20 Best Shows Like Stargate You Need to Watch
Stargate is a very popular sci-fi franchise and still has a lot of fans. But, if you are like me, and have watched the movies, SG-1, Atlantis, Universe and even the pretty bad Origins multiple times, maybe you want something else, at least for a bit. Well, we have you covered with this article, because we decided to make the list of the best shows like Stargate you just need to watch.
Below are some of the best shows in the sci-fi genre, and whichever you decide to watch, you won’t go wrong. Some are more, some less similar to the Stargate, but all of the shows on the list are great. So, go ahead and choose your next watch.
Firefly (2002–2003)
Captain Malcolm ‘Mal’ Reynolds is a former galactic war veteran who becomes captain of the transport ship Serenity. Mal and his crew – Zoe Alleyne Washburne, his right hand; Zoe’s pilot husband Hoban ‘Wash’ Washburne; muscular mercenary Jayne Cobb; young mechanic Kaylee Frye; former Alliance MD Simon Tam; Simon’s disturbed teenage sister River (River and Simon are on the run from the interplanetary government called the Alliance); the beautiful courtesan Inara Serra; and preacher Shepherd Book, are ready to take any job, legal or not, and embark on a new adventure across the universe.
The Expanse (2015–2022)
A police detective in the asteroid belt, the first officer of an interplanetary ice tug and the executive president of the United Nations slowly uncover a vast conspiracy that threatens a rebellious asteroid belt colony.
The Outer Limits (1995–2002)
A modern revival of the classic science fiction horror anthology show The Outer Limits (1963). Episodes often have twist-endings and involve aliens. Sometimes, a story from one episode continues in a later episode.
Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009)
One of the most popular sci-fi series “Battlestar Galactica” is the classic adventure of a fleet of humans who are the only survivors of a devastating nuclear attack by Cylon robots. Faced with an unwinnable battle against a deadly enemy, they are forced to flee under the protection of their only remaining battleship, the aging Galactica.
Pursued by the Cylons – some of whom have taken human form – Commander Adama (Olmos) and President Roslin (McDonnell) lead these last remnants of humanity in search of a new home – a planet called Earth.
Lost in Space (2018–2021)
In 2046, two years after an impact event that threatens the survival of humanity, the Robinson family is selected for the 24th mission of the Resolute (24th Colonist Group), an interstellar spacecraft carrying selected families and civilians to colonize the Alpha Centauri planetary system.
Before they reach their destination, an alien robot breaches the Resolute’s hull. Forced to evacuate the mothership in numerous short-range Jupiter spacecraft, scores of colonists, among them the Robinsons, crash on a nearby habitable planet. There they must contend with a strange environment and battle their own personal demons as they search for a way back to the Resolute.
A large part of the show revolves around Will Robinson’s connection to an alien robot and an alien engine capable of interstellar travel that a small group of humans had previously and secretly stolen from the robots. An army of other robots, much like Will’s robot, try to take the engine back, stranding everyone in deep space. The army is led by a robot dubbed “SAR” (Second Alien Robot). The robots’ creators are largely unknown, except for the fact that they are extinct.
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)
The commander of the Enterprise NCC 1701-D is now Jean-Luc Picard who travels with his crew to distant planets in search of new life forms and boldly treads where no one has gone before. The series has won many awards during its many years of broadcasting. In 1991 and 1998, it won the Saturn Award for Best Genre TV Series. Of the Emmys won, the numerous awards for costume design, scenography, make-up, sound and visual effects stand out.
Farscape (1999–2003)
Thrown into a distant part of the universe, an Earth astronaut finds himself part of a fugitive alien starship crew.
Nightflyers (2018)
Set in the year 2093, the series follows eight intrepid scientists and a powerful telepath who set out on an expedition to the edge of our solar system aboard the Nightflyer, hoping to make contact with extraterrestrial life. But when terrifying and violent events begin to occur, the crew begins to question each other – and surviving the journey turns out to be more difficult than anyone thought.
Andromeda (2000–2005)
Set in the distant expanses of space, the series “Andromeda” follows the adventures of Dylan Hunt, the captain of the spaceship Andromeda, and six members of his crew who all try together to restore the Galactic Commonwealth, an administration in which peace and progress reigned.
Black Mirror (2011–2019)
In the past decade, technology has transformed almost every aspect of our lives before we have time to act. In every home, on every table, on every palm – plasma screen, monitor, smartphone – a black mirror of our existence in the 21st century.
Our perception of reality is changing. We kneel before the altars of “Google” and “Apple”, the algorithms of “Facebook” know us more intimately than our parents. We have access to all the information in the world, but not enough brain space to absorb anything longer than 140 characters of a “tweet”.
“Black Mirror” is a hybrid of “The Twilight Zone” and “Tales of the Unexpected,” tapping into our collective discomfort with the modern world. The stand-alone episodes are witty and tense satirical stories about paranoia over technology, and they’re all the product of fiction: some comedic, some shocking, but completely different from anything you’ve seen on television before.
Babylon 5 (1993–1998)
The series follows a human military crew and alien diplomats stationed on the space station Babylon 5, built after several major wars between various alien races, as a neutral ground for galactic diplomacy and trade.
Doctor Who (2005– )
The adventures of a mysterious alien, better known as the Doctor, who travels through time and space. The character of the Doctor was shrouded in mystery at first. All that was known about him was that he was an eccentric alien traveler of high intelligence who fights evil by traveling through time and space in his old, unreliable spaceship called the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space). In time, it is revealed that the Doctor is one of the Time Lords from the planet Gallifrey. As such, he has the ability to regenerate his body when in mortal danger. The Doctor has gone through 13 lives.
Each of his new personas has their own traits, mannerisms and abilities, but they still have the memories and experiences of previous Doctors. The doctor almost always travels in the company, with a maximum of three companions, except once when there were six of them. The Doctor usually gains new companions and loses old ones; sometimes they return home or have another reason: love, a place they visited, etc. Some even died on their travels.
Night Sky (2022)
In the center of the plot are Irene (Spacek) and Franklin (Simmons) who accidentally come across a portal that leads to an alien planet. The previously peaceful life of an ordinary couple becomes quite chaotic when they begin to be questioned about the mysterious passage and the world it leads to.
Killjoys (2015–2019)
A space adventure about a trio of bounty hunters working for an independent organization. Throughout the planetary system the Quad are known as Kiljoys. Quad is controlled by a tyrannical corporation known as “The Company”. As the entire system teeters on the brink of a revolutionary interplanetary war, and their pasts blow down their throats, our trio must fight for their neutrality by focusing on the one law that Kiljoy will not break: “Orders are everything.”
The 100 (2014–2020)
Nuclear Armageddon ravaged the Earth and wiped out almost all traces of life. The only survivors are now the inhabitants of 12 international space stations in Earth’s orbit. Three generations later, more precisely 97 years later, about 2,000 people inhabit the stations under the common name – Ark. However, the Ark population is also in danger and is threatened with extinction. The only way they can save the population is to send 100 young prisoners back to Earth.
Their task is to explore the possibility of reestablishing life. What they will discover on their return to Earth will be a surprise to many – humanity is not completely destroyed after Armageddon. Groups of survivors underwent all kinds of transformations in an attempt to avoid extermination.
Dark Matter (2015–2017)
In the dystopian 27th century, six people wake up on a deserted spaceship with no memory of who they are or what they’re doing there. They reluctantly team up and set off to find answers with the help of a female android.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020)
This dynamic, action drama follows Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team of highly skilled agents as they investigate unusual people and events and superhuman abilities around the world. These SHIELD agents have a mission: to explore everything new, unusual and unknown around the world while protecting the ordinary from the extraordinary.
Raised by Wolves (2020–2022)
The series “Wolf Raising” follows two androids – Father and Mother – who are tasked with raising human children on a mysterious and recently discovered planet. As the colony grows, the people are threatened with discord due to religious differences. Androids learn that controlling people’s beliefs is a tricky and difficult task.
Falling Skies (2011–2015)
The series begins six months after the alien invasion. Former Boston University history professor Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) becomes one of the leaders of a group of civilians determined to oppose the invaders.
Eureka (2006–2012)
Eureka is an American town in the Pacific Northwest, with clean streets, polite children and a beautiful town square surrounded by greenery. At first glance, it’s a city just right for a modern man who escapes from the noise of large urban areas into nature, silence and tranquility.
At least that’s what federal marshal Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) thought when he accidentally found himself in Eureka after a car accident that drove him off the road. But the idyllic facade is a deception. Eureka is actually an experimental town where the US government places the world’s geniuses to secretly work on government projects. Of course, in a city that is under the protectorate of the Pentagon and where higher state goals are the most important, everything else is left to chance and the pastoral peace hides chaos and dark secrets that threaten Eureka and all its inhabitants.
Carter stays in the town longer than he thought and in trying to maintain law and order he faces everyday but not usual crises. The offenses and crimes he solves range from unrequited love to professional jealousy, from addiction to depression, problems that spring from the challenges of everyday life. The unique talents of the residents of Eureka, who often balance on the almost invisible border between genius and madman, create problems whose solution is not very common and requires a lot of ingenuity, endurance and courage. It is precisely this interaction of human weaknesses and superscience, from which the stories of each episode emerge, that is the connecting thread of the series.
