The best science fiction TV series, according to hackers
19 science fiction TV series were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 10 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended science fiction TV series with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Star Trek: The Next Generation
88 recommend, 19 criticize, 82% approval
Ranked 1 of 19 by recommenders
Thoughtful moral and ethical dilemmas
People recommend it for its character-driven stories, moral dilemmas, and optimistic view of humanity, with many rewatching it for life lessons. Critics say the early seasons are weak and character growth is limited.
Strong, complex characters and relationships
Recommended for its strong characters, long story arcs and mature, nuanced politics; the most common caveat is uneven filler episodes and a weak final season.
Realistic, hard science fiction
People recommend it for realistic space physics, political and economic worldbuilding, and strong novels; critics say the show takes liberties with realism and its characters are weak.
All 19 science fiction TV series, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | 88 | 19 | 82% | 13 | — | Approved |
| 2 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | 59 | 9 | 87% | 11 | — | Approved |
| 3 | The Expanse | 51 | 12 | 81% | 13 | — | Approved |
| 4 | The Culture seriesby Iain M. Banks | 38 | 5 | 88% | 11 | — | Approved |
| 5 | Silo by Apple TV | 27 | 11 | 71% | 11 | — | Approved |
| 6 | Altered Carbon (Netflix series) | 23 | 7 | 77% | 10 | — | Approved |
| 7 | Scavengers Reign | 18 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Tied 8 | Star Trek: Voyager | 17 | 9 | 65% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 8 | Doctor Who | 17 | 10 | 63% | 5 | — | — |
| 10 | Stargate SG-1 | 16 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Tied 11 | The Laundry Filesby Charles Stross | 10 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | Approved |
| Tied 11 | The Orville | 10 | 3 | 77% | 4 | — | Approved |
| Tied 13 | Dark (Netflix series) | 9 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | — |
| Tied 13 | The Expanseby James S. A. Corey | 9 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | — |
| Tied 15 | Murderbot | 5 | 1 | 83% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 15 | Vorkosigan Sagaby Lois McMaster Bujold | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 17 | The Space Trilogyby C.S. Lewis | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 17 | Sun Eater seriesby Christopher Ruocchio | 3 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
| 19 | Uplift seriesby David Brin | 2 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same science fiction TV series in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to science fiction TV series that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.