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A guide to the best sci-fi streaming this summer

Foundation and Strange New Worlds return, while Alien: Earth and Eyes of Wakanda will make their debuts.

Foundation_Photo_030205
Foundation_Photo_030205
Image: Apple

A guide to the best sci-fi streaming this summer

Foundation and Strange New Worlds return, while Alien: Earth and Eyes of Wakanda will make their debuts.

Andrew Webster
is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.

It’s that time again: for a third year running, the summer is looking pretty great for streaming some science fiction. There’s just something about cool fictional futures that’s a good fit for hot summer days spent indoors, and it seems the various streaming services agree. It’s been a pretty good year so far for the genre, with the return of Severance, Andor, and Black Mirror. And that momentum looks like it will continue through the next few months; we’ve already seen strong debuts for Murderbot and Ironheart, while other shows like Alien: Earth and The Institute are on their way, as well.

Here are some series to keep an eye on.

Murderbot

Streaming on Apple TV Plus now

If you haven’t been keeping up with Apple’s adaptation of Martha Wells’ beloved novels about a depressed and anxiety-ridden killing machine, then the good news is that it’s perfect for binge-watching. The episodes are brisk and funny, making it easy to watch a bunch in a row. It provides a nice and light addition to the streamer’s ever-growing sci-fi lineup — that is, until it gets all existential on you. The finale of the 10-episode-long first season drops on July 11th, so there’s plenty of time to catch up before then.

Ironheart

Streaming on Disney Plus now

Tony Stark’s futuristic Iron Man suits helped kick off the MCU’s popularity, and Riri Williams looks to keep that vibe alive. The series, which takes place after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, follows the genius inventor Riri as she returns home after getting kicked out of MIT, only to get pulled into some typical Marvel shenanigans. The series is relatively short, clocking in at six episodes, and the first half gets off to a high-flying start.

Foundation season 3

Streaming on Apple TV Plus on July 11th

Apple’s century-spanning sci-fi epic is back, and the third season jumps ahead in time once again. It takes place 152 years after season 2, at a time when the genetic dynasty’s power is shrinking and the titular Foundation is growing. Oh, and a new warlord known as The Mule shows up, throwing another wrench into everyone’s plans.

The Institute

Streaming on MGM Plus on July 13th

This series is sort of like X-Men by way of Stephen King. Based on a King novel from 2019, The Institute takes place in a facility for children with physic abilities. But unlike Professor X, the people who run this institute have far less idealistic aims. The series is helmed by Jack Bender, best-known for directing a whole lot of Lost and MGM Plus’ horror series From.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3

Streaming on Paramount Plus on July 17th

As we recently learned, we’re now at the midway point of Strange New Worlds. The Star Trek prequel is about to kick off season 3, but it will end with season 5, adding a sense of urgency to every episode moving forward. Paramount says that the new season “dives into thrilling adventures of faith, duty, romance, comedy, and mystery, with varying genres never before seen on any other Star Trek.”

Twisted Metal season 2

Streaming on Peacock on July 31st

The first season of Peacock’s Twisted Metal adaptation, which is based on a mostly dormant PlayStation game series, was a bit of a tease. It was a prequel, detailing the events leading up to the vehicular combat tournament at the heart of the franchise. But with that now out of the way, the show is ready to dive straight into the action — or at least that’s how things look in the trailers. This season will also introduce my favorite character, Axel, a man imprisoned between two giant wheels.

Alien: Earth

Streaming on Hulu and FX on August 12th

After a whole bunch of movies — including last year’s spinoff Romulus — the Alien franchise will soon have a TV series. This prequel (obviously) shifts the setting to Earth and takes place before the original movie, in which a ship crash lands on the planet and brings some unwanted visitors.

Invasion season 3

Streaming on Apple TV Plus on August 22nd

Apple’s alien series has steadily escalated over two seasons, starting out slow with a human-level view of the invasion, before eventually bringing all of its various threads together for what looks to be a large-scale showdown. That’s where season 3 comes in, which promises to ramp the action up considerably.

Eyes of Wakanda

Streaming on Disney Plus on August 27th

Marvel’s animated anthologies have been hit-or-miss so far, but Eyes of Wakanda seems like a promising addition. As the name implies, the series will follow a handful of important and influential Wakandan figures throughout the nation’s history, providing a few more chances to explore Marvel’s afrofuturistic world. The series will span a relatively brisk four episodes, making for a solid summer binge-watch.

A still image from the animated series Futurama.
Image: 20th Television

Futurama season 13

Streaming on Hulu on September 15th

After a disappointing return last year, the crew at Planet Express are back for another go, and lucky season number 13. This time it appears the show is trying to be less topical, with episodes about everything from volcanoes to Zoidberg’s afterlife. The whole 10-episode-long season is dropping at once, as well, so good news for bingers.

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