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Cosmos poster

Shows that feel likeCosmos (2014–2020)

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.

If you loved Cosmos, the closest series we have are Dark Matter (2015), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) and Foundation (2021). All three share Cosmos' contemplative and awe feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Stargate Universe (2009).

★ 9.2 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗2 seasons · FOXcreated by Ann Druyancontemplativeawe
11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Hulu

Not on subscription streaming right now. Rent or buy below.

If Cosmos hit the spot, these will too

Dark Matter poster
Dark Matter
2015–2017 · 3 seasons · Syfy
★ 7.5sci-fi & fantasy · drama

Deep space treated as a genuine mystery to be puzzled out

The difference: Pulpy crew-with-amnesia plotting, light-years from documentary rigor

The six-person crew of a derelict spaceship awakens from stasis in the farthest reaches of space. Their memories wiped clean, they have no recollection of who they are or how they got on board. The only clue to their identities is a cargo bay full of weaponry and a destination: a remote mining colony that is about to become a war zone. With no idea whose side they are on, they face a deadly decision. Will these amnesiacs turn their backs on history, or will their pasts catch up with them?

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds poster
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
2022– · 4 seasons · Paramount+
★ 8.2sci-fi & fantasy · dramaParamount+

The same preoccupation in both: space

The difference: Leans harder into sci-fi & fantasy than Cosmos does

Follow Captain Christopher Pike, Science Officer Spock and Number One in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.

Foundation poster
Foundation
2021– · 3 seasons · Apple TV
★ 7.6sci-fi & fantasy · dramaApple TV+

Civilizational timescales and ideas big enough to induce vertigo

The difference: Dense serialized plotting you must commit to across seasons

Follow a band of exiles on their monumental journey to save humanity and rebuild civilization amid the fall of the Galactic Empire.

Battlestar Galactica poster
Battlestar Galactica
2004–2009 · 4 seasons · Syfy
★ 8.7sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventure · dramaParamount+

Uses the void to ask the big questions about what humanity is

The difference: Grim survival drama — awe comes braided with despair

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.

Andor poster
Andor
2022–2025 · 2 seasons · Disney+
★ 8.6sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventure · dramaDisney+

Meticulous, grown-up world-building that takes its universe seriously

The difference: A political thriller — the galaxy is a backdrop, not the subject

In an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, Cassian Andor will discover the difference he can make in the struggle against the tyrannical Galactic Empire. He embarks on a path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.

Firefly poster
Firefly
2002 · 1 season · FOX
★ 8.9drama · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasyPrime VideoHulu

Space as a frontier that still feels vast, lonely and full of wonder

The difference: A scrappy outlaw-crew adventure with zero educational intent

In the year 2517, the universe is a vast frontier where lawlessness reigns and adventure awaits! Join Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his ragtag crew aboard the spaceship Serenity as they navigate the fringes of society, battling the oppressive Alliance and facing off against ruthless bounty hunters.

Lost in Space poster
Lost in Space
2018–2021 · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.3sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventure · dramaNetflix

Family-friendly awe at surviving an indifferent universe

The difference: Peril-of-the-week plotting — curiosity takes second place

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.

For All Mankind poster
For All Mankind
2019– · 5 seasons · Apple TV
★ 8.1drama · sci-fi & fantasy · war & politicsMaxApple TV+

Contemplative where it counts, awestruck underneath

Explore an aspirational world where NASA and the space program remained a priority and a focal point of our hopes and dreams as told through the lives of NASA astronauts, engineers, and their families.

Stargate Universe poster
Stargate Universe
2009–2011 · 2 seasons · Syfy
★ 7.6sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventure · dramaPrime Video

Documentary with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

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.

Stargate Atlantis poster
Stargate Atlantis
2004–2009 · 5 seasons · Syfy
★ 8.2sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventure · dramaPrime Video

Documentary built on awe, twice over

With the Ancients' city of Atlantis discovered in the Pegasus Galaxy by Stargate Command, Dr. Elizabeth Weir and Major Sheppard lead a scientific expedition to the ancient abandoned city. Once there, the team not only find themselves unable to contact Earth, but their explorations unexpectedly reawaken the Ancients' deadly enemies, The Wraith, who hunger for this new prey. Now with the help of newfound local allies like Teyla Emmagan, the Atlantis Team sets about to uncover their new home's secrets even as their war of survival against the Wraith begins.

The Expanse poster
The Expanse
2015–2022 · 6 seasons · Syfy
★ 8.5drama · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyPrime Video

Common ground: space

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.

Stargate SG-1 poster
Stargate SG-1
1997–2007 · 10 seasons · Showtime
★ 8.4sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventureNetflixPrime Video

Awestruck documentary, and it commits to that

The difference: Easier on the stillness than Cosmos

The story of Stargate SG-1 begins about a year after the events of the feature film, when the United States government learns that an ancient alien device called the Stargate can access a network of such devices on a multitude of planets. SG-1 is an elite Air Force special operations team, one of more than two dozen teams from Earth who explore the galaxy and defend against alien threats such as the Goa'uld, Replicators, and the Ori.

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The best-reviewed series that share Cosmos’ defining feeling.