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Tom Russell
Published 48 minutes ago
Tom is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, with expertise covering all things Classic TV from hilarious sitcoms to jaw-dropping sci-fi.
Initially he was an Updates writer, though before long he found his way to the Classic TV team. He now spends his days keeping Screen Rant readers informed about the TV shows of yesteryear, whether it's recommending hidden gems that may have been missed by genre fans or deep diving into ways your favorite shows have (or haven't) stood the test of time.
Tom is based in the UK and when he's not writing about TV shows, he's watching them. He's also an avid horror fiction writer, gamer, and has a Dungeons and Dragons habit that he tries (and fails) to keep in check.
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There’s no shortage of great sci-fi shows on Netflix. From Stranger Things to Dark to Three Body Problem, the platform has continually delivered top-tier small-screen science fiction. Yet in the shadows of its most iconic genre hits are several series that have slipped from the spotlight. These forgotten sci-fi shows on Netflix deserve far more attention from subscribers looking for their next great binge.
Netflix has been producing original content for over a decade, and across that time many excellent sci-fi series have arrived, made an impression, and then faded into near-obscurity. Being overlooked today doesn’t diminish their quality, and each one still offers something special for fans of ambitious storytelling, bold worldbuilding, and inventive speculative concepts.
The Midnight Gospel (2020)
Animated Cosmic Chaos Fuels One Of Netflix’s Most Thoughtful Sci-Fi Journeys
The Midnight Gospel is often remembered more for its wild animation style than its sci-fi elements. However, the show’s premise, an interdimensional simulator used by spacecaster Clancy Gilroy (voiced by Duncan Trussell), is pure science fiction brilliance. Each episode drops Clancy into a new simulated world, letting the series explore surreal planets and existential scenarios through a deeply sci-fi lens.
What makes Midnight Gospel such a standout is the way it blends philosophy with a wide blend of sci-fi tropes and concepts. Beneath the neon chaos and shifting landscapes lies a surprisingly grounded curiosity about consciousness, technology, and what it means to exist across realities. Its structure lets the show ask questions that traditional sci-fi rarely approaches with this level of candidness.
Though short-lived, The Midnight Gospel remains one of the most daring sci-fi experiments Netflix has released. Its abstract storytelling won’t be for everyone, but for viewers wanting something imaginative, deeply introspective, and visually unlike anything else on the platform, this forgotten gem is absolutely worth rediscovering.
Osmosis (2019)
A Cerebral Exploration Of Technology, Intimacy, And The Cost Of Engineered Love
The 2019 French sci-fi series Osmosis flew under the radar despite an intriguing hook: a biotech company that uses nanotechnology to identify users’ soulmates with near-perfect accuracy. Although the cast is led by Paul (Hugo Becker) and Esther (Agathe Bonitzer), the true star is the show’s world; a sleek, near-future Paris where algorithms promise emotional certainty at a dangerous price.
Osmosis matches emotional impact of the best Netflix dramas, but blends it with speculative innovation. At its core, it’s an examination of how technology meant to bring people together can fracture identity, autonomy, and trust. Instead of leaning on action or dystopian spectacle, Osmosis opts for a more intimate brand of science fiction. It’s slow-burning, unsettling, and grounded in human vulnerability.
The cancellation of Osmosis after a single season unfortunately left many viewers unaware of how compelling its ideas truly were. Still, the show’s elegant exploration of love and data-driven destiny makes it one of Netflix’s most sophisticated and overlooked sci-fi offerings.
Inside Job (2021-2022)
A Sharp Conspiracy Satire That Turns Every Wild Theory Into Creative Sci-Fi Worldbuilding
The cult animated sci-fi Inside Job imagines a world where every conspiracy theory is true, and all of it is managed behind the scenes by Cognito Inc. At the center is Reagan Ridley (Lizzy Caplan), a genius who wants to use science to fix a secretly unhinged global system. The show is comedic, but its sci-fi creativity is surprisingly rich.
Each episode of Inside Job dives into a new absurd corner of its universe: shadow governments, moon clones, reptilian officials, and memory-wiping tech. Rather than parodying sci-fi tropes, the series embraces them with sincerity, building a world that’s wildly fun yet unexpectedly cohesive. Reagan’s relationship with her unhinged father Rand (Christian Slater) adds surprising emotional grounding.
Despite strong reviews, Inside Job was abruptly canceled by Netflix after season 2, which kept it from building the fanbase it deserved. Even so, its high-concept satire and dense lore make it one of the streamers smartest and most rewatchable forgotten sci-fi shows.
Tribes Of Europa (2021)
A Post-Apocalyptic Adventure That Delivers Ambitious Worldbuilding And Gripping Factional Conflict
Set in a far-future Europe fractured into warring factions, Netflix’s Tribes of Europa follows siblings Kiano (Emilio Sakraya), Liv (Henriette Confurius), and Elja (David Ali Rashed) as they’re thrust into a brutal new world order. The show stands out in the Netflix library due to its scale. Each tribe has a distinct culture, aesthetic, and technological level, offering a rich tapestry of post-apocalyptic sci-fi.
Tribes of Europa especially stands out due to its blend of survival drama and speculative geopolitics. From advanced artifacts to militaristic clans, this obscure Netflix sci-fi imagines a future rebuilt from the ashes with both desperation and inventiveness. Its fast pacing and globe-spanning threat make it feel much larger than its short run.
Though Netflix didn’t continue the story, the first season of Tribes of Europa still presents an imaginative and highly watchable vision of future civilization. For sci-fi fans craving big ideas, striking production design, and bold worldbuilding, this remains a forgotten standout.
3% (2016-2020)
A Sharp, Character-Driven Dystopia Built Around Tough Moral Choices And Complex World Dynamics
As one of Netflix’s earliest international sci-fi hits, 3% delivered a gritty, low-budget dystopia that relied on clever writing instead of spectacle. The series centers on Michele (Bianca Comparato) and a group of young candidates attempting to survive “the Process,” a brutal selection system that offers entry into an elite paradise known as the Offshore.
Its commentary on inequality and systemic injustice gives 3% an emotional weight that sets it apart from more conventional TV dystopias. The show continually challenges viewers to question who deserves opportunity, who enforces social hierarchies, and what people are willing to sacrifice for a better life.
Though the series maintained a dedicated fanbase, 3% is rarely mentioned today despite being one of Netflix’s most original and tightly crafted sci-fi dramas. Its tense structure and evolving mythology make it a strong recommendation for subscribers who want thoughtful speculative storytelling.
Travelers (2016-2018)
A Time-Travel Thriller That Grounds Its High Concept In Smart Rules And Emotional Character Arcs
Travelers takes a familiar sci-fi idea (agents sent back in time to prevent a dystopian future) and reinvents it by focusing on precision, limitations, and character. The operatives, including Grant MacLaren (Eric McCormack), “arrive” by taking over the bodies of people moments before their deaths, creating an immediate mix of ethical and emotional complexity.
The show thrives on its attention to procedural detail. Every mission in Travelers has constraints, every action has consequences, and every slip threatens the timeline. This grounded approach makes the stakes feel real and the time-travel mechanics refreshingly consistent. Meanwhile, each character’s struggle to balance their assigned role with the life of their host adds compelling emotional layers.
Despite critical praise, Travelers faded from the conversation after its cancellation. Yet it remains one of Netflix’s most polished, tightly plotted sci-fi series, and is an ideal sci-fi binge for fans of clever temporal storytelling.
The OA (2016-2019)
A Genre-Bending Mystery That Mixes Sci-Fi, Metaphysics, And Emotional Ambition Like Nothing Else
The OA begins with the return of Prairie Johnson (Brit Marling), a young blind woman who reappears after years missing with her eyesight restored and insisting she can traverse dimensions. What starts as a grounded mystery soon shifts into a boldly imaginative exploration of near-death experiences, alternate realities, and the power of shared belief.
Above all else, The OA is defined by its willingness to take creative risks. From its haunting visual storytelling to its meticulous character work, this Netflix show treats sci-fi not as a framework for spectacle but as a path toward philosophical inquiry. Prairie’s relationship with her captor, Hap (Jason Isaacs), adds chilling tension and propels the larger mythology forward.
Though, like many science fiction shows on the platform, its cancellation left its story unfinished, The OA continues to resonate because of its originality. Few Netflix sci-fi series are as daring or emotionally resonant, making it a must-watch among the platform’s forgotten gems.
Sense8 (2015-2018)
A Global Sci-Fi Epic That Uses Telepathy To Explore Connection, Identity, And Shared Humanity
Created by the Wachowskis, Sense8 follows eight strangers across the world who discover they’re psychically linked. Like many of the best Netflix sci-fi, Sense8 takes this premise and works it into an incredibly grounded and emotional viewing experience. The show blends science fiction with human drama, using its telepathic cluster concept to explore empathy in a truly global context.
Sense8 is inarguably one of the best sci-fi shows of the 2010s despite being relatively obscure, as it’s simultaneously intimate and expansive. Characters share skills, emotions, and experiences across continents, resulting in some of the most inventive sequences in Netflix’s sci-fi library. Its action scenes are thrilling, its emotional beats are sincere, and its worldbuilding is rich with speculative possibilities.
While Sense8 retains a loyal cult following, it’s still one of the Netflix’s most overlooked sci-fi achievements. Its mix of diversity, ambition, and genre innovation makes it a standout example of how boundary-pushing sci-fi can be.
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