Sci-fi and fantasy are often viewed as opposite ends of the genre spectrum, but there are also many instances where the two genres can co-exist quite beautifully indeed. In fact, while sci-fi is my favorite form of storytelling, some of my most beloved shows only shine as brightly as they do because of their willingness to borrow various hallmarks from fantasy narratives. The sci-fi/fantasy ratio can obviously differ from project to project, but that only keeps these hybrid endeavors even more compelling and unpredictable.
Personally, I much prefer it when sci-fi is the bedrock genre and fantasy augments the action. That’s not an absolute rule, though. Whatever suits the story best is what should be prioritized, and the greatest sci-fi/fantasy TV shows know where to draw the line. Or, in some cases, when not to draw the line in the first place. What’s especially great about the instances where these two genres collide is that, while sci-fi usually focuses on high-concept, pseudo-scientific logic to explain every corner of its lore, and fantasy tends to sway more toward unanswered mysteries, those two mission statements are even less binary than usual.
Why You Should Trust Me: I’ve been writing professionally about movies and TV since 2023, and genre-heavy storytelling has been one of my primary beats in that time. I’ve written about both sci-fi and fantasy for ScreenRant and WinterisComing before MovieWeb.
‘The X-Files’ (1993–2002, 2016–2018)
Mulder & Scully Don’t Just Investigate Alien Activity
By its very nature, The X-Files has always refused to place itself firmly in either the sci-fi or fantasy category. The show’s traditional case-of-the-week formula opens up several avenues, some of which can be fully explained by in-universe scientific principles. For instance, although aliens sit at the core of The X-Files‘ sci-fi-heavy formula, it’s not unheard of for Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) to find themselves in the throes of an investigation involving demons and other supernatural lore. Sure, some of these fantasy-tinged cases can, and sometimes are, explained with semi-logical rationalization, but not all of them. Several confirm the existence of beings not found in typical sci-fi shows.
- Is It More Sci-Fi or More Fantasy? More sci-fi, given the focus on aliens. Don’t get caught up on that, though.
‘Stranger Things’ (2016–2025)
The Duffer Brothers Struck Gold With This Perfectly Balanced Approach
Stranger Things could be easily described as Netflix’s biggest hit of all time, even with the mixed reviews for the fifth and final season. I think the biggest reason for the show’s success is the expert blending of sci-fi and fantasy visual markers, as well as terminology borrowed from both genres. At first glance, Stranger Things makes a strong case for being a horror-influenced supernatural thriller, albeit one that’s aimed at a younger audience than an actual blood-and-guts fest would be. However, it quickly becomes evident that it’s a sci-fi show dressed as a fantasy epic. That said, it’s impossible to separate the two without it ceasing to feel like Stranger Things. It’s a masterful entwining of countless tropes that can be tricky to make work in tandem.
- Is It More Sci-Fi or More Fantasy? It’s presented as a 50/50 split, but the fantasy lingo is largely just the kids’ way of making sense of advanced scientific principles. Therefore, it’s more sci-fi.
‘Doctor Who’ (1963–1989, 2005–2025)
When the Show Inevitably Returns, Expect More Genre-Straddling Action
From the outside, Doctor Who may seem like a cut-and-dried sci-fi show, but that would be a wild oversimplification. Even before the era of Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor, which paid a lot of attention to a Pantheon of literal gods, the long-running British series has always proudly worn its fantasy influences on its sleeve. Sure, the traversal of the timeline and visits to alien worlds might scream temporal space opera, and it certainly is one.
That said, Doctor Who also routinely showcases mythical beasts like vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and more. Sometimes, the Doctor rattles off some sci-fi patter to strip away some of the more traditional mythology from these fantastical beasts. Other times, the show intentionally leaves things open-ended, passively expanding the Doctor Who universe. Plus, anything that treats time as a living, breathing entity always earns a fantasy classification in my book.
- Is It More Sci-Fi or More Fantasy? This is easily a sci-fi show. The dalliances with fantasy are treated as landmark occasions rather than part of the regular blueprint.
‘Foundation’ (2021–Present)
It’s Often Described as “‘Game of Thrones’ in Space”
Anyone who has read Isaac Asimov’s Foundation book series will know how wild the thought of a live-action adaptation sounds. Yet, somehow, Apple TV continues to pull it off. The show makes some bold divergences from and additions to the source material, but it’s still a slick storyline that unfolds over hundreds of years. The fantasy elements are baked into the concept, and therefore a bit tricky to spot at first. Dig even a little below the surface, though, and things like mathematical equations that can predict the future, mind-reading characters, and a wide array of fictional locations, and Foundation reveals itself as a cleverly concealed sci-fi/fantasy epic.
- Is It More Sci-Fi or More Fantasy? The overwhelming space opera elements pull Foundation firmly into sci-fi territory. The fantasy elements help keep things fresh, though.
‘Supernatural’ (2005–2020)
It’s Not All Demon Hunting for the Winchester Brothers
It would be totally understandable for anti-fantasy viewers to take a passing glance at Supernatural and assume it isn’t the show for them. That would be an unfair judgment, though, even if the circumstantial logic is pretty ironclad. There is plenty to enjoy for the discerning sci-fi fan in Supernatural. After the comic book adaptation had burned through all the source material and started penning original stories, the use of things like time travel and parallel universes started to be peppered into the show’s formula with increasingly greater frequency. That said, Supernatural never permanently strays from its original set of fantasy-genre tropes.
- Is It More Sci-Fi or More Fantasy? This one is easy. Supernatural is a fantasy show that needed to borrow some sci-fi tricks during its 15-year run.
‘Loki’ (2021–2023)
The God of Mischief’s Presence Prevents Pure Sci-Fi Status
Loki‘s core premise of the TVA monitoring the multiverse is undeniably sci-fi. On the other hand, the MCU very rarely makes things quite so straightforward when it comes to genre labels. Although sci-fi is at the heart of almost everything the franchise does, characters like Loki (Tom Hiddleston) always make sure that fantasy is never too far away. If the show had someone like Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye leading the story, then calling this one a sci-fi show would be a far more defensible stance. Because of all the mystic lore surrounding Loki, his role as the Disney+ series’ main character means it’s impossible to completely turn away from the canon surrounding his god-like background.
- Is It More Sci-Fi or More Fantasy? Sci-fi. I think it would be bland and predictable without a main character lifted from another genre, though.
‘Lost’ (2004–2010)
The Island Creates Countless Inter-Genre Opportunities
If I were describing Lost to someone who had never seen the show, I would probably just call it a mystery thriller. I stand by that as an accurate description, but it also opens up more questions than it answers. That’s sort of the whole point of Lost, though. Its true genre is almost impossible to nail down, which means that it automatically inherits not just the sci-fi genre label, but also a fantasy one. It’s not fully sci-fi, and it’s not entirely fantasy. In fact, Lost‘s refusal to provide actual answers to some of its biggest mysteries means it’ll likely never be fully categorized. That’s the way it should be, though.
- Is It More Sci-Fi or More Fantasy? Fantasy, for sure. The science never fully adds up to earn Lost a traditional sci-fi genre label.
‘The Twilight Zone’ (1959–1964, 1985–1989, 2002–2003, 2019–2020)
Whatever the Episode, There’s Always Something Genre-Heavy
A little like The X-Files, The Twilight Zone also relished its freedom to do almost anything it liked in terms of genre. The anthology series’ primary goal has always been to unnerve the audience, and sci-fi offers equal opportunities to do that as fantasy does. Binding it all together with things like horror and suspense creates a cocktail of genre-defying brilliance, although none of the revivals have ever managed to recapture quite the same lightning in the same bottle as the original run. Either way, sci-fi fans won’t be left disappointed by The Twilight Zone, nor will those who love fantasy.
- Is It More Sci-Fi or More Fantasy? The sheer amount of variety on offer makes this a moot question for this show.
‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ (2008–2014, 2020)
Every Corner of the Franchise Is Dripping With Both Genres
I could have picked any Star Wars show, but The Clone Wars feels like the best balance between sci-fi and fantasy. The animated project adopts the same sci-fi vibe as its live-action counterparts, with lightsabers and starships being used to establish interstellar dominance, but The Clone Wars really delves into the more fantastical elements of the Star Wars universe. It shows things like Younglings being guided via the Force to their first lightsaber crystals, and even Anakin (Matt Lanter) and Obi-Wan (James Arnold Taylor) interacting with god-like beings who are the living embodiment of the Force itself. It’s way trippier than the battle sequences and family drama that Star Wars is typically known for.
- Is It More Sci-Fi or More Fantasy? Fantasy, albeit dressed up as sci-fi.
‘The Sandman’ (2022–2025)
The Netflix Show’s Sci-Fi Worldbuilding Happens Mostly Off-Screen
I know it’s tempting to think of The Sandman as strictly fantasy, but that ignores a huge part of the canon. Although most of the story jumps between various periods of Earth’s history and several less grounded settings, there are several references to what’s going on away from the human homeworld. While these moments may only be brief, mentioning other corners of the universe, and even other planets, is a constant reminder that The Sandman has more lore than meets the eye, and it isn’t all quite so predictably fantasy-edged. In fact, some of the unadapted comics show Dream (Tom Sturridge) exploring the stars, and there’s no reason to believe this didn’t happen in the live-action version of the canon, even if we never actually see it on screen.
- Is It More Sci-Fi or More Fantasy? Fantasy, but I would have loved the sci-fi lore to be explored more thoroughly.
