10 great, high-concept sci-fi shows to watch if you like La Brea

There are plenty more shows that can scratch that high-concept itch.

I watched La Brea during its three-season run on NBC from 2021-2024, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I’ve always been a sucker for this kind of high-concept sci-fi show, even if it does get a bit silly by the end (to be fair, most of them do!).

If you’re playing catch-up, the show starts with a group of survivors falling into a mysterious sinkhole and realizing they’ve been thrown thousands of years into the past. It only gets wilder from there, with elements fans of shows like Lost will certainly recognize from the jump.

That said, I was as surprised as anyone to see the show recently popping on Netflix’s charts, benefiting from the algorithmic gods and that itch for folks looking to catch a big, new mystery show to escape the summer heat. And it’s not a bad pick! The show got a complete run to finish up its story, even if the third and final season came in at a truncated six episodes.

But if you’ve finished up binging La Brea and you’re looking for something else to watch next with the same vibe? I have you covered. I’ve always been a fan of these kinds of shows, and I’ve watched… well most of them.

So, here’s where I’d start…

Terra Nova

This big-budget Fox series is arguably one of the clearest precursors to La Brea. It ran for one incredibly expensive season on Fox in 2011. Produced by Steven Spielberg, the show followed a contingent of settlers looking to leave behind a broken future to settle and start a new life in the past via a portal.

The show had a big concept, but took a while to really get its feet under it to take full advantage. Sadly, La Brea was so expensive the network didn’t have the time (or money) for that type of patience. It was short-lived, but man, if you like these kinds of shows it was a thrill ride.

Under the Dome

This series, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, ran for three seasons on CBS from 2013-2015. It followed the residents of a small town who suddenly find their entire town trapped inside a giant dome. How’d it get there? Will it ever go away? What happens to a town when its completely cut off from the outside world?

They’re compelling questions, and ones this show tackles in that big, TV mystery, network drama kind of way. A must-watch for fans of shows like La Brea, plus for Stephen King completists.

Revolution

Another big, high-concept NBC show, Revolution ran on the network for two long seasons from 2012-2014. Though it just managed two seasons, it hit a total of 42 episodes, so there’s still quite a bit to binge. The show picked up in a near-future where all electricity in the world just… stopped. It’s been a global blackout for years, and we’re picking up with that mystery and the survivors trying to find the light in this candle-lit world.

It had some big names behind the camera, produced by J.J. Abrams, Eric Kripke (The Boys), and Jon Favreau (The Mandalorian), but ratings were so-so, as general audiences had trouble getting into the concept. But it was a big idea executed on a huge scope. Truly a show a La Brea fan could love.

Quantum Leap (2022)

Yes, the original Quantum Leap series is awesome, but don’t sleep on the revival from a couple of years ago. The new show picked up the story decades later, featuring a new leaper (played by Raymond Lee) taking off across time to set right wrongs and go on plenty of cool adventures. It captured a lot of the spirit of the original show, and really hit its stride in its second (and final) season.

It aired right around the same time La Brea did, and represented that same type of network approach to a big, sci-fi show. Well worth a watch if you missed it the first time around.

Manifest

Sure, it’s a different type of mystery, but Manifest is the quintessential big sci-fi mystery kind of series. Originally starting out on NBC then jumping to Netflix for its last couple of seasons, this series followed a plane full of survivors who vanish then miraculously reappear years later.

It deals with the impact that could have on lives and families, and the questions behind their disappearance and why it happened. Not surprisingly, Manifest also became a breakout hit when it was discovered by more fans on Netflix, blazing the same path La Brea is riding right now.

Wayward Pines

One of the wildest shows you probably have never watched, or even heard of: Wayward Pines is a Twin Peaks-y kind of sci-fi horror-tinged mystery, about a guy who finds himself in a small town that is just… a little off. The answers to those mysteries turn out of be huge, sci-fi wackiness that is unhinged in all of the best ways.

The show was based on a series of novels with the same name, and produced by M. Night Shyamalan. A truly bonkers show that ran for two seasons (with some cast changes between seasons). But well worth a watch.

Timeless

This is one of my absolute favorite shows on television, and it still breaks my heart it was canceled after just two seasons. It followed a rag-tag team of time travelers sent to stop a terrorist who stole a time machine and is out to muck up the time stream. It was created by veteran TV producers Eric Kripke and Shawn Ryan, and truly tapped into the hopeful, fun adventure vibes of Doctor Who (with less sci-fi) and old school Quantum Leap.

The series was canceled after two seasons, but fans caused a big enough of a ruckus the network picked the show up for an extended finale special to (hastily) wrap up the story. Which, hey, any ending is better than no ending.

But it truly was the kind of show that could’ve run for 6-7 seasons if given the chance.

Lost

Of course Lost is on the list. Sure, it’s the most obvious option, but still a must-see if you’re a fan of shows like La Brea. The OG big, network mystery show followed the survivors of a plane crash on a desert island loaded with mysteries, questions, a smoke monster and plenty more mysteries.

It was a massive hit, and the final season is still hotly debated among fans to this day. But it’s still some phenomenal TV, and makes for a great watch that absolutely holds up.

FlashForward

I remember really liking this series when it originally ran for just one season back in 2010 on ABC. Based on a sci-fi novel of the same name, the concept was a big one: what if pretty much everyone on the planet experienced a flash-forward to 6 months in the future? Would it change your decisions if you saw yourself somewhere you didn’t want to be? What if you learned something you didn’t want to know?

And more importantly — why did it happen in the first place? Those are the answers we probably would’ve gotten closer to in Season 2, had the series not been cancelled. But if you like sci-fi with big ideas? This one deserves to still be right up on the list.

Paper Girls

Amazon Prime adapted the acclaimed comic book series Paper Girls for television back in 2022, following a twisty sci-fi tale of a group of paper delivery girls who get sucked into a big time travel adventure mystery. It features a lot of the same elements you’ll recognized from La Brea, and this series has the benefit of being based on an excellent comic book — so all the big beats are already mapped out.

Sadly, it was canceled after one season, but that first season is an absolute banger. Still well worth a watch if you dig these types of shows. And after that? Just pick up the comics to see what happens next.