Fans were well and truly taken care of in the 90s with so many great sci-fi TV series to enjoy. For this list, a show had to have the majority of its seasons run during the 1990s. So if a show started in 1989, but ran until say, 1994, it’s fair game. Likewise, if a show started in, say, 1996 and ran until 2002. With so many great sci-fi shows, this list was hard to narrow down!
As always, any list like this is subjective, these the best sci-fi TV series of the 90s, shows that I actually watched and enjoyed. How many of these are on your list?
Dark Skies
Dark Skies only aired from 1996 to 1997. While it aimed to capitalize on the popularity of The X-Files, it stood on its own as a fantastic sci-fi series, and having Jeri Ryan in it was a bonus. The show concentrated on alien conspiracy, with the idea being that aliens have been among us for years and have been manipulating world events.
3rd Rock From The Sun
3rd Rock From The Sun (1996-2001) is a sitcom with a sci-fi twist, following a group of aliens from a far-off galaxy that have come to Earth and need to blend in to take part in a research mission. They had a fantastic cast with John Lithgow, Kristen Johnson, French Stewart, and a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles
Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles followed a group of heroes who embarked on different missions to stop the bugs from taking over the universe and destroying the human race!
Weird Science
Weird Science (1994-1997), starring Vanessa Angel as Lisa, a beautiful woman who is brought to life by nerds Wyatt and Gary so that they can practice flirting with the ladies! Each episode had them learning a life lesson through their sci-fi adventures. The show’s quirky humor made it one of the best teen sci-fi shows of the 90s for sure!
Sliders
Sliders aired in 1995 and ended in 1999 or 2000, depending on where you live in the world! This show follows a group of travelers who use technology to go between different universes; however, they get lost and need to find their way home. In each new universe, there is a theme or gimmick, and they usually end up in some kind of trouble that they need to get out of before they can slide to a new universe.
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf (1988-1999, revived from 2016-2020) is a British sci-fi comedy set on an old mining spaceship where Dave Lister, the last human alive, wakes up three million years later after a radiation leak. He is joined by Rimmer, a hologram of his old boss, and Cat, a new species that has evolved over the passing years! The show is filled with bizarre yet hilarious character interactions.
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager ran from 1995 until 2001. Set on the USS Voyager, the crew of the Federation must work with a few interesting others to try and find their way home after becoming stranded on the far side of the galaxy.
The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits (1995-2002) was another one of those shows that was riding on the popularity of The X-Files. This is an anthology-style show where each episode is its own contained story. While I would say that sci-fi is most certainly the genre most of the episodes fit into, The Outer Limits does dabble and have fun with other genres too.
Quantum Leap
Quantum Leap (1989-1993) is a classic sci-fi series where Dr. Sam Beckett, after a time travel experiment goes wrong, leaps into different people’s lives to fix past mistakes. With help from his hologram friend, Al, and their handheld AI, Ziggy. In each episode, Sam is hoping that one of these leaps will finally bring him back home!
The X-Files
The X-Files (1993-2002) follows two FBI agents, Mulder and Scully, who are forced together to deal with the “weird” cases that the FBI has locked away in the “X-Files”—their code for unexplained or possibly even paranormal cases. From aliens, monsters, ghosts, and more, each episode adds more and more lore to the world of The X-Files.
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