Sayak Basu
A Hulu original miniseries, ‘Devs‘ is created, written, and directed by Alex Garland. The central character of the film is a software engineer called Lily Chan who works for the tech company Amaya, a leader in new cutting-edge technology. The apparent suicide of her boyfriend Sergei makes Lily suspicious of the activities her company is involved in. After further investigations, she realizes that Amaya’s CEO Forest and their secret research and development facility called Devs are planning something that might change the world forever. If you are interested in sci-fi shows, here is the list of shows like ‘Devs’ that you must see. Several of these shows are available on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.
7. Westworld (2016-)
A brilliant science fiction-western series, ‘Westworld‘ is the story of the eponymous amusement park where the patrons can go in and experience life as typically seen in western movies and TV shows. This park is crowded by a number of androids that act like the townsfolk of this place. The patrons can do whatever they want with these androids, but the latter cannot hit them back. Problems soon surface when a few androids start remembering how brutally they were treated. The series takes its philosophy from films like ‘Blade Runner‘, where we see that androids have become such sentient beings that there is no reason for them to not enjoy human rights.
6. Extant (2014-2015)
When a Hollywood superstar like Halle Berry stars in a TV series, it naturally calls for a lot of attention. This is exactly what happened with the CBS original show ‘Extant’ where Berry plays the leading character, an astronaut called Molly Woods. Having been away for 13 months on a solo trip to a space station, Molly is surprised to find out after returning that she is pregnant. Completely baffled regarding how and when it happened, Molly starts looking for answers. With a brilliant plot and a solid starring performance by Berry, this is a film you should not miss out on.
5. Dollhouse (2009-2010)
The concept of ‘Dollhouse’ is quite similar to that of ‘Westworld’. Here, the eponymous facility is a place from where you can rent androids as per your requirement and can do almost whatever you want with them. The memories of the androids are wiped clean after each assignment. The story follows one such android called Echo who suddenly begins remembering her assignments. When an FBI agent comes to learn about Echo’s truth, he begins an investigation that could blow the lid off the entire operation. The series raises many important philosophical and political questions while being thoroughly entertaining.
3. Nowhere Man (1995)
Somewhat different from the rest of the shows on this list, ‘Nowhere Man’ centers around a photojournalist who finds out that his life has completely changed from what it was soon after he comes out from a restroom. Even his wife does not seem to recognize him anymore. The journalist remembers that he had taken a picture of a hanging carried out by some American soldiers. Has his life altered because of the same? The gripping story of ‘Nowhere Man’ is what draws you towards this series.
4. Utopia (2013-2014)
‘Utopia’ is the most beautifully filmed TV series I have ever watched. With vivid colors, graphic violence, and brilliant characters, the show truly does pack a solid punch. The story of ‘Utopia’ revolves around an extremely powerful and secretive organization called the Network which is looking for a graphic novel where a scientist has cryptically written down the chemical formula for the substance which can render a huge part of the world’s population impotent. Only five people have access to this novel, and it goes without saying that their lives are in danger.
2. Mr. Robot (2015-2019)
Starring Rami Malek in the leading role, ‘Mr. Robot‘ is a series which centers around an underground anarchist hackers’ club which plans to take down some of the biggest corporations in the world. This group is led by one mysterious man called Mr. Robot who wants cyber-security engineer Elliot to join their ranks. However, the problem is that the very corporation they plan on taking down is a client of the firm where Elliot works. The show’s gripping narrative is what will draw you in. However, the final twist is kind of predictable.
1. Black Mirror (2011-)
One of the best shows to come out in the past decade, ‘Black Mirror‘ has truly pushed the boundaries in terms of what is possible using the technology we have with us currently. The series does later deal with technology which has not been made available yet, but its connection to our present society always remains intact. Some extraordinary performances and mind-boggling plots are the factors which make ‘Black Mirror’ stand out.
Read More: Shows Like Black Mirror
