Apple TV+ is a relatively new streaming platform, certainly in comparison with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. But, its HBO-like commissioning process and adherence to a quality over quantity mantra has rapidly seen it established as one of the best streaming services around.
Dramas like Slow Horses, Black Bird, and Masters of the Air are among the best you can stream today, while its no slouch when it comes to comedies too – Mythic Quest, for example, is simply magical.
However, there is one genre in which Apple TV+ truly excels. It has continually invested millions in top-notch science fiction programming, and that's paying huge dividends as the service is now a must-have for sci-fi fans.
It hosts a healthy selection of near and far future treats, with others such as adaptations of The Murderbot Diaries and Neuromancer on their way. The only problem is which of them to watch first.
That's why we've put together this handy list of our five favourite sci-fi series on Apple TV+ for you to also enjoy. It's also worth nothing that they're each presented in 4K HDR with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for supported TVs and devices.
Silo
Starring Mission Impossible's Rebecca Ferguson, Silo is a superb sci-fi mystery drama set in a, well, silo.
The population are fed information that the outside world has been ravaged by an apocalyptic event and heading above ground leads to certain death. However, Ferguson's Nichols has cause to dispute those claims and therefore attempts to seek the truth.
Season 1 is available on Apple TV+ now with a second season commissioned and reportedly coming later in 2024. There are 10 episodes to stream already, so that's plenty to be getting on with.
For All Mankind
Loved by critics and viewers alike, having achieved 100% scores on Rotten Tomatoes for the second and fourth seasons, For All Mankind was one of Apple TV+'s launch shows and it is still a flag-bearer for the service.
It presents a "what if?" tale whereby the Soviet Union won the race to the Moon in 1969 and, as such, the space race continued, leading to a number of key differences that shape this alternative Earth to our own.
Cleverly, each season is set in a different decade, from the late 60s/70s to the 2000s (so far), so always feel fresh and different. There's a fantastic cast too, with Joel Kinnaman (Altered Carbon) leading the way, but very ably supported by the likes of Michael Dornan (Daybreakers) and Daniel Stern (Home Alone).
Severance
Arguably the best show on Apple TV+, not just in the sci-fi genre, Severance is a wonderful, at times confusing mystery drama moulded around a truly awesome concept.
Some employees of conglomerate Lumon Industries have signed a waiver that enables the company to split their personalities between the outside and working worlds. That means, when Mark Scout (Adam Scott) and his colleagues turn up for a day's grind, they switch into an "innie" persona and revert to an "outie" when leaving again.
It enables them to keep both world's compartmentalised in their minds. However, Scout soon discovers issues with the program and a web of intrigue begins.
The show is beautifully shot and paced, allowing us to uncover the conspiracies at the same time as the leads. It's also such great news that the second season, which was much delayed due to the pandemic and Hollywood writers' strike, is now in production again.
Constellation
One of the newest sci-fi TV shows to hit Apple TV+, Constellation is a tense psychological thriller starring one of the queens of the genre, Prometheus' Noomi Rapace.
She plays Johanna Ericsson, an astronaut who returns to Earth after a disaster during her term in space, and finds that things aren't quite as she expected. Pieces of her life are missing or twisted, but are they just tricks of her own mind or genuine issues with space travel?
It's a real turn of pace (or should we say Rapace) for an Apple sci-fi show, as Constellation is a lot darker than its peers. It's also arguably a horror, with several jump scares along the way.
Make sure you have a cushion handy to hide behind.
Foundation
Our final inclusion is perhaps Apple's most ambitious sci-fi epic, Foundation. Based on the series of stories and novellas by Issac Asimov, it has an excellent cast in the (always brilliant) Jared Harris (The Expanse, Chernobyl), Lee Pace (The Hobbit, Guardians of the Galaxy), Lou Llobell and Leah Harvey, and looks particularly impressive with its movie-quality special effects.
There are two 10-episode series available on Apple TV+ at present, but more are planned as the space opera is pretty ambitious and weighty in scale. After all, it does centre on a fight against an enormous Galactic Empire (and its attempts to avoid defeat).
Unfortunately, filming of the third season has suffered from some issues in recent times, but don't let that put you off as we fully expect the wrinkles to be ironed out soon and production to restart.
