5 Most Realistic Sci-Fi TV Series for Those Who Still Miss The Expanse

The Expanse, which debuted in 2015 and ran for six seasons, was perhaps the last of the old-school sci-fi projects. It looked like a mix of Firefly and Battlestar Galactica – spectacular science fiction with an intriguing plot and a universe written down to the smallest detail.

If you miss epic sci-fi TV sagas like The Expanse, then you are definitely going to love these five projects.

1. Scavengers Reign, 2023

2023 saw many outstanding animated projects, but it was Scavengers Reign that became the true gem of the year. Almost no one knew about it a month before its premiere, and soon after its release, it was already considered the best sci-fi show of 2023.

The 12-episode animated series tells the story of a group of colonists from the spaceship Demeter 227 who find themselves on an inhabited but wild and dangerous planet. The meticulously conceived and talentedly animated ecosystem made Scavengers Reign an outstanding project.

2. Babylon 5, 1993-1998

Babylon 5 is a space station built for diplomatic negotiations, trade, and cultural exchange between space civilizations, shortly after Earth was nearly destroyed in a war with aliens. For a time, the station's crew managed to keep the ancient alien races at bay, but eventually they were drawn into the confrontation themselves.

In this story, which is largely based on the stories of real conflicts, series creator J. Michael Straczynski wanted to show what people do and feel before, during and after war, and what troubles it brings to individuals and entire nations.

3. Pantheon, 2022-2023

The near future, very similar to our modern world. A girl named Maddie experiences the loss of her father and bullying at school, and a boy named Caspian suffers from domestic violence and family drama.

And the company Logorhythms loses control over its development, "Uploaded Intelligence," which connects not only Maddie and Caspian, but also deceased people, programmer Chanda, directors of leading IT and neurotechnology companies and more.

Pantheon is a sci-fi series that confidently leads viewers through a gripping story that describes the political intrigues of IT corporations, the tragedies of a child rejected by society, and a person who exists outside the physical body.

4. Battlestar Galactica, 2004-2009

Dramatic plot, vivid characters, psychological depth, impressive special effects. Battlestar Galactica, a space saga about humans who survived an attack by their robotic creations, is worthy of all the accolades that have been heaped upon it over the course of its existence.

Battlestar Galactica is an old but reliable military starship. It leads a small fleet of the last humans from the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, survivors of an attack by the Cylons, a race of intelligent machines.

They are pursuing the remnants of humanity whose last hope is the mythical planet Earth, the legendary and long lost Thirteenth Colony.

5. Planetes, 2003-2004

The creator of the manga Planetes, Makoto Yukimura, found inspiration where it is rarely sought by representatives of his genre.

Planetes was adapted for the small screens, and the main characters of this animated series are not Jedi and brave pilots, but collectors of garbage left after the destruction of spaceships, stations and satellites.

Planetes discusses all aspects of the conquest of space – from the ambitions of the pioneers to the doubts of those who believe that man has no business in the universe until he has solved all the problems on Earth.

The creators of the Planetes adaptation consulted with the Japanese space agency, and their show is one of the most realistic depictions of life beyond Earth.