Science fiction continues to be a fascinating genre that explores alternate takes on life as we know it, and it makes for especially compelling movies and television shows. While series like Stranger Things lead the way for the genre, there are plenty of sci-fi shows out there based on books that have since thrived.
Fans of these books will undoubtedly already know most of the characters and key events, but there is something magical about epic sci-fi story being brought to life on the screen. The 2023 release of Silo on Apple TV+ has breathed a new lease of life into sci-fi TV, and fans might be looking to seek out more great TV adaptations of sci-fi novels.
10 Silo
Hugh Howey wrote the Silo series of books, which started with the short story "Wool" in 2011. The premise centers around a post-apocalyptic world and humanity's survival within the titular silo that stretches deep underground and holds many secrets. The books are intense sci-fi at its absolute best, and it was only a matter of time before they were adapted into a big-hitting movie or television series.
Silo premiered on Apple TV+ in May 2023 and immediately pulled viewers in, regardless of whether they were aware of the books or not. Rebecca Ferguson leads a talented cast who really brings the thrills and spills of this dystopian drama to life.
9 Brave New World
Brave New World is a 2020 sci-fi drama that only had one season of nine episodes before Peacock canceled it. However, this adaptation of Aldus Huxley's 1931 book did still have its bright spots. Alden Ehrenreich, Jessica Brown Findlay, and Harry Lloyd led a talented cast of characters who explore morality, peace, and utopia.
Brave New World imagines a utopian society like no other, with prohibitions on money and family in the name of achieving peace and stability. The series is not the only adaptation of Huxley's novel, but it did perform better than the various movie attempts, despite its early cancelation.
8 The Man Who Fell To Earth
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a 1963 science fiction novel written by Walter Tevis. It follows a humanoid alien arriving on Earth and fighting for the survival of his species. The novel has had various adaptations over the years, and the 2022 television series actually serves as a sequel to the 1976 movie that starred David Bowie.
The television series never made it to a second season, but the 10 episodes still had an impressive cast with the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Naomie Harris, and Bill Nighy leading the way. With only 10 episodes, The Man Who Fell to Earth is easily-digestible and enjoyable sci-fi drama that successful brings the novel to life.
7 The Peripheral
The Peripheral is a 2014 science fiction mystery-thriller novel written by William Gibson, which Amazon Prime Video has since adapted into a television series. Chloe Grace Moretz fronts the series as Flynne Fisher, a young woman who delves into a world of alternate reality and ultimately becomes wrapped up in something much bigger and more dangerous.
The show's first season was a success, so Netflix renewed The Peripheral for a second. It is sci-fi at its most thrilling, with clashing realities complicating what "reality" actually is and means.
6 Foundation
Apple TV+ has grown considerably in recent years and has released some incredible series that often fly under the radar. Foundation is one such example. It's based on the book series of the same name that Isaac Asimov wrote back in 1951.
The Foundation series brings sci-fi spectacle to the big screen. Jared Harris and Lee Pace are familiar faces that lead a great cast in an adventure that follows a group of exiles who save the Galactic Empire from destruction. Foundation is visually stunning and presents plenty of thought-provoking moral conundrums because so much is at stake.
5 The 100
The 100 is a a series of four books by Kass Morgan that Jason Rothenberg brought to the screen in 2014. The television adaptation spanned seven seasons, and its finale wrapped up in 2020. The 100 is set in a future where Earth suffered a nuclear apocalypse, which forced humanity to flee into space.
By the time The 100 starts, society is making moves to return to Earth by sending 100 young criminals to see if the planet is inhabitable. Focusing on both the politics of the space station called the Ark and the young adults' challenges on the ground, The 100 has plenty of twists and turns through every season.
4 Altered Carbon
Altered Carbon is a cyberpunk thriller with a noir sci-fi feel. Altered Carbon is set in the futuristic metropolis of Bay City where people can store their memories on a device called the cortical stack and essentially upload it to a new body upon their death. This paves the way for Joel Kinnaman and Anthony Mackie to both play the hosts of Takeshi Kovacs across the show's two seasons.
Altered Carbon is an adaptation of the 2002 cyberpunk novel of the same name, written by Richard K. Morgan. Fans and critics alike generally favored the TV adaptation, even though the first season dramatically outdid the second in terms of reviews, but Netflix ultimately canceled the show after two seasons.
3 The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian sci-fi series and an adaptation of the 1985 novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood. The television series premiered in 2015 and will have its sixth and final season at the end of 2023 or beginning of 2024. Elizabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, and Joseph Fiennes have led a talented cast throughout The Handmaid's Tale, telling a story of tragedy and loss in a cruel dystopian future.
This new world order subjugates women as a part of a new militarized law, and fertile women bear the brunt of this brutality. The Handmaid's Tale can be uncomfortable viewing, but its 15 Primetime Emmy victories speak volumes to how good it really is.
2 The Man In The High Castle
The Man in the High Castle presents a controversial alternative reality where the Axis powers won World War II, and it explores the landscape of this parallel universe years after. While it's a dystopian alternate reality series at its core, The Man in the High Castle actively addresses this concept of multiple alternate universes.
This intriguing series ran for four seasons between 2015 and 2019, building up tension and releasing the drama in the latter episodes of each season. The Man in the High Castle is an adaptation of the 1962 novel of the same name by Phillip K. Dick. It remains among the best sci-fi television series ever to be adapted from a book.
1 The Expanse
The Expanse is one of the most popular and well-received sci-fi shows of the past decade. The Expanse debuted in 2015 and ran for six seasons, concluding in 2022. It is an adaptation of a novel series by James S. A. Corey, with nine books and various other short stories making up The Expanse series.
The Expanse is set in a future where humanity has colonized the Solar System but still remains fractured, as Earth and Mars are on the brink of war. The Expanse is an intense and captivating combination of political intrigue, mystery, and sheer suspense, served faithfully by its ominous ever-looming space setting.