Every New Sci-Fi TV Show Netflix Is Releasing in 2023

Since 2010 when Netflix shifted focus from its DVD-by-mail business to streaming services, it has always been the go-to platform to enjoy the best from the TV industry. Fans of the sci-fi genre should rejoice because in 2023 Netflix is bringing in some new promising series to your home screen. Check out every anticipated new Sci-Fi Netflix TV Show now!

Archive 81

Every now and then a TV series comes up with and delivers an outlandish distraction from the real world with all its contradictions. The show, “Archive 81,” is a prime example, as it’s filled with conspiracy theories, cultish perspectives, bewildering nonsensical trains of thoughts, figures coming back from the dead, and just overall plain bizarre unrealism. And thanks to smart sound effect selections, the supernatural sci-fi show brings enough jump frights, too.

The series is based on a podcast also called “Archive 81,” which tells the story of Dan (a movie restorer, portrayed by Mamoudou Athie) at his job to digitize some destroyed old video tapes. As the story goes, the tapes apparently hide secret horrors waiting to be discovered. If the combination of hallucinations, melodrama, and great performances is what you’re after, look no further than Archive 81.

Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas

Just last year, Netflix released “Army of the Dead,” which turned out to be one of the platform’s most surprising titles in the catalogue. Not only was it an oddly satisfying show to watch, but it also laid the groundwork for an entirely unexpected yet welcomed fresh cinematic universe. Although the premise is as old as time in which main characters are trapped in a post-apocalyptic world full of the undead, the excitement of killing zombies (or rather watching it happen on TV) never gets boring.

The upcoming series, “Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas,” acts as a prequel to the movie. Zack Snyder (the man behind the movie and other popular titles such as 300 and Justice League), will also direct some episodes. The release date is not yet confirmed, but it is coming in 2022 to Netflix.

The Cuphead Show

First things first. Cuphead was a video game released in 2017. Relying on the artistic touches of hand-drawn animations and all their imperfections, everyone was unimpressed. Even if you liked how it looked and sounded, the gameplay itself was exceedingly difficult. The only things that have kept Cuphead circulating in the discussion forums were the characters. Despite the gaming frustration, the characters were simply lovable.

The producers figured there must be some other way to capitalize on the characters, hence, “The Cuphead Show” animated series. Unlike the game where the adventures and playfulness depend solely on the players, the upcoming show allows everyone to just sit back and enjoy. The main characters, Cuphead and Mugman (a differently colored Cuphead), always find themselves in some sort of gambling-related misadventure.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

In case anybody is wondering why no one has ever run out of what to watch on Netflix, the simple answer is the platform comes with a massive appetite for every source of material there is. Some series are based on novels, short stories, existing movies, plays, true crimes, and histories; however, Netflix also has a strong inclination to adopt and develop shows based on video games.

Another upcoming series of a sci-fi genre built on the idea of a popular game is Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Details remain scarce at this point, although there have been hints that the story takes place in Night City – just like the game. That said, the series will introduce new characters. Edge runners is the adventure of a street boy trying to survive in a future world full of technology and robotic creatures.

First Kill

A devoted fan of modern sci-fi fantasy and horror novels should be familiar with author Victoria Schwab, who thus far has released several critically acclaimed works such as The Archived, Everyday Angel, Vicious, and more recently Bridge of Souls. In the anthology Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite, Schwab is a contributing writer with her “First Kill” short story.

An upcoming series on Netflix also titled “First Kill” is based on that work of Schwab’s. Felicia D. Henderson, who has worked on “The Punisher,” will be credited as executive producer and writer on the new series. Rumors have it that Schwab will remain in control of the story development and adaptation. “First Kill” is about a female vampire who is yet to earn her rightful position in the family until she takes her first victim. Things get complicated when her target is a member of a vampire hunter group.

Magic: The Gathering

According to the official Twitter account of “Magic: The Gathering,” the new show on Netflix will bring in many familiar characters but in a new storyline. In case you’re wondering what it’s all about, “Magic: The Gathering” is a card game. Much like other card games, there is now a digital version as well played by at least 35 million people worldwide. The new story takes place in Ravnica, a cityscape patched with ancient ruins, grand halls, and slums around the dark corners.

Netflix has announced that Brandon Routh will fill the voice of Gideon Jura, the hero of the show. Not much else is known about the upcoming series, but the game publisher Wizards of the Coast says it’s now in full production. The show is scheduled to deliver the first episode in late 2022.

The Midnight Club

At least for the first season, the new Netflix supernatural sci-fi horror The Midnight Club will have ten episodes. It’s based on a 1994 novel of the same title authored by Christopher Pike. The new show is likely to adapt stories from other Pike novels too. It is about a group of teenagers, all terminally ill, living together in a hospice facility known as Rotterdam Home.

To make their last days or months of life more exciting, they gather every night to share horror stories with each other. Someone has an idea of making a promise that whoever among them dies first, the spirit must make every attempt to contact the living from the afterlife. A generic start maybe, but a good one nonetheless.

Resident Evil

If there is one title that binds gamers, moviegoers, and now TV lovers together, it is going to be Resident Evil. For more than two decades, Capcom has managed to tie the storyline in a tidy twisted knot to keep everything synchronized between the gameplay and movie scripts. Now, the “Resident Evil” TV series is coming to your home entertainment thanks to Netflix.

You can think of it as both a prequel and sequel to the existing film series. There are two timelines depicted in the new show. First, Jade and Billie Wesker were still kids exploring their new neighborhood in Raccoon City. Second, a 30-year-old Jade is on her way to save the world from a T-virus outbreak.

Returning Series

Two highly anticipated returning series are coming soon:

Stranger Things, Season 4

The Duffer Brothers have repeatedly promised to bring back Stranger Things to our world. It has been three years since it began, and finally, a new season of Stranger Things is happening. Filming for the new seasons resumed while the world was still in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, which means any hints about what might happen in Season 4 have been well-concealed.

You can expect familiar characters and probably some answers to the unbearably lingering questions during the last several years. The new season is likely to unveil what happened to Hopper and whether any new creatures will appear from unfamiliar places. The pleasant tension between Tammy Thompson and Robin may reveal some happy conclusions too.

Season 5 is currently in production. It will come to Netflix, but it remains unclear whether the fifth and final chapter will arrive sometime in 2023.

Alice in Borderland, Season 2

In December 2020, Netflix aired “Alice in Borderland,” a new series based on a manga by Haro Aso. The last episode of the series gave more questions than answers, leaving fans wondering if anything would ever be revealed on screen.

In the abandoned part of Tokyo, the main characters – Arisu and Usagi – find themselves in dire circumstances where they must play a dangerous game of life and death. Winners end up alive, whereas losing is punishable by death. For the upcoming season, director Shinsuke Sato has promised to take things a bit further making them more complicated with a new mysterious world and an unexpected storyline.

In case Alice in Borderland comes back for another season, the production team doesn’t seem to have enough source material to stay truthful to the original story. A new season will likely mean some notable deviations from the manga, requiring the showrunners to develop their own versions of continuity.

Three-Body Problem

Based on the novel of the same name by Liu Cixin, Three-Body Problem is one of the latest upcoming series confirmed to arrive on Netflix in 2023. Much like the original storyline, the series presents the idea of the danger of deliberately exposing Earth’s location across the known universe. It remains to be seen how the series will depict such an extensive world-building as described in the novel.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Live-Action Adaptation

Having been in a state of suspended animation for a hundred years, Aang—the last survivor of the Air Nomads—is rescued by Sokka and Katara from the Water Tribe. It turns out that Aang is “The Avatar,” the only individual with the ability to control all four basic elements: water, earth, fire, and air. In other words, he is at the same time a water bender, earth bender, fire bender, and Airbender. Aang is the best hope to end the brutality of the aggressive, warmongering Fire Nation. The live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender is among the most expensive series Netflix has ever produced to date, costing the company reportedly $15 million per episode.

Black Knight

Events in Black Knight are set in the Korean peninsula in the year 2071. Much of the territory is now a wasteland inhabited only by 1% of its original population. Due to an extreme level of air pollution, it is impossible for any person to live without a respirator. Delivery drivers play critical roles in everybody’s survival. The series follows the chronicles of a legendary driver known simply as “5-8” and a refugee named Sa-Wol.

Lockwood & Co.

London is not safe. Ghosts are everywhere and attacking the city with full force. Incidents involving ghosts’ aggression happen on a regular basis, forcing the city to establish official government agencies to help neutralize the threats and maintain normalcy. Feeling the agencies cannot handle the situations well, an amateur ghost-hunting firm called Lockwood & Co. offers professional services to contain the haunts. The firm might just be London’s best defense against supernatural invasion. It is based on a book series of the same name authored by Jonathan Stroud.

Kaos

Jeff Goldblum is back and portraying Zeus in Kaos, a Netflix series that revolves around a modern retelling of Greek mythology. When Zeus begins to wrinkle for the first time ever, he sees the sign of ageing on his forehead as an omen about an impending apocalypse. Meanwhile, six humans discover their intertwining fates and conspiracies of the gods.

One Piece Live-Action

Netflix is up for a live-action adaptation of a popular animated series, One Piece. The source material is a Japanese manga of the same name, which currently has more than 100 volumes throughout its 45-year publication history. A young boy named Luffy is on a journey to discover the ultimate treasure and become the undisputed king of the pirates. The development of the live-action adaptation is pretty much completed. While Netflix has not yet announced a release date, the new series is expected to come sometime around August 2023.

Record of Ragnarok Season 2

Largely regarded as one of the finest shonen anime of all, Record of Ragnarok tells the story of a tournament in which 13 of the most notable humans fight against gods from various mythologies to determine the fate of humanity. The first season of Record of Ragnarok concluded in June 2021. Only the first 10 episodes of the second season have been released in January 2023; the remaining 5 episodes are set to hit the screen later this year.

Shadow and Bone Season 2

The main characters in Shadow and Bone have similar abilities to those of Avatar: The Last Airbender. People from various nations have unique abilities to control and manipulate basic elements like water, air, and fire. Aline Starkov, a junior cartographer from the Ravka nation, is the only known individual capable of conjuring light.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

Steve Blackman, the showrunner of The Umbrella Academy, is now heading the development for the live-action adaptation of Horizon: Zero Dawn. Set in the post-apocalyptic United States, the upcoming series highlights the conflicts between the dominant large mechanical creatures known as “machines” and humans who occasionally hunt for robotic parts. Production began in 2022, and no one knows whether it will be ready by late 2023 or early 2024, if not later.

Ultraman Season 3

After a stunning visual narrative wrapped in 19 entries thus far, the next season of Ultraman will arrive in Spring 2023 on Netflix. The announcement for the series stated that it would be the final season. Fans of the manga may find this baffling as the storyline in the previous season is still nowhere close to the ending. In fact, the manga is still ongoing with new plot complications and characters. In the final season, Ultraman has to deal with the difficult question of whether he is good or evil.

So many great sci-fi shows, old and new, to watch on Netflix. And you don’t have to wait a week or a month between episodes to see them! Netflix continues to offer full-season streaming whereas the other channels are giving up on that service. Perhaps that’s why Netflix is nearly everyone’s favorite go-to channel for sci-fi entertainment.

Which is your favorite Netflix sci-fi show? Let us know. We’d love to hear from you.

Other things you might want to know.

What are the most popular conspiracy theories?

According to livescience.com here are the most popular conspiracies that keep us entertained.

Elvis
JFK assassination
Bigfoot
Watergate
9-11
Osama bin Laden
Princess Diana’s death
the moon landing
Paul McCartney’s death hoax
UFO’s

Go to livescience.com to read more information about these popular conspiracy theories. The article is called “16 of the Best Conspiracy Theories” by Benjamin Redford and Stephanie Pappas (November 2, 2022).

What are the top most notorious cults in America?

According to saboteur.com cults are considered groups with excessive spiritual, religious, or philosophical beliefs that have manipulated people, broken laws, and committed terrible crimes. Here’s a list of the most famous cults in American history.

The Mansion Family
Warren Jeffs Fundamental Church
Rajneeshpuram (Big Muddy Ranch)
Angel’s Landing
Children of God
Nxvim
The People’s Temple of the Disciples of Christ (Jim Jones)
Branch Davidians
Heaven’s Gate
Buddhafield

Go to savoteur.com to read more about these cults and where they are today. The article is called “10 Notorious American Cults: Where Are They Now?” by Jeff Cooper (Jan. 2023).

What are some TV shows that are based on video games?

According to insider.com here is a list of the top TV shows that are based on video games.

Sonic the Hedgehog (Rotten Tomatoes: 40%)
Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (Rotten Tomatoes: 50%)
Resident Evil (Rotten Tomatoes: 54%)
Halo (Rotten Tomatoes: 70%)
The Witcher (Rotten Tomatoes: 81%)
Dragon’s Dogma (Rotten Tomatoes: 83%)
Castlevania (Rotten Tomatoes: 94%)
The Last of Us (Rotten Tomatoes: 99%)
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (Rotten Tomatoes: 100%)
Arcane: League of Legends (Rotten Tomatoes: 100%)

Go to insider.com to read more about each of these TV shows. The article is called “10 TV shows based on video games, ranked according to critics” by JP Mangalindan (Jan. 2023)

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