7 More Great Sci-Fi Shows That Everyone Forgets About

Sci-fi has always churned out some seriously creative and downright crazy shows, and when you think about the genre, it’s honestly hard to keep track of them all. But you know why? A lot of them got forgotten. Some people don’t even remember they existed, even though they were great. Many featured weird spaceships, bizarre aliens, deadly viruses, and interdimensional conspiracies that easily outshined plenty of more modern storylines. A lot had brilliant premises and gripping stories from start to finish, but they completely vanished from collective memory due to everything from cancellations to simply not giving audiences enough time to latch on. Some are still talked about, but mostly in niche circles, while most people are surprised if they even remember them.

Previously, we highlighted 7 of these lost-in-time shows. But even that barely scratches the surface, since sci-fi is a massive ocean when it comes to series. So here’s another 7 that are barely remembered today.

7) Counterpart

Mix sci-fi with spy and intrigue, and you get one of the most compelling shows out there. That’s exactly what Counterpart delivers, following Howard Silk (J.K. Simmons), a seemingly ordinary UN employee who discovers a parallel world and that his agency is hiding massive secrets. The premise alone is good, but the execution is excellent: the tone is dark, the tension builds with every episode, and the best part? Simmons gives two completely different versions of the same character and nails both. Besides, it’s the kind of show that actually respects the viewer, so nothing is rushed and shallow.

The problem is that, despite being fantastic, it’s massively underrated and mostly forgotten. If you watched it, do you remember it? Maybe, since it’s the most recent one on this list. But still, it never managed to be memorable enough for people to remember it when talking about sci-fi. Only two seasons aired before it was canceled, leaving the audience no time to build hype. The narrative demands attention, and the show never went viral, which also means a lot of great viewers missed out on this one. Counterpart is pure, no-nonsense sci-fi gold.

6) Farscape

The world of space opera is packed with series, especially older ones, and Farscape is one of those shows that makes you wonder why nobody talks about it anymore. Maybe hardcore genre fans remember it, but even then, it’s hard for the show to resurface. The story follows John Crichton (Ben Browder), who falls through a wormhole and ends up in a galaxy full of aliens, conflicts, and ships that seem to have a mind of their own. There’s humor, drama, action, and outright weirdness — but it all feels organic. The result is a rich universe that still holds up today.

The problem is that the show suffered from cancellations, long hiatuses, and network changes. Even as a classic cult now, many people don’t easily recall it. It’s frustrating because Farscape had everything to go mainstream. In the end, it became another fun, overlooked series worshiped by a very specific group of fans. For anyone who likes Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica but is tired of technical dialogue, endless exposition, space jargon, and predictable plots, this is the one. It’s chaotic, irreverent, and totally unmatched.

5) The Time Tunnel

This one’s for fans of old-school time travel. The Time Tunnel follows two scientists, Tony Newman (James Darren) and Doug Phillips (Robert Colbert), who get trapped in a government time machine, uncontrollably jumping through historical events from the Titanic disaster to medieval battles and World War II conflicts. Each episode drops the characters into a completely new setting, and the series leans into stories that mix real history with imagination, creating that classic “what if?” feeling sci-fi fans love. For the ’60s, this approach was bold and ahead of its time, but over the years, it’s naturally started to feel dated.

Despite the intriguing premise, the technical execution of The Time Tunnel doesn’t hold up for modern audiences. The special effects, simple sets, and sometimes theatrical tone make the show feel extremely outdated. On top of that, with only one 30-episode season, it never really had a chance to establish itself — there were no reruns and no streaming revival. Today, it mostly serves as a curiosity for sci-fi fans, and for anyone who didn’t grow up watching it, it pretty much doesn’t exist.

4) First Wave

Do you know that alien invasion show that makes you paranoid but keeps you glued to the screen? That’s First Wave. It follows Cade Foster (Sebastian Spence), a man who discovers aliens are infiltrating Earth according to Nostradamus’ prophecies, and he has to race against time to stop their domination. The show packs plenty of action and conspiracy, balancing chase sequences, investigations, and the protagonist’s personal conflicts. Each episode presents a new threat or a clue that ties into the larger arc, creating a consistent rhythm that keeps viewers invested (something many modern shows often forget to do, honestly).

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The series never really escaped the crowded ’90s alien-show scene. First Wave ran for three seasons, but without heavy marketing or frequent reruns, it was overshadowed by bigger hits like The X-Files or Stargate SG-1. For those who watched back then, it remains enjoyable: episodes aged fairly well, and the suspense doesn’t feel entirely dated. But for today’s audience, that appeal is harder to find.

3) Lexx

Sometimes, sci-fi leans into truly unique approaches, and that alone makes a show stand out. Lexx is downright bizarre, following the crew of a living ship that travels through absurd and dystopian planets, facing completely unpredictable situations. The cast features strange and morally ambiguous characters, and the episodes mix dark humor, over-the-top violence, and disjointed philosophy in ways few sci-fi shows have dared. In short, this is sci-fi that embraces the absurd without hesitation, creating a world that feels like a psychedelic dream (or a nightmare, depending on your perspective).

Some viewers always found the show strange and hard to get into, but there’s a dedicated fanbase that loved it. In fact, many even compare it to Farscape. That said, it’s hard for this chaos to appeal to a mainstream audience. Lexx exists in a bubble: you either dive into its wild rhythm and love every second, or you bail by episode two. There’s something fascinating about its strangeness, though, because the show never tries to be “polished” or conventional. But because of that, it inevitably became a true niche classic.

2) Dark Skies

The X-Files was an iconic show that set the standard for countless sci-fi productions and even other genres. But few people know that right after it premiered, there was Dark Skies. The show takes place between the ’40s and ’60s, depicting aliens manipulating key historical events, influencing governments and public figures, while the main couple, John Loengard (Eric Close) and Kimberly Sayers (Megan Ward), try to uncover the truth and stop their plans. This isn’t just a “monster of the week” kind of show, because the episodes always pushed the larger invasion arc forward to give everything a sense of urgency and cohesion. Basically, it’s The X-Files with a historical twist.

So why was it forgotten? Like many older shows, Dark Skies suffered from an early cancellation and minimal marketing. On top of that, it was originally launched as a sort of response to The X-Files‘ success at the time. The visibility ended up being weak due to the competition, and one season just wasn’t enough to build a fanbase.

1) The Andromeda Strain

The Andromeda Strain is a miniseries that promised top-tier scientific tension from the very start. Adapted from Michael Crichton’s classic (yes, the same author behind Jurassic Park), it follows a team of scientists dealing with an extremely lethal alien virus that threatens humanity. The premise alone is enough to grab any fan of bioterrorism or science-based sci-fi: real stakes, constant pressure, detailed scientific protocols, and claustrophobic suspense in an isolated lab where any decision could mean the end of the world. For fans of realistic scientific thrillers, the series had everything to be memorable. However, execution doesn’t always match theory.

The show’s slow pacing and the abundance of dialogue loaded with technical scientific terms can make some episodes tough to follow for all viewers. Still, these issues don’t take away from the series as a whole. The Andromeda Strain manages to create genuine tension, build scientific drama, and present alien contamination and risk concepts in a solid, believable way. Plus, the atmosphere is engaging, and the thrills are high-quality. It was mostly forgotten because, like many shows of its kind, it was just too difficult to make commercially appealing.

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