A good sci-fi show taps into scientific curiosity and grounds a fantastical premise with plausible real-world mechanics. Some stories tackle topical social issues, while others branch into speculative fiction by imagining a future reliant on advanced technology. Ethical limits become important in such stories, as we’re compelled to think about the consequences of our collective actions.
Good sci-fi shows also explore the human condition, putting a philosophical spin on our relationship with others and the environments that shape us. Prime Video is home to sci-fi shows of great variety, but some of the best ones capture our attention from the get-go. When a premise is solid and well-thought-out, the first episode often becomes a promising indicator for the rest of the story.
With that in mind, here are seven near-perfect Prime Video sci-fi shows that hook you right from the first scene. Humans can upload their consciousness into a virtual afterlife of their choosing, but Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell) is robbed of that choice when he dies in an accident, and his rich girlfriend decides to upload him to save his "life." Nathan has difficulty adjusting to this strange new existence, but things feel easier because of Nora (Andy Allo), a customer service representative. As Nora navigates her own struggles, she begins to suspect Nathan was murdered.
This is the intriguing premise of Upload from creator Greg Daniels (The Office, King of the Hill), which uses the high-concept premise of consciousness transfer and filters it through a darkly comedic lens. Most consciousness transfer stories, including the brilliant video game Soma, are steeped in tragedy. Upload satirizes the concept by poking fun at the commercialization of the afterlife, where an avatar’s quality of life depends on how much money you have.
The fact that microtransactions follow you even after death is scary enough, but you’re also subjected to spam and data limits. A sci-fi show like no other, Tales from the Loop follows the residents of Mercer, Ohio, which is home to an underground facility known as the Mercer Center for Experimental Physics, or the Loop. If you’re expecting mutated monsters in the same vein as Stranger Things, this is not what this beautiful, slow-burn show is about.
Tales from the Loop is about the people who inhabit Mercer, and how their lives are impacted by a machine that makes things like time travel and body swaps possible. These strange events are not the focus, as the show is more concerned with human relationships and how we perceive mortality and grief against such a fantastical backdrop. These interconnected stories paint a melancholic picture of a small town where the meaning of life suddenly reveals itself on a random Tuesday afternoon.
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