Sci-fi is usually associated with the vast unknown of outer space, but the vast unknown of Earth’s oceans is far more compelling—95% of it remains unexplored! Who knows what’s down there?
Many a movie has been made about the mysterious dangers of the sea, and that’s not even counting the roughly 6,000 shark-related flicks produced by the Syfy channel in the 2010s. TV series, on the other hand—that’s a smaller school of fish. Here are a few oceanic sci-fi shows to dip into.
The Rig (2023-2025, Prime Video): When a North Sea oil rig off the Scottish coast becomes enshrouded in a thick, impenetrable fog, the crew—including Iain Glen (Game of Thrones), Martin Compston (Line of Duty) and Emily Hampshire (Schitt’s Creek)—soon realizes this is no naturally occurring haze. They then discover that their drilling has released an ancient parasite from the ocean floor, and it’s not happy about it. The Rig’s claustrophobic suspense morphs into full-blown terror over its two taut seasons.
The Triangle (2005, Peacock): Three-part miniseries The Triangle originated from the serious era of Syfy, back when it was still Sci-Fi Channel and mostly shark-free. A shipping company hires a team of experts to investigate the Bermuda Triangle, and not just because it keeps swallowing up its vessels. The experts—a journalist (Eric Stoltz), a meteorologist (Michael E. Rodgers), an oceanographer (Catherine Bell) and a psychic (Bruce Davison)—uncover a military conspiracy that makes for some satisfyingly deep-nerd sci-fi.
The Swarm (2023, The CW): The Swarm, a staggeringly expensive co-production of Germany, Belgium, Italy and Sweden, aired with little fanfare on The CW in the U.S.—ecological disaster doesn’t play like it used to in ’Merica. The “swarm” here is a riled-up army of sea creatures, including orcas, that are attacking fishing boats and tourist cruises. Are they out for revenge against humans? That’s clear, but The Swarm seems to be holding its other soggy cards for a second season that may never come.
Seaquest DSV (1993-1996, Peacock): In 1993, Seaquest DSV predicted that all of the planet’s resources besides those on the ocean floor would be depleted by 2018, the “near future” setting of the show. Like an underwater Star Trek, the Seaquest DSV (deep-submergence vehicle) and Capt. Nathan Bridger (Roy Scheider cashing in his Jaws cred) work to keep the peace between undersea and topside nations. The series veered wildly from Spielbergian schmaltz to stilted sci-fi, but it’s still a fun ’90s throwback.
Surface (2005-2006, Prime Video): It was a weighty sci-fi series that NBC chose to market with a cute CGI sea monster and star Lake Bell in a bikini—it’s a wonder that Surface lasted 15 episodes. The series follows a marine biologist (Bell), a teen (Carter Jenkins) and a fisherman (Jay R. Ferguson) as they each encounter mysterious sea creatures that may be the products of governmental genetic engineering (X-Files alert). Puerto Rico (presciently?) is annihilated in the finale, as is much of the East Coast.
The Last Ship (2014-2018, Max): Years before he played a menacing psycho on Euphoria, Eric Dane starred as a good-guy naval captain in the sprawling sci-fi series The Last Ship. The title refers to the USS Nathan James, a destroyer at sea whose crew of 218 has been spared from a viral pandemic that’s killed 80% of the world’s population—ouch, more prescience. An onboard paleomicrobiology doctor—you know, like every warship has—races to find a cure as The Last Ship sails into action-thriller territory.
Sealab 2021 (2000-2005, Adult Swim, Max): One of Adult Swim’s first shows, Sealab 2021 began as a joke, editing footage from Hanna-Barbera’s craptastic ’70s cartoon Sealab 2020 into satirical nonsense. Like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast before it, the trick worked perfectly for late-night stoners. The crew of the undersea research facility Sealab are all uniquely incompetent; the 52 short episodes are largely devoid of plot; and the overall tone is textbook “problematic” in 2025. Blaze up, and enjoy.
Stingray (1964-1965, Prime Video, Tubi): AP Films was responsible for several creepy AF puppet shows in the 1960s, including Thunderbirds, Supercar and the undersea adventure Stingray. The wet and weird sci-fi series chronicles the 2064 adventures of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (WASP, of course) as they police the oceans and occasionally tangle with the human-loathing Aquaphibians. Stingray was the first British TV series to be made in color (or colour), adding an extra sheen of “ick” to the proceedings.
