Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the shows discussed.A science fiction show can only be as good as its plot twists. This genre, one of the most imaginative out there, largely relies on its capacity to keep itself fresh and exciting, and there’s perhapsno better way for a sci-fi narrative to reinvent itself than to throw in a game-changing twist. A good twist, too, isn’t just about hitting the audience with a surprise out of the blue. It takes a phenomenal writer to slowly build up a twist that feels both satisfying and shocking once it lands.
Throughout the course of sci-fi television, there have been plenty of jaw-dropping plot twists reminding viewers of why they love this genre so much. From huge properties likeStar Trekto standalone IPs likeSeverance, there are plenty of TV series written by people who clearly know the power of throwing the audience off their feet with a twist that is surprising, makes sense, and keeps the story feeling new.
10Parallel Universes Exist — ‘Fringe’ (2008–2013)
Season 1, Episode 20 (2009)
Co-created byJ.J. Abrams, who was at the top of his game during the 2000s,Fringehas become one of the biggest cult classics of modern science fiction television. What started out as a more serialized show clearly inspired by the likes ofThe Twilight ZoneandThe X-Filesbecame a vastly different series after its season one finale.
By simply showing Olivia Dunham looking out a window and seeing the World Trade Center still standing, the show cleverly lets the audience know that the universe Olivia finds herself in is not our own.It’s a brilliant use of the “show, don’t tell” ruleto introduce the concept of parallel universes, which became the focus of the rest of the show’s story, and is what turned it into the iconic modern classic it’s remembered as today.
9Ms. Casey is Gemma — ‘Severance’ (2022–)
Season 1, Episode 7 (2022)
Apple joined the streaming game relatively recently, and they’re already producing some of the greatest original shows currently streaming. There’s a strongargument to be made that their best is the pop-cultural phenomenonSeverance, one of the smartest and most creative sci-fi shows of recent years, cemented on the premise ofa team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives.Severancehas some truly fascinating characters and some ofTV’s most suspenseful cliffhangers ever, but one of its best elements is its plot twists. There’s noSeveranceplot twist more shocking, more show-defining, or better-written than the reveal that Ms. Casey, the Severed Floor’s Wellness Director, is actually Gemma Scout, the protagonist’s wife, who he believed to be dead. This plot point became the driving force behind the show’s second season, but the twist in season one remains the show’s most surprising moment.
8Abby Takes Her Revenge — ‘The Last of Us’ (2023–)
Season 2, Episode 2 (2025)
Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Usis usually regarded as not just one of the greatest, but also one of the most influential video games of all time. This influence extended to an HBO Max show that, quite surprisingly, managed to live up to its source material’s tremendous reputation. The game’s sequel, however, while still largely acclaimed, can also be considered one of the most divisive and controversial games in recent memory.
The first section ofThe Last of Us Part IIbecame the basis of the show’s second season, and though the season as a whole turned out to be just as divisive as its source material, it contains one of the most gut-wrenching twists of any show of the 2020s. The mysterious Abby’s brutal killing of Joel Miller is the season’s inciting incident, and even though it was hardly unexpected for those who had already played the game,it had the potential to be a traumatizing twist for those unfamiliar with the story. It’s moments like this that makeThe Last of Usone ofthe best horror shows out there.
7The Five Cylons — ‘Battlestar Galactica’ (2004–2009)
Season 3, Episode 20 (2007)
Battlestar Galacticawas born with the 1978 show, but it was thanks to the 2003 miniseries and the 2004 reimagining of the same name that it truly took its place asone of the small screen’s best-ever sci-fi franchises. The reimagining is one ofthe most perfect sci-fi showsin history, with some of the strongest writing the genre has recently seen.
Battlestarhad some ground-shaking plot twists throughout its run, but none more game-changing than the reveal that a part of the Galactica’s crew are actually Cylons. It’s a twist of pure existential dread that made viewers start doubting everything they’d seen up to that point, and it completely changed the whole series going forward.
6William Is the Man in Black — ‘Westworld’ (2016–2022)
Season 1, Episode 10 (2016)
1973’sWestworldwas a film written and directed byMichael Crichton, author of theJurassic Parkbooks. HBO decided to revitalize the story for a new generation, coming up with their own televisual version ofWestworld. The show definitely got somewhat weaker toward its later seasons, but never enough to detract from the exceptional quality of the first season in particular.
A big part of what made the first season so good was its plot twists, especially the reveal of the identity of the Man in Black. One ofthe most perfect TV show plot twistsof the 2010s, it’s shown that two men from different storylines the audience has been following are actually one and the same, and that the stories are actually different timelines. William and the Man in Black turn out to be the same person,a stunning twist that recontextualizes the whole story.
5The Borg Assimilate Picard — ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ (1987–1994)
Season 3, Episode 26 (1990)
There are plenty ofextraordinary sci-fi shows set in space, including the iconicStar Trekfranchise—Star Trek: The Next Generationin particular. There are plenty of reasons why it tends to be recognized as the best TV series of the franchise, including its awesome visuals, its consistently engaging stories, and its excellently written characters.
The best-known of these characters is Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who, at the end of the show’s third season, is captured and assimilated by the Borg. The turning of theshow’s heroic epicenter into a servant of the enemy is one of the story’s most emotionally impactful moments, and the repercussions it had on the rest of the series cannot be overstated.
4Darth Maul Is Alive — ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ (2008–2020)
Season 4, Episode 22 (2012)
The universe far, far away of theStar Warsfranchise is by far one of the biggest and most vast fictional universes in all of media. This, of course, includes the television world ofStar Wars, mostly built up by animated shows likeStar Wars: The Clone Wars. The iconic anthology series is packed with impactful plot twists, but there’s one that shook the franchise to its core more than any other.
Darth Maul was killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi at the end ofEpisode I — The Phantom Menace, and that remained the case for a long time. It was in 2012 thatDave Filonibrought the character back to life during the finale of season four ofThe Clone Wars, in one of the most shocking twists in the history ofStar Wars. Since then, the franchise has becomea bit too Maul-saturated, butthere’s no denying the shock of this twist and the quality of Maul’s arc throughout the series.
3Jonas and Martha Destroy Both Worlds — ‘Dark’ (2017–2020)
Season 3, Episode 8 (2020)
Darkwas Netflix’s first-ever German-language show, and no one could have predicted that it would become such a phenomenal cult classic. One ofthe best international sci-fi shows ever, it’s anchored by a narrative so incredibly complex and full of twists that you almost need to have a notebook on hand every time you watch an episode, lest you get completely lost.
For those willing to grantDarktheir utmost patience and attention, however, its finale, “Das Paradies,” isguaranteed to be an absolutely unforgettable piece of televisual art. At the end of the story, Jonas and Martha discover that both Timeline A and Timeline B are the product of a time loop created by an original timeline, and decide to destroy both Timelines A and B to end their cycle of pain. Deeply poignant and hugely layered, this twist is everything that the show took so much time to build up to.
2The Flashbacks Are Flashforwards — ‘Lost’ (2004–2010)
Season 3, Episode 22 (2007)
Love or hate its later seasons and controversial ending, there’s absolutely no denying thatLostwas one of the small screen’s biggest pop culture phenomena of the 2000s.It remained fascinatingly mysterious throughout its entire run, and its first couple of seasons relied on flashbacks set outside the island to build up character backgrounds and arcs. As far as viewers knew, the third season kept following this pattern.
The show’s most shocking, well-written, and iconic plot twist comes during the cliffhanger finale of Season 3. The audience gets to see a depressed, pill-addicted Jack desperately looking to contact someone. When it turns out to be Kate, and Jack says the iconic line “we have to go back!”, it becomes clear that every “flashback” the audience had seen that season had actually been a flashforward. This twist is a complete recontextualization of the whole season and a reinforcement ofLost’s nonlinear timeline, as well as one ofthe best TV plot twists of the 2000s.
1The Doctor Regenerates for the First Time — ‘Doctor Who’ (1963–1989)
Season 4, Episode 8 (1966)
Doctor Whois the longest-running sci-fi show in history, and as such, it has the objectively longest history of any TV series of its kind. It all started back in 1963 withWilliam Hartnell, however, back when the show was still figuring out its tone, voice, and audience. After Hartnell announced that he’d have to depart the show due to declining health, the writers had to figure out a way tokeep the story going without their lead actor. Enter: regeneration.
In one ofthe best episodes of classicWho, Hartnell’s First Doctor dies of old age—but instead of leaving this plane of existence, he transforms intoPatrick Troughton. Today, the titular Time Lord’s ability to acquire a new body and personality after death is perhapsDoctor Who’s best-known gimmick, since it’s what has allowed it to remain on the air for as long as it has. Back in 1966, however, the concept wasn’t just novel: It was revolutionary. Even though one can never truly access the same surprise that audiences must have felt back in the day, this is still the most groundbreaking plot twist in the history of science fiction television.
