We take a look at the Top 5 Sci-Fi TV Shows coming in 2016 that you should definitely be adding to your "watch list".
1) The Shannara Chronicles
Okay, so the hardcore sci-fi fans are likely to complain that The Shannara Chronicles is a lot more Fantasy than it is Science Fiction. But, set in a post-apocalyptic future where humanity as we know it is no more and trolls, gnomes and elves walk the earth, The Shannara Chronicles would by today’s standards of the genre be considered to be Science Fiction. Heavily influenced by The Lord of the Rings with a slight hint of Game of Thrones (if it were written for the typical MTV audience), this fantasy show has a great deal of potential to be the epic quest we’ve been hungering for. If you can get past the teenage audience driven drama and dialogue that shows like The 100 managed to narrowly escape, the adventure and plot of the pilot episode is at least worth checking out!
2) DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
If you’ve been watching The Arrow or The Flash then you’re probably already well aware of the spin-off series, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow! One of the most highly anticipated superhero team-ups of this generation. Legends of Tomorrow will see Ray Palmer (AKA Atom), Firestorm, Heatwave, Captain Cold, Sara Lance (AKA White Canary) and the newly introduced Hawkgirl banding together to save the world and time itself. Let’s face the facts: if you’re already a fan of both The Arrow and The Flash, this is the show that you’ve been waiting for. If you’re wondering to yourself, “Can I watch Legends of Tomorrow if I’ve never watched The Flash or The Arrow?”, absolutely! Though the appearance of Legends of Tomorrow’s main characters in The Flash and The Arrow serve as bonus backstory for those who are interested, the plot of Legends of Tomorrow has been completed separated from its predecessors allowing anyone to just pick it up straight off the shelf and enjoy.
3) Luke Cage
A former convict, Luke Cage attempts to rebuild his life after his wrongful imprisonment. In December 2015, we first saw Luke Cage appear in Marvel’s Jessica Jones as an all-round good guy just trying to get on with his life, but we didn’t really receive much explanation for his superhuman strength and unbreakable skin. In this series, we can expect to delve deeper into his backstory as he becomes a "superhero for hire" in the city of Harlem months after his encounter with Jessica Jones in Hell’s Kitchen. Like Daredevil and Jessica Jones, Luke Cage will be a refreshingly gritty superhero series that tackles adult concepts that many superhero shows shy away from.
4) Colony
Colony is set in a dystopian future as a family fight to stay together and survive in a world occupied by extraterrestrial intruders. The action sci-fi series takes on the all too realistic struggle between choosing to obey the new order and collaborate with the ruling invaders or actively rebelling in attempt to protect your cultural identity and liberty at the risk of suffering at the hands of your new masters. Colony is held to high expectations after the success of USA network’s Mr Robot, but the premise itself has high potential for both plenty of action and plenty of drama. Definitely a show you’re not going to want to miss!
5) The X-Files
Fan or not of The X-Files, it is undoubtedly one of the most iconic sci-fi TV shows ever to grace our screens! Though technically this is a continuation of the series in the 1990’s, with the same Scully and Mulder investigating the existence of the paranormal and the extraterrestrial, I thought it was worth at least an honorary mention in a list of the Top 5 Sci-Fi TV Shows To Watch in 2016. After all, there hasn’t been an episode in over 13 years so although not a new series, we expect that the writers will be quite forgiving to new audiences who are completely new to the show. So far it has been revealed that the new season of The X-Files will see the return of the Smoking Man, but instead of simply reprising old characters and plot lines there’ll be brand new stories and monsters to look forward to. As well as touching on how government surveillance and other current political issues of post-9/11 America have impacted the X-Files investigations. The truth is out there...