Streaming Sci Fi TV: Tracking down sci fi and fantasy shows of interest on the streaming services. Note that streaming availability can change with little to no notice.
What Is It?
This early anthology series focused mostly on science fiction stories drawing from classics such as “The Crystal Egg” (H.G. Wells), Frankenstein (Mary Shelley), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Jules Verne) as well as works from other genre authors.
Aired: ABC, 1951-53, 2 Seasons Totaling 85 Episodes
Notable Guest Stars: Lon Chaney, Jr., Boris Karloff, James Dean, Cloris Leachman, Leslie Nielsen, Paul Newman
Developed By: Theodore Sturgeon, Mort Abrahams
Why Watch It?
This is one of the earliest genre anthology series, and it was the first that had a heavy focus on science fiction. Lights Out was the first sci fi/fantasy anthology to arrive on television (having a trial run in 1946 and then ongoing starting from 1949), but it also had mystery, suspense, and horror tales along with the occasional sci fi-focused episode. Science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon developed Tales of Tomorrow along with producer Mort Adams, and they drew stories from writers like H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke, Fredric Brown, Stanley G. Weinbaum, and more. And the show took a serious approach to its material, not going the kid-friendly route of the popular space operas of the time like Captain Video and His Video Rangers and Space Patrol.
These episodes were made on a shoestring budget, and they had only 1950s television technology for their special effects, so you have to adjust expectations. And these are kinescope recordings of the original live broadcasts, so the video quality is not great. But the stories did not rely heavily on sfx, and in many ways, this show is a run-up to The Twilight Zone which would arrive at the end of the decade. Tales of Tomorrow certainly counts as a sci fi TV great, and while it is very much old-school television from the early days of that medium, it is certainly worth a look.
Where Is It Streaming?
The entire series is available to stream for free (with ads) on The Roku Channel. That service has quite a number of sci fi and fantasy television shows, and it looks like their version of Tales of Tomorrow might have been cleaned up because the video quality is the best I have seen for this series. Since it is in the public domain, it is also widely available on other streaming services like Tubi, and there is even a Roku channel dedicated to the show. But those typically do not have all the episodes, and the video quality varies widely. It is also available on YouTube, but I believe your best bet is to watch the version that The Roku Channel has available.
Stream Tales of Tomorrow on the Following Services:
Keep up with the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows as well as news and updates on new and upcoming shows at CancelledSciFi.com.
Cancellation Watch: Status updates and breaking news on renewals and cancellations
Sci Fi TV Highlights: Listings for the upcoming week along with the latest sci fi TV news and trailers.
Sci Fi TV Production Report: News on which sci fi TV shows are moving into production.
And be sure to follow us on social media: Blue Sky | Facebook | Mastodon | Twitter.