5 Sci-Fi Masterpieces With No Bad Episodes

Ambition and consistency don’t typically go hand in hand, especially when it comes to sci-fi TV. Time and time again, we have seen shows like Lost and Westworld start strong only to lose their footing. Often, recommendations for shows include the caveat, “You just have to plow through the first season, then it gets really great.” Bad episodes of a show can look like heavy exposition, filler, or weak, directionless plot points. Specifics aside, they always kill a show’s momentum. 

Yet, in the vast constellation of science fiction television, a few series have managed to emerge fully formed and unscathed by bad episodes. Not that they are flawless, but that each episode has merit and matters, structurally, emotionally, or thematically. You may have favorite and least favorite episodes in the five shows below, but it would be difficult to argue that any of their episodes are truly “bad.” One hallmark of a sci-fi masterpiece is that it is both ambitious and consistent, and these titles fit the bill.

5) Babylon 5

Babylon 5 aired in 1994, when the default for TV was a disjointed, episodic structure. The fan-favorite series, created by J. Michael Straczynski, was conceived as a five-year “novel for television” that tells a sprawling political and spiritual tale set on a neutral space station during a period of interstellar turmoil. 

A beloved sci-fi classic, Babylon 5 managed to sustain its intrigue across all five seasons, and that is no small feat. There are also standout episodes in every season, including “Signs and Portents,” “The Coming of Shadows,” “Severed Dreams,” “Intersections in Real Time,” and “Sleeping in Light.” While some episodes are undoubtedly weaker, they are far from “bad,” with each containing at least one essential character moment or plot development. Due to Straczynski’s desire to succeed with a serialized show, there wasn’t much room for filler. 

4) Station Eleven

HBO’s Station Eleven debuted in 2021 as a limited series adaptation of Emily St. John Mandel’s novel. Boasting a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, the show splits its time between the early days of a flu pandemic and the post-apocalyptic future, where a traveling Shakespearean symphony moves between survivor settlements. Between the writing and standout performances from Mackenzie Davis and Himesh Patel, the show is considered a modern masterpiece by many. 

Impressively, there is not a single bad episode in Station Eleven. While some viewers preferred the outbreak story, each plotline was executed brilliantly. It was the traveling symphony narrative that offered the most unique perspective on the apocalypse, with art positioned as a symbol of hope. Some viewers found the intense Episode 9 a difficult watch, but many also found it deeply moving and consider it one of the best in the series. The first and final episodes (“Wheel of Fire” and “Unbroken Circle” respectively) stand out in equal measure, providing ultimate proof of the show’s consistency.

3) The Expanse

Based on the novels by James S.A. Corey, The Expanse premiered on Syfy in 2015 and was cancelled three seasons later. However, it was so brilliant and beloved that a passionate fan campaign motivated Prime Video to revive it for three additional seasons. Set in a colonized solar system divided between Earth, Mars, and the Belt, the series starred Steven Strait, Dominique Tipper, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Wes Chatham.

The Expanse was so good that its stellar six-season run left fans wanting more, especially since it only adapted about half of the source material. Some might argue that Season 1 started with a few slower worldbuilding-heavy episodes, but the general consensus is that they are essential chapters. These expostitional episodes offer their own kind of enjoyment for many sci-fi fans and lay the groundwork for later high points like “CQB,” “Home,” and “Gaugamela.” 

2) Battlestar Galactica

Ronald D. Moore’s reimagined Battlestar Galactica premiered in 2004 and very quickly established itself as a heavy hitter in the genre. Loosely based on the 1978 series, the show starred Edward James Olmos and followed the remnants of humanity after a devastating Cylon attack. The tense military sci-fi series had audiences on the edge of their seat, and is widely considered one of the best sci-fi outings of the 21st century. 

Across all four seasons, BSG contains no bad episodes, with its entries ranging from good to genuinely brilliant. The only reason it’s not number one on this list is that while Season 2’s “Black Market” can’t exactly be qualified as a bad episode, it is admittedly the low point of the series, featuring a messy plot and some awkward dialogue. Still, the Battlestar Galactica low point would be considered the crowning achievement of many other sci-fi shows, and standouts like “33,” “Pegasus,” or “Exodus” set an extremely high bar for the certified masterpiece.  

1) Dark

Netflix’s Dark appeared in 2017 as the platform’s first German-language original series, created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. Set in a small town, the show starts as a missing-kid mystery, then begins to unwind, branching into a thrilling, intricately woven time-travel story spanning generations. The meticulously crafted series ran for three seasons, with an endpoint that was planned from the start. Eight years later, it remains the streaming era’s defining sci-fi masterpiece.

A television triptych, Dark, contains nary a single bad episode. Each chapter is integral, offering insight into the twisting family tree at the heart of the story. Episodes like “Past and Present,” “An Endless Cycle,” “Between the Time,” and “Life and Death” are only a few of the many standouts, with each revealing a juicy morsel of info that had audience members so hooked they were drafting visual aids. Perhaps most impressive is how Dark nailed the ending despite such a complex narrative. The final episode, “The Paradise,” is often cited as one of the best because it resolves the story both externally and emotionally. Somehow, in each episode, the show manages to hold its delicate balance between plot and character intrigue. More than any other series on this list, Dark avoids common pitfalls and makes every episode feel like a high point.

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