Despite it feeling like there is more to watch on TV than ever before, it hasn鈥檛 been a banner year for sci-fi on the small screen. Too many shows have been simply OK, with their moments of flare outweighed by exposition dumps and plot holes a mile wide 鈥� not to mention a few expensive, high-profile disappointments that have cluttered up streaming services (hello Dune: Prophecy, I鈥檓 looking at you).
Nevertheless, there are always treasures to be found if you are willing to do some digging. One word-of-mouth hit this year was Supacell (), a superhero series set in south London that follows five ordinary people with extraordinary abilities. For all its similarities with previous shows about genetically gifted superhumans, the premise of Supacell is much more unique: the characters gain their powers from a mutation to the gene that causes sickle cell disease.
The series walks a fine line between its fantastical main plot 鈥� time-traveller Michael (Tosin Cole) witnesses a future where his fianc茅e is dead and he is facing off against strange hooded figures 鈥� and its sharp social commentary about the experiences of Black people in the UK.
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Not one but two standout series of 2024 were heavily centred on underground bunkers. First to arrive was the ultra-violent, hilarious Fallout (), set in the post-apocalyptic world of the popular video game series. In this alternate history, the US became a nuclear playground from the 1950s onwards.
Those rich enough to have purchased a place in a bomb shelter have spent generations waiting to reclaim the surface world. When Lucy (Ella Purnell) is forced to leave the safety of her subterranean home, she enters a wasteland populated by cannibals, militias and gunslinging ghouls. It is far from hard sci-fi, but Fallout is a blisteringly entertaining trip to the end of days.
The second bunker-based highlight of 2024 was Silo (Apple TV+), which began airing its second season last month. Based on Hugh Howey鈥檚 novel series of the same name, it takes place in 鈥� you guessed it 鈥� an enormous silo beneath the surface of a poisoned planet. Having uncovered a conspiracy in the highly stratified society of the silo, engineer Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) is out to learn all she can about the world beyond its confines.
Season one of Silo was self-satisfied and inconsistent, which makes this strong second outing all the more delightful. Having seen nine of the 10 episodes this season, I can say that while it still isn鈥檛 a perfect show, it has matured into something compelling that is capable of delivering on the big ideas we need in our sci-fi series.
For another ideas-heavy adaptation, try 3 Body Problem (), which stuck a near-impossible landing this year by bringing the complexities of Cixin Liu鈥檚 esteemed novels to TV. With scientists dying in droves and strange anomalies blowing up all known theories of physics, a crew of friends reunite after years apart to tackle an extraterrestrial threat to Earth.
Touching on everything from China鈥檚 cultural revolution to the philosophical challenges of climate change, this series doesn鈥檛 talk down to viewers. It is also bold enough to make changes to its source material 鈥� in a time when TV series can get away with simply rehashing existing books and films, this approach is something we need a lot more of.
We may not have had a wealth of sci-fi gold this year, but the final days of 2024 have provided one more gift. The Listeners (), based on Jordan Tannahill鈥檚 speculative novel, is near enough a masterpiece. English teacher Claire (Rebecca Hall) is plagued by a low humming noise that no one else can hear. No obvious medical cause can be identified.
Claire is increasingly unsettled by the sound, but when she learns that her troubled student Kyle (Ollie West) can also hear it, they strike up a dangerous friendship. Part domestic drama, part psychological thriller, The Listeners is hard to pin down, but its take on conspiracies, community, faith and seduction is singular.
Here鈥檚 to many more series like it in 2025.
The art and science of writing science fiction
Take your science fiction writing into a new dimension during this weekend devoted to building new worlds and new works of art
