4 Hidden TV show gems from the sci-fi genre

Get ready to discover some four of our favorite hidden sci-fi gems from television!

The sci-fi genre is now very popular. Shows like Stranger Things and Doctor Who prove that. Yet there are also those sci-fi shows that for whatever reason don’t take off as much. Some of them might be popular to a certain extent or for a while, but they don’t quite have the same level of recognition that the more popular shows get. So, we’ve decided to make a list of our favorite hidden sci-fi gems from television.

Most people have probably heard of Stranger Things and Doctor Who, but have they heard of Orphan Black? Or Humans? Probably not.

Luckily, we’re here to help you discover these hidden gems of the sci-fi genre, to broaden your horizons. While these shows all have their fans, they are not as well known or recognizable as Stranger Things or Doctor Who. Perhaps they will be in time.

Sometimes the best shows are the ones that are somewhat ahead of their time. And that could certainly be said of many of these shows. These gems of the sci-fi genre often ask provocative and intriguing questions of their audiences and feature well-written characters and interesting plots.

Hidden sci-fi gems: Orphan Black

The first hidden gem of the sci-fi genre is Orphan Black. Orphan Black tells the story of Sarah Manning (Tatiana Maslany), who witnesses the death of a woman who looks just like her. Sarah is confused but decides to take the woman’s identity and take over her life fully, finding out that the woman, Elizabeth Childs, is a detective.

Sarah also finds out that she’s not the only one with her face. And neither was Elizabeth, or Beth, as she’s more commonly known. Actually, both Sarah and Beth are clones. There are several clones, all across North America and Europe. Sarah meets many of them throughout the show, and as you can imagine, hijinks ensue.

However, the show is not all fun and games. The clones are being observed by monitors, who are placed into their personal lives by the Dyad Institute. This is all done, supposedly, to study the clones, but it is a real invasion of privacy. The Dyad Institute isn’t the only group that knows about the clones, the Proletheans know as well.

They are a religious group that believes clones are abominations, and therefore send one of the clones, Helena, to kill the others. The series follows Sarah as she attempts to protect herself, her fellow clones, and her daughter from both the Dyad Institute and the Proletheans. Sarah’s daughter Kira is of particular interest to both groups as she is the only known offspring of a clone since the rest of them are sterile.

Orphan Black makes its fans think about the ethics involved in human cloning and how it would affect the identities of the clones themselves. It’s also loads of good sci-fi fun, with Sarah regularly needing to pretend to be other clones. Hilarity ensues. There’s also a lot of well-written, well-developed characters. And the plots are intriguing without being nonsensical. What more could you want?

More hidden sci-fi gems: Humans.

Humans takes place in an alternate universe where many people own what are known as Synths. Synths are robots who act as servants for humans, yet they look similar to real human beings. This understandably freaks some humans out, though others accept the Synths eagerly into their lives. The story follows Joe Hawkins (Tom Goodman-Hill) and his family as they purchase a new Synth, who they name Anita (Gemma Chan). When Joe’s wife Laura (Katherine Parkinson) comes back home from a business trip, she has to deal with Anita, who she feels is replacing her in the lives of her husband and children.

The show also gives its viewers insight into what Anita was like before she was bought by the Hawkins family. She and other synths were on the run with a human named Leo (Colin Morgan). Some synths are capable, it seems, of feeling emotions like humans do. Because of that, they need to be on the run from powerful forces that seek to make all synths completely emotionless.  Humans asks some compelling questions of its audience: does technology improve our lives? Or does it make us, in a way, somewhat less than human?

The show also makes its audience consider whether or not humans are the only beings capable of doing what humans do: loving, helping, caring, working. Humans also features compelling characters, both human and synth. The plot is intriguing as well, full of action. And then, of course, there are the questions it provokes in its audience. The show is definitely good sci-fi.

Hidden sci-fi gems: Sense8.

You may have heard of Sense8 a bit as fans fought hard to get the show renewed after it was canceled by Netflix. This led to a finale special episode being filmed and released in 2018. This gem of a show follows eight main characters, who are known as sensates. They include Capheus (Aml Ameen/Toby Onwumere), Sun (Doona Bae), Nomi (Jamie Clayton), Kala (Tina Desai), Riley (Tuppence Middleton), Wolfgang (Max Riemelt), Lito (Miguel Ángel Silvestre), and Will (Brian J. Smith). The first season mainly develops the connection between the characters as they go about their lives. Due to their connection, they are able to help each other get out of difficult situations, which happens a lot.

The main characters have to deal with their everyday problems as well as an organization known as the Biologic Preservation Organization (BPO), trying to hunt them down. BPO has a sensate of their own, known only as Whispers (Terrance Mann). Luckily, the main characters also have another sensate helping them, named Jonas (Naveen Andrews).

During the second season, they learn more about how to use their sensate abilities and how to temporarily stop using them to avoid detection by Whispers. They also learn more about their “mother” Angelica, who “birthed” them as sensates. It turns out she was involved with BPO.

The overall synopsis might not sound the most exciting at first glance, but trust us, it’s an action-packed show. The characters in Sense8 are also top-notch. They’d have to be, as an ensemble show that’s so based on how the characters interact with each other.

The show also asks provocative questions such as: what does it really mean to be human? can human beings truly coexist, with all our differences? and what is the importance of empathy?  Sense8 is sci-fi at its best.

Hidden sci-fi gems: Legends of Tomorrow

The next hidden gem of the sci-fi genre is Legends of Tomorrow.  Ok, so this one is the least hidden. Though it isn’t as popular as some other Arrowverse shows, it is still relatively well-known. Regardless, it is still a bit of a hidden gem, as it is probably not as popular as shows like Stranger Things or Doctor Who. Legends of Tomorrow follows a group of misfits who time travel and fix problems to the best of their ability.

Said misfits are initially recruited by Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill) to help him stop the murder of his family by Vandal Savage. The group in season one consists of Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh), Martin Stein (Victor Garber), Jefferson Jackson (Franz Drameh), Kendra Saunders (Ciara Renée), Carter Hall (Falk Hentschel), Mick Rory (Dominic Purcell), and Leonard Snart (Wentworth Miller).

Along the way, some of the above characters die or leave, while others join in. For example, Kendra and Carter leave at the end of season one. During season two, Nate Heywood (Nick Zano) and Amaya Jiwe (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) join the Legends. The show never loses its charm, though. And part of that is in the sheer amount of zany sci-fi antics that occur.

Despite its zaniness, the characters of Legends of Tomorrow are one of its greatest strengths. The plots are also good. They’re just nonsensical enough to be amusing, but not so nonsensical that they’re confusing or badly written. We’d definitely recommend spending some time enjoying the antics of the Legends. You won’t regret it.

What hidden sci-fi gems did we miss? What is your favorite show that made the list? Let us know in the comments below!