The Best Sci-Fi Show of the Past 5 Years Only Lasted 1 Season

Summary

• It's a sci-fi show that is relatable, authentic and emotional.
• The show explores real human emotions against a backdrop of conspiracy.
• It's the multiverse made real.

Occasionally, a show comes along that is so good, you just know it's going to be picked up for a second season. Even rarer are the times when that show doesn't get renewed, leaving you scratching your head and wondering why.

Such was the case with the sci-fi thriller starring Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria in House of the Dragon ) as a software engineer working for a corrupt Silicon Valley giant.

It scores 82% on Rotten Tomatoes

The show in question is Devs – hands down the best sci-fi series of the last five years. It scores 82% on Rotten Tomatoes and has been nominated for 8 awards, including 4 Emmys and a BAFTA.

How it didn't win any of them is beyond me. But it might have something to do with the fact that it first aired between March and April 2020, when the whole world was focused on one particular news story.

And if you need any more proof that the lockdown drove people crazy, just remember that Devs was barely mentioned amid all the talk about Tiger King.

What's so good about it?

Sci-fi is often dismissed as a genre that is detached from reality. Not always fairly, I might add, but it's often true to say that it explores real-world issues through a dystopian lens that gives the show distance from our lives.

Devs does the opposite. Mizuno plays Lily Chan, a software engineer whose boyfriend has died, apparently by suicide. She senses that something is wrong and starts to investigate. She soon discovers that the quantum computing company she works for and its CEO Forest (played by Nick Offerman) are not all they're cracked up to be.

As we travel with Lily on her journey through grief, loss and realization, the show explores themes of free will, determinism and the consequences of the choices we make. It's fantasy, but it's close enough to reality to raise questions about the world we live in, the opportunities and threats presented by the multiverse, and the way we live our lives.

But it's not just the plot. The acting matches the concept, the writing and the production. Mizuno makes Lily a character we can empathize with and fully invest in.

Offerman may have surprised a few people with his portrayal of Forest. It's a polished performance that brings to life a complex character that can't be pigeonholed as just the villain of the piece. The supporting cast all do their part to complement the two and add to the show.

It's not often that a sci-fi series has such emotional depth. That's one of the reasons why Devs is the best sci-fi show of the last few years.

Where can I watch it?

Devs is available to stream on Vudu, Hulu, Prime and Apple TV.

It was created as a limited series and was never intended to go beyond that. But it exists in a world that has room to grow should its creators see fit to give us more of this gem.

In a world of a billion and one Police Academy movies, it seems only right that a show of this quality should be expanded upon. After all, the idea of corrupt businessmen creating tech-based conspiracies is not dystopian. It's a real possibility in the here and now.

Unfortunately, so far there's not even any rumors of a second season. On the plus side, with only one season of eight episodes, if you're at a loose end this weekend and looking for a new show to binge on, I can't recommend Devs highly enough.