2025’s 25 best sci-fi and fantasy TV series - from Andor to Black Mirror
Did your favourite make the list?
It's been a sensational year for sci-fi and fantasy.
2025 has seen old favourites return to screens with stellar new offerings, from Andor season 2, which saw Tony Gilroy completely blow audiences away with its beautifully crafted storytelling, to Alien: Earth, which brought new life to a 46-year-old franchise.
But, amidst a sea of reboots, sequels and prequels, we were also treated to some very welcome original stories in the sci-fi and fantasy space, most notably from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan, who casually stepped up and dropped one of the best shows of the year with his genre-bending series Pluribus.
Plus, anime and animation are absolutely taking over the world, with Solo Leveling season 2 breaking records left, right and centre.
Of course, there have been some tragedies, with The Wheel of Time being cancelled after its best season yet (no, we're not over it).
But, for the most part, TV has been dominated this year by sci-fi and fantasy releases that shine a light on our society and make us want to be better - and if that isn't the energy we need to be taking into 2026, then truly, what is?
It's time to look back on the TV that made us laugh, cry, and dream this year. Here are our top 25 sci-fi and fantasy series of 2025!
25. From season 3
Where to watch: MGM+ (available via Prime Video in the UK)
The audience for this hidden gem on MGM+ has grown massively each season - and for good reason.
Lost star Harold Perrineau leads the cast as Sheriff Boyd Stevens in the mystery sci-fi, which is aptly very reminiscent of the ABC series. From follows a group of people who get trapped in a nightmarish town. As they try to stay alive, the residents of "Fromville" are faced with terrifying creatures who seem to want to kill them at every turn.
In its third season, the series has become increasingly bizarre, with the introduction of The Man in Yellow - but it's impossible to look away - Louise Griffin.
24. Doctor Who season 15
Where to watch: BBC iPlayer
While the latest season may have been overshadowed by discussions about the BBC's deal with Disney, there was no faulting the performances in Doctor Who season 15.
The latest instalment saw Ncuti Gatwa return as the Fifteenth Doctor alongside companion Varada Sethu for adventures in 1950s America, a planet 500,000 in the future, 2019 Lagos, and even a futuristic version of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Thankfully, we got a little bit more from Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday after her slightly abrupt departure in the last season, but the main surprise came from the last episode, which saw Gatwa's Doctor regenerate into none other than returning star Billie Piper. What does it all mean? You'll have to wait until Christmas 2026 to find out! - Louise Griffin
23. Peacemaker season 2
Where to watch: Sky/NOW
Chris Smith, aka Peacemaker, is one of the stranger superheroes – a violent killer with a silver helmet and no superpowers, who has an eagle for a best friend. Despite those setbacks, in the first series of his eponymous TV show he still managed to save the world from alien invasion. Surely now he’ll be taken seriously? No such luck.
He might have turned over a new leaf, but the establishment capes can’t overlook his past. So when he discovers a portal to another world – one where he’s a beloved, successful hero – he can’t resist stepping through.
In other hands it could be daft, crude television, but series lead (and former wrestler) John Cena sells Peacemaker’s turmoil with a surprisingly understated performance - Huw Fullerton
22. Hazbin Hotel season 2
Where to watch: Prime Video
Set in hell’s Pentagram City, Hazbin Hotel follows Charlie Morningstar and her desperate attempt to prove that sinners can be redeemed. Initially easy to dismiss as just another adult animation, Hazbin Hotel has surprised its critics by having depth beyond its crude language and innuendos.
Using hell as a backdrop for dark comedy is nothing innovative, yet Hazbin Hotel flips the script and turns its setting into a vibrant tapestry of emotional depth, laughter, and extravagant musical numbers. Its energy is palpable, as too is its colourful cast of characters. What would have been restricted as a live-action show is boundless as an animation, able to express multifaceted concepts of morality and redemption without limitations. Combined with the star power of names such as Keith David and Stephanie Beatriz, Vivienne Medrano’s creation has exceeded expectations and promises to maintain its momentum until the end - Em Flint.
21. Ironheart
Where to watch: Disney+
Ironheart is an unfairly overlooked gem in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; if it passed you by over the summer, endeavour to catch up at the soonest opportunity.
The series was largely a victim of its botched rollout; first, spending almost three years in post-production, and then being dropped with little fanfare over just a fortnight on Disney Plus. It’s as if the streamer had resigned itself to another Secret Invasion-style critical disaster, but what they had in Ironheart was quite the opposite: one of their best Marvel shows to date.
Dominique Thorne returns as Wakanda Forever’s Riri Williams, who is dragged back to her Chicago hometown, where she quickly becomes entangled with a dangerous gang of super criminals. Series creator Chinaka Hodge proceeds to deliver a story with a strong emotional hook and plenty of suspense as the MCU’s magic and tech-based corners dramatically collide.
In terms of world-building, Ironheart also boasts a compelling new villain in The Hood (played by Anthony Ramos), plus a long-demanded character in a brief-yet-impactful cameo. – David Craig
20. Murderbot
Where to watch: Apple TV
A sci-fi comedy that looks to tap into our fears about AI stars Alexander Skarsgard as the titular "Murderbot" — not that anyone else knows this is its name.
The android has given itself a new moniker having hacked its programming to achieve autonomy. Now, bursting with free will and only pretending to be bound by its owners’ instructions, it is part of a survey team scoping out alien planets.
Everyone else is a fallible, emotional human, whereas Murderbot has the face and skin of a human but is a powerful, self-interested machine underneath. The show takes this idea and uses it for what you might call "voiceover comedy": the main character is deceiving everyone, and we get to hear its thoughts via Skarsgard’s narration - Jack Seale.
19. Gen V season 2
Where to watch: Prime Video
The Boys – which imagines a world where superheroes are real, but as venal and selfish as any Hollywood bigshot – will soon conclude with its eagerly awaited fifth season.
But before that, it was time for a return to the campus of Gen V, where the next generation of "supes" are trained in their powers, moulded and indoctrinated, while also engaging in the usual drinking, partying and dating of US college life.
Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) and her friends escape the creepy lab of the last series and investigate a new conspiracy. Expect the usual lashings of blood, sex and violence, with even more crossover with The Boys - Huw Fullerton
18. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3
Where to watch: Paramount+
From messing around with the Star Trek canon to giving us fairytale episodes and murder mystery episodes, Strange New Worlds season 3 didn't hold back - and it was all the better for it.
The prequel spin-off follows the crew of the starship Enterprise on their five-year mission to explore (you guessed it) strange new worlds during the decade before The Original Series.
It might not be everyone's cup of tea, and only looks to get weirder in future seasons, as we await season 4's puppet episode (yep, really). But you'll find yourself genuinely intrigued by this loveable band of misfits and all their personal dramas - and it's a welcome reminder that sci-fi can and should be just a bit silly - Louise Griffin
17. Paradise
Where to watch: Disney+
Initially marketed as no more than a gritty thriller with the murder of a President at its core, Paradise is a wonderful Trojan horse of a series. The series proved why some of the best TV plot details should be kept as a secret and while underground bunkers and towns aren’t a new sci-fi device by any means, Paradise weaves in an action-packed Washington-related element that only notches up the tension.
Pair that with Sterling K Brown in yet another flawless turn, equally excellent performances from Julianne Nicholson and James Marsden, and twists that will leave you reeling – well, you’ve got yourself a mind-bending series with a lot of heart that practically begs to be binge-watched - Morgan Cormack.
16. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Where to watch: Disney+
Spider-Man’s origins as ordinary kid Peter Parker are explored from a new angle – there’s an important change to the story – as this cartoon series uses a retro animation style to evoke the original comic books.
Hudson Thames provides the voice of Peter, a friendly geek who is about to become a vigilante. There’s more about his high-school life than in some versions of the tale, but he’s soon slinging webs and foiling muggers - Jack Seale.
15. Devil May Cry
Where to watch: Netflix
Based on Capcom’s popular action-adventure game franchise of the same name, this new animated series introduces viewers to Dante, a handsome and witty but troubled demon hunter.
Dante, voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch, might be humanity’s only hope against the mysterious White Rabbit (Hoon Lee), who wishes to summon fearsome demons from a terrible other realm. The retro anime-style visuals and a slight emo vibe help give the show its unique texture - Jack Seale
14. Wednesday season 2
Where to watch: Netflix
Even in a school of outcasts, Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) remains a determined outsider, so the last thing she’d want to be is beloved. Yet following the launch of season one of this delightfully offbeat gothic drama back in November 2022, that’s what she became. Her dance moves were imitated, those fashion choices scrutinised, her stubbornness celebrated. So, it’s interesting to see season 2 opting to imitate life, with Wednesday, having saved Nevermore Academy the previous term, seen here returning as the idol of many.
Refreshingly, hero worship hasn’t weakened her resolve: Wednesday is still the thunderclap to friend Enid Sinclair’s (Emma Myers) rainbow. What has changed, though, is the line-up of adults in her orbit, most of whom she naturally barely tolerates. There’s Billie Piper as the enigmatic new head of music Isadora Capri, Steve Buscemi as wheedling principal Barry Dort, and Joanna Lumley as Wednesday’s Grandmama Frump.
And the fact that Catherine Zeta-Jones is also on screen more as saturnine matriarch Morticia means that the spiky dynamics of the Addams family females are spotlighted almost as much as the now-obligatory mystery, which, this time, finds Wednesday pursuing a cloaked stalker - David Brown
13. Foundation season 3
Where to watch: Apple TV
This is TV's most impressive space opera, a grand sweep of a show that manages to take its central story seriously while peppering its scenes with nuggets of dark wit. The crux of it is that a mathematician, Hari Seldon (Jared Harris), has perfected a technique that predicts the future of the despotic Empire, which used to run every planet in sight but now shares power with Seldon's Foundation.
We're now a century-and-a-half on from the previous season, with another Seldon-anticipated "crisis": the harbinger of it is powerful warlord The Mule, previously only glimpsed in dreamlike cutaways but now given full rein in an awesome opening scene.
Fans of classic Scandi drama will be amused to see the role recast, with Mikael Persbrandt from Beck giving way to Pilou Asbaek from Borgen. Anyway, we're soon having the usual weighty discussions and brittle arguments in beautiful locations, as smug clone emperor Brother Day (Lee Pace) ignores the impending apocalypse and concentrates on his new hobby: he's got a pet camel - Jack Seale.
12. Daredevil: Born Again
Where to watch: Disney+
Once on Netflix but now residing in the home of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney+, it’s taken blind lawyer/vigilante Matt Murdock/ Daredevil a while to make his comeback.
But one of the stronger Marvel TV franchises can welcome back Vincent D’Onofrio as slippery mayor Kingpin, as well as Jon Bernthal as the bone-crunching Punisher. To reprise the lead role, Charlie Cox has trained as an MMA fighter, and the fight sequences have a malevolent crunch - Jack Seale.
11. Invincible season 3
Where to watch: Prime Video
Season three of an animated superhero series returned with its signature retro visual style, a good line in dry humour and a stellar voice cast: listen out for JK Simmons, Sandra Oh, Walton Goggins, Seth Rogen, Mark Hamill and Andrew Rannells supporting Steven Yuen as the voice of 19-year-old Mark, a superhero in training who is still coming to terms with his mission to save the world.
The crash-bang action is artfully offset by some sly jokes about what it’s like to be, or to raise, a teenager - Jack Seale.
10. Severance season 2
Where to watch: Apple TV
A high-concept drama, but one that is still hanging together as it returned for a long-awaited second season. Adam Scott is Mark, an employee of a mysterious company that puts its staff through a procedure, the result of which is that in the office they remember nothing about their lives outside, and vice versa.
But now that divide has fractured, Mark and his colleagues are closer to sniffing out a grand conspiracy. Smart writing and Ben Stiller’s angular, innovative direction keeps you forever on your toes - Jack Seale
9. Stranger Things season 5
Where to watch: Netflix
After nine years, the fantasy phenomenon enters its endgame, releasing four episodes in November before the final entries drop on Netflix between Christmas and New Year. Stranger Things is such a huge hit, with so many die-hard fans, it’s hard to imagine how they’ll wrap up all the plot threads while also creating a satisfying conclusion.
These opening episodes have to do a lot of set-up before they get to the "horror in 1980s suburbia" sequences the show does best. We open back in Hawkins, Indiana in 1987, just four years after young Will Byers introduced the town to the creepy Upside Down world that exists on a parallel plane of existence.
With psychic baddie Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) still out there, it’s down to Hawkins’ finest – including telekinetic teen Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) – to track him down. Assuming he doesn’t track them down first - Huw Fullerton
8. Solo Leveling season 2
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
Two seasons in, Solo Leveling's protagonist has leveled up exponentially, and the same is also true of the show itself. Sung Jinwoo's quest to become the world's strongest hunter has taken anime by storm, sweeping the Crunchyroll Anime Awards this year thanks to its relentless action and thrilling lore, all served up in a gorgeously animated package.
Did we mention it's currently the most-viewed anime of all time on Crunchyroll? Love it or hate it, Solo Leveling has become a touchstone for the next generation of anime fans, much like Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan before it. And with Netflix's upcoming live-action remake on the way, not to mention an all-but guaranteed third season, Solo Leveling could even level up and surpass them. - David Opie
7. Black Mirror season 7
Where to watch: Netflix
The latest run of Charlie Brooker’s digital dystopia opens with a real gut-punch of an episode, penned by Brooker himself. Rashida Jones and Chris O’Dowd are an ordinary, loving couple, apparently in the normal present day, until a sudden crisis leads to them experimenting with a revolutionary new health product...
What seems initially like a regular Black Mirror story ticking off modern malaises (digital subscription services, intrusive adverts and online content that demeans both the creator and the viewer are all dealt with) steadily becomes something much more serious and sad; devastatingly so as the story moves towards a horrible, logical conclusion.
As for the rest of the season? There's something very odd about a new employee at a chocolate company, an AI love story, a system that allows people to step into photographic memories of the past, and a treat for fans as the crew of USS Callister returns - Jack Seale
6. The Wheel of Time season 3
Where to watch: Prime Video
In one of the biggest TV tragedies of 2025, The Wheel of Time was cancelled swiftly after its best season to date.
Based on the sprawling fantasy novels by Robert Jordan, the Prime Video series faced reasonable criticism from fans following its first two instalments, before finally hitting its stride in season three with Rand Al'Thor's (Josha Stradowski) journey to the Aiel Waste to prove himself as the Car'a'carn.
A gripping story, stunning performances from the lead cast, who also included the show's champion Rosamund Pike as Moiraine Damodred, and beautiful visuals weren't enough to save the show – but that doesn't mean fans have given up, with a petition to bring it back securing more than 250,000 signatures - Louise Griffin.
5. It: Welcome to Derry
Where to watch: Sky/NOW
Capitalising on the recent trend for TV adaptations of classic horror franchises, this is an imaginative, and suitably scary, addition to the Stephen King lore. This version has been developed by brother-and-sister duo Andy and Barbara Muschietti, who were behind 2017’s It and 2019’s It Chapter Two, and Jason Fuchs.
Taking place in the early 1960s, prior to the timeframe of those films, it transports us back to Derry, Maine. When a boy goes missing, his group of friends, played by a brilliant young cast, investigate, but the evil clown Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård reprises his role and executive-produces) soon taps into their worst nightmares.
The opening episode does not go where you think it will at all – proving there are still plenty of new shocks to be had within a story you thought you knew - Laura Rutkowski
4. The Last of Us season 2
Where to watch: Sky/NOW
"Based on a video game" flashing up at the start of a TV show doesn’t usually inspire much confidence, but The Last of Us is a definite exception to that rule. When the first series was released in 2023, the story – which saw a grizzled smuggler transporting a teen across a post-apocalyptic America – struck a chord with viewers, as did the terrifying, fungus-infected zombies they faced along the way.
This year, the series returned for a second run, picking up five years after we left our heroes Joel and Ellie (Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey). After Joel sabotaged a cure for the "cordyceps" plague to save Ellie’s life, they’ve settled down in a surviving small town for a simpler life. But a sense of dread pervades – both human and infected forces are headed their way to shatter this fragile peace, and Joel and Ellie are at odds.
It’s a credit to the performances that in a world of mushroom zombies, it’s the human relationships that hold your attention - Huw Fullerton
3. Alien: Earth
Where to watch: Disney+
It’s 2120, and just two years before the events of 1979 film Alien, in creator Noah Lawley’s (Fargo, Legion) prequel series. It disregards the events of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, and takes place mainly on Earth, which is ruled by five large corporations. It is a place where cyborgs (humans with biological and artificial parts) and synthetics (humanoid robots with artificial intelligence) live among humans.
When the genius and CEO of Prodigy Corporation, Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), launches hybrids (humanoid robots in adult bodies with human consciousness taken from terminally ill children), the intelligence race is well and truly on for ultimate dominance. Deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot, operated by the Weyland-Yutani corporation, crashes on Earth, bringing with it five alien species, including the Xenomorph.
Seeing it in its crowd-pleasing, hissing glory is worth the watch alone. Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and her fellow hybrids investigate the crash site, driven by the need to find her brother, a medic called Hermit (Alex Lawther)… Laura Rutkowski
2. Pluribus
Where to watch: Apple TV
Years after blessing us with Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, TV titan Vince Gilligan returned with his new genre-bending offering, Pluribus - and, by George, he's done it again!
Starring Better Call Saul's Rhea Seehorn, the sci-fi mystery kept viewers guessing even before it premiered, with Apple TV's puzzling marketing. Then, we were pulled into the world of Seehorn's Carol, a reluctant hero who has to save the world from the most bizarre alien invasion of all time by herself, with just her flip chart and a bad attitude. Oh, and a grenade dutifully delivered to her by her captors.
With underlying messages about love and loss, about humanity and loneliness, about AI and technology, and what it means to be an individual in this increasingly confusing world, Pluribus is exactly what the doctor ordered - Louise Griffin
1. Andor season 2
Where to watch: Disney+
When it arrived in 2022, there were low expectations for this Star Wars series, a prequel to a spin-off (2016’s movie Rogue One) based on a relatively minor character. But this spy-v-spy thriller version of a galaxy far, far away quickly won viewers over. Season 2 only upped the ante as we followed rebel agent Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), working for the nascent Rebellion while the fascist Empire tried to crush dissent.
Season two kicks off with Andor’s mission to steal an experimental spaceship going catastrophically wrong, while spymaster Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) and politician Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) cross paths at a wedding and make a ruthless decision.
Despite the Star Wars sheen, this is grown-up, smart storytelling with plenty of real-world parallels — and not a lightsaber in sight - Huw Fullerton
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