10 Least Scientifically Accurate Sci-Fi Shows We All Love Anyway

Many sci-fi TV shows don’t have the most accurate science or realistic premise, but that’s part of the reason they’re so well-loved. Sci-fi is a large part of the history of storytelling and is one of the most popular genres of film and TV entertainment. Half of the fun of watching a sci-fi series is suspending disbelief and going along for the ride of the story. While some shows do their best to stick to the laws of physics, and what could potentially be true in the distant future, many others choose to focus on the plot and characters, using science as a tool for the themes of the series.

It often predicts how humanity will evolve in the wake of future environmental or societal changes. This evolution usually involves technological advancement, space travel, and the blending of the organic and mechanical. Sci-fi written in the past sometimes catches up with the present year, like in Back to the FutureII when Marty travels to 2015, and it’s enjoyable to see how accurate, or not, a creator’s idea of the future was. There’s no way to know what the future holds, so sci-fi filmmakers usually get a free pass to be a little loose with their science.

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From time travel in Quantum Leap to human cloning in Black Orphan, science fiction has endless possibilities. These sci-fi series deserve more love.

10 Fringe (2008 – 2013)

FBI agents who discover a supernatural hidden world

Fringe takes inspiration from aspects of crime procedurals and supernatural mysteries, alike. Part of what makes Fringe so intriguing is that it delves into the possibility that there are parallel universes that humanity can explore. Fringe was known for taking the basic premise of what might be interesting and boundary-pushing if it did exist, and then turning that concept up. Along with parallel universes, mind control, and teleportation can be seen on Fringe. What set the show apart and kept viewers coming back was the way the writers made the otherworldly science feel as high stakes as real life.

9 Star Trek: The Original Series (1966 – 1969)

A long-running franchise with some questionable capabilities

Few iterations of the Star Trek franchise are faithful to accurate science, but The Original Series takes the most liberties while also being the most beloved. The Original Series started it all and was the basis for much of the technology and plotting that carried throughout the entire franchise. It’s clear through the success and longevity of Star Trek that a few liberties taken with science are no match for a devoted audience base.

Smaller inaccuracies consisted of describing planet atmospheres as made out of elements that would explode when they came into contact, and the fact that Dr. McCoy aka “Bones” rarely used actual medicine in his diagnoses. Larger ones were the capabilities of the artificial gravity being used on such a massive ship, as well as the existence of a warp drive. As it stands right now, light-speed travel is impossible.

8 The Flash (2014 – 2023)

The fastest man alive who defies logic

Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) is the fastest man alive in the CW’s The Flash, another in a series of adaptations revolving around the beloved DC Comics character. In the show, Barry gets his powers from an explosion of a particle accelerator. How the explosion gives him powers instead of evaporating him is one thing, but how he can travel at the speed he does without his body collapsing is another. Throughout the series’ run, The Flash shows some impressive displays of power that don’t always make sense.

To manage the stress that the elements and friction would cause on his body, Barry would have to heal at speeds not even his body could achieve. Additionally, Barry uses his powers to move so quickly that he travels back in time to save his mother from being killed. Not only does his body somehow survive this trip, but he changes the timeline of his universe with devastating consequences. Even if his abilities don’t make sense, it’s worth it to watch how Barry grapples with power he wasn’t ready for.

7 Eureka (2006 – 2012)

A town full of geniuses breaking the laws of physics

In Eureka, a town of the same name holds an enormous population of people with genius-level IQs that Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) stumbles upon. He quickly falls into the role of sheriff and learns that the town holds many secrets other than its residents. Where Eureka starts to get shaky is the introduction of living computers that people can be made into using their DNA. This coincides with a computer virus that can jump between computers somehow but is easily cured. There are other examples of outlandish science on the show, but most viewers did not watch for science, but for the small-town dramas.

6 Lost In Space (1965 – 1968)

A family exploring the universe while looking for a way to get home

The original run of Lost in Space followed the journey of the Robinson family who end up stranded in deep space on their ship trying to return to Earth. As a family-oriented sitcom that had child actors, Lost in Space had positive messaging and felt like a fun adventure that didn’t lean too deeply into the terror of being off course somewhere in the universe.

When the Robinsons do find planets to land on, they frequently defy the laws of physics, with elements reacting to the needs of the plot rather than the truth. One example comes in the pilot of the series when the extra weight of one stowaway sends the entire ship off course. Still popular, the show recently got a reboot on Netflix, and it maintains the commitment to story over science.

5 Doctor Who (2005 – )

The time traveler unconcerned with time

Of all the shows that revolve around time travel, Doctor Who might be the least accurate and the most loved. The familiar quote from The Doctor, “Time can be rewritten”, is treated as absolutely true throughout the series’ run. Famous historical events are changed, timelines are crossed, and paradoxes are created in a typical adventure for The Doctor and his companions. Not just bending the limits of science, Doctor Who was not historically accurate all the time.

Though The Doctor is supposed to be a scientific expert, and many problems are solved through his quick manipulation of machinery, the laws of physics are consistently broken. Fortunately, for most viewers, this hardly matters. What makes the show worth watching is the relationship between The Doctor and their companions, and the fantastical adventures they go on.

4 Altered Carbon (2018 – 2020)

Human consciousness is downloaded to conquer death

In the future of Altered Carbon, a person’s personality and consciousness can be uploaded to a “cortical stack” and moved from body to body in order to prevent death. The show revolves around Takeshi “Tak” Kovacs, played by Joel Kinnaman in season 1, then Anthony Mackie in season 2 when he is “resleeved”. While artificial intelligence has begun to make strides in mimicking the pattern of human consciousness, it would take a lot of technological advancement to upload an entire human brain onto a hard drive.

Death has become optional for the wealthiest people in the universe, but they have to get their new bodies from somewhere. Another piece of unconventional technology is the clones, which are frequently provided as “sleeves” to upload consciousness. For humans to step right back into a cloned adult body after dying, it would take a long time to make this possible. Clones, if able to exist at all, must be grown and this would pose a difficulty for the world. However, Altered Carbon makes up for these flaws with great action and world-building.

3 Red Dwarf (1988 – )

3 million years in the future, only one human remains

Red Dwarf began its run in 1988 and was recently brought back for modern audiences after the success of the sci-fi sitcom. Dave Lister (Craig Charles) is a low-ranking crew member on the spaceship Red Dwarf and is awoken from suspended animation to find himself 3 million years in the future. He finds that he is likely the last living human in the universe, and is joined by a hologram, a cat-human hybrid, and a robot to aid in his travels.

Cryogenics are the closest that humanity has come to suspended animation, but it seems unlikely that even if Lister was successfully put to sleep there would be enough resources on the ship to sustain him for 3 million years. Additionally, many of the creatures and lifeforms Lister meets have evolved from the human race, but it’s unclear how the cross-species genetic transfer might have occurred. Regardless, as a series, Red Dwarf doesn’t take itself too seriously and uses sci-fi tropes for comedic effect rather than accuracy.

2 Space: 1999 (1975 – 1977)

The Moon becomes a rocket full of space travelers

In Space: 1999, it’s imagined that a base full of people would be living on the Moon and monitoring the nuclear waste dumped there by the year 1999. Though this prediction did not come true, there is a more inaccurate aspect of the show’s premise. It was this nuclear waste that caused an explosion so great it propelled the Moon out of Earth’s orbit and caused it to become akin to a ship hurtling through space.

Even if this did happen, an explosion like that would destroy the Moon and anyone on it at the time. Additionally, the Moon remains intact after going through a black hole and leaving the Earth’s universe. Years after its premiere, science is only one part of Space: 1999 that hasn’t aged well, but the show makes up for it with a charismatic ensemble cast and decent special effects for the era.

1 Timeless (2016 – 2018)

A trio of time travelers that don’t move through time correctly

Though short-lived, Timeless is well remembered by the viewers who fell in love with the fantastical premise and overlooked the impossibilities. When a terrorist group steals a time machine to try and change history for their own designs, Lucy (Abigail Spencer), Wyatt (Matt Lanter), and Rufus (Malcolm Barrett) must join forces to stop them by going back in time as well. Each time-travel story has its own rules about how a changed past affects the present, but Timeless is only concerned with stopping change. Even if their very presence is also abnormal.

Putting aside that time travel is likely impossible, or far from being a reality, if it could occur, it would be instantaneous. The atoms would have to move at an intense speed to move through time. It takes the trio several minutes every time they use the machine. Despite this, and historical inaccuracies throughout the show, Timeless still provides fun and educational content.