Long before the Metaverse, Oculus, and Charlie Brooker's acclaimed speculative sci-fi series, master director David Cronenberg plumbed the depths of virtual reality's implications with his fleshy, frantic masterpiece Existenz. Featuring an uncanny lead performance by Jennifer Jason Leigh as the "game pod goddess" whose creations kick off the intrigue, as well as Jude Law and Willem Dafoe, it's an utterly unique vision of video gaming and the horror that can ensue when it bleeds into reality.

Netflix is a bounty of entertaining content. The platform has produced countless original series over the years, but only a select few from the streaming service's massive library have managed to feel genuinely near-perfect from beginning to end. Whether through consistently gripping pacing, emotionally layered storytelling, breathtaking visuals, or unforgettable characters, those select few are some of Netflix's most rewarding series that should honestly be consistently shared with others.

Science fiction is one of the most versatile genres at the disposal of TV creatives, one that allows them to tell exciting stories about modern society and the human condition through grand tales of technological advancement, space exploration, and futuristic speculation. Hard science fiction, however, is a category all of its own. The majority of sci-fi shows on Netflix are soft sci-fi, a subcategory of the genre that focuses on "soft" sciences like sociology and psychology. The main concerns of these shows are character development, thematic work, and emotion over scientific rigor. Hard sci-fi, on the other hand, is all about the "sci" part of the equation. These are shows focusing on "hard" sciences, scientific accuracy, natural laws, and an internal logic system.

Though the 1949 series Fireside Theater and others are often credited with being the first successful anthology series, the format began to gain popularity with shows like The Twilight Zoneand The Outer Limits. These series feature separate standalone stories and characters that may be thematically connected and are typically based on the horror or sci-fi genres. Anthology shows are equally appealing to viewers who may not feel the need to commit to watching an entire series from beginning to end.

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