There might be some shows you didn’t think could qualify as science fiction, and here are three we think you might enjoy.
Some shows debut and they’re very obvious about what they are. Star Trek? Obviously science fiction. Sure there may be elements of something else within those shows but they’re mostly just science fiction, at least in the eyes of fans. Yes, Star Trek is more layered than just “science fiction.” Yes, there are relationships, political discourse, a little action, and a little adventure but mostly it’s seen as a science fiction show.
That’s part of the issue with genre shows, they’re often so much more encompassing than just that one thing, so to label them as only that often removes the complexities the shows tackle. Shows are often more than just one genre, and yet oftentimes those multi-genre shows are relegated to only one label, which is just a shame.
Some of the best shows could qualify as science fiction if you are willing to look beyond its one-dimensional labeling but often don’t due to so many thinking so little about the sci-fi genre. Be it a sitcom, a drama, an animated outing, or something else entirely, if you look closely enough you could see elements of science fiction if you’re looking for it.
These following shows are admittedly not the most obvious names, in some instances, when you think about the genre of science fiction but they do qualify, even if only barely. That’s why we’ve decided to tip our caps to these unappreciated science fiction works of art. So strap in and buckle up, because we’re about to enter the danger zone.
You know, eventually.
Power Rangers
This may seem obvious but is it? The Power Rangers are generally thought of as a Japanese super-hero series that was modified for an American audience. Yet, when people talk about their favorite superhero series or superhero characters, the Power Rangers never get brought up. Despite it being a huge franchise still.
It also qualifies as a martial arts series, for obvious reasons, but it’s so far away from being something akin to Kung Fu the television series, or Into the Badlands. It seems to not have the same distinction as those types of shows either.
Then there’s the obvious category it could fall under, the kaiju monster genre. Even in that genre though it doesn’t seem to be as accepted as something like the Ultra Series or the obvious, Godzilla franchise.
It’s mostly just labeled a “kids show” but a more accurate reason is, at least from a western perspective, that it takes too many elements of too many different genres and integrates them to be fully seen as only one thing. It’s equal parts kaiju, martial arts, and superhero. Yet, it’s also predominantly science fiction.
Think about it; it’s a television show about aliens that use advanced technology to try and conquer the world. Their only opposition is another alien being that outfits a group of people to fight back using equally as advanced technology in a long-standing war between good and evil. Oh, and they also go to outer space, alternate realities, the future, the past, and different timelines throughout the series’ run. All of that stuff is literally found in every science fiction show worth watching.
Du to it being such a hodgepodge of different genres, it feels right to just call the Power Rangers what it is; a science fiction series.
Archer
I mean, come on. This is pretty obvious. Archer is an animated spy show that centers itself on a borderline alcoholic agent and his crew of fellow spies as they go on outlandish adventures throughout the seasons. The dynamics change throughout the course of the show, like Archer and company becoming drug runners and private investigators. Eventually spending three seasons doing soft reboots, like putting the group on a tropical island as adventurers or in outer space as the most incompetent astronauts ever.
When the series isn’t darting back to the turn of the 20th century thanks to a coma, it routinely features clones, fully functioning cyborgs, trips to the deepest parts of the ocean, trips to outer space, an attempt to colonize Mars and high tech spy equipment that may or may not exist yet.
Archer’s chief rival for most of the series is a man named Barry that eventually becomes an android with a vendetta against Archer. The series is filled with outlandish nonsense like this, be it grappling hooks, cybernetics, or just random gadgetry in so many cars.
The series Archer sees the fantastic H.Jon Benjamin (of Bob’s Burgers) voice Sterling Archer, allowing for some of the most fantastic comedy in all of television. In one bit, Benjamin’s two animated shows (Archer/Bob’s Burgers) are able to do an amazing crossover that finds Sterling Archer himself living the life of Bob from Bob’s Burgers. It’s a fleeting gag but it works.
The show’s more comedy than science fiction but it’s impossible to do the series well without its huge influence of science fiction tropes and non-existent technology.
Including but not limited to the best running bit in the show; the Krieger clones.
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.