The Best Science TV Shows

What it's about: When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one strange little girl.

Where to Watch: 25 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix).

What it's about: Rick is a mentally-unbalanced but scientifically-gifted old man who has recently reconnected with his family. He spends most of his time involving his young grandson Morty in dangerous, outlandish adventures throughout space and alternate universes. Compounded with Morty's already unstable family life, these events cause Morty much distress at home and school.

Where to Watch: 5 episodes (16%) are available to watch free online (Adult Swim). 31 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 5 episodes (16%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (Adult Swim). 31 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: A dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin. Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, it explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged.

Where to Watch: 20 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (HBO). 20 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular TV everywhere service (HBO). 20 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $2.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: A contemporary and culturally resonant drama about a young programmer, Elliot, who suffers from a debilitating anti-social disorder and decides that he can only connect to people by hacking them. He wields his skills as a weapon to protect the people that he cares about. Elliot will find himself in the intersection between a cybersecurity firm he works for and the underworld organizations that are recruiting him to bring down corporate America.

Where to Watch: 32 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video). 32 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: The Big Bang Theory is centered on five characters living in Pasadena, California: roommates Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper; Penny, a waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's equally geeky and socially awkward friends and co-workers, mechanical engineer Howard Wolowitz and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali. The geekiness and intellect of the four guys is contrasted for comic effect with Penny's social skills and common sense.

Where to Watch: 5 episodes (2%) are available to watch free online (CBS). 22 episodes (8%) are available to stream on a subscription service (CBS All Access). 11 episodes (4%) are available to stream on a popular TV everywhere service (TBS). 280 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham, brilliant but formerly institutionalized scientist Walter Bishop and his scheming, reluctant son Peter uncover a deadly mystery involving a series of unbelievable events and realize they may be a part of a larger, more disturbing pattern that blurs the line between science fiction and technology.

Where to Watch: 100 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (IMDb TV). 100 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 8 services (iTunes, Google Play & 6 others).

What it's about: David Haller, AKA Legion, is a troubled young man who may be more than human. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, David has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for years. But after a strange encounter with a fellow patient, he’s confronted with the possibility that the voices he hears and the visions he sees might be real.

Where to Watch: 19 episodes (68%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 8 episodes (29%) are available to stream on a popular TV everywhere service (FX). 27 episodes (96%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: A thriller set two hundred years in the future following the case of a missing young woman who brings a hardened detective and a rogue ship's captain together in a race across the solar system to expose the greatest conspiracy in human history.

Where to Watch: 36 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video). 36 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 8 services (iTunes, Google Play & 6 others).

What it's about: The adventures of a late-20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, who, after being unwittingly cryogenically frozen for one thousand years, finds employment at Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery company in the retro-futuristic 31st century.

Where to Watch: 131 episodes (94%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix & Hulu). 30 episodes (22%) are available to stream on a popular TV everywhere service (Syfy & Comedy Central). 138 episodes (99%) are available to rent or buy from $0.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: Edward and Alphonse Elric's reckless disregard for alchemy's fun­damental laws ripped half of Ed's limbs from his body and left Al's soul clinging to a cold suit of armor. To restore what was lost, the brothers scour a war-torn land for the Philosopher's Sto­ne, a fabled relic which grants the ability to perform alchemy in impossible ways.The Elrics are not alone in their search; the corrupt State Military is also eager to harness the artifact's power. So too are the strange Homunculi and their shadowy creator. The mythical gem lures exotic alchemists from distant kingdoms, scarring some deeply enough to inspire murder. As the Elrics find their course altered by these enemies and allies, their purpose remains unchanged – and their bond unbreakable.

Where to Watch: 64 episodes (94%) are available to watch free online (Crunchyroll). 64 episodes (94%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix & Hulu). 4 episodes (6%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 1 service (Prime Video).

What it's about: The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder's discoveries that debunk Mulder's work and thus return him to mainstream cases.

Where to Watch: 5 episodes (2%) are available to watch free online (FOX). 219 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video & Hulu). 208 episodes (95%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (BBC America & FOX). 219 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 8 services (iTunes, Google Play & 6 others).

What it's about: A streetwise hustler is pulled into a compelling conspiracy after witnessing the suicide of a girl who looks just like her.

Where to Watch: 50 episodes (98%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video). 51 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (BBC America). 50 episodes (98%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: Terrifying creatures, wicked surprises and dark comedy converge in this NSFW anthology of animated stories presented by Tim Miller and David Fincher.

Where to Watch: 18 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix).

What it's about: After 250 years on ice, a prisoner returns to life in a new body with one chance to win his freedom: by solving a mind-bending murder.

Where to Watch: 10 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix).

What it's about: UK Comedy series about two I.T. nerds and their clueless female manager, who work in the basement of a very successful company. When they are called on for help, they are never treated with any respect at all.

Where to Watch: 1 episodes (4%) are available to watch free online (Tubi TV). 25 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 25 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: At the turn of the century, the Angels returned to Earth, seeking to wipe out humanity in an apocalyptic fury. Devastated, mankind's last remnants moved underground to wait for the day when the Angels would come back to finish the job. Fifteen years later, that day has come... but this time, humanity is ready to fight back with terrifying bio-mechanical weapons known as the Evangelions. Watch as Shinji, Rei, Asuka and the rest of the mysterious shadow agency Nerv battle to save earth from total annihilation.

Where to Watch: 26 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix).

What it's about: Dr. Temperance Brennan and her colleagues at the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab assist Special Agent Seeley Booth with murder investigations when the remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that the standard identification methods are useless.

Where to Watch: 246 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video & Hulu). 10 episodes (4%) are available to stream on a popular TV everywhere service (TNT). 246 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $0.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: When an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protect a small civilian fleet - the last of humanity - as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth.

Where to Watch: 72 episodes (94%) are available to watch free online (Syfy). 73 episodes (95%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video & Hulu). 1 episodes (1%) are available to stream on a popular TV everywhere service (Syfy). 75 episodes (97%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: The X-Men are an elite team of mutants, genetically gifted human beings with superpowers, sworn to fight for mutant rights against hostile Government agencies, whilst at the same time protecting mankind from mutant supremacist Magneto who seeks to destroy the human race in return for the atrocities committed against mutant kind.

Where to Watch: 83 episodes (94%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 7 services (iTunes, Google Play & 5 others).

What it's about: In a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a 'Synth' - a highly-developed robotic servant that's so similar to a real human it's transforming the way we live.

Where to Watch: 24 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video). 24 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: After crash-landing on an alien planet, the Robinson family fights against all odds to survive and escape. But they're surrounded by hidden dangers.

Where to Watch: 10 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 10 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: At Deep Space Nine, a space station located next to a wormhole in the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, Commander Sisko and crew welcome alien visitors, root out evildoers and solve all types of unexpected problems that come their way.

Where to Watch: 175 episodes (98%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix, Hulu & 1 other). 179 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play, Prime Video & 3 others).

What it's about: Hank and Dean Venture, with their father Doctor Venture and faithful bodyguard Brock Samson, go on wild adventures facing megalomaniacs, zombies, and suspicious ninjas, all for the glory of adventure. Or something like that.

Where to Watch: 8 episodes (10%) are available to watch free online (Adult Swim). 81 episodes (96%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 17 episodes (20%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (Adult Swim). 84 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: An astronaut named Gary and his planet-destroying sidekick Mooncake embark on serialized journeys through space in order to unlock the mystery of “Final Space,” the last point in the universe, if it actually does exist.

Where to Watch: 5 episodes (23%) are available to watch free online (Adult Swim). 13 episodes (59%) are available to stream on a popular TV everywhere service (TBS & Adult Swim). 20 episodes (91%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: A stranded spaceship pilot captured by mad scientists survives a blitz of cheesy B movies by riffing on them with his funny robot pals.

Where to Watch: 81 episodes (41%) are available to watch free online (Tubi TV). 71 episodes (36%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix & Hulu). 14 episodes (7%) are available to rent or buy from $2.99 on 2 services (iTunes & Vudu).

What it's about: A suburban couple's ordinary lives are rocked by the sudden discovery that their children possess mutant powers. Forced to go on the run from a hostile government, the family joins up with an underground network of mutants and must fight to survive.

Where to Watch: 5 episodes (17%) are available to watch free online (FOX). 29 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 21 episodes (72%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (FOX). 28 episodes (97%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 8 services (iTunes, Google Play & 6 others).

What it's about: Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson provides clarity for the vision of the cosmos as he voyages across the universe with never-before-told stories that delve into the scientific concepts of the laws of gravity and the origins of space and time.

Where to Watch: 26 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (Google Play, Prime Video & 2 others).

What it's about: Invader Zim is an American animated television series created by Jhonen Vasquez. The show premiered on Nickelodeon on March 30, 2001. The series involves an extraterrestrial named Zim who originates from a planet called Irk, and his ongoing mission to conquer and destroy Earth. His various attempts to subjugate and destroy the human race are invariably undermined by some combination of his own ineptitude, his malfunctioning robot servant GIR, and a young paranormal investigator named Dib, one of the very few people attentive enough to be aware of Zim's identity.Invader Zim was targeted at children in their early teens, and met with critical acclaim, but after the first season, the show's ratings began to decline. Before the second season was completed, Nickelodeon cancelled the series, leaving at least twenty-three episodes and a planned television movie series finale unfinished. The show has maintained a cult following since the series' cancellation with a pilot, forty-six aired episodes, and about seventeen episodes that were in production around the time the series was cancelled. On August 19, 2006, all forty-six episodes have aired on television. Nineteen of the episodes are split into two individual stories, each lasting about twelve minutes. There are eight double-length episodes. All of the episodes were directed by Steve Ressel except for the pilot which was directed by Jordan Reichek.

Where to Watch: 27 episodes (59%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 36 episodes (78%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Highly skilled Detective Inspector Jane Tennison battles to prove herself in a male dominated world.

Where to Watch: 15 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu, AcornTV & BritBox). 15 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $4.99 on 2 services (Google Play & YouTube).

What it's about: Fortitude is a place like nowhere else. Although surrounded by the savage beauty of the Arctic landscape, Fortitude is one of the safest towns on earth. There has never been a violent crime here. Until now. In such a close-knit community a murder touches everyone and the unsettling, mysterious horror of this crime threatens the future of the town itself.

Where to Watch: 22 episodes (85%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video). 22 episodes (85%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 8 services (iTunes, Google Play & 6 others).

What it's about: The series picks up four years after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day with John and Sarah Connor trying to stay under-the-radar from the government, as they plot to destroy the computer network, Skynet, in hopes of preventing Armageddon.

Where to Watch: 31 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: Set 58 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families - the Graystones and the Adamas - as they grow, compete, and thrive in the vibrant world of the peaceful 12 Colonies, living in a society close to our own. Entangled in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe, blending action with corporate conspiracy and sexual politics.

Where to Watch: 17 episodes (85%) are available to watch free online (IMDb TV). 20 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: A group of librarians set off on adventures in an effort to save mysterious, ancient artifacts. Based on the series of "The Librarian" movies.

Where to Watch: 42 episodes (95%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 44 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: A mind-bending, thrilling journey exploring the fragility and wonder of planet Earth, one of the most peculiar, unique places in the entire universe, brought to life by the only people to have left it behind – the world’s most well known and leading astronauts.

Where to Watch: 10 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 10 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (FOX & NatGeo). 10 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).

What it's about: Defiance is an American science fiction television show that takes place in the future on a radically transformed Earth containing new species arriving from space. In the show, Joshua Nolan works as the lawman for the town of Defiance, a community where humans and intelligent extraterrestrial species coexist. The show follows Nolan, his adopted alien daughter Irisa, and the town's new mayor Amanda Rosewater.

Where to Watch: 38 episodes (97%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video). 39 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 8 services (iTunes, Google Play & 6 others).

What it's about: The adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient spaceship Destiny many billions of light years distant from the Milky Way Galaxy. They evacuated there and are now trying to figure out a way to return to Earth, while simultaneously trying to explore and to survive in their unknown area of the universe.

Where to Watch: 40 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 40 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: MythBusters is a science entertainment television program created and produced by Australia's Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The show's hosts, special effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, use elements of the scientific method to test the validity of rumors, myths, movie scenes, adages, Internet videos, and news stories.

Where to Watch: 92 episodes (27%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu & Motor Trend). 161 episodes (47%) are available to stream on a TV everywhere service (Science & Discovery). 312 episodes (91%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: Under the Dome is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. It tells the story of the residents of the small town of Chester's Mill in Maine, where a massive, transparent, indestructible dome suddenly cuts them off from the rest of the world. With no Internet access, no mobile signals and limited radio communication, the people trapped inside must find their own ways to survive with diminishing resources and rising tensions. While military forces, the government and the media positioned outside of this surrounding barrier attempt to break it down, a small group of people inside attempt to figure out what the dome is, where it came from, and when (and if) it will go away.

Where to Watch: 40 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video & CBS All Access). 40 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 1 service (Prime Video).

What it's about: The sleepy Pacific Northwest town of Eureka is hiding a mysterious secret. The government has been relocating the world's geniuses and their families to this rustic town for years where innovation and chaos have lived hand in hand. U.S. Marshal Jack Carter stumbles upon this odd town after wrecking his car and becoming stranded there. When the denizens of the town unleash an unknown scientific creation, Carter jumps in to try to restore order and consequently learns of one of the country's best kept secrets.

Where to Watch: 77 episodes (99%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video). 78 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: The year is 2048. By mandate, every cop must partner with a robot. Detective John Kennex returns to work after waking up from a 17-month coma. As he adjusts to working with his new partner, Dorian, a discontinued android with unexpected emotional responses, John also must learn to get along with his new colleagues.

Where to Watch: 13 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).

What it's about: Based on a true story, Scorpion is a high-octane drama about eccentric genius Walter O’Brien and his team of brilliant misfits who comprise the last line of defense against complex, high-tech threats of the modern age. As Homeland Security’s new think tank, O’Brien’s “Scorpion” team includes Toby Curtis, an expert behaviorist who can read anyone; Happy Quinn, a mechanical prodigy; and Sylvester Dodd, a statistics guru.

Where to Watch: 93 episodes (99%) are available to stream on a subscription service (CBS All Access). 93 episodes (99%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 8 services (iTunes, Google Play & 6 others).

What it's about: Helix is an intense thriller about a team of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control who travel to a high-tech research facility in the Arctic to investigate a possible disease outbreak, only to find themselves pulled into a terrifying life-and-death struggle that holds the key to mankind's salvation...or total annihilation.

Where to Watch: 26 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 26 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $0.99 on 8 services (iTunes, Google Play & 6 others).

What it's about: Edward and Alphonse Elric are two brothers gifted with the ability of alchemy, the science of taking one thing and changing it into another. However, alchemy works on the theory of Equivalent Exchange -- for something to be created, something else of equal value must be sacrificed. When their mother dies, Edward decides to do the unthinkable -- bringing her back to life by breaking one of Alchemy's biggest taboos and performing Human Alchemy. Thinking they have nothing more to lose, he and Alphonse make their attempt -- but something goes horribly wrong. In the process, Alphonse loses his body and Edward loses his leg. Ed manages to save Al by attaching his spirit to a suit of armor, but at the cost of his arm and leg.

Where to Watch: 76 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 48 episodes (63%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 1 service (Google Play).

What it's about: Pinky and Brain are genetically enhanced laboratory mice who reside in a cage in the Acme Labs research facility. Brain is self-centered and scheming; Pinky is good-natured but feebleminded. In each episode, Brain devises a new plan to take over the world, which ultimately ends in failure, usually due to Pinky's idiocy, the impossibility of Brain's plan, Brain's own arrogance, or just circumstances beyond their control.

Where to Watch: 75 episodes (66%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu). 95 episodes (84%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 5 services (iTunes, Google Play & 3 others).

What it's about: David Attenborough looks at the extraordinary ends to which animals and plants go in order to survive. Featuring epic spectacles, amazing TV firsts and examples of new wildlife behaviour.

Where to Watch: 10 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 10 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $0.99 on 3 services (iTunes, Prime Video & Vudu).

What it's about: In 1963, the U.S. government launched a covert space mission sending hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world. Nearly 50 years into the journey, as they approach the point of no return, a mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.

Where to Watch: 7 episodes (70%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix). 6 episodes (60%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 7 services (iTunes, Google Play & 5 others).

What it's about: The Transformers is the first animated television series in the Transformers franchise. The series depicts a war among giant robots that can transform into vehicles and other objects.

Where to Watch: 84 episodes (84%) are available to watch free online (Tubi TV). 66 episodes (66%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Starz). 75 episodes (75%) are available to stream on a popular TV everywhere service (Starz). 16 episodes (16%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 3 services (Google Play, Prime Video & YouTube).