One of the most addictive genres on television remains science fiction. From space stories to technology thrillers, the genre has provided an opening for viewers to tap into worlds far removed through stories rooted in science. Now, some sci-fi films are so brazen and fantastical that we know they can't be real. They play by their own rules. But for hard sci-fi, they use elements grounded in facts.

Two things makeThe Rookiestand out from other procedurals on network TV. First, there's its title; the titular "rookie," John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), is 45 years old (and based on a real-life story). The second is the cast; in addition to Fillion, the main cast includes plenty of talented actors, including Melissa O'Neil as Nolan's fellow officer, Lucy Chen. Lucy's character arc throughout The Rookie has been pretty compelling. But before the ABC series, O'Neil wound up playing another complex, compelling character in the SyFy series Dark Matter — not to be confused with Apple TV+'s sci-fi series of the same name — and her performance is just one of the many things that make it a standout in the science fiction genre.

In the last few years, Apple TV has done more than enough to establish itself as one of the premiere homes for original sci-fi programming. Many fans first flocked to the platform for more wholesome hits like Ted Lasso (starring Jason Sudeikis), but it was more dystopian thrillers like Severance (starring Adam Scott) that got subscribers to re-up their deal and hang around for the long haul. Severance was the most-watched Apple TV show in platform history until last year brought on the arrival of Pluribus, which was written and created for TV by Breaking Bad scribe Vince Gilligan. Both Severance and Pluribus have been renewed for new seasons, but neither will return before the end of this year. There is another Apple TV sci-fi show you may have forgotten about that’s set to return for a new season sooner than you realize.

Science fiction literature offers readers an immersive peek into the constantly evolving, expanding universe surrounding human life. But as our understanding of the universe changes, the perspective of sci-fi shifts as well, giving us new ways to imagine and understand the infinite, improbable world of “what ifs."