10 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Series We Love
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 0
- 0
Good science fiction and / or fantasy is just fun, whether it’s time travel drama or dragon magic chaos. TECHNOLOGY BUTTON has compiled a personal list of the best sci-fi and fantasy series on streaming provider Netflix.
Science fiction – ie “science” (Eng. Science) and “fiction” (Eng. Fiction; something that only exists in the imagination) – describes as a genre that material that shows humanity in a time shaped and revolutionized by science . Sci-Fi is popular in film, as there are hardly any limits to the imagination. Keyword fantasy: Closely related to the genre is fantasy, the roots of which lie in legends and mythologies. There are also a number of productions to be seen on Netflix; the provider regularly produces large sci-fi and fantasy series and films. There the two genres are also grouped together as one category.
TECHNOLOGY BUTTON has selected the best and most worth seeing in the opinion of the editors.
Also read: Movies and series starting on Netflix in February
Contents
- Dirk Gently's holistic detective agency (2 seasons)
- The Protector (4 seasons)
- Umbrella Academy (2 seasons)
- The Dark Crystal: Era of Resistance (1 Season)
- Matryoshka - Russian Doll (1 season)
- The Dragon Prince (3 seasons)
- Dark (3 seasons)
- The Witcher (1 season)
- Castlevania (3 seasons)
- Sense8 (2 seasons + film)
- Orphan Black (5 seasons)
- Altered Carbon (2 seasons)
- Stranger Things (3 seasons)
- Journey to the West (2 seasons)
- Avatar: Last Airbender (3 seasons)
Dirk Gently’s holistic detective agency (2 seasons)
The science fiction series “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” is based on the legendary books by the author Douglas Adams and really has a lot to offer. The series is bloody and brutal, funny and confusing, sarcastic and disturbing in the best possible sense. In the midst of this chaos is Dirk Gently (Samuel Barnett), a weird guy in too colorful shirts and with a turquoise sports car. At his side – only moderately voluntarily – is always his “assistant” Todd (Elijah Wood). Dirk Gently runs a “holistic” detective agency in which he solves crimes by “abandoning himself to the natural flow of all being” (with minor changes of course if he senses the hidden connection between things).
The series is certainly nothing to stream on the side. But if you want to fully immerse yourself in the wonderful universe, you should (unfortunately only) watch two seasons!
The Protector (4 seasons)
The fantasy mystery series “The Protector” comes from Turkey and is certainly one of the lesser-known titles on this list. The eponymous “Protector” has the task of fighting the seven immortals who hide among the people and want to exterminate them. This battle has been raging for centuries and both sides have been severely decimated. It is currently the turn of Hakan (Cagatay Ulusoy), who is the last descendant of the Protectors; he is supposed to eliminate the last remaining immortal. There are four seasons of the series, all of which can be seen on Netflix.
Umbrella Academy (2 seasons)
Throw superheroes, time travel, an ominous society with a claim to world domination and a great cast in one pot and the result is probably just a tired copy of “The Umbrella Academy”. Based on the comic book of the same name, in the two seasons so far published, the series tells of a group of people with extraordinary abilities who are adopted by the eccentric scientist Sir Reginald Hargreeves and recruited for his superhero school. At first there are seven rather strange children, years later, when everything has somehow gone terribly wrong, there are even stranger adults who come together again to save the world.
Well-known performers include Elliot Page, Aidan Gallagher and Robert Sheehan. So far there are two seasons, the second being a very gratifying and unusual increase on the first. A third season has already been officially confirmed.
The Dark Crystal: Era of Resistance (1 Season)
The planet Thra is cruelly ruled by so-called Skeksen. In order to prolong their own life, they kill Skekse the inferior grasping animals and drink their “essence”. When a group of grabbers gets wind of it, they want to learn the whole truth and bring it to light. What is remarkable about the series “The Dark Crystal: Era of Resistance” is not only the story, but above all the implementation. The sometimes cute and then ugly inhabitants of Thra are not played by actors, but by puppets.
The fantasy series is the prelude to the film “The Dark Crystal” from 1982. Despite very good reviews and even an Emmy win, no sequel is planned.
Matryoshka – Russian Doll (1 season)
Calling the series “Matrjoschka” science fiction may be risky, as the exact background of the time travel the protagonist undertakes is not clearly of a technical nature. But it is not really fantasy that the viewer gets to see in the eight episodes of the first season that have been published so far. But since the concept of time travel is a very fundamental one of the genres, the great series with the also great playing Natasha Lyonne lands on our list. About the plot: The software engineer Nadia Vulvokov has to experience her 36th birthday over and over again – including death at the end.
In addition to the terrific leading actress, the series is above all incredibly well written. Our recommendation: Be sure to watch the series in the original!
The Dragon Prince (3 seasons)
With “The Prince of Dragons” Netflix has an animated fantasy series for the whole family, but adults can also have fun. It’s about the magical land of Xadia and the power struggle between elves and humans. The elves use magic in the traditional, natural way, but the humans have created somber new sources, killing the king of dragons and supposedly destroying his egg. By chance, the young Prince Ezran discovers that this egg is kept hidden under his castle and decides to bring it back to restore peace. He is accompanied by his clumsy, magical stepbrother Callum, the elven assassin Rayla and – not to forget – his light turtle Beut.
The very humorous series has so far comprised three seasons with nine episodes each. Allegedly a total of seven seasons are planned.
Also interesting: Movies and series that Netflix is about to cancel
Dark (3 seasons)
“Dark” was the first German Netflix series at the time of the production of the first season – and a huge success right away. In the somehow wonderful hazy small German town of Winden, most of the locals live from the nearby nuclear power plant. Suddenly, several children mysteriously disappear, just like 33 years before. Jonas (Louis Hofmann) gets more or less voluntarily into an entanglement over time when he goes in search of Mikkel, the missing brother of his great love Martha Lisa Vicari). The exciting plot spans more and more families of winds that seem to have been interwoven for many generations …
The fact that there will be three seasons was planned from the start and you can feel this precise planning from the first to the last minute. There would be no other way to tell such a confusing story. The final “Dark” season was released in summer 2020, so you can now experience the sci-fi series to your heart’s content.
The Witcher (1 season)
A handsome, silent and extremely battle-tested monster hunter (Henry Cavill), a beautiful and powerful sorceress (Anya Chalotra) and a princess with mysterious powers on the run (Freya Allen) – what more does a fantasy heart need? Maybe a good portion of lederhosen, golden dragons, shape shifters, grim-looking dryads, sympathetic supporting characters and a catchy tune that has it all. “The Witcher” offers all of this. The Netflix series is based on the book by the Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Even better known than the books are the successful video games from CD Projekt Red.
Even if the first season has its weaknesses in the first few episodes, the series is still absolutely worth seeing! A second season will appear in 2021, with a total of seven planned.
Castlevania (3 seasons)
The animation series “Castlevania” takes up the basic premise of the well-known video game series of the same name. On one side are the vampires, at their head Dracula. On the other hand, there is primarily the vampire hunter family Belmont, represented in the current generation by Trevor (not Julius as incorrectly stated in video game euphoria in the video) Belmont. When Dracula calls for revenge against all humanity and sends hordes of monsters because his human wife has been killed, the lonely and helpless Trevor has to take action. He receives support from the magician Sylpha (Alejandra Reynoso) and the half-vampire Alucard (James Callis), Dracula’s own son.
In three terribly dark seasons so far, a conflict unfolds that is deeply anchored in the fantasy genre. The video game template is used in the best possible way, so that fans of the series should also enjoy themselves without really having to know the games.
Sense8 (2 seasons + film)
The Wachowski siblings have already proven that they can do good science fiction material with the “Matrix” films. In the series “Sense 8” eight people are spiritually connected across the entire planet. The premise here: people who are born on the same day and at the same time can not only communicate telepathically, but also take over the capabilities of their so-called “cluster”. And like any good sci-fi series, “Sense 8” naturally needs an ominous, dark organization as antagonists that wants to exploit the special forces of the group. The series was originally intended to be discontinued without a degree. Due to the fierce protest of the fan base, a long (and definitely emotional) final episode appeared.
The cast is authentic and international, and it was actually shot in the characters’ home countries and cities, including Berlin, Seoul, Mumbai and San Francisco. This gives the series, which has been polished to a high gloss overall, a special atmosphere. The main cast includes Max Riemelt, Brian J. Smith, Bae Doona and Jamie Clayton, among others. There are two seasons and – after the big fan protests that followed the cancellation – a final film.
Orphan Black (5 seasons)
In the Canadian series “Orphan Black”, actress Tatiana Maslany slips into a variety of roles. The protagonist Sarah Manning finds out right at the beginning of the series that she was part of an experiment and was cloned – more than once. The young woman experiences the disturbing experience of supposedly seeing herself jump in front of a train. Bit by bit, she and other clones – including a brilliant scientist, a strict suburban housewife and a Soviet killer – track down a criminal organization. Sarah tries to leave her traumatic past behind and to protect her family.
There are a total of five seasons with ten episodes each. Main actress Tatiana Maslany in particular was able to win international prizes for her versatile portrayal, including an Emmy.
Altered Carbon (2 seasons)
The dark science fiction series is about murder, bribery and manipulation. The setting: a dystopian world in the 24th century, in which it is possible to save a person’s consciousness and experience on a stick. So it is possible for the rich to live practically forever by repeatedly transferring their consciousness to clones of themselves. Against this background, a mysterious murder takes place, which the elite soldier Takeshi Kovacs (grandiose played by Joel Kinnaman) is supposed to solve – in a foreign body after his consciousness was preserved for 250 years. Especially the first season with its “Who did it?” Plot is highly recommended. The setting and cast round off the exciting plot. By the way, the book by Richard Morgan is definitely recommended for sci-fi fans.
The first season was released in February 2018, the second in February 2020. Unfortunately, it is now known that there will be no third season, although the book template would reveal a lot more.
Stranger Things (3 seasons)
“Stranger Things” should not be missing on a list of the best sci-fi and fantasy series! The very successful Netflix in-house production is simply fun in all three seasons that have appeared so far! In the series, which could also be assigned to the mystery genre and which started in 2016, the boy Will Bayers disappears in the fictional small town of Hawkins in 1983. His family and friends are desperately looking for him and in the process come on the trail of a mysterious and gloomy parallel world from which ominous figures can step into this world due to secret government experiments.
The series with Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbor has been nominated for numerous Emmys and Golden Globes. The authentic 80s setting and the performance of the cast, which is largely made up of previously unknown child actors, are particularly praised. A fourth season was confirmed by Netflix back in 2019, so it will definitely continue!
Journey to the West (2 seasons)
The book “The Journey to the West” is a real Chinese classic, but thanks to modern adaptations it is now known all over the world. The Netflix series is about an Australian production. Hundreds of years ago the demons defeated the gods (which is not really surprising in the serial representation) and have ruled the world ever since. Since then, the four sacred scrolls and the monkey king have also disappeared. In truth, this god languishes in a dark dungeon. A young scholar (Luciane Buchanan), who later calls herself Tripitaka, succeeds in freeing him in order to fight the demons with him. “Monkey” (Chai Romruen) doesn’t feel like it at all …
“The Journey to the West” is certainly not a glossy series. It almost looks like it was from the 90s, a little trashy and even a little weird. At the same time it is great fun, offers a lot of fantastic fight scenes and a very convincing cast. So far there are two seasons.
Avatar: Last Airbender (3 seasons)
Before there was the blue Na’vi in the movie “Avatar”, there was the Nickelodeon series “Avatar – Last Airbender. Calling the series a fantasy classic might be a bit exaggerated, but it has the potential to do so. In a world where humans can control the four elements, there are also four nations. While the people in these realms usually rule one element at a time, the always reborn Avatar can tame all four. Avatar Aang was born in the air and was just 12 years old when the Fire Nation attacks his homeland and he disappears without a trace. 100 years later, the siblings Katara and Zokka found him preserved alive in the ice through his powers. The group embarks on an adventurous journey so that Aang can learn
In three seasons, the animated series tells the story, which is fantastic in every respect. With this, “Avatar – Lord of the Elements” laid the foundation for a franchise that is popular around the world.
Also interesting: Movies and series on Netflix that have only been around for a short time
GO TO COMMENTS (0)
