2019 Most anticipated Sci-Fi Series

If you are curious which Sci-Fi series will be the best in 2019 and you don’t want to miss any of them. Well, read my little list below…

Another Life

I make little effort to disguise that one of my favorite actresses is Katee Sackhoff. From playing Starbuck on the Battlestar Galactica reboot to Vic Moretti on Longmire I have probably watched most of her work. This year she will star in Another Life – a Sci-Fi drama created for Netflix. In the series Katee will play Niko Breckinridge, an astronaut tasked with exploring the origins of an alien artifact. Another Life will also star Selma Blair. The series has currently no set release date but I expect to arrive some time during the summer.

Star Trek Discovery

The first season of Star Trek Discovery took a while to come into its own. I suppose the emphasize on drama and the somewhat unlikable characters were initially a problem. But as the season progressed the characters grew on me. Now, for season 2 the format has been changed. Captain Pike of the USS Enterprise who commanded before Kirk takes emergency command of the Discovery. Still reeling from the war with the Klingons the Federation is still on edge. The cast has been expanded to also include Burnham’s adopted brother Spock. Currently season 2 is in full swing, read my review of episode 2 New Eden here.

The Expanse

The Expanse has been a personal favorite for me for 3 seasons. The show billed itself initially as a Game of Thrones set in space. Set in a future in which space has been colonized but the laws of physics still apply we see attempts at realistic space travel, violence and gore, politics and drama. While honestly the show cannot match GoT I still value it for trying. The Expanse is based on the books by authors James S.A. Corey.

During season 2 and 3 I did think the show was languishing a bit. The amount of nudity and violence was distinctly less and the plot felt like it was repeating itself. The production company developed financial problem because its business plan lacked a popular streaming service. The Expanse was thus picked up for a fourth season by Amazon. I expect the season to stream later this year, with bad luck it will be 2020.

Stranger Things

A fan favorite for a number of year has been Stranger Things. The series is set in the early 80s in a rural Indiana town. The government has been doing experiments which has been effecting the towns people quite a bit. The series features a youthful cast that have since become near-household names. The 80s atmosphere, dark humor and drama makes Stranger things a must see. Season 3 of Stranger Things is set to start airing on July 4th.

Lost in Space

One show that took me by surprise in 2018 was Lost in Space. I was just about ready to dismiss this reboot as another attempt at caching in on a classic name. However, after several episode I was convinced. The show starring Molly Parker is surprisingly hard-hitting. Normally with a cast used to portray a family plots shy away from violence and too serious drama. But not Lost in Space. The members of the Robinson family must battle personal demons while kind-off admitting they are assholes – at times at least. Season 2 might arrive late this year, otherwise it will be 2020.

Counterpart

One of the show I am currently watching besides Discovery is Counterpart. This series which I am having a hard time describing stars J.K. Simmons is set in a world in which travel to an alternate reality is possible. Between these two worlds there is a quasi cold-war. As such the show is aptly set in Berlin. Counterpart is intriguing and weird. For a start it is brainy, and just about when things appear boring the shooting starts. The series also stars Harry Lloyd (Viserys on Game of Thrones) and breakthrough actress Sara Serraiocco. Counterpart can be a little confusing at times. Keeping track from what universe a character is a must.

The Man in the High Castle

Amazon’s series The Man in the High Castle must rank as one of the most bizarre on TV. Based on the novel by Phillip K. Dick the series is set in alternate 1960’s in which Nazi Germany and Japan won the war an divided up the world – the US including. The third season brought more understanding to Juliana Crain () as she continuous to investigate mysterious reels showing more alternate worlds. That season was hard with Frank story ending and the Nazi hellbent on making in-roads into the alternate realities.

To be sure, I watch this show for the Nazi’s. Characters such as Reichsmarshall Smith, Fuhrer Himmler and mad scientist Josef Mengele are fascinating and terrifying to watch. Normally the Nazi’s are the enemies that get beat, but so far they have been able to hold their own against the resistance that is growing around them. I am not certain when to expect the fourth season – at the earliest it will be this fall. The show feels like an odd combination of Lost, Fringe, Game of Thrones and Mad Men.

Star Trek: Captain Picard series

So far little is known about the Picard-based series. Before the release of Discovery there was already rampant speculation about its cancellation. The surprise announcement settled fans down who were feeling antsy. So far indications re the show will be released sometime in the fall with just Patrick Stewart returning. I cannot imagine we won’t see the rest of the cast return, but so far there have only been hints Jonathan Frakes might be involved. He is doing directing duties for Discovery.

Nonetheless, a Picard series would be weird. His story-arc of having a difficult relationship with his father and brother and being callous in his youth was pretty much settled in the TNG finale “All Good Things…”. So far hints have been given Patrick Stewart’s character will no longer be a captain. Usually for an Enterprise officer that means boredom and a bout of taking rash actions. Yet, Jean-Luc also wanted to be a archaeologist. In fact, the season 6 episode “The Chase” is among the best. That episode later on provided inspiration for the Ridley Scott movie Prometheus.

Killjoys

For a number of year I have been enjoying Hannah John-Kamen playing bounty hunter and sometime space-pirate Dutch. Her crew Johnny and D’avin have been since the beginning.

Killjoys can at times be confusing. I myself don;t really remember all of the twists and turns from last season, but the show is enjoyable to watch. Its all too easy to identify with the male heroes, but Killjoys does a good job of being able to identify with Dutch. Season 5 set to air this year will also be its last. It strange to think its already been 5 years since the show started to air.

Shows that didn’t make the cut

There are always show that don’t make it into the top 10. My criteria are that I limit super-hero shows and other Sci-Fi light concepts. And so most of the Marvel show are not listed. Neither is The Walking Dead nor Roswell, New Mexico.

2020

Sadly not every show will see a season air in 2019. This appears to be an increasingly common situation with high concept shows. Westworld, Altered Carbon ans Black Mirror have all been renewed but won’t return until next year. In fact it remains in doubt as to whether The Man in the High Castle, Picard and Lost in Space will be released this year. But we can always hope. This was my list of most anticipated Sci-Fi series of 2019. I hope you enjoyed it.