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Way back in 1942, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation universe (which began as a series of short stories before being published as a trilogy) offered a simple, clever premise built around the idea of “psychohistory,” which suggested the actions of individuals might be entirely random, but en masse, we’re entirely predictable. And as anyone might have predicted, adapting this, er, foundational work of genre literature seemed only natural for the content-hungry streaming era.
While the Apple TV+ adaptation occasionally misses the point of its source material in throwing in bits of mysticism here and there, taken on its own terms, it’s an impressively realized, centuries-spanning science-fiction epic focused on the lives of the scholars and rebels working to bring down an empire in order to save it.
It’s one of the few TV shows that truly captures the feel and scope of golden age science fiction, incorporating ideas from other Asimov works outside the Foundation books. But it’s not the only one. Here are 10 shows that flirt with the same scope and intelligence.
Dune: Prophecy (2024 – )
This spin-off of the lucrative film franchise could have easily been an afterthought, but instead, we got a thoughtful, juicy space-set soap opera that takes place 10,000 years before the Denis Villeneuve films. There’s a lot going on, but generally, the series focuses on Valya and Tula Harkonnen (Emily Watson and Tula Williams)as they struggle to build and maintain the Sisterhood that we’ll later come to know as the Bene Gesserit, by any means necessary, and in the face of an unstable Imperium—not at all unlike the Foundation’s efforts in the face of Empire over on that other show. The ruling dynasty has a new weapon in Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), a manipulative former soldier who seems immune to the persuasive abilities of the Sisters, thus threatening their places at the Emperor’s side. This one resonates with Foundation while also playing a bit like a star-spanning Game of Thrones. Stream Dune: Prophecy on HBO Max.
Andor (2022 – 2025)
Just when I felt like I was done with Star Wars, along came prequel series Andor, the morally complex story of thief-turned-rebel spy Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and his radicalization on the road to becoming the heart and soul of the Rebellion. We see the slow march of Empire, as citizens of the galaxy become slowly acclimated to rising fascism, and witness the conflict between various rebel faction: Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mon Mothma fights from within the Galactic Senate, while Stellan Skarsgård’s Luthen Rael, Andor’s handler, favors dark deeds done under cover of darkness. Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera is content to burn the Galaxy down rather than allow it to become what he hates. It’s not only good television, it’s the first time in a long time that it feels like Star Wars has something meaningful to say. Stream Andor on Disney+.
For All Mankind (2019 – )
For All Mankind starts with a tantalizing alt-history premise: What if Soviet space pioneer Sergei Korolev hadn’t died prematurely in 1966 and instead helped bring his country’s space program to full flower, extending the space race indefinitely? If America and the world been forced to continue and expand upon the space program, our past (and present) would look quite different, at least according to this show, which jumps across decades to imagine how that might go (à la Foundation‘s time jumps, if much less dramatic in scope), revealing an alternate past (and future). A spin-off involving a Soviet space program, Star City, is in the works. Stream For All Mankind on Apple TV+.
The Expanse (2015 – 2022)
Set in a somewhat near-ish future, The Expanse (based on the book series by James S.A. Corey) imagines a colonized solar system into which we’ve carried all of our old familiar problems, and then some: Earth sits at the historical and cultural center of things, while Mars colonists, by virtue of having to survive in a challenging environment, have developed technological and military superiority, and folks living in “the Belt” have had to scrabble to survive. Greed, fear, and shortsightedness make conflict nearly inevitable, even if the series isn’t quite as cynical as it at first appears: James Holden and Naomi Nagata (Steven Strait and Dominique Tipper) head up the blended crew of thec cargo ship Rocinante, which winds up having an outsized impact on events by being in the right place at the right time and having a crew with reasonably good intentions. Shohreh Aghdashloo plays Chrisjen Avasarala, a deeply cynical (and infamously foul-mouthed) politician who conceals within her the show’s beating heart. Stream The Expanse on Prime Video.
Babylon 5 (1993 – 1998)
J. Michael Straczynski’s wildly ambitious sci-fi epic was way ahead of its time, carrying out a planned (more or less) five-season story arc set on the titular space station that recalls the more orchestrated prestige series of today. Babylon 5 is a remote outpost that becomes the last best hope for peace in the face of conflicting human and alien agendas—even more so after an ancient and very unexpected threat is awakened. The threats from without serve to expose the strains within—the extent to which we come together in the face of shared danger, and the ways we fall apart. With increasingly complex storylines blending science-fiction, politics, and outer-space mysticism, it still holds up (dated CGI effects notwithstanding). Stream Babylon 5 on Tubi.
Shōgun (2024 – )
Not science fiction, but still a stunningly well-produced series depicting the impending demise of an old order, and the rise of what follows in its wake. Set at the tail-end of Japan’s Warring States period, the series finds ambitious English maritime pilot John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) shipwrecked in Japan, and in the power of the warlord Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada). Each of these men has something to offer the other. Reluctantly serving as translator between them is Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), highly loyal to Toranaga, but with a complicated past. The political and military maneuvering feel out of time, as does the sense that this upheaval could lead to something new and better, or just as easily, an end of days. Stream Shōgun on Hulu.
Murderbot (2025 – )
Don’t let the title fool you: While there’s certainly some dark comedy to be found here, this is one of the smarter shows on TV, based on a Hugo-Award winning book series by Martha Wells. Alexander Skarsgård is the title’s hilariously deadpan Murderbot, a private “security construct” who’s managed to hack its way through its own programming and gain free will—which it mostly wants to use to watch its favorite streaming shows. It can’t just run off for fear of drawing attention, but the self-titled Murderbot (known as SecUnit to everyone else) is content to do the bare minimum when it’s assigned to a team of inexperienced and naive researchers who don’t see the need for a killer security robot, at least until they’re enmeshed in a complicated capitalist plot in which they’re all just cogs. Stream Murderbot on Apple TV+.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017 – 2021)
While not nearly as serious-minded as Foundation (this is Star Trek, after all), Discovery pushes further into the dark than most of its cousin shows. Sonequa Martin-Green stars as Michael Burnham, initially a disgraced Starfleet officer who eventually becomes captain of the titular starship. Beginning as a prequel set during a conflict between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, the series winds up spanning centuries following a mid-stream time jump, with Discovery and her crew traveling nearly 1,000 years into the future, where the Federation is hanging on by a mere thread. It’s after this point that Discovery and Foundation have the most in common—specifically, lead protagonists who have survived for centuries, fighting to preserve what they can of a system they believe in. Stream Star Trek: Discovery on Paramount+.
Silo (2023 – )
The setting here is far from intergalactic, but the scope is no less ambitious in spite of the confined setting. The characters all live in the 144-story silo of the title, a sealed environment sustaining (or imprisoning?) the last dregs of humanity on a ravaged Earth. Societal politics blend with elements of mystery (nothing in the silo is quite what it seems) in an impressively conceived dystopia. Based on Hugh Howey’s book trilogy, the show has at least one other thing going for it in addition to its killer cast (including Rebecca Ferguson, Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo, Common, and Tim Robbins): Unlike so many premature cancelled streaming series, it will reach a planned conclusion after having been renewed for two more seasons. Stream Silo on Apple TV+.
Battlestar Galactica (2003 – 2009)
While the original was a fun, but often awkward, blend of smart sci-fi and 1970s kitsch, the aughts reboot from Ronald D. Moore (who also co-created the aforementioned For All Mankind) and company brought science fiction fully into the prestige TV era. Created to be humanity’s robot slaves, the Cylons rebel and launch a sneak attack on the human colonies, leading to an exodus into space. The only hope for humanity is to reach the mythical world of Earth. The monotheistic Cylons see their crusade as a nearly holy one, while the more rationalistic human refugees struggle to survive and find common purpose in an order that’s crumbling day by day. Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell lead an impressive cast. Buy Battlestar Galactica from Apple TV+ and Prime Video.
