The Best Space Opera TV Shows

Updated November 2, 2020 5.6k votes 873 voters 18.2k views40 items

List RulesVote up your favorite shows set in space that are packed with battles, romance, adventure and melodrama.

The very best space opera shows on television, ranked from best to worst by votes of hundreds of scifi fans like yourself. This list of the greatest space opera shows also includes pictures from the shows when available so that you know what the show is. That seems obvious. Popular space opera TV shows have been creating new generations of fanboys for decades and their seems to be no end in sight because everybody loves space! Who doesn't want to go where no man has gone before? And do so in dramatic fashion?

Don't let your favorite space opera television programs in history get to the bottom of the list- be sure to vote them up so they have the chance to reach the top spot. The list of space opera television shows below includes information like the program's cast, creator and premiere date when available.

List ranges from classics like Battlestar Galactica to Farscape and beyond, and answers questions like, "What is the best space opera show of all time?" and "What are the greatest space opera shows?"

Photo:

...more

1
308
121
Battlestar Galactica
Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell
Premiered: 2004
More Battlestar Galactica
The Best Battlestar Galactica Characters#6 of 13 TV Shows That Had Supposedly Happy Endings (But Were Actually Really Depressing)
2
214
39
The Expanse
Thomas Jane, Steven Strait
Premiered: 2015
More The Expanse
Ranking the Best Seasons of 'The Expanse'#11 of 33 The Best Current TV Shows No One Is Watching
3
288
112
Firefly
Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres
Premiered: 2002
More Firefly
13 Crazy Yet Plausible Fan Theories About Firefly#26 of 201 The TV Shows with the Best Writing
4
178
74
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner
Premiered: 1987
More Star Trek: The Next Generation
14 Small But Fascinating Details Fans Noticed About Star Trek: The Next Generation#35 of 78 The Best CBS Shows of All Time
5
163
64
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Avery Brooks, Rene Auberjonois
Premiered: 1993
More Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
#205 of 220 The Greatest TV Shows for Women#101 of 253 The Best TV Shows Streaming On Hulu
6
135
30
Star Trek: The Original Series
William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy
Premiered: 1966
More Star Trek: The Original Series
#33 of 70 The Best Crime Fighting Duo TV Series#9 of 14 The Most Destructive Sci-Fi Superweapons Of All Time
7
211
134
Babylon 5
Jerry Doyle, Mira Furlan
Premiered: 1994
More Babylon 5
Why 'Babylon 5' Should Be Your Next HBO Max Binge-Watch#55 of 59 The Best Teen Sci-Fi And Fantasy TV Series
8
201
134
Farscape
Ben Browder, Claudia Black
Premiered: 1999
More Farscape
The Best Farscape Characters#60 of 94 TV Shows You Wish You Were A Character On
9
192
106
Stargate Atlantis
Joe Flanigan, Rachel Luttrell
Premiered: 2004
More Stargate Atlantis
#126 of 160 Shows With The Best Freakin' Series Finales Of All Time#36 of 119 The Best TV Shows That Never Got a Real Finale
10
127
44
Star Trek: Enterprise
Scott Bakula, John Billingsley
Premiered: 2001
More Star Trek: Enterprise
#18 of 32 The Best UPN Shows#6 of 19 The Best Current TV Shows About Space
11
152
47
Stargate SG-1
Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks
Premiered: 1997
More Stargate SG-1
#17 of 48 The Best Showtime Shows of All Time, Ranked#11 of 78 The Best Showtime Original Shows
12
133
102
Star Trek: Voyager
Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran
Premiered: 1995
More Star Trek: Voyager
#8 of 22 All 22 Star Trek Series & Movies, Ranked by Trekkies#40 of 70 The Best Shows on Netflix to Watch When You're Stoned
13
37
25
Star Trek: Picard
Patrick Stewart, Santiago Cabrera
Premiered: 2020
More Star Trek: Picard
Easter Eggs And References From 'Star Trek: Picard' That Are Futile To Resist#39 of 677 The Best Original Streaming Shows of the Last Few Years

14
95
28
The Orville
Seth MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki
Premiered: 2017
More The Orville
#71 of 96 The Best Dramedy TV Series#37 of 266 The Best TV Shows Returning In 2021
15
24
5
Battlestar Galactica
16
80
86
Star Blazers
Eddie Allen, Michael Bertolini
Premiered: 1979
More Star Blazers
#325 of 349 The Best Kids Cartoons of All Time#542 of 644 The Best Cartoons of All Time
17
123
73
Dark Matter
Marc Bendavid, Melissa O'Neil
Premiered: 2015
More Dark Matter
#13 of 20 The Best Live-Action Comic Book Adaptations Of The Decade Not From Marvel Or DC, Ranked#95 of 141 The Best Comic Book & Superhero Shows of All Time
18
136
100
Andromeda
Kevin Sorbo, Lisa Ryder
Premiered: 2000
2000-2005
More Andromeda
#155 of 278 The Greatest Supernatural Shows of All Time#14 of 41 The Best 2000s Sci-Fi Shows
19
15
14
Star Trek: Discovery
Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones
Premiered: 2017
More Star Trek: Discovery
#35 of 257 The Best New Shows That Have Premiered in the Last Few Years#28 of 54 The Best New TV Shows With Gay Characters of the Last Few Years
20
95
76
Stargate Universe
Robert Carlyle, Louis Ferreira
Premiered: 2009
More Stargate Universe
#102 of 538 TV Shows Canceled Before Their Time#18 of 82 The Best Syfy Original Shows
21
43
52
Dune
William Hurt, Alec Newman
Premiered: 2000
More Dune
#111 of 186 The Best Alien Movies Ever Made#23 of 145 The Best Syfy Original Movies
22
0
5
Lost in Space
Guy Williams, June Lockhart
Premiered: 1965
More Lost in Space
#84 of 300 The Best Sci-Fi Television Series Of All Time#99 of 140 The Worst TV Series Finales Ever
23
42
36
Killjoys
Hannah John-Kamen, Aaron Ashmore
Premiered: 2015
More Killjoys
#141 of 283 The Best Female-Led TV Shows#449 of 640 The Best TV Shows To Binge Watch

24
85
125
Cowboy Bebop
Kôichi Yamadera, Unshô Ishizuka
Premiered: 1998
More Cowboy Bebop
The Best Cowboy Bebop Fanfiction, Ranked#22 of 243 The Best Anime Series of All Time
25
36
36
Ascension
Tricia Helfer, Gil Bellows
Premiered: 2014