I am a forever fan of Science Fiction and I am sad.
Because there aren't many great titles left for me to binge watch this genre.
I never watch anything again. I believe there are so many amazing stories waiting to be felt that it's not worth to spend time rewatching anything. I prefer to watch something new instead. Always.
But Sci-fi shows I am going to list here are a few exceptions. I have even restreamed a couple of them already. And I will not mind watching the rest again whenever I have some time. These are the true examples of how modern day art is reaching new heights.
Most of the real world is relatively boring.
For me sci-fi is an escape form real. And also a question about what can be real? What can be possible? It presents the worldview of the future projection of things that exist today.
And Sci-Fi is hope
Sci-fi stretches the possibilities of existence into multiple dimensions. And give us a hope that even if the world ends someday humanity will survive.
5 - Snowpiercer
Set in a post apoclyptic world, where earth has converted into a frozen wasteland. And what is left of the humanity is trying to survive inside a forever running train that keeps circling the globe.
The train is thousands of carriages long and its constant motion provides the energy and heat required for survival. From engine till the tail of the train prevails a social division of class and their rivalry. With tail-es being the most deprived and rebellious class trying to fight against the social injustice for a better future of their children.
Well, I won't say this is an award winner and this might not be an example of best acting or screen writing either. But its unique setting definitely makes it a worth trying.
Do keep in mind that it is mostly political warfare and social rivalry in a never seen before setting, so don't let your expectations wander some other way.
The 5th spot was a tug war between 'Lost In Space' and 'Snowpiercer'. But still I decided to include the latter for its sheer unusualness.
4 - Altered Carbon
What if death becomes a mere illusion, a small inconvenience, just like changing clothes. Wearing the new ones and ditching the old.
Altered Carbons imagines a world 500 years into future, where all the human consciousness including experiences and memories can be stored in a pocketable mind drive called ‘stack’
So basically you can always be resurrected back if your stack is intact, by implanting it into a different body referred to as ‘sleeve’, provided that you can afford it. And you only truly die when your stack is destroyed.
The show is indeed one of a kind, and I can't stop appreciating the innovative ways in which it explores the concept of storing human consciousness in digital form. It gets too dark and spine-chilling at times that you would want to look away.
Also it is a blend of great narration combined with a storyline that will keep you on your toes. It depicts the human condition in a class divided society of mortals and immortals. And makes us question our identities when we see male consciousness working in a female sleeve.
It has so many more themes and great things that I can even write a seperate blog post for what amazes me about ‘Altered Carbon’. May be I should.
I would recommend you to start with this show if you haven't watched it yet.
I have already watched its first season twice. And I am thinking about giving it a go again. Yes, the third time, something I rarely ever do.
Captivating writing, amazing acting, intriguing storyline, unique narration and dialogues with a blend of cyberpunk style dark imagery. Its season 1 is an epitome of a great quality art, the kind that don’t get produced very often.
It could have been in the top two. I hate to say this but the second season fell flat for me. And this closed its spot at 4th in my best sci-fi titles ranking.
3 - Dark
Again, this is one of the masterpieces. It is not just a TV show to watch but an experience to have. It is a superbly well written, planned, crafted and executed piece of art. That will blow you away with surprises throughout the storyline.
The show revolves around four individual families whose past, present and future ends up interwoven in complex ways. Based on a not so ambiguous time travel concept, It is a story about realization of loss and betrayal and how it affects familial relationships. The narrative though complex is very well planned that it ultimately makes sense and questions many philosophical concepts of time.
This one is a multiple award winner. And you'll not find it surprising, that it got nominated for 20 awards and won 7 in three years, after you'll watch it. Because it is that amazing for real.
Unlike 'Altered Carbon' the show gets more fast paced and thrilling with progressive seasons, answering the previous questions and creating the new ones.
This is one heck of show that will sweep you off your feet's and would lead you into spirals of thoughts. I couldn't stop but think after I finished watching it.
2 - The 100
A nuclear war converted earth into a radioactive wasteland. People present at various space stations survived and merged into a single space station - 'The Ark' which becomes the home of these 2400 residents.
Resources are scarce and anyone who makes a mistake is floated into space. When a need arises to trim down the population, a group of 100 people is sent back to earth in hope to find life.
Things then turn around unimaginably different. It takes a few episodes to sink in but after that you'll find yourself only craving for more.
It has managed to make to the 2nd spot because it is a beefy 7 seasons long with 100 episodes. And it delivers the quality in every season. Which is something hard to accomplish. It is a mix of adventure, action, mystery, thriller with multiple elements of sci-fi and all of them together sitting in an emotional roller-coaster.
What I most loved about it is character development. It would feel so natural and you will be able to justify the change in their personalities and relationships because of what they end up going through.
Only the second season is a bit offbeat that challenged my threshold of tolerance to ambiguity. Though, all the seasons are well written and full of surprises and unpredictability. Most of the episodes are fast paced with a lot of things happening which keep you wondering, what will happen next?
1 - Black Mirror
I don't think it needs an introduction. Does it? 5 seasons with 32 awards and 100+ nominations in total, 'Black Mirror' is hands down the best sci-fi show I have watched.
Each and every episode is a standalone story. And explores the invention of advanced technologies and their darkest possible side effects on people and their lives.
Though all the episodes are not as exciting in relative terms but it is a dose of entertainment that can get you on a thinking spree within an hour. And every episode is unique in its own way - neurotic, scary and insanely creative
One of my college friend introduced me to it, and showed me 'White Christmas' which still remains my most favorite episode.
Contrary to being boring, In fact I feel it has too much detail to observe. There are multiple themes and contexts running parallel at times that some episodes definitely demand a re-watch to decipher everything that's going on. It is pro show for a pro viewer and also it is annoyingly disturbing.
It doesn't need any appreciation, it is in whole another league. And I will say yes you are missing something in life if you haven't watched it yet. And another great thing about it is - You just need around an hour of commitment for each story. Have an hour to spare? If yes then you can start now.
So this was my list of top 5 unusual sci-fi shows to watch. What's yours?
Would you like to replace or adjust the rank of any title present in this list?
Images : Google Images
