It’s another busy summer of streaming sci-fi

  News, Rassegna Stampa
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Just like last year, the hot summer months of 2024 are turning out to be an excellent time for science fiction fans. There are a number of sci-fi series that either just wrapped up, are in the middle of a season, or are set to premiere soon. Perfect for ignoring the heat of the outdoors for the substantially cooler worlds of space and the future. And this is a lineup that could potentially grow even more, as Apple has been teasing the return of both Severance and Silo sometime soon. In the meantime, plan your next few months of streaming time accordingly with this list.

Scavengers Reign

This animated series actually premiered on Max last year but made its way to Netflix on May 31st. It’s unlike anything else out there, a mix of hard sci-fi with stunning art, set on a harsh, unforgiving, and truly alien world. And really, it’s the planet that’s the highlight here, a place inspired by everything from artists like Hayao Miyazaki and Jean “Moebius” Giraud to actual nature. (You can read more about the inspirations behind the show right here.) If you weren’t able to check it out on Max, now is a great time to catch up.

a:hover]:shadow-highlight-franklin [&>a]:shadow-underline-blurple-1″>Streaming on Apple TV Plus

Apple has been on a serious run with sci-fi shows, and Dark Matter is just the latest example. Based on the novel of the same name by Blake Crouch, the show follows a physicist who is kidnapped… by himself… and taken to a parallel world. Somehow, it manages to do something interesting in the increasingly overcrowded space of multiverse stories and, since the first season has wrapped up, you can binge it all right now.

a:hover]:shadow-highlight-franklin [&>a]:shadow-underline-blurple-1″>Streaming on Disney Plus

The latest season of Doctor Who is notable for a few reasons. It marked the start of Ncuti Gatwa’s run as the doctor, and it was also the first to stream globally on Disney Plus. Over the course of eight episodes, it managed a careful balance between Doctor Who’s origins and the bigger budget that comes from being on Disney, with fun riffs on everything from Black Mirror to Bridgerton. As showrunner Russell T. Davies told The Verge, “We’ve gotten a bit more money for effects, but in this first episode, we haven’t spent it on 1,000 spaceships; we spent it on talking babies, you know?” All episodes are streaming now.

The Acolyte

We’re well into Star Wars’ streaming era, but even with a glut of existing shows, The Acolyte manages to feel distinct. And that comes largely down to its setting: it’s the first live-action show set during the High Republic era, taking place a century before The Phantom Menace. This means that there are many Star Wars staples that aren’t present, which has freed the show up to tell some interesting stories. It also has some, excuse me, killer lightsaber battles to look forward to.