There are plenty of sci-fi TV shows out there, but a select few can rise to the challenge of being a worthy binge after watching “Project Hail Mary.”
With the new Ryan Gosling space adventure taking theaters by storm, fans old and new might be looking for a show to sink their teeth into that captures what makes “Project Hail Mary” so good. Luckily, there are plenty of good options, whether you’re looking for a show that leans harder on the science or more toward human and alien interaction.
These are the five shows to consider to scratch the space travel itch after “Project Hail Mary.”
For All Mankind
“For All Mankind” may wear the unfortunate crown of “Best Show on TV Not Enough People Are Watching.” The series takes an alt-history approach to the space program after asking the question, “What if the Russians beat us to the moon?” Each passing season jumps the narrative forward another decade to unpack how the changing focus on tech and spacefaring advanced some things and changed the course of others.
If what you loved most about “Project Hail Mary” was the heavy science Grace and Rocky pull throughout their travels, this could be your quickest fix. Buckle up, though, it’s a ride.
3 Body Problem
Contact with alien life can go really good or really bad – in the case of Netflix’s “3 Body Problem,” it’s very bad. The adaptation of Liu Cixin’s sci-fi epic follows a group of scientists being prepared for the arrival of alien life and an impending conquest to follow. The story has just as dense science as it does mystery, aliens and actionm, which lends itself to being a great replacement for those hankering for more after “Project Hail Mary.”
The Expanse
“The Expanse” is the best hard sci-fi show to come out in the last decade. The series – an adaptation of the James S.A. Corey books – examines what our solar system might look like once we take to the stars.
Humans mostly fall into three factions: the U.N., made up of Earth and the moon, the latest settlers of Mars, and the people of The Belt – those who grew up in the furthest reaches of the system on asteroids or space stations. When a new alien molecule finds its way into human hands, it sparks off a mad fight for control.
There are space battles, there are political intrigues, there are romance and murder and everything in between. “The Expanse” is aces through and through.
Falling Skies
Before Noah Wyle returned to the hospital in “The Pitt,” he played a history professor leading a group of survivors through a world invaded by aliens. At times, the series feels like a sci-fi answer to “The Walking Dead” craze of the early 2010s. Luckily, the series grew into its own thing and “Falling Skies” remains one of the hidden gems that came from TNT’s big push into original programming. If you want a show that has alien enemies and allies in equal measure, dive into this series.
Foundation
Adapting Isaac Asimov’s generation-spawning sci-fi series “Foundation” seems like a Herculean feat, yet, three seasons in, the Apple TV series is pulling it off with flash and care. For someone looking for a hard sci-fi show with as much political maneuvering as there are ship battles, this is the show to sink your teeth into next. Be ready to be confused if you don’t know the source material, but buckle in for the ride, and it’ll be reward after reward in the end.
It might be a bit more “out there” than the other picks to try after finishing “Project Hail Mary,” but Asimov’s stories have proven to be building blocks in some form or another for almost every space story that followed. With as much Spielbergian goodness injected in “Project Hail Mary,” there is also plenty of Asimov and “Foundation” remains one of his greatest stories.
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