Remember The CW? Their niche, free streamer somehow has a ton of great old sci-fi shows
Umm, turns out there's a full summer sci-fi binge list hiding on here
As a goofy sci-fi geek, I sometimes just poke around on streaming services to see which cool, old sci-fi shows I’ve forgotten about that might be hanging around and available to stream.
Yes, weird pastime, I know. But I popped into The CW app the other night, and it turns out there’s quite a lot of really great catalog sci-fi programming sitting on the shelf over there.
The network itself has largely reinvented itself from its Arrowverse superhero series era of a few years ago, focusing instead of cheaper co-production series and a smattering of sports programming including some college sports and wrestling. It’s kinda worked, too! The network has cut its spending and kept ratings pretty on par with the low-ish numbers they had been pulling in already.
The network has also put some work into building out its digital footprint via its free streaming service (called, you guessed it, The CW). And as I have recently discovered by happenstance, that streaming app is stacked with some killer sci-fi shows.
To that end, here’s a Top 10 of great, old-ish (by old I mean like, 2000s or 2010s or so) sci-fi shows you can catch fully for free streaming on The CW:
Timeless: A short-lived NBC series about a team of time travelers. A brilliant little series that also did an incredible job of revisiting era throughout history.
Continuum: A co-production that ran on SYFY, about a cop from the future who gets sent back to the past to stop a group of terrorists out to change the timeline. It was a smart, fun, and tackled some complicated questions along the way.
Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger: Released on the back end of Marvel’s early TV slate before rolling everything under the MCU. It was a high school-y kind of vibe show, but surprisingly good.
Farscape: The classic. The OG. One of the greatest sci-fi adventures ever put to screen.
Mutant X: Kinda like the X-Men, but not exactly, this early 2000s sci-fi adventure was a cult hit in the syndication era.
The Magicians: Based on the best-selling book series, this adult fantasy adventure has been described as “Harry Potter for grown-ups,” and that… kinda nails it. A great show.
Blade: The Series: This short-lived Spike TV series from the mid-2000s adapted the hit daywalker comic series into its own TV series. It was goofy, but gosh darn it was a charming little spin on the character.
Colony: A sci-fi series based around an alien invasion of Earth, this cable hit starred LOST alum Josh Holloway as a man trying to survive when the world is taken over by aliens.
Dark Matter: If you’re missing the old sci-fi adventure days of Stargate SG-1, this series hails from several of the same creatives and has the same kind of vibes.
Under the Dome: A high-concept network shows based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, this show got beyond goofy before it was over - but was a fun ride getting there.
I’ve watched… I believe all of these shows at one point or another - and can recommend all 10 with their own unique quirks and charms.