Escaping from zombies, traveling through time, and investigating ghosts or other supernatural beings are only a few elements that a typical science-fiction TV show consists of. Some television shows hook viewers from the start regardless of whether the series follows an ongoing plot or introduces a new problem in each episode where the characters find the solutions by the end.
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There are a few science-fiction shows, such as Battlestar Galactica(1978- 1979), Firefly(2002-2003), and Invasion(2005-2006), which only lasted for one season. Outside these short-lived TV shows, there are a few shows that have been running for so long that they even replaced the main actor throughout the series.
'Lost' (2004 - 2010) — 6 Seasons
A group of strangers boarded Oceanic Flight 815 from Australia to California. When they crash-landed on a mysterious island, these strangers must depend on each other to survive. As the passengers began walking into the island's forested area, they saw inexplicable supernatural sights such as a polar bear and autonomous black smoke.
Lost aired from 2004 to 2010.Each episode led viewers to question the island's origins or what the island represents in mythology until the season six finale. Lost is currently available on Amazon Prime Video and Hulu.
'Star Trek: The Next Generation' (1987 - 1994) — 7 Seasons
In 1966, Star Trek: The Original Series aired its first episode. This series didn't run as long as Star Trek: The Next Generation, which aired from 1987 to 1994, a total of seven seasons. In Star Trek's universe, Star Trek: The Next Generation is set after the first six Star Trek movies.
In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Patrick Stewart starred as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the commander of the starship. The crew members of the U.S.S. Throughout the series, Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) encountered new civilizations and strange galactic phenomena in their missions. Star Trek: The Next Generation is currently available on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, and FuboTV.
'Star Trek: Voyager' (1995 - 2001) — 7 Seasons
Star Trek: Voyager focused on the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager in the 24th century. From the first episode, viewers learn that the Voyager under Captain Kathryn Janeway's (Kate Mulgrew) command must track the Marquis rebels. However, they get pulled off course, thus placing them on the other end of the galaxy.
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In order of release dates, Star Trek: Voyager aired after the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations. Star Trek: Voyager succeeds the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993 - 1999) in the Star Trek universeis currently available on Paramount+ and Amazon Prime Video.
'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' (2013 - 2020) — 7 Seasons
They may not wield a hammer like Thor, climb walls like Spider-Man, or possess super strength like Hulk. Yet the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. centered on a group of spies tasked with dealing with the aftermath of the battle of New York that occurred in The Avengersmovie. S.H.I.E.L.D. stood for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division.
Not all the members were powerless, and some had specific abilities such as electrokinetics or super speed. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. referred to the other Marvel heroes in the series, but the agents didn't rely on the other superheroes to save the day. In this TV series, the Agents were the heroes. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are currently available on Disney+.
'The Vampire Diaries' (2009 - 2017) — 8 Seasons
In Mystic Falls, Virginia, Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) might be like any other high school teenager. She was popular, an honor student, and a cheerleader, except she fell in love with a vampire. Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) was at least a 160-year-old vampire who fell in love with Elena because she reminded him of his former love Katherine Pierce. Stefan's brother, Damon (Ian Somerhalder), also fights for Elena's love.
The Vampire Diaries ran for eight seasons from 2009 to 2017. The popular vampire series led to two successful spin-offs titled, The Originals (2013 - 2018), and Legacies (2018 -). The Vampire Diaries are currently available on Netflix.
'The X-Files' (1993 - 2018) — 11 Seasons
Sometimes the only people that could solve a paranormal case are two FBI agents: Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) from The X-files.X-files's Mulder and Sully are among the most iconic duos across all the science-fiction TV shows. Together they solved unexplainable disappearances, mysterious murders, and abnormalities.
The X-Files's pilot episode premiered on September 10, 1993, about a dead woman with pink marks on her back. The TV series returned in 2016 after 14 years, tasked with more advanced and complicated paranormal cases. The X-Files ran for a total of 11 seasons on Fox, but viewers now have a chance to re-watch the episodes on Hulu.
'The Walking Dead' (2010 - 2022) — 11 Seasons
In this post-apocalyptic series, the herds of the undead ravaged the earth. In The Walking Dead, zombies (referred to as "walkers") infected people by biting them. Those who weren't infected were eaten. The Walking Dead revealed that people could be even scarier than walkers. The characters on the show were willing to do anything to collect food, supplies, or other materials, even if that meant endangering innocent people.
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Throughout the series, the characters built independent communities where they tried to create a safe environment. However, not all their communities could withstand attacks from other characters who wanted to control the communities. The Walking Dead is available on AMC and Netflix.
'Red Dwarf' (1988 -) — 13 Seasons
The crew on the spaceship Red Dwarfon the TV series Red Dwarf (1988 -) are not the most qualified, but there was no one besides them. Red Dwarf follows the lives of the last humans on earth who woke up 3 million years into the future and now live on the Jupiter Mining Company spaceship.
The first episode of Red Dwarf premiered on February 15, 1988, and took a break in 1999. The TV series returned in 2009. Although there is only one episode that aired in 2020, titled "Red Dwarf: The Promised Land," that aired in 2020, one of the creators of the TV series, Doug Naylor, said that they plan on writing more episodes, according to Radio Times. Red Dwarf is currently available on Roku and Amazon Prime Video.
'Supernatural' (2005 - 2020) — 15 Seasons
In 2005, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester were roaming the country, hunting down ghosts, shapeshifters, and vampires in Supernatural. Throughout Supernatural's 15 season-run, the Winchesters learned that there were many more dangerous monsters in the world, such as demons, Jefferson Starships, and Leviathans.
Yet they didn't fight these monsters alone; they befriended a hacker named Charlie (Felicia Day), angels like Castiel (Misha Collins), hunters like Garth (DJ Qualls), and Bobby (Jim Beaver), among others. This might not be the end of the road for Supernatural, as there is a prequel in the works that will center on Sam and Dean's parents. Supernatural is currently available on Netflix.
'Doctor Who' (1963 - 1989) (2005 -) — 37 Seasons
On November 23, 1963, viewers began a journey through time in the TARDIS with the Doctor encountering life-threatening enemies on Doctor Who (1963-1989). Doctor Who ran for 26 seasons between 1963 and 1989 on BBC. In 2005, the show was revived on BBC Studios since then. One of the perks of this longest-running sci-fi television show is the built-in story arc of the Doctor.
During their travels, the Doctors experienced a decline in their health, and in order not to die, the Doctors would regenerate themselves. This would lead them to take on newer forms, but this allowed other actors to portray the Doctor. The First Doctor was William Hartnell, who played the Doctor from 1963 to 1966. Jodie Whittaker was the 13th Doctor on the show and the first female Doctor. Doctor Who is currently available on HBOMax.
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