7 Sci-Fi TV Shows That Deserved Another Season

While television isn’t necessarily immediately considered sci-fi’s strongest medium, the genre has found massive success on the small screen. The speculative nature of science fiction allows for hugely imaginative stories to unfold, and the best sci-fi TV shows make use of the expansive potential of the genre to tap into the varied tropes that audiences have grown to love. Bringing sci-fi to life also regularly comes with the potential for powerful social commentary, with the genre’s stories often boasting deep symbolism that can prove thought-provoking and occasionally even confronting. However, no matter how good some sci-fi TV shows may be, their runs aren’t always as long as they deserve.

Though many sci-fi shows earn cult followings, that doesn’t always translate directly to mainstream success. And, with the cut-throat nature of television, especially in the era of streaming, the life expectancy of the average show has drastically decreased. This leads to many examples of sci-fi shows that seemed to end too soon and would have massively benefited from at least one more season.

7) Sense8 (Netflix, 2015-2018)

Created by Lilly and Lana Wachowski, the sisters famous for creating The Matrix, Sense8 first aired on Netflix in 2015, and immediately captured the imagination of its audience and the attention of critics. Telling the story of a group of mentally and emotionally connected strangers, Sense8‘s story resonated massively with its fan base. For all its success, Netflix deemed the show too expensive to continue to produce and cancelled it after just two seasons, despite it having more than enough material to have lasted for several more years.

6) Sliders (Fox, 1995-1997 & Syfy, 1998-2000)

Sliders featured some of the 1990s’ biggest sci-fi stars, but despite its huge early success, it was cancelled after five seasons. The quality of the show significantly declined in its fourth and fifth seasons, but it still boasted a considerable following regardless. The season 5 finale ended on a cliffhanger, however, and despite the dip in quality suffered by the show, an additional season would have been able to resolve its story for the fans who had stuck with it across its lower points.

5) Utopia (Prime Video, 2020)

2020’s Utopia is a truly great sci-fi show that nobody talks about. Based on the British series of the same name, Utopia‘s story follows a group of comic book fans who uncover a plot to dupe society with a fake pandemic and then sterilize the population with a bogus vaccine. Despite being an impressive and thought-provoking series, Utopia‘s success was not to be, as it was released at the worst possible time. Just as the world plunged into an unprecedented pandemic, Utopia was quietly cancelled, even though its fascinating story easily deserved at least one more season.

4) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox, 2008-2009)

As the Terminator franchise is well-established as one of the most iconic sci-fi movie franchises of all time, it only makes sense that it would have branched out into TV. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles did just that, and despite a slow start, its core cast of Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, and Summer Glau helped to earn the show a respectable reputation. Sadly, low ratings resulted in it being cancelled after its second season, just as its story began to pick up. Though it wasn’t likely to be a sci-fi TV show that changed the world, a third season could have helped The Sarah Connor Chronicles to find lasting success.

3) Firefly (Fox, 2002)

After beginning with one of the greatest sci-fi pilot episodes of all time, Firefly seemed to be destined for greatness. With a unique premise, a central mystery, and a talented ensemble cast, the show easily justified at least a few seasons of storytelling. However, its cancellation after just 14 episodes is something that has aggrieved fans ever since, as its quality was evident from the very start. If any sci-fi TV show ever deserved to be renewed for another season after just a few episodes, it’s Firefly.

2) DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (The CW, 2016-2022)

DC adaptations have traditionally done quite well on television, with a rich history of successful runs for shows following DC’s comic book characters. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow might not have proved to be as popular as its Arrowverse contemporaries The Flash or Arrow, but its seven-season run would seem to indicate success. While seven seasons is respectable, Legends of Tomorrow‘s story just wasn’t quite finished when it was cancelled. One more season could have delivered a satisfying ending for its cast of characters, tying up loose plot threads instead of the abrupt cancellation the show received.

1) FlashForward (ABC, 2009-2010)

There are many sci-fi TV shows that have aged well, and FlashForward certainly ranks among them. What doesn’t age well, however, is the fact that the show was cancelled after just one season, despite earning widespread critical acclaim. Its mind-bending premise involved the population of Earth losing consciousness and gaining a two-minute glimpse into their future. Once heralded as the spiritual successor to Lost, FastForward deserved another season to continue to build upon its early success, rather than the premature cancellation it was instead met with.

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