Helly R (Britt Lower) in the first scene of 'Severance' Image via Apple TV By Diego Pineda Pacheco Published Sep 6, 2026, 11:22 PM EDT Diego Pineda has been a devout storyteller his whole life. He has self-published a fantasy novel and a book of short stories, and is actively working on publishing his second novel. A lifelong fan of watching movies and talking about them endlessly, he writes reviews and analyses on his Instagram page dedicated to cinema, and occasionally on his blog. His favorite filmmakers are Andrei Tarkovsky and Charlie Chaplin . He loves modern Mexican cinema and thinks it's tragically underappreciated. Other interests of Diego's include reading, gaming, roller coasters, writing reviews on his Letterboxd account (username: DPP_reviews), and going down rabbit holes of whatever topic he's interested in at any given point. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us Add on Google Preferred Source Google News Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Over the course of the last quarter of a century, science fiction fans have been treated to TV shows that have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that sci-fi television is alive and well in the 21st century . Whether these shows are family-friendly or fully for adults, whether they're cartoons or live-action gems, and whether they revolutionized the genre or simply added a new masterful entry to its canon, they're all essential viewing for sci-fi fans.
But while it's rare enough to encounter a sci-fi show from the past 25 years that's truly exceptional, to find one that's downright perfect is all the more of a precious rarity. There are some particular shows, however, that stand out as the closest that small-screen science fiction has come to perfection throughout the 21st century . From animated shows like The Venture Bros. to live-action genre-definers like Firefly , these incredible series are virtually devoid of any significant flaws. In order to qualify for this list, the show's pilot has to have aired sometime during the last 25 years.
A group of male characters walking together in The Venture Bros. Image via Adult Swim Launched in late 2001, Adult Swim has been providing several of the greatest animated series for adults throughout the last 25 years. Case in point: The Venture Bros. , one of the breakout hits that helped put their signature absurdist sense of humor on the map . This legendary sitcom is science fantasy at its best , constantly blending genres in its effort to parody classic action-adventure cartoons from the '60s.
Venture Bros. is far and away one of the best Adult Swim shows of all time. Though its ratings were never stellar, it was the type of show that lent itself perfectly to a cult following: an entirely uncompromised creative vision, deeply layered lore and world-building, and a love letter to nerd culture as a whole . From the hilarious comedy to the irresistibly fun and thrilling action scenes, there's pretty much nothing to complain about when watching Venture Bros .
Jinx and Vi in action in Netflix's Arcane. Image via Netflix Who could have possibly predicted that it would be League of Legends , of all games, that would go on to inspire one of the most acclaimed animated TV shows of the last 25 years? Not only that: Arcane may well also be one of the most universally beloved sci-fi and…