HBO
HBO and HBO Max have historically been great venues for high-quality science fiction TV; but unfortunately, different streaming deals and cost-cutting measures have removed some great shows from the current streaming catalog. “Westworld,” a series with mixed opinions but undeniable sci-fi production values, is currently off Max while it makes the FAST circuit. Other shows, like the Ridley Scott-affiliated series “Raised by Wolves” and the critically acclaimed animated series “Infinity Train,” have also been lost.
Thankfully, science fiction fans still have a lot to dig into on HBO Max. The high-budget prestige genre series have never really stopped coming, and thanks to the Cartoon Network and Adult Swim connections, there are some great animated options as well. From big-screen tie-ins to sci-fi parodies, from spectacular novel adaptations to totally original meditations on technology and the universe, there’s something here for any sci-fi-loving subscriber to get excited about.
Let’s run down 10 of the best science fiction shows currently streaming on HBO Max.
Scavengers Reign
HBO Max
Let’s start with perhaps the truest sci-fi series on this list. In the modern era of streaming, “Scavengers Reign” is an anomaly — an entirely original, animated science fiction series that prioritizes mystery and spectacle over traditional storytelling. Perhaps that’s why, tragically, the show was not renewed for a second season, despite the incredible response it received.
It’s a simple show in premise: A massive transport ship is struck by cataclysmic mechanical failure, leading to different characters aboard getting stranded on a strange alien world. The planet is filled with a psychedelic, horrifying, beautiful ecology, leading to a series of visually stunning and philosophically powerful encounters. As the survivors each fight for a way off-world, their stories become intermingled, all against the background of this bizarre biological tapestry.
If you love the aesthetics of true alien sci-fi — giant plants, psychic monkeys, robot best friends — this is one of the best shows you could pick. But above the look itself, which is incredible, there’s a lot of powerful, emotional storytelling here, with each character’s story grounded in a deeply human arc. The story is told more in bold visual strokes than in zoomed-in dialogue, but there’s plenty of that too, and the episodes strike a good balance.
The world would be much better with more shows like “Scavengers Reign,” but at least we have this one in the meantime.
His Dark Materials
HBO
Adapting a beloved book series for the screen is always a dicey proposition. HBO’s “His Dark Materials” is an example of it all done right. Does it fully measure up to Philip Pullman’s genre-blending novels? Well, no, but that would be an impossible task. But it’s hard to imagine a stronger adaptation, and the HBO production values add a lot in translating the books’ visual language to the screen.
While “The Golden Compass” was published as a children’s novel, the series as a whole has always defied such categorizations. It’s a story about religion, science, power, the universe, and what it means to grow up in the midst of them all. Lyra Belacqua, played to perfection by the incomparable Dafne Keen on the HBO series, begins her journey in a world very much like ours — only to discover a plot involving dimensional portals, parallel universes, strange mythical creatures, and powerful artifacts of arcane power. The rest of the “His Dark Materials” cast is similarly strong, including names like James McAvoy, Jade Anouka, Amir Wilson, and Andrew Scott.
This is still probably an adaptation best enjoyed by those who’ve already read the novels, as the show blends aspects of the later books into the beginning for a more effective TV timeline. That said, if you don’t have time to catch up on the novels (which, again, are more than worth it), “His Dark Materials” is an effective synthesis, with all the magic, dark drama, and powerful character moments that made Pullman’s stories so famous to begin with.
Watchmen
HBO
Graphic novel fans who were wronged by Zack Snyder’s overzealous “Watchmen” movie adaptation might feel trepidatious toward another live-action entry in the franchise. But this 2019 HBO series is different in a few key ways. For one, it’s a sequel to the Alan Moore comic, rather than an adaptation of it. Second, and more importantly, it’s really good.
Showrunner Damon Lindelof cut his teeth on previous HBO sci-fi series “The Leftovers,” which we’ll get to later on this list. Here, he has another stellar cast to work with, led by a powerhouse performance from Regina King as Sister Night. In keeping with the political themes of Moore’s graphic novel, “Watchmen” tackles racism, vigilantism, and the comic’s more esoteric sci-fi themes against the very real backdrop of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s history of white supremacist violence.
The show’s vision of masked law enforcement may read differently in our current political climate, but the series tackles its central ideas with enough maturity and sophistication to stay deeply relevant today. And if you’re coming to it primarily as a fan of the comic, rest assured that there’s plenty of direct tie-in material there as well.
The Last of Us
HBO
When it comes to high-concept video game adaptations, few have done it as well as “The Last of Us.” It’s a short list of the truly spectacular examples — “Castlevania,” “Fallout,” and maybe “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.” But “The Last of Us” has a genuine claim to being the best of the bunch.
For as much as the post-apocalyptic setting of the show sets it in the general sci-fi genre for all intents and purposes, it’s really a zombie Western. Even then, the core story has little to do with the more speculative aspects of the world. Rather, it’s a show about attachment — the beautiful aspects and the ugly ones — and what people will do out of desperation. But while that may sound like every zombie show out there, the Western aesthetic, specific brand of melancholy, and gorgeous cinematography set the show apart.
Mostly, though, this is a show about a handful of unique characters, with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey earning the brunt of the credit. It’s also a show where even guest characters can shine, as the story is just as much about small, individual moments as it is about the big-picture plot.
Station Eleven
HBO Max
When Emily St. John Mandel’s novel “Station Eleven” came out in 2014, the story of a global pandemic wiping out civilization as we know it wasn’t quite so close to home. But when the HBO Max adaptation of the same name began in 2021, it was a much more immediate topic for viewers.
“Station Eleven” isn’t what you’d typically expect from a post-collapse tale of nomadic human stragglers. Instead, it tells the story of a post-apocalyptic theater troupe who perform the works of Shakespeare. The unique thematic angle leads to some rich storylines, with the work of the Bard intersecting with the more fraught plots that the post-apocalyptic genre is known for. This is also, of course, a show about performing, which happens to be led by some great performances from the likes of Mackenzie Davis and Himesh Patel. In fact, the latter was the subject of one of the show’s several Emmy nominations.
Now, with a bit more distance from the COVID-19 pandemic, “Station Eleven” might feel more accessible. While the miniseries structure has led to the show being largely forgotten in the larger cultural consciousness, “Station Eleven” is just as good as it was at release, bringing something unique to the post-apocalyptic corner of the sci-fi genre.
Rick and Morty
Adult Swim
For a long time, it was kind of hard to talk about “Rick and Morty” in any kind of serious way. The conversation around the show was so dominated by pretentious Redditors, Pickle Rick memes, boardwalk T-shirts, and eventually, the whole Justin Roiland controversy, that the air just felt thick for many years. When Seasons 1 and 2 had been released to great success, and the wait for Season 3 dragged on, there was a sort of mystique around the show. And now that there are different actors voicing the titular characters, and the released schedule has continued uninterrupted for years, it’s kind of the opposite.
All that said, we can look back on the totality of “Rick and Morty” now, absent the zeitgeist, the toxic fans, the drama, the overzealous adulation, and call it what it is: an incredibly smart, funny, and genuinely affecting sci-fi parody series. Yes, it’s more about spoofs and goofs than about cracking the genre wide open; but unlike other adult animated comedies, “Rick and Morty” has a real reverence for the material it ingests and regurgitates. It’s so absurd at times that it wraps back around to being sincere, and when it isn’t — which is most of the time — it still has one of the best hit rates on jokes of any show in its genre.
It feels weird to tell people they should watch “Rick and Morty” in 2026, but with the bite-sized episodes that are so easy to watch, it’s also hard not to recommend it.
Dune: Prophecy
HBO
The rollout for “Dune: Prophecy” wasn’t exactly the smoothest. A rotating roster of high level executives surrounded the project in doubt, leading some to believe it might never come out at all. The title changed, the showrunner changed, and then changed again. Denis Villeneuve, who shot to an even higher level of Hollywood director stardom with the “Dune” films, was originally meant to step behind the camera for some episodes, only to end up not doing so. And on top of all that, the series — set 10,000 years before the original “Dune” novel and Villeneuve’s film adaptation — was based on a series of prequel books from Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, which are held in substantially lower regard than the original series.
Perhaps that muddled production contributed to the show being somewhat overlooked upon release, despite it being a massive franchise tie-in. But while it may not be as strong as the films, “Prophecy” is more than worth the time for sci-fi fans. Emily Watson and Olivia Williams deliver fantastic performances as Bene Gesserit sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen, but it’s the production design that really elevates the show.
Like Villeneuve’s big-screen adaptations, “Dune: Prophecy” looks and sounds incredible. The costume designs evoke the films while playing in the early era of the “Dune” timeline, and every palace is adorned with the level of detail you’d expect from a high-budget HBO sci-fi series. While Season 1 may not have delivered on all of its potential, the foundation is here for future seasons to take the series to even higher heights.
Titans
HBO Max
When the first trailer for “Titans” dropped at Comic-Con back in 2018, the backlash was swift and powerful. It was a bad trailer, full of bad WordArt fly-in fonts and somber teen backing tracks. Then Robin (Brenton Thwaites) started shooting people and dropping F-bombs, and it was all over.
But then the show came out, and the strangest thing happened: It was actually great. The praise had trouble getting louder than the wave of condemnation that started at the trailer, but those who watched found far more than the faux-gritty CW cosplay session most had written the show off as. It may have been marketed as “Riverdale” in Gotham, but the reality was more sophisticated, with a strong ensemble, great action, and a surprisingly nuanced look at the featured DC characters.
As this is a show built around a team of superheroes, it takes a little bit to get into full swing when the disparate characters and threads get pulled together. But once the squad is assembled, the momentum rarely lets up. There’s still plenty of campy fun here in between the more grounded moments, so don’t expect a totally serious affair. But when it comes to comic book adaptation, the best balance is usually somewhere in the middle, which is where “Titans” lives.
Fans of the show should also check out the companion series “Doom Patrol,” which is stealth-launched within “Titans.” A series that many would say is even better, and which eschews most of the more CW tonal touches of its progenitor, “Doom Patrol” nearly made the list here in its place. Rather than truly choosing one over the other, we recommend them both.
Lovecraft Country
HBO
Another adaptation of sci-fi novel — in this case, a classic bit of sci-fi horror pulling from the work of H. P. Lovecraft – “Lovecraft Country” is a visually striking, thematically disturbing, and entirely enthralling series that blends cosmic horror, the history of American racism, and an underlying meta-narrative. The result is a show designed to unsettle on multiple levels, but there’s also romance, triumph, and some high-concept, genre-bending, space-time pandemonium.
While the science fiction aspect is core here, potential viewers should know going in that it’s a horror series first and foremost, with plenty of monsters and body horror to scare aware the more squeamish. Cults, white supremacists, and otherwise evil men provide their own equal share of dark space to the story, which the show balances effectively with a kaleidoscope of different influences.
Showrunner Misha Green ties all of these elements together effectively, and the holistic production is at the level you’d expect from an executive producer list that includes Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams. Just know going in that this one is likely to get your heartrate up.
The Leftovers
HBO
It seems appropriate to close this list with what many would call the best sci-fi series on HBO Max; though, at the same time, it’s one of the least sci-fi in terms of its overall focus. The setup is the primary sci-fi premise: One day, out of nowhere, 2% of all humans on Earth simply disappear, as if snapped out of existence. The three-season series, helmed by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, details the effects of this bizarre event on a number of different people.
“The Leftovers” is philosophical sci-fi at its purist — setting a single speculative twist to our real world, and watching the many ripples spin out. It’s a show that deals heavily with faith and religion — two things changed dramatically by the so-called “Sudden Departure” — as well as community, family, trauma, healing, and fear.
Really, though, this is a series anchored by stellar writing and a spectacular ensemble, which includes big names like Justin Theroux, Christopher Eccleston, Carrie Coon, Liv Tyler, Ann Dowd, Scott Glenn, Margaret Qualley, and Regina King, among others. It’s a powerful series that will stay with you long after the credits roll on the final season, and years later, it’s still one of the best shows you can watch on HBO Max.
