Alien Planet

2023 · 1 Season · Max · Animation, Sci-Fi, Drama

Scavengers Reign is one of the most visually original animated series to arrive in the streaming era, building an alien world so richly detailed that the planet itself becomes the show's most compelling character. Its commitment to showing rather than telling makes for an immersive, almost hypnotic viewing experience. Character depth doesn't always match the worldbuilding, and the deliberate pacing will lose viewers who need more narrative momentum, but nothing else on television looks or feels like this. Its cancellation after one season means the story remains unfinished, which stings, but what exists is remarkable enough to stand on its own.

2020 · 2 Seasons · HBO Max · Sci-Fi, Drama

Raised by Wolves delivered some of the most visually striking and philosophically ambitious sci-fi in recent memory, with two android parents raising human children on an alien world, though its increasingly bizarre mythology eventually outpaced its storytelling.

2018 · Jonathan Brooks · 398 pages · Science Fiction

Station Core transplants the dungeon core formula into a sci-fi setting with a creative premise and satisfying second half, but its sluggish opening and abrasive AI companion test your patience before the story finds its footing.