Dystopian worlds and space voyages abound.

The 12 best sci-fi shows on HBO Max

Dystopian worlds and space voyages abound.

By Ilana Gordon, Kevin Jacobsen, and Eric Maurer

January 19, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET

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Emma Thompson as the Rt Hon Vivienne Rook MP in 'Years and Years'; Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller and Bella Ramsey as Ellie on 'The Last of Us'; Rick (voice: Justin Roiland) on 'Rick and Morty'. Credit: Robert Ludovic/HBO/Everett; Liane Hentscher/HBO; Adult Swim

Science fiction can take us to worlds unknown or show us a terrifying glimpse of our future. It's among the more versatile genres across all media, testing the limits of what's possible in storytelling.

HBO Max is home to a selection of fascinating sci-fi TV shows, ranging from dystopian dramas like *The Leftovers* and *Years and Years* to animated genre-benders like *Rick and Morty* and *Robot Chicken*. These series offer an escape from the confines of the real world, reflecting universal truths while entertaining us with original ideas.

Ahead, read our list of the 12 best sci-fi TV shows currently streaming on HBO Max.

Avenue 5 (2020–2022)

Hugh Laurie as Ryan Clark (center) on 'Avenue 5'. Alex Bailey/HBO

Streaming has given high-concept, unique sci-fi shows access to bigger budgets than ever before, but that doesn't mean those projects have to be serious. Exhibit A: *Veep* creator Armando Iannucci bringing workplace comedy and social commentary to space with *Avenue 5*.

Hugh Laurie stars as Ryan Clark, captain of a giant space cruise ship full of snobby, rich tourists, though when the ship's course is changed from a few weeks to more than three years, the classy decorum begins to break down. Also along for the ride is Josh Gad as the vessel's outlandish billionaire owner, plus Zach Woods, Herman Judd, Rebecca Front, Suzy Nakamura, and Nikki Amuka-Bird who appear as various passengers and crew members in this one-of-a-kind space farce. —*Eric Maurer*

Where to watch *Avenue 5*: HBO Max

**Cast: **Hugh Laurie, Josh Gad, Zach Woods, Rebecca Front, Suzy Nakamura

Doom Patrol (2019–2023)

April Bowlby as Rita Farr/Elasti-Woman, Matt Bomer as Larry Trainor/Negative Man, Diane Guerrero as Crazy Jane, and Brendan Fraser as Cliff Steele/Robotman on ‘Doom Patrol’. HBO Max

You can never have too many TV superheroes — but this ragtag group of power possessors is not exactly equipped to bring down supervillains. Included in the DC Universe and adapted from the eponymous comic series, *Doom Patrol* is the story of a team of superheroes who have received their abilities through traumatic incidents and are now living on the outskirts of society.

Holed up in the mansion of a medical doctor called the Chief, the Doom Patrol heroes — who include characters like Robotman, Elasti-Woman, Negative Man, Crazy Jane, and Cyborg — spend four seasons learning truths about themselves, the tragic circumstances that led to the creation of their powers, and generally doing their best to engage in heroic activities. A dark, irreverent, and weird exploration into heroes and villains, *Doom Patrol *is one of the best series in the DC Universe. *—Ilana Gordon*

Where to watch *Doom Patrol*: HBO Max

**Cast: **Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, Alan Tudyk, Matt Bomer, Brendan Fraser

Dune: Prophecy (2024–present)

Travis Fimmel as Desmond Hart on 'Dune: Prophecy'.

Courtesy of HBO

A TV series being greenlit after the success of *Dune* (2021) was as inevitable as the prophecy of Lisan al Gaib. Luckily, this is a worthy installment in the franchise director Denis Villeneuve helped revive, centering on the origins of the oracular group of women known as the Bene Gesserit.

Set 10,000 years before the events of *Dune*, *Dune: Prophecy *offers a thrilling, thoughtful examination of how everything we've come to know was set in motion. It also boasts remarkable craft, with EW's critic praising, "A visual feast, each episode is filled with impressive visual effects that bring chittering thinking machines to life and gorgeous costuming that sees its powerful cast draped in black Bene Gesserit gowns, sand-blasted overcoats, and ruby red wedding dresses." —*Kevin Jacobsen*

Where to watch *Dune: Prophecy*: HBO Max

**EW grade:** B+

**Cast:** Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina

The Last of Us (2023–present)

Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller and Bella Ramsey as Ellie on 'The Last of Us'. Liane Hentscher/HBO

This highly anticipated adaptation of the beloved PlayStation video game franchise proved to be worth the wait. Released on HBO a decade after the game taught players how to navigate a postapocalyptic world inhabited by undead humans who have been infected with a mutant fungus that causes cannibalism, *The Last of Us* combines the best elements of the game with HBO's legendary access to premium talent and top-notch storytelling. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Last of Us*: HBO Max

**Cast: **Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal, Gabriel Luna, Isabela Merced, Kaitlyn Dever

The Leftovers (2014–2017)

Carrie Coon as Nora Durst and Justin Theroux as Kevin Garvey on 'The Leftovers'. Ben King/HBO

While not hard sci-fi in a high-tech or alien sense, this supernatural mystery series is too good to leave off this list. Damon Lindelof, co-creator of *Lost* and *Watchmen*, teamed up with author Tom Perrotta to adapt the latter's book about what happens after a small percentage of the world's population suddenly disappears.

*The Leftovers* revolves around police chief Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) and his family, as well as others affected by the "Sudden Departure," like Carrie Coon's Nora and her reverend brother, played by Christopher Eccleston. Amy Brenneman, Liv Tyler, and Regina King also star in this emotional psychological thriller that only gets better over the course of its three seasons. —*E.M.*

Where to watch *The Leftovers*: HBO Max

**Cast: **Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler

Rick and Morty (2013–present)

Summer (voice: Spencer Grammer), Rick (voice: Justin Roiland), and Morty (voice: Justin Roiland) of 'Rick and Morty'. Adult Swim

There's no relationship quite like the one between a grandfather and his grandson — especially when it exists across multiple dimensions. Fourteen-year-old Morty is an anxious kid whose attempts to lay low and survive puberty are frequently upended by the erratic experiments of his grandfather Rick, an eccentric scientist whose drunken misanthropy and hijinks find the two embarking on travels across time and space.

An adult animated sci-fi comedy from the minds of voice actor Justin Roiland and writer Dan Harmon (*Community*), *Rick and Morty *takes the concept of the traditional sitcom family and blows it up — sometimes literally. Start watching this Adult Swim original for the subverted *Back to the Future* vibes, but don't expect McDonald's to bring back their Szechuan sauce anytime soon. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Rick and Morty*: HBO Max

**Cast: **Justin Roiland, Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, Sarah Chalke

Robot Chicken (2005–present)

Luke Skywalker (voice: Bob Bergen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi in 'Robot Chicken: Star Wars'. Adult Swim

When the sun sets, Cartoon Network goes away and Adult Swim — its mature alter ego with content specifically targeted towards an older crowd — comes out to play. Four years after Adult Swim took to the airwaves, the network debuted *Robot Chicken*, a stop-motion sketch comedy show co-created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, with Green voicing the titular character. Since 2005, the show has aired 11 seasons of 11-minute episodes, making this subversive, pop culture-skewering series a perfect option for a generation that came of age in the era of social media-refined attention spans.

Featuring more famous voices than a celebrity charity concert, *Robot Chicken *is an immensely bingeable comedy time capsule, and it remains one of *Adult Swim*'s longest-running and most successful series. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Robot Chicken*: HBO Max

**Cast: **Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, Breckin Meyer, Tom Root

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Scavengers Reign (2023)

Azi (voice: Wunmi Mosaku) in 'Scavengers Reign'.

This animated sci-fi series, an expansion of the 2016 Adult Swim short *Scavengers*, is gripping and disturbing all at once. *Scavengers Reign* follows a group of spaceship crew members stranded on an alien planet who must use their wits to survive. Among the separated crew are horticulturalist Ursula and commander Sam; cargo specialist Azi and robot Levi; and Kamen, who meets a telepathic creature named Hollow, who manipulates him using images of his deceased wife. Featuring stunning animation that brings its alien world to life in striking detail, *Scavengers Reign* has been hailed as one of the best sci-fi shows on television today. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Scavengers Reign*: HBO Max

**Cast: **Sunita Mani, Wunmi Mosaku, Alia Shawkat, Bob Stephenson, Ted Travelstead

Station Eleven (2021–2022)

Mackenzie Davis as Kirsten Raymonde (left) on 'Station Eleven'. Ian Watson/HBO Max

What happens when you combine a devastatingly timely story from an award-winning book, the showrunner who wrote the mind-bending and melancholy *Maniac*, and a top-notch cast? Well, you get the gorgeous and singular miniseries *Station Eleven*. The 10-episode story develops over multiple timelines, revealing the immediate aftermath of a deadly flu pandemic and the world that springs up decades later.

Mackenzie Davis stars as Kirsten, an actor in a postapocalyptic traveling theater group who was only 8 when the world as she knew it ended. Himesh Patel, Nabhaan Rizwan, Daniel Zovatto, Lori Petty, and Danielle Deadwyler round out the cast while Hiro Murai (filmmaker and frequent Donald Glover collaborator behind much of *Atlanta* and director of Childish Gambino's "This Is America" music video) helmed the first and third episodes. Meanwhile, the show's creative through-line comes from creator Patrick Somerville, who also wrote for *The Leftovers* and created *Made for Love *— and *Station Eleven* is yet another feather in his impressive cap. *—E.M.*

Where to watch *Station Eleven*: HBO Max

**Cast: **Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Matilda Lawler, David Wilmot, Danielle Deadwyler

Titans (2018–2023)

Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing on 'Titans'.

Steve Wilkie/HBO Max

Another offering from the DC Universe, *Titans* is a superhero series and live-action adaptation of the *Teen Titans* comic books. Full of recognizable superhero names (like Dick Grayson, a.k.a. Batman's sidekick, Robin) and less well-known characters (like Rachel, a.k.a. Raven, a young empath), the first season watches as the previously disbanded Titan team reassembles — with a few new additions to the roster — and battles villains, assassins, and their own personal demons.

Boasting a strong cast, more violence than is strictly necessary, and moody vibes, the series feels right at home in the DC Universe, and the show takes its time in digging into characters and backstories over the four available seasons. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Titans*: HBO Max

**Cast: **Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Ryan Potter, Teagan Croft

Watchmen (2019)

Regina King as Sister Night in 'Watchmen'. Mark Hill/HBO

Who watches the Watchmen? Well, we do, and you should, too. Damon Lindelof's Emmy-winning miniseries picks up 34 years after the events of Alan Moore's *Watchmen* graphic novel as we follow Det. Angela Abar (Regina King) as she attempts to take down a local white supremacist group targeting the police. Her investigation finds her intersecting with familiar faces from the *Watchmen* comic as a grand conspiracy is gradually revealed. "*Watchmen* doesn't overdose on nostalgia, like so many franchise extensions in our reboot-soaked decade," writes EW's critic. "It's dangerous, and invigorating." *—K.J.*

Where to watch *Watchmen*: HBO Max

**EW grade:** A–

**Cast:** Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jean Smart, Tim Blake Nelson

Years and Years (2019)

Emma Thompson as the Rt Hon Vivienne Rook MP in 'Years and Years'. Robert Ludovic/HBO/Everett

Three years after the British populace voted on a referendum to leave the European Union, a limited series called *Years and Years* premiered on BBC One. A dystopian science fiction drama told across six episodes and set over the course of 15 years, the show follows Britain's cultural and economic collapse, as told through the eyes of the Lyons family. The country's decline is accelerated by the likes of Vivian Rook (Emma Thompson) a successful businesswoman turned populist politician whose proposed policies — like one that bars anyone with an IQ under 70 from voting — are a sobering reminder of how tenuous our global democracies are, and how easily freedom can free fall into fascism.

Simultaneously compelling and horrifying, *Years and Years *is a political and social satire that would be a lot funnier if it didn't feel so truthful. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Years and Years*: HBO Max

**Cast: **Anne Reid, Rory Kinnear, Jessica Hynes, Emma Thompson

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Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Sci-Fi”