It might be true that the term “Netflix” is almost synonymous with streaming TV and movies, but there are actually several great alternatives. Among them is Hulu, where some of the best sci-fi movies you can watch are not available anywhere else. The same applies to the TV series; at the moment the platform offers a large assortment of top sci-fi TV shows for your total sci-fi fix. Check them out.
The X-Files
The adventures of FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully offer loads of memorable sci-fi storytelling. Over the course of 11 seasons with a total of 218 episodes, The X-Files covered a wide range of sci-fi staples including UFO sightings, paranormal activities, alien abduction, government experiments gone wrong, random monsters, and more.
The Orville
Much like the show that inspired The Orville, the story revolves around the lives of a spaceship crew on their journey to the uncharted territory of the universe. The biggest difference is that show runner Seth MacFarlane makes the exploration comical. It is a sci-fi comedy show, though, admittedly some of the humor is subtle, based on the familiar premise of Star Trek.
11.22.63
Hulu’s limited series 11.22.63 is based on a novel of the same name by Stephen King. It follows the exploits of an English teacher, who has been given the opportunity to travel back in time and change history by preventing the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The show only spans eight episodes.
The Handmaid’s Tale
Another series based on a popular novel, The Handmaid’s Tale is set in a near-future America where hardcore conservatism takes control of the nation. Women are relegated as second-class citizens, whose only purpose is to supply children to the society. Fertile women are subjected to child-bearing slavery.
Rick and Morty
A young boy named Morty, and his grandfather Rick set out on sci-fi adventures, going to different dimensions and planets. The show is loosely based on the dynamics between Marty McFly and Doc Brown from Back to the Future, but the similarity pretty much ends there. All around the sci-fi theme is a well-crafted mixture of philosophy, heart-warming scenes, and of course, comedy.
Motherland: Fort Salem
Demetria McKinney, Taylor Hickson, and Amalia Holm are young witches. They live in an alternate United States where witches are hired by the military. Motherland: Fort Salem follows their exploits against the backdrop of complex female relationships. It also explores various themes like mandatory conscription vs. volunteering for service and family expectations.
The Librarians
A group of librarians from diverse backgrounds are tasked with finding magical objects for safekeeping purposes. The team consists of NATO anti-terrorist personnel, a brilliant scientist, an expert of architecture and archeology, and a thief. However, they are not the only people looking for the powerful artifacts.
Stitchers
Kirsten Clark is hired by a shadowy agency to investigate murder cases. A mixture of crime drama and sci-fi, Stitchers presents an idea that the consciousness of a living person can be transferred into the minds of the dead. It is Clark’s duty to search inside the memory of the deceased.
Utopia Falls
People of the last living colony in the future live in a productive multicultural society. The leadership focuses on maintaining the society’s inclusiveness. It is a story of utopia, but the delightful world often hides some intriguing dystopian secrets.
Devs
When technology allows users to take a glimpse at the past and future, the nature of reality is at risk. Revolving around the topic of murder in the tech industry, Devs comes with a bold storytelling approach as you can expect from Alex Garland, the man behind Ex Machina.
Y: The Last Man
All mammals with Y chromosome fall victim to an unknown virus. For some reason, Yorick and his pet monkey survive the disease. Now they live in a world full of and run by woman. Unfortunately, things are not much better than the old days. Violence remains high and the government is struggling to keep the country together.
Futurama
There are 140 episodes of Futurama; every one of them is worth a revisit, time and again. The story takes off when a guy accidentally falls into a cryogenic chamber and wakes up 1000 years later. The premise opens a limitless possibilities of humor.
The Last Man on Earth
A virus wipes out the population. Only one man remains alive, or so he thinks. Soon enough he encounters other people, and a group of rag tag assembles. It is, however, as far from The Walking Dead as it can be. All the series’s dark psychological conversations are delivered through shenanigans and silly humor.
Future Man
The only person in the world capable of beating a supposedly unbeatable game is a janitor in a research facility. The unbeatable game apparently is a product of the future sent back in time to help look for savior. Future warriors eventually make their visit and are very much underwhelmed by what their so-called savior.
12 Monkeys
Here is another time-travel narrative, but in a much more serious tone. A man sets off to travel to the past to prevent a deadly plague. However, each action comes with its own consequences. The ripple effect of time-traveling might put even more lives in grave danger.
Firefly
Captain Mal Reynolds and his crew aboard a Firefly-class spaceship to explore the vastness of the galaxy amidst a cosmic civil war. They live in a future where the United States and China form a single federal government known as the Alliance.
Adventure Time
A young boy and his dog embark on playful yet often dangerous adventures in a world of the distant post-apocalyptic future in a place called the Land of Ooo. They interact with some other major characters including a 1000-year-old vampire, a sentient gum, an ice wizard, and an immature princess.
Hulu is loaded with many excellent original sci-fi TV shows, as well as a host of shows they import and share from other channels. We here at Stories At Worlds End are all serious binge watchers. Are you a binge watcher? Yes, but are you a serious one? Let us know. We’d love to hear from you.
Other things you might want to know about.
What are some famous stories of alien abductions?
According to thehorrordome.com some alien encounters have been been totally discredited, but others have be proven to be credible. Here are four such stories.
- Antonio Vilas Boas-In the fall of 1957 Farmer Boas claimed an alien spaceship landed on his farm in Brazil. Running to get on his tractor to check things out he was abducted onto the spaceship and forced to mate with a female alien to create a hybrid baby. He was returned home several hours later. He suffered many thermal burns all over his body and suffered with radiation sickness.
- Betty and Barney Hill-The Hills were returning home from a trip in September, 1961 and a bright light from the sky came and hovered over their car. Mr. Hill exited the car and saw nearly a dozen humanoid figures. They were scared and sped away. The normal 4 hour drive took 7. Afterwards their clothes were ripped and Mrs. Hill found a mysterious powder-like substance on her dress. She remembers a needle being thrust into her belly and skin samples taken. Later, she drew a star map that the aliens showed her.
- Travis Walton-In 1971, he was beamed into a UFO craft through a shaft of light. This was witnessed by 6 of his co-workers. He was missing for five days, returning confused and shaken.
- Hilary Porter-Ms. Porter claims to have been kidnapped by aliens throughout her life, starting at age 5. She was prodded and poked with instruments to extract DNA. She suffers from debilitating migraine headaches, and sometimes finds bruises, cuts, and bloodstains on her body.
Go to thehorrordome.com for more stories about alien abductions.
What were the real reason for the Salem witch trials?
According to history.com the witch trials began in the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. A hysteria spread throughout the village and a special court convened to hear the cases. The first convicted witch was hanged that June. Eighteen others followed to the Salem’s Gallows Hill, while 150 more men, women, and children were accused over the next several months. By September of that same year, the hysteria began to quiet down and public opinion turned against the trials.
Can a time machine be invented?
According to techtimes.com time travel is actually already happening, but not like the DeLorean jumping to the past and the future. In fact, a time machine has already been built. But scientists are still working on how to make it efficient.
Time travel is happening with astronauts traveling through space. Astronauts while on the space station are moving faster than the people on Earth. This means that they age slightly slower in space than they would back home.
The longest stay on a space station was achieved by cosmonaut Gennady Padalka. He returned home after being in space 879 days. When he got back to Earth, he found the Earth to be 1/44th of a second to the future of where he expected it to be. So he literally traveled…into the future.
