
Shows that feel likeCosmos (2014–2020)
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).
Not on subscription streaming right now. Rent or buy below.
If Cosmos hit the spot, these will too

Deep space treated as a genuine mystery to be puzzled out
The difference: Pulpy crew-with-amnesia plotting, light-years from documentary rigor

The same preoccupation in both: space
The difference: Leans harder into sci-fi & fantasy than Cosmos does

Civilizational timescales and ideas big enough to induce vertigo
The difference: Dense serialized plotting you must commit to across seasons

Uses the void to ask the big questions about what humanity is
The difference: Grim survival drama — awe comes braided with despair

Meticulous, grown-up world-building that takes its universe seriously
The difference: A political thriller — the galaxy is a backdrop, not the subject

Space as a frontier that still feels vast, lonely and full of wonder
The difference: A scrappy outlaw-crew adventure with zero educational intent

Family-friendly awe at surviving an indifferent universe
The difference: Peril-of-the-week plotting — curiosity takes second place

Contemplative where it counts, awestruck underneath

Documentary with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

Documentary built on awe, twice over

Common ground: space

Awestruck documentary, and it commits to that
The difference: Easier on the stillness than Cosmos
In the mood for more contemplative?
all contemplative shows →The best-reviewed series that share Cosmos’ defining feeling.









