a handful of Apple TV's sci-fi TV shows that prove it is the king of the genre, with the critical and audience reception of each one reinforcing that. Starting with Severance, the show's impact speaks for itself. Severance's Emmy nominations in 2025 set a record, with the show being put up for more awards than any other TV show that year. Severance's 27 total nominations proved just how big an impact the show had on the critical side of the TV world. This is supported by the show's 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating and average fan rating of 8.7/10 on IMDb. If Severance's response alone doesn't prove how great Apple TV's sci-fi is in comparison to other streamers, the reactions to its peers will. Evidently, each of Apple TV's sci-fi shows is revered by critics and fans alike. Even something like Invasion, which did not receive great reviews in its first season, has slowly improved in subsequent outings. The response to Apple TV's sci-fi installments proves that the streamer has the best shows the genre has to offer, bolstered by the fact that other streaming services cannot really compete. Other Streamers Should Take Notes From How Apple TV Treats Sci-Fi What makes the audience and critical reactions to these shows all the better is how other streamers cannot really match them. Whether it's Netflix, Prime Video, or Disney+, Apple TV's biggest competitors seem unable to produce sci-fi content of the same quality consistently. Netflix's big sci-fi efforts in recent years, like Black Mirror, 1899, and 3 Body Problem, have been divisive. Stranger Things is the only true Netflix hit in the genre, and even that is more fantasy than anything. Prime Video certainly has more standouts, like The Expanse, Fallout, and The Man in the High Castle, but thrives more in fantasy and superhero genres, still giving Apple TV the sci-fi edge. The final major competitor to Apple TV is Disney+. Considering this streaming service has access to a sci-fi franchise like Star Wars, nothing, besides Andor, has matched anything Apple TV has put out in the genre. Andor is by far the best Star Wars series and stands toe-to-toe with anything from Apple TV. That said, this is not enough to render Disney+ a direct competitor, given the consistency of Apple TV's other sci-fi shows. Alien: Earth was another good sci-fi show outside of Star Wars, but nothing, be it Ahsoka, The Mandalorian, or any others, in the latter franchise matches the quality of Apple TV's other sci-fi efforts. Therefore, other streaming services should follow Apple TV's lead. Sci-fi is proving to be a genre that not only yields consistently strong reviews from audiences and critics but one that resonates enough to warrant long seasons with impressive viewership.
