Prime Video has a unique place in today’s streaming ecosystem, with a strong reputation in the sci-fi TV genre. Amazon’s in-house streamer has picked up some of the best science fiction shows of the last decade — some from the start, and some rescued from TV networks or other streaming services. The “streaming wars” have leaned heavily on recognizable brands and intellectual property, but Prime Video has leveraged the trailblazing, experimental nature of sci-fi to build its own library up without relying too much on nostalgia.
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If you’re looking for a sci-fi gem that you might have missed in the last few years, hopefully it’s listed below. These are the top 10 sci-fi shows on Prime Video, according to the review aggregate site, Rotten Tomatoes.
Night Sky
While many sci-fi epics pack us into ships for a long flight out to new worlds, Night Sky presents a world where the far reaches of space are right in our backyard. The series stars Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons as a midwestern couple who discover a device buried on their property which can teleport them to a small chamber on another planet. From there, they have a breathtaking view of the galaxy from a different perspective.
The show was cancelled after just one season, which makes it easy to binge, but a bit of tragically short experience, as well. However, it’s worth showing up for the A-list cast, not to mention the recommendations from critics. Night Sky is rated 73% positive on the Tomatometer.
The Peripheral
The Peripheral is one of the most tragic cancellations on this list. This near-future sci-fi thriller had been renewed for a second season; however, it was cancelled a few months later when the 2023 Hollywood labor strikes began to heat up. It’s a shame, because this show presented a unique take on the tech-focused dystopia. It’s based on a novel by the same name by legendary author William Gibson.
The Peripheral takes place about 50 years in the future, exploring the subtle ways technology has changed society. Chloë Grace Moretz plays Flynne Fisher, a gamer who accepts a connection that leads to an alternate reality she does not like the look of. The series has a 79% positive rating on the Tomatometer, and a whole lot of fans crying out for a renewal.
The Man in the High Castle
Perhaps one of the more recognizable titles on this list, The Man in the High Castle is a dystopian alternate history drama set in a world where the Axis powers won World War II and imposed fascism on much of the world. It begins in 1962, with the force of Japan and Germany now competing for control of North America. A resistance leader nicknamed “the Man in the High Castle” is able to obtain films from alternate worlds and timelines, including real historical footage from our world where the Axis was defeated.
This series ran for four seasons on Prime Video, and it was lauded all along. The series as a whole has an 84% positive rating on the Tomatometer, with an average score of 7.3 out of 10. Perhaps most importantly, fans and critics were satisfied with the show’s ending in 2019, making it a great option for a binge-watch now that it’s finished.
Dead Ringers
Amazon produced and distributed Dead Ringers, a miniseries adaptation of David Cronenberg’s 1988 movie of the same name. The series is about twins Beverly and Elliot — both played by Rachel Weisz — who are gynecologists trying to force their field to advance more quickly. They commit malpractice and seek independent funding for their work all while struggling to disguise their personal struggles with mental health and sexual dysfunction.
This series swaps the genders of the twin main characters in Cronenberg’s movie — and the original 1977 novel by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland. The result was praised by critics as a timely commentary on an important issue for our time, all while still honoring Cronenberg’s legacy. With only six episodes, it’s easy to commit to a binge-watch.
Paper Girls
If you haven’t read the Paper Girls comic book series, then this counts as a double recommendation for you. The book was published by Image Comics from 2015 to 2019, while the TV adaptation aired for just one season in 2022. It’s about four young girls out on their newspaper delivery route in 1988 who accidentally become entangled in a war between different factions of time travelers.
The show was praised by critics for being fun and high-stakes at the same time, earning an 87% positive rating on the Tomatometer. It did even better among fans, with an 89% positive rating on the Popcornmeter — making it all the more heartbreaking when it was canceled after just one season. Still, it’s easy to enjoy the eight episodes we got as they are.
Tales From the Loop
Tales From the Loop is a sci-fi drama about a secluded research center that plays it fast and loose with the laws of physics. It follows characters in the fictional town where this center is located — Mercer, Ohio — as they experience strange phenomena and the uncanny secrecy of the Loop. The stories are loosely connected vignettes, with more focus on the concepts themselves than the fallout.
Released in 2020, this show hasn’t officially been renewed or cancelled yet, leaving it in an uncertain place. There are eight episodes to enjoy currently, and fans are still hoping more are on the way.
Upload
Sci-fi can get a little heady, so it’s nice to see a dramedy in the top half of this list. Upload is set in the year 2033, when humanity has developed the technology to digitally upload a consciousness into a digital afterlife. However, the tethers to real-life still remain, and make it harder for the deceased to relax and enjoy their eternal reward. Upload has an 88% positive rating on the Tomatometer, and it’s still ongoing, with Season 5 now in pre-production.
Fallout
Amazon may not have a huge stake in existing IPs, but when it makes licensing deals, the company doesn’t skimp. Fallout is one of the most beloved video game franchises of our era, and so far, Prime Video’s TV adaptation seems to be reaching for those same heights. The Season 1 premiered in April of 2024 with eight episodes, and it was quickly renewed for more. Season 2 is filming now, so this is the perfect time to catch up on the show before the next big premiere event.
The Expanse
Just about every sci-fi subgenre is represented in The Expanse — space opera, cyberpunk, mystery, horror, and more. The show is adapted from a series of nine novels and nine novellas by James S.A. Corey, which are also worth checking out. The Expanse is set in a near-future where humanity has developed a fusion engine for space travel, allowing them to colonize much of the solar system. It primarily follows the crew of a small independent ship called the Rocinante, captained by “Earther” James Holden, held together by “Belter” engineer Naomi Nagata, piloted by “Martian” Alex Kamal, and defended by “Earther” mechanic Amos Burton.
The TV series began on the SYFY network, and the way in which it was saved by Prime Video has become a bit infamous among fans. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced the renewal himself in dramatic fashion at the 2018 International Space Development Conference, apparently sharing the news just minutes after the deal became official. The Los Angeles Times reported that it was Bezos’ personal favorite TV show, and he had taken a personal hand in ensuring that it was rescued from cancellation.
Ironically, the crew of the Rocinante might have a thing or two to say about working at the whim of one billionaire, but at least fans got to enjoy a few more seasons of the show. The Expanse has six seasons and 62 total episodes so far, but it didn’t quite finish out the material from the books. Fans often speculate about whether it will be revived in the years to come, but nothing official has been announced yet.
Utopia
Finally, the top-rated sci-fi series on Prime Video right now is the 2020 sci-fi drama Utopia, created by author Gillian Flynn. Sadly, despite its impressive reviews, Utopia was canceled after just one season, meaning there are only eight episodes to watch. Still, fans of dark comedy will want to give this one a try.
The story may hit a little too close to home for some people, and you’ll be shocked to learn that Flynn was writing it as far back as at least 2018. It’s about a shadowy organization that aims to slow climate change and prevent ecological disaster by fabricating a global pandemic, then distributing a false “vaccine” that actually sterilizes the world’s population. It’s easy to imagine how the team behind this show felt as its premiere date approached in 2020, with conspiracy theories running rampant in real life. Still, the show has some fun twists that keep it relatively light. At times, it almost feels like a prescient parody of things that hadn’t even happened yet while it was being written.
The shows listed here are all streaming on Prime Video at the time of this writing, along with other great sci-fi titles you may not have found your way to yet.
What’s your favorite sci-fi series on Prime Video? Let us know in the comments below!
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