The sci-fi genre has seen many exceptional stories unfold on the small screen, but they aren’t all remembered as widely as they deserve. Science fiction has long been one of the most popular genres in fiction, maintaining its hold on audiences for generations with remarkable consistency. While this is true of many forms of media, the small screen in particular has seen some of the genre’s best narrative ideas come to life. Many of the best sci-fi TV shows earn iconic status, cementing themselves as true classics and securing a lasting place in our wider pop culture consciousness. However, this isn’t true of every great sci-fi show.
Over the years, some truly great shows have slipped through the cracks, becoming unfairly forgotten despite their quality. Some managed to achieve popularity upon airing, only to later become relatively obscure, while others simply never managed to secure the success they deserved. The following are all great sci-fi shows that have been forgotten by wider audiences, even though their entertainment factor proves they really deserved to be more widely remembered.
7) Defiance
After beginning its run in 2013, Defiance ran for three seasons before it was cancelled. In that time, it wove an intriguing narrative about a post-apocalyptic future in which Earth has been radically changed by a terraforming process intended to facilitate the survival of alien species. Despite establishing itself as a great sci-fi Western TV show, Defiance has since been forgotten by all but its dedicated fan base, even though its unique premise and solid action-drama ideas deserve far greater recognition.
6) Roswell
While Roswell might not quite qualify as a sci-fi TV show that everyone forgot about, it has still become relatively obscure, considering both its quality and its lasting cult status. Its story follows a trio of aliens hiding in plain sight as high-school students, blending in and hiding their extra-terrestrial abilities. Roswell‘s blend of sci-fi ideas with teen drama made it a major success, but the years since it ended have seen it become increasingly forgotten by wider audiences.
5) Lexx
Lexx has become little more than an obscure sci-fi show that barely anyone remembers, but it deserves far better. It follows a mismatched group of individuals living on the eponymous organic spaceship as they travel through space and between two alternate universes. Lexx blends its sci-fi premise with more adult comedy and also explores a number of deep narrative themes along the way. It’s an incredibly unique chapter in sci-fi’s small-screen history that never should have become so widely forgotten.
4) Future Man
There are a handful of great sci-fi shows that nobody saw, and Future Man ranks highly among them. Its comedic sci-fi story follows a janitor recruited to prevent a future war due to his video game skills. With an impressive cast and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg serving as executive producers, Future Man had all the makings of a sci-fi classic, but it never quite found the audience it deserved. It was later removed from all streaming platforms, further contributing to it becoming unfairly forgotten by wider audiences.
3) Colony
Even great recent sci-fi shows can be unfairly forgotten, as is the case with Colony. First airing in 2016, Colony was eventually cancelled after three seasons. In that time, it established an exciting sci-fi narrative, concerning a dystopian near-future in which humanity is subjugated by an organization known as the Transitional Authority, who act as the agents of an alien group called the Hosts. A show with a rich and gripping story, Colony has been unfairly forgotten, considering its quality.
2) Humans
Humans is often considered one of the best sci-fi shows of the 21st century, but it’s also one of the most unfairly overlooked. A British-American co-production, the show’s ensemble cast brought to life its thought-provoking story of a world in which the invention and marketing of humanoid robots have drastically altered society. Airing between 2015 and 2019, Humans rarely gets the recognition it deserves as one of the best small-screen sci-fi stories of all time.
1) Killjoys
Killjoys follows a trio of bounty hunters operating in a four-planet system known as the Quad. Its blend of sci-fi and action tropes proved a winning formula, earning it critical praise and something of a cult following. In the years since it ended, however, Killjoys has become something of a hidden gem sci-fi series, as it’s rarely talked about with the respect it deserves, and has been all but forgotten by wider audiences.
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