The best science fiction to stream this summer

Just like last year, the hot summer months of 2024 are proving to be an excellent time for science fiction fans. There are a number of sci-fi series that have just ended, are in the middle of a season, or are set to premiere soon. Perfect for bypassing the heat outside for the substantially cooler worlds of space and the future. And this is a line that could grow even more, as Apple has been teasing the return of both Separation It is Silo shortly. In the meantime, plan your next few streaming months according to this list.

This animated series debuted on Max last year, but arrived on Netflix on May 31st. It’s unlike anything else out there, a mix of hard science fiction and stunning art, set in a cruel, unforgiving and truly strange world. And really, the highlight here is the planet, a place inspired by everything from artists like Hayao Miyazaki and Jean “Moebius” Giraud to real nature. (You can read more about the inspirations behind the show here.) If you weren’t able to check it out on Max, now’s a great time to catch up.

Apple is in a tough spot with sci-fi shows and Dark matter is just the most recent example. Based on Blake Crouch’s novel of the same name, the show follows a physicist who is kidnapped… by himself… and taken to a parallel world. Somehow it manages to do something interesting in the increasingly overcrowded space of multiverse stories, and since the first season ended, you can enjoy it all right now.

The last season of Doctor who It’s notable for a few reasons. It marked the beginning of Ncuti Gatwa’s career as a doctor and was also the first to be broadcast globally on Disney Plus. Over the course of eight episodes, it struck a careful balance between Doctor whothe origins and bigger budget that comes with being at Disney, with fun riffs on everything from black mirror for Bridgerton. As showrunner Russell T. Davies said On the edge, “We got a little more money for effects, but in this first episode we didn’t spend it on 1,000 spaceships; We spend it talking about babies, you know? All episodes are streaming now.

We are fine Star Wars‘ era of streaming, but even with an abundance of existing shows, The Acolyte can feel different. And that largely comes down to its setting: it’s the first live-action show set during the High Republic era, taking place a century before The phantom menace. This means that there are many Star Wars basic items that aren’t present, which freed up the show to tell some interesting stories. He also has some, excuse me, killer lightsaber battles ahead of him.

Based on the novel The Dark Manual by Colin O’Sullivan, Sunny is a mixed bag: It’s part murder mystery, part comedy, and part retrofuturistic story about clunky bots that serve as personal assistants. It seems like a potentially difficult trio to balance, but the early trailers are promising and Rashida Jones seems like an ideal star to manage the load. Even better? The show seems to be packed with a lot of interesting gadgets.

Apple TV Plus’ sci-fi programming doesn’t offer many family-friendly features, and that’s what makes it Time Bandits interesting. A remake of Terry Gilliam’s 1981 film of the same name, the show is described as a “high-stakes journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an 11-year-old history nerd.”

The show that refuses to die is back for its 12th season, which once again promises to explore modern technology through the lens of the future. Obviously, this includes AI, but also a much more widespread phenomenon: “the true 5-million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee.”

The first animated entry in the franchise, Terminator Zero changes the setting to Tokyo in the 1990s, but will apparently treat all live-action films as canon. At the very least, it looks incredible, with animation from famous anime studio Production IG and the promise of sci-fi sword fights.