HBO has been a major player in genre television since launching Game of Thrones back in 2011 and has followed that with other notable properties like Westworld and the recent series The Last of Us. But that premium cable channel has remained mostly focused on the GoT franchise, which is likely to start delivering diminishing returns, and may have trouble sustaining new shows for an extended time (as evidenced by the demise of Westworld) as the pressures of the Peak TV crunch continue. The two other premium channels, Starz and Showtime, have demonstrated minimal interest in genre programming and it is unlikely that will change going forward. As far as the basic cable channels, I covered Syfy in more depth at this link and AMC at this link while FX is still eking out a few shows, TNT and TBS have mostly exited from the scripted programming game, and Adult Swim offers some notable entries from time to time.
HBO
This premium cable channel found it had a hit with Game of Thrones after that adult fantasy debuted in 2011, and it rode the success of that show for several years without branching out too much to other sci fi and fantasy properties (2008’s True Blood had also proven successful for the network and enjoyed a seven-season run). In the past five or so years, HBO did take a stab at expanding its genre slate, targeting known properties like Westworld, Watchmen, and The Last of Us. All of those have enjoyed some success, but Westworld ran out of steam and was cancelled after four seasons, Watchmen was capped at one, and we will have to see how far The Last of Us will go. Several other shows were cancelled pretty quickly over the past five years like Lovecraft Country, The Nevers, and The Time Traveler’s Wife, and beyond that the cabler has mostly offered mini-series. Going forward, more Game of Thrones spin-offs like The House of the Dragon are on the way, but considering the expense of those shows in the face of the current cost-cutting environment, I am thinking some will not make it past the development stage. HBO at least remains committed to the genre, though, and has other properties like Hellraiser and Scanners in the works. So even though the Peak TV Crunch will take its toll on some of the network’s scripted programming, expect more sci fi and fantasy TV from this network in the coming years.
Following is the list of sci fi and fantasy shows that have debuted on HBO over the past five years. For shows that have been renewed, the upcoming season is included in the count.
| Series | Start | Seasons | Cancelled/Ended |
| His Dark Materials | 2019-20 | 3 | Y |
| Avenue 5 | 2019-20 | 2 | Y |
| House of the Dragon | 2022-23 | 2 | N |
| The Last of Us | 2022-23 | 2 | N |
| The Baby (Mini-Series) | 2021-22 | 1 | Y |
| Lovecraft Country | 2020-21 | 1 | Y |
| The Nevers | 2020-21 | 1 | Y |
| The Plot Against America (Mini-Series) | 2019-20 | 1 | Y |
| The Third Day (Mini-Series) | 2020-21 | 1 | Y |
| The Time Traveler’s Wife | 2021-22 | 1 | Y |
| Watchmen (Mini-Series) | 2019-20 | 1 | Y |
| Years and Years (Mini-Series) | 2018-19 | 1 | Y |
Starz
Starz found some success with its time-traveling romantic drama Outlander, though that one just barely counts as a genre entry. Beyond that, the premium cable channel has experimented with a few other properties like American Gods, Ash vs. Evil Dead, and Counterpart, but none of those lasted more than a few seasons. It has not shied away from scripted programming like some of the other cable channels, but over the past five years Starz has mostly bowed out from genre programming with only two shows debuting during that time. Going forward, the cabler currently only has an Outlander prequel in the works, which will likely be of minimal interest to genre fans, and I don’t expect it to pursue much in the way of other sci fi TV properties.
Following is the list of sci fi and fantasy shows that have debuted on Starz over the past five years.
| Series | Start | Seasons | Cancelled/Ended |
| Shining Vale | 2021-22 | 2 | N |
| The Rook (Mini-Series) | 2018-19 | 1 | Y |
Showtime
This premium cable channel has not been too receptive to sci fi and fantasy shows over the past ten-plus years, with the three-season run of Penny Dreadful counting as its longest-lived genre entry during that time. Showtime did have the very promising The Man Who Fell to Earth (which I highly recommend checking out), but they failed to promote it and it did not have enough name recognition to draw in much of an audience. The cabler has experimented with a few other properties, but nothing over the past five years has lasted longer than one season (not even the Penny Dreadful spin-off). And with no genre entries of note in the the works, this is another cable network that offers little hope for new sci fi TV.
Following is the list of sci fi and fantasy shows that have debuted on Showtime over the past five years.
| Series | Start | Seasons | Cancelled/Ended |
| The Man Who Fell to Earth | 2021-22 | 1 | Y |
| Moonbase 8 | 2020-21 | 1 | Y |
| Penny Dreadful: City of Angels | 2019-20 | 1 | Y |
FX
There was a time when FX was drawing large audiences with the early seasons of American Horror Story (even out-performing the broadcast networks), and it seemed like the cabler might go all-in on genre programming. It dabbled with a few other shows like The Strain and Legion and has had some success recently with the supernatural dramedy What We Do in the Shadows. But it has also been releasing shows under the FX on Hulu banner which stream exclusively on that service (none of which have been very successful) and has had only a limited number of offerings for linear viewing. The Alien series from Noah Hawley is in the works and looks promising, but it is unclear if that will air on FX or go to Hulu. The cabler has not backed away from scripted programming and it is possible that a few other shows of interest will make their way to this channel in the coming years. But don’t expect too much in the way of sci fi TV from this basic cable network.
Following is the list of sci fi and fantasy shows that have debuted on FX over the past five years. For shows that have been renewed, the upcoming season is included in the count.
| Series | Start | Seasons | Cancelled/Ended |
| What We Do in the Shadows | 2018-19 | 6 | N |
| A Christmas Carol (Mini-Series) | 2019-20 | 1 | Y |
TNT/TBS
TNT and TBS have aired some notable genre entries over the past ten years (Falling Skies, The Last Ship, Final Space), but both have mostly exited from the scripted programming race at this point. TNT had Snowpiercer and that was supposed to continue to a fourth season, but it was yanked along with other scripted shows (it is still getting shopped around, though). The network did air The Lazarus Project this last Summer, but that was an acquired series and that will be its direction going forward for scripted shows. TBS currently has the season-long anthology dramedy The Miracle Workers still running, but once that one wraps up the cabler will likely look towards acquired properties as well. That may deliver a few shows of interest across the two cable channels from time to time, but neither should be considered go-to locations for genre programming going forward.
Following is the list of sci fi and fantasy shows that have debuted on TNT of TBS over the past five years.
| Network | Series | Start | Seasons | Cancelled/Ended |
| TNT | Snowpiercer | 2019-20 | 3 | Y |
| TBS | Miracle Workers | 2018-19 | 4 | N |
Adult Swim
This adult-focused network which timeshares a cable channel with The Cartoon Network has a notable output of scripted programming each year and is one of the few basic cable networks that appears to be holding its own as the Peak TV Crunch looms. And while many of its shows might introduce some fantasy elements, there are only a few I count as full-on genre entries. But Adult Swim does manage to put out some notable shows like Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Primal, so it is worth keeping an eye on the offerings coming from this cabler. Its sci fi TV output may be sporadic, but at least worth a look.
Following is the list of sci fi and fantasy shows that have debuted on Adult Swim over the past five years. For shows that have been renewed, the upcoming season is included in the count.
| Series | Start | Seasons | Cancelled/Ended |
| Final Space | 2018-19 | 2 | Y |
| My Adventures with Superman | 2022-23 | 2 | N |
| Primal | 2019-20 | 2 | N |
| Blade Runner: Black Lotus (Mini-Series) | 2021-22 | 1 | Y |
| Unicorn: Warriors Eternal | 2022-23 | 1 | N |
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Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.
