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Often, a sci-fi show is only as good as its plot twists. There are plenty of things that can make a plot twist effective: unpredictability, it feeling like the whole story has been building up to that point, and it feeling like the twist changes the entire narrative going forward all help. There have been several sci-fi shows over the years that haven’t just had a high quality of twists, they’ve also had a tremendous volume of them.
But while there definitely is such a thing as too many plot twists, these ten great shows mastered the art of having a bunch of surprises along the way without ever overwhelming their audience. Mysterious, shocking, and almost labyrinthine, they’re all among the best science fiction series of all time, and that’s in no small measure thanks to their abundance of plot twists.
10
‘Orphan Black’ (2013–2017)
Starring Tatiana Maslany, who delivers one of the best acting performances of any sci-fi show of the 2010s, the sci-fi thriller Orphan Black is one of the best Canadian TV shows of all time. For people who love shows about clones and döppelgangers, this one’s a must-see, dealing with the trope in ways that are consistently fascinating.
It’s one of those sci-fi shows that are perfect from start to finish, filled with intense plot twists that constantly keep the viewers on their toes. You can’t help but second-guess your every assumption when you’re watching Orphan Black, as every high-stakes revelation keeps re-shaping the narrative in ways that no one could have possibly seen coming. That also keeps the story moving at a quick pace that fans of the genre will surely appreciate.
9
‘Person of Interest’ (2011–2016)
Some of the best sci-fi TV shows ever made are only five seasons long, and that definitely includes Person of Interest. It’s a crime drama created by Jonathan Nolan and executive-produced by J. J. Abrams, dealing with themes of surveillance and political conspiracies that have (perhaps unfortunately) aged like fine wine.
There are frequent twists and turns here, all of them written with the utmost patience and intelligence. As the series starts to evolve from a “case-of-the-week” procedural to a more serialized conspiracy thriller, the twists also keep rising in number. By the end, this escalation of the stakes should be capable of keeping any and all viewers on the edge of their seats.
8
‘The Prisoner’ (1967–1968)
Not enough people talk about it nowadays, but The Prisoner is nevertheless one of the greatest and most iconic British sci-fi TV shows in history. It’s one of those classic sci-fi shows that have aged really well, with a legacy and level of impact and influence that most shows can only ever dream of. Nearly 60 years after it first aired, The Prisoner is still as important a show.
Dreamlike, surreal, and Kafkaesque, The Prisoner is definitely the best fit for those who enjoy arthouse sci-fi and more experimental storytelling. The series is filled with psychologically-twisty surprises that keep it engaging at all times, and which make the mysteries at the core of its narrative even harder to figure out. It’s hardly a surprise that it has influenced shows of the caliber of Twin Peaks and Lost.
7
‘Westworld’ (2016–2022)
There are plenty of great sci-fi shows without aliens, which prove that extraterrestrial invasions aren’t the only way to tell a compelling science fiction story. Case in point: HBO’s Westworld, based on Michael Crichton‘s 1973 sci-fi Western film of the same name. Though it’s generally agreed that the series got weaker as it went along, its first season is one of the greatest seasons of sci-fi television that the world has gotten in a while.
And even all that came after had its moments, in all fairness. Throughout its whole run, Westworld was well-known for its twists. These mind-bending surprises, particularly those contained within the first couple of seasons of the show, constantly shake up the narrative in such a way that you have to completely readjust the way you’re consuming the story. It’s quite an unforgettable experience.
6
‘Fringe’ (2008–2013)
After he pretty much revolutionized American television with Lost, J. J. Abrams co-created Fringe, a sci-fi thriller very clearly inspired by The X-Files and The Twilight Zone. It wears those influences on its sleeve with pride, and it’s undoubtedly these predecessors that are partly responsible for this being one of the most rewatchable sci-fi TV shows of all time.
This is another series that began as a more episodic “mystery-of-the-week” type of affair, while slowly transforming into a far more serialized gem that only kept getting better season after season. It features game-changing twists involving parallel universes and alternate timelines, character identities, all of which are hugely complex and mind-bending. Without a doubt, Fringe is a show that benefits from re-watches.
5
‘Severance’ (2022–)
The same way that Lost was what every sci-fi television fan seemed to be talking about back during the 200s, Severance appears to be this generation’s “mystery box” show masterpiece. It’s one of those sci-fi shows you can binge in a single week, a constantly shocking and profoundly mysterious gem full of great performances, great production values, and even greater writing.
But Severance is also the kind of show that lives or dies by its plot twists and how well they’re executed. After all, it’s a TV series built entirely on a foundation of mysterious questions, and for every question that it answers, the show seems to throw in a couple more new questions into the mix. Those kinds of twists keep it consistently engaging throughout. Fans can only hope that we’ll get many, many more seasons of Severance and its masterful plot twists.
4
‘The OA’ (2016–2019)
Netflix’s The OA is one of those mysterious sci-fi shows that are known precisely for their abundance of plot twists. The streaming giant has canceled many shows that showed potential, but this is one of their most egregious cancellations. After all, after just two seasons, it felt like The OA was just getting started—and what a wild ride it was bound to be throughout its whole planned five-season arc. But even with its untimely cancellation, this cult classic is still an icon of the genre.
Some may argue that The OA‘s abundance of plot twists is actually an overabundance, and that such frequent surprises inevitably end up generating plot holes. But for those willing to accept that a series which didn’t even get halfway through its pre-planned run is bound to have unexplained gaps, this one should be a delight. The OA‘s many twists are absolutely game-changing, constantly making the viewer feel like they’re suddenly watching an entirely different show.
3
‘Lost’ (2004–2010)
Lost was a pop culture sensation like no other throughout its run, and it absolutely revolutionized mystery box storytelling on the small screen. Divisive final season and finale notwithstanding, it’s one of those classic TV dramas that have aged well, built on the foundation of one of the most impressive cast ensembles in the history of broadcast television.
But what defined Lost throughout its run weren’t its performances, nor its high-budget visuals, nor its abundance of wild ideas: It was its plot twists. From smaller surprises that were fully self-contained within a given episode, to gargantuan “We have to go back!”-level twists that completely altered the course of the narrative, Lost is perfect for people who love sci-fi shows that keep them on their toes.
2
‘Dark’ (2017–2020)
Netflix’s first-ever German-language series, Dark is perhaps the streaming giant’s greatest foreign-language series. It’s not an easy watch: Its story is based on the idea of parallel universes, and the genealogy of its many characters is so complex that you need a notebook to keep track of everything, but those patient enough to keep up with Dark are in for the ride of a lifetime.
It’s undoubtedly one of the best sci-fi shows of the 21st century, with one of the best sci-fi show finales of the last 10 years. One of the reasons why that finale is so phenomenal is its many twists, something that defined the show as a whole throughout its run. Full of mind-bending surprises and jaw-dropping turns, Dark barely ever gives viewers a chance to rest before they have to jump back to their notebooks again.
1
‘Black Mirror’ (2011–Present)
What started as a relatively small and niche sci-fi anthology series on the British Channel 4 was then bought by Netflix after two seasons, and the rest is history. Black Mirror is widely touted as this generation’s The Twilight Zone, and for good reason. Dealing with similar kinds of themes of technology, progress, and the human condition, but with an undeniably modern twist, this is one of the heaviest thriller shows of recent years.
Black Mirror‘s abundance of twists is clearly different, because it doesn’t just tell a single story throughout each season, but it’s absolutely undeniable that every episode of the entire series is built on a whole web of twists and turns. It’s these twists and turns that keep Black Mirror‘s every story interesting and compelling, and they’re probably the reason why it has lasted as long as it has.
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Diego Pineda Pacheco
Almontather Rassoul
