6 Netflix Sci-Fi Adventure Shows Perfect for Family Nights

Arcane ( 2021)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

Rating: TV-MA

Video game adaptations have certainly come a long way since the 90s, and Arcane is proof of that. The teens in your family may be familiar with the multiplayer game League of Legends, but you don't need any LL know-how to appreciate this rich fantasy world.

Arcane tells the origin story of sisters Vi and Jinx. The two young women find themselves pitted against each other in the escalating battle of convictions and technology between the utopian city of Piltover and the underground Zaun. The animation is gorgeous, the writing is profound, and the critics love it.

The Last Bus (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 55%

Rating: TV-PG

A ragtag group of students are on a field trip when a maniacal scientist (Robert Sheehan of The Umbrella Academy ) announces he's invented a way to stop climate change and bring about world peace. His solution to these problems? He unleashes a robot horde that begins to vaporize humanity. It's up the British students – possibly the only people left on earth – to stop the destruction.

Make My Day (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

Rating: TV-MA

In the future, mankind has discovered a source of clean energy on a distant planet. The resource, called 'Sig', is mined by convicts working off their prison sentences with backbreaking labor.

Jim gave up his dreams of being an artist for a solid job as a guard in the mines. But when it becomes clear that their activities have awakened a malevolent force below the surface, Jim and his fellow humans must fight for their survival.

Although the animation isn't nearly as beautiful as that of Arcane, this solid series will appeal to teens and up. Take note, though – it is rated TV-MA, which in most countries means that it's recommended for ages 16+.

Mech Cadets (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A

Rating: TV-Y7

For those with younger kids in the house, check out the fun anime Mech Cadets. Good for kids ages 7+, the show nevertheless is full of exciting action sequences as the underdog Stanford Yu overcomes his background to become part of an elite force. Once accepted, he and his friends will pair up with sentient mech suits from outer space to save the Earth. Think Pacific Rim meets Transformers, but with less scares than either.

Hot Skull (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A

Rating: TV-MA

In a grimy, futuristic version of Istanbul, a pandemic has swept the nation. Infecting people via speech patterns rather than germs, the mysterious virus has brought the world to its knees. Now, everyone wears noise-canceling headphones and lives in quarantine zones to avoid becoming one of the 'jabbers'.

When it becomes clear that one man is immune to the virus, he attempts to solve its mystery while being pursued by a tyrannical agency. Hot Skull is a live-action series for those families who like zombie flicks (or still haven't had enough of pandemics).

Star Trek: Prodigy (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Rating: TV-Y7

It's officially never too early to become a Trekkie! This beautifully animated romp brings the whole family to the final frontier. When a group of young aliens find an abandoned Starfleet ship, they must find a way to work together to keep it going and make their way across the galaxy to the Alpha Quadrant. Critics have praised the show for its eye-catching visuals and comedic characters.