10 Best Sci-Fi Shows You Can Binge In One Weekend

As an adult, there are fewer things sweeter than having an entire weekend with nothing to do. You successfully avoided making plans with friends, family, or coworkers, so you can become the isolated hermit you were always meant to be. For a glorious two and a half days, it’s just you, your favorite snacks, and whatever TV show you want. 

But in the age of streaming, it can be hard to reach a decision on what to watch. You know you have a hankering for science fiction. You want to expand your imagination with far-out worlds and existential questions regarding new technology. But where do you even begin? After all, you know you have this weekend free, but you may be busy all next week. You don’t want to commit to some long-running series you may not be able to finish until months down the line. 

Fortunately, we’ve assembled a list of the 10 best sci-fi shows you can binge in one weekend. Assuming you start Friday night and give yourself ample time for sleep and meals, all of these shows can be reasonably finished within a standard work week break. When you go back to work on Monday, you can tell your coworkers all about this great sci-fi show they absolutely have to watch next. 

Art is often the best antidote when you’re feeling down in the dumps. But when you’re in the pits of despair, “Station Eleven” is bound to revive your spirits. The post-apocalyptic story presents two plotlines: We follow a young Kirsten (Matilda Lawler) who witnesses one of the first of many deaths to take place as a pandemic takes hold of the world. Then, 20 years after this pandemic, we check back in with Kirsten (Mackenzie Davis), who’s now part of a traveling theater company, keeping the arts alive in a society that has been annihilated. 

“Station Eleven” isn’t just about surviving in an apocalyptic landscape. It’s about overcoming trauma of undergoing a complete overturning of the status quo. Kirsten actually has an idea of what the world was like before the pandemic, so she knows precisely what’s been lost. That’s what makes her occupation as a performer so important. She literally has a connection to the past, both in terms of doing something she loved pre-pandemic and keeping the works of William Shakespeare alive in trying times.

There are only 10 episodes of “Station Eleven,” each one under an hour long. Honestly, if you really tried, you could finish the entire miniseries in a single day. If you’ve been having a hard time finding meaning in an increasingly chaotic world, Iit’s a different type of sci-fi story and a great pick-me-up.

Artificial intelligence feels all-consuming in this day and age. But it can get so much worse, as “Pantheon” shows when AI reaches its singularity. In “Pantheon,” two tech giants are trying to perfect mind-uploading technology, so human beings can theoretically live forever, and neither one is afraid of getting unethical in order to achieve this ultimate goal. The animated series follows three protagonists from very different backgrounds who become intertwined in this global conspiracy that could change what it means to be human. 

With a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, “Pantheon” is ideal for “Black Mirror” fans who enjoy ethical quandaries with their science fiction. There’s plenty of hard science fiction within “Pantheon,” including ideas surrounding transhumanism, which tends to get pitched as some sort of platonic ideal where everyone is happy and healthy forever. But as we see in “Pantheon,” there’s a good chance it would only be useful for the richest, most successful individuals. Sure, anyone might be able to live forever, but is it worth it if you’re confined to be a laborer until the heat death of the universe?

“Pantheon” ran for two seasons for a total of 16 episodes, each one about 40 minutes long. There are a ton of heady sci-fi concepts you won’t want to overlook, so “Pantheon” definitely isn’t something you should watch while simultaneously scrolling on your phone. 

“Maniac” brings together different tones and aesthetics through its hallucinatory journey, as Annie (Emma Stone) and Owen (Jonah Hill) sign up for the same pharmaceutical study where they’re forced to confront their various traumas as well as mental illnesses. Annie suffers from borderline personality disorder while Owen has schizophrenia. However, the core of many issues presented in “Maniac” comes down to loneliness. All 10 episodes came out in 2018, and those ideas of isolation have only grown more prominent in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, where it’s easier to feel more alone than ever before. 

But much of the series takes place within their subconsciouses where they take on different personalities. It’s a real actor’s showcase for Stone and Hill, who portray an eclectic mix of characters. It’s fascinating seeing them go on their respective hero’s journey and learn what it is to truly be human. But “Maniac” fleshes out an entire retro-futuristic world. Advertising is everywhere (even more so than in our real world), and there’s an AI system who begins suffering from depression. 

It’s a darkly funny world, utilizing both Stone and Hill’s talents as comedic and dramatic performers. “Maniac” presents a vivid, fully realized world where even the color palette will stick with you long after you’ve finished watching. 

“Star Wars” has a tendency to touch on some really interesting ideas or show off some cool new character, only to promptly discard them for fan service and getting things back to the Skywalker family. Even “The Mandalorian,” which was largely its own thing for the first season, fell into nostalgia traps with season 3, though it still delivered some “Star Wars” goods. Fortunately, “Skeleton Crew” remains its own thing during its entire eight-episode run. 

It boasts a fun, throwback aesthetic, clearly taking inspiration from “The Goonies” and other ’80’s-style adventure films where kids were in peril but ultimately came out on top. The series sees four youngsters accidentally hitching a ride on a spaceship and needing to find their way back home. All the while, they meet a suspicious someone who can wield the Force, Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), and must decide whether he’s trustworthy. 

“Skeleton Crew” is pure escapist fun. It doesn’t get bogged down with lore, so you don’t need to worry about whether you’ve seen every single “Star Wars” show beforehand. Even if there are some unanswered questions by the end of “Skeleton Crew,” you won’t think about them too much because you’re having too much of a blast. It’s the platonic ideal of what a good “Star Wars” show should be.

You can pick and choose to watch the best “Cowboy Bebop” episodes, but with only 26 total, you’ll soon find yourself wanting to watch every single one to continue staying in this world. It’s a gorgeously rendered anime with so much color and life coming out of every frame. Its inclusion of fight scenes set to jazz music gives the show an inexplicably “cool” vibe, and it doesn’t feel like it’s aged a day since it first came out in the 1990s.

In terms of plot, the show hones in on the central group of bounty hunters who regularly find themselves short on funds and needing to take jobs. There’s some loose serialization, like Spike (Kōichi Yamadera/Steve Blum) contending with a criminal from his past. That idea gets a lot of thematic focus, as all of the main characters have traumas from their past they’re trying to get away from. 

Filler episodes tend to get a bad rap in anime, but you don’t have to worry about that here, as “Cowboy Bebop” knew to get in and out quickly. You get endings for all of the characters, including a sad farewell to Ed (Aoi Tada/Melissa Fahn) and the lovable intelligent corgi, Ein. “Cowboy Bebop” proves sometimes less is more and how any TV show can leave a lasting impact when it sticks the landing.

Alex Garland is known for his philosophically heavy works. “Annihilation” points to humanity’s penchant for self-destruction, while “Ex Machina” shows how very wrong things can go with humans try to play God. While movie’s need to wrap up such musings in about two hours, Garland had a chance to really expound on ideas of determinism (and how free will could be an illusion) within his series, “Devs.”

Software engineer Lily (Sonoya Mizuno) has to deal with her boyfriend’s death right as she’s starting a new job, which happens to deal with the creation of an all-powerful supercomputer that could analyze particles to look into both the future and past. On the surface, “Devs” plays like a thriller as Lily attempts to figure out what was really going on with her boyfriend. But the show knows how to slow down and let characters muse on the state of free will, with Nick Offerman’s performance as an obsessively intense CEO dominating the screen anytime he appears.

“Devs” is a slow burn, but it’s one that’s worth it for those with patience. Garland directs every episode, with each installment containing some genuinely beautiful shots, complete with a haunting soundtrack. 

When it comes to TV shows unfairly cancelled too soon, “Firefly” is one of the best shows on the list. Even if you’ve gone all this time still without seeing it, it’s never too late to give it a shot. 

Like “Cowboy Bebop,” “Firefly” sees a group of misfits come together. Humanity has colonized other planets, but many of these settlements don’t have the support they need from varying political factions. That’s where our ragtag team comes into play, They’re around to help the helpless and maybe make a little money for themselves in the process. “Firefly” never takes itself too seriously, with humor that never detracts from the heart at the center of the series. 

“Firefly” created a universe that could’ve lasted for many seasons. But there were issues behind the scenes, and Fox aired certain episodes out of order. This seemingly doomed “Firefly” to an early cancellation, but those 14 episodes (in order) still hold up today. You can easily watch the season in one weekend, and you should have some time to spare to watch the film “Serenity,” which ties up some loose threads. 

“Cyberpunk 2077” had a horrific rollout. The highly anticipated video game launched with numerous bugs that nearly made it unplayable. It’s difficult to get engrossed in a futuristic world when characters and vehicles around you are constantly glitching. Things got patched eventually, but there was significant damage to the brand. If you avoided watching “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners” on Netflix due to “Cyberpunk 2077” leaving a bad taste in your mind, let this be a sign to finally press play. 

The anime expertly brings Night City to life in all of its neon glory. It has the same dystopian world from the game where corporations rule over all. Many have turned to crime to survive, including our protagonist David (KENN/Zach Aguilar), who becomes an edgerunner, someone who takes on illegal, high-risk jobs for the promise of a hefty payout. All this occurs in a world where transhumanism has become the norm and people are more than happy to outfit their bodies with cybernetic enhancements. 

It’s understandable if you’re not in a hurry to return to “Cyberpunk 2077,” especially if you tried in vain to play it when it first came out. But whereas beating that game might take you upwards of 50 hours, you only have 10 episodes of “Edgerunners” to get through. A second season is in the works, but it sounds like that’ll primarily involve a different set of characters from the first season. It makes it the perfect time to catch up with David’s story so that you can dedicate another weekend to binge-watching “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners” season 2 in the future. 

Despite dropping in April 2020, when the world would’ve been in lockdown from the COVID-19 pandemic, it doesn’t seem like many gave “Tales From the Loop” a chance. It’s understandable enough, as the show isn’t like many other sci-fi series. It doesn’t use the threat of aliens, robots, or AI to have cool action sequences. This is a quieter series that uses odd technologies to examine the ennui of the human condition. 

All of the episodes are connected. Everything takes place in the same town of Mercer, Ohio, and certain characters appear in one installment after the next. But for the most part, each episode is interested in its own thing, exploring a different theoretical technology, like a device that can freeze time or a machine that allows you to swap consciousness with someone else. 

Despite the existence of weird machines and robots, the show is delightfully pastoral. There are still wide, open fields that just so happen to have some rusted contraption in the mix. It’s a world that should be familiar to many with just a single fantastic thing thrown in. Instead of epic fights, there are somber meditations on what it would mean if you could freeze time while you yourself could move amongst everything. This is a philosophical series that’ll make you question what you would do if given such immense capabilities. 

“Watchmen” creator Alan Moore hates the HBO series of the same name, which technically serves as a sequel to his seminal comic book work. Given his history with DC Comics and “Watchmen” being overly commercialized, it makes sense why he’d be wary of what seems like yet another cash grab. But for fans of the graphic novel, they’ll find this is the most faithful interpretation of Moore’s work.

“Watchmen” uses the idea of superheroes as a vigilante task force to explore ideas of racial injustices and generational traumas within American society. It brings back characters familiar to those who read the book, like Adrian Veidt (Jeremy Irons), who previously destroyed multiple cities via a fake alien attack, and new heroes exploring how they carry on ideas of justice, like Sister Night (Regina King). 

With only nine episodes, “Watchmen” makes for a quick watch. As the series progresses, you’ll be astonished at how everything ties together, and even though you don’t need to have read the comics to enjoy the show, you’ll find plenty of callbacks that flesh out this dystopian world even more. More shows should strive to be as brave as “Watchmen,” which takes a beloved property and dares to do something different with it.