3 television shows that actually qualify as science fiction

Community

This is a series that makes you think it’s just a quiet, little ‘ol comedy about a bunch of people going to a community college to get their life back on track. While that may be true, it does have some elements of science fiction, even if it’s presented through the gaze of a person’s imagination.

The show is about seven people who become friends through an Intro to Spanish course at a community college. All seven people are there for vastly different reasons and find a bond that unites them across the six seasons of the show. The cast and crew are perfect and with Dan Harmon and the Russo Brothers leading the way, it’s not hard to see why the show has gained such a strong fanbase over the years.

While not so much in the first season, by the third season the show starts to incorporate a lot of out-there elements. Whether it’s a zombie-out break in the middle of a Halloween party, the exploration of alternate realities, or even an unspoken about fifth wind, the world of Community has proven that it exists beyond its traditional sitcom narrative.

There’s enough here to warrant a science fiction subcategory.

While it’s not the most overwhelming theme of the series, and so much of it does happen through hallucinations or a mental breakdown, there’s more than enough here to admit that it doesn’t just fall under a traditional slice-of-life sitcom-like friends or Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.