The best and worst TV shows about outer space

“Space Force” is a fresh addition to this list, having only recently debuted on Netflix. The show, co-created by “The Office” icons Greg Daniels and Steve Carell, sees Carell star as a general put in charge of Space Force, a new branch of the U.S. military. While most of the action takes place on Earth, there is time spent in space, though it’s not exactly as stirring and uplifting as the Apollo 11 landing.

We’re throwing all the “Star Trek” TV shows under this umbrella,, as there are so many that they would dominate the list. “Star Trek” is the quintessential source for TV shows about traveling space, the final frontier. Whether you are into Kirk, Picard, or Janeway, “Star Trek” has been boldly going places for decades at this point.

We’ve all been there. One day you’re just a run-of-the-mill guy on Earth, and then some mad scientists shoot you into space to make you watch bad movies. Fortunately, you have a couple of wisecracking robots by your side to make it easier to handle and also to make “Mystery Science Theater 3000” one of the funniest shows of all time. We’ve got movie sign!

The original “Battlestar Galactica” from 1978 is considered a somewhat flimsy attempt to cash in on the “Star Wars” hype. Then the show for rebooted in 2004, this time around as a serious and heady drama set in outer space. It’s considered one of the best works of sci-fi drama in television history and has a couple of spinoffs to its name.

“Space Ghost Coast to Coast” basically started the idea of Adult Swim, Cartoon Network’s late-night bloc of programming for a more mature audience. They took a forgotten superhero from the Hanna-Barbera catalog and turned him into the host of an absurdist, bizarre talk show. From his set up in space he interviewed all sorts of celebrities down here on Earth — never doing a good job, of course.

When Disney+ debuted, everybody was most excited for was “The Mandalorian.” Here was a serious live-action show set in the “Star Wars” universe. Pedro Pascal stars as a Mandalorian bounty hunter who finds himself trying to protect “The Child,” who you probably know better as Baby Yoda. Fortunately, “The Mandalorian” lived up to the hype.

Armando Ianucci eviscerated the political word with shows like “The Thick of It” and “Veep.” After that, he turned his attention to…space? “Avenue 5” is his latest creation, a show about a luxury space cruise ship that runs into a bit of a problem. It’s not quite as sharp as Ianucci’s other shows, but there is promise in the premise.

Before Joss Whedon was helping to shape the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “The Avengers,” he was not having quite as much success on the TV front. Though “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” had gone well, his attempt to create a sci-fi show didn’t have such success. Despite a cult of adoring fans and a strong cast led by Nathan Fillion, “Firefly” lasted only one season.

If you’re a fan of British comedy, you’ve probably stumbled upon “Red Dwarf.” It’s a cult classic in America, but in England it’s considered a classic sitcom. Like a lot of British comedies, the production quality isn’t great, but that hasn’t stopped fans of “Red Dwarf” from spending time with the crew of the titular ship. There’s a reason it’s been rebooted twice.

Well, at least “Space:1999” took a big swing. Sure, maybe it was a little bold, even in 1975, to posit that there would be a base on the moon in 1999. Obviously, this show didn’t turn out to be terribly predictive. We didn’t have hoverboards in 2015, and we don’t hold that against “Back to the Future II.”

The original “Lost in Space” from the ‘60s feels a bit campy now, what with all the bright Technicolor costumes and Zachary Harris’ scenery-chewing performance as Dr. Smith. However, it’s also an iconic sci-fi show of the era, right up there with “Star Trek.” The property is so well known, and the premise so enticing, that it got a Netflix reboot, this time with Parker Posey as the nefarious Dr. Smith.

Speaking of doctors, The Doctor has been around for decades. Sure, he’s regenerated a time or two, but he’s always the same alien with the police box that can travel through time and space. Sometimes the action takes place down on Earth, but The Doctor and his human companions are also out in space from time to time.

“The Orville” probably didn’t deliver what fans of Seth MacFarlane expected. After all, he’s the one best known for “Family Guy.” People were expecting a raunchy comedic take on “Star Trek,” but it turned out that MacFarlane basically wanted to create and star in his own version of “Star Trek” instead. There are a few jokes, but “The Orville” is a far cry from the kind of show you’d find Peter Griffin in.

Philip J. Fry was a lowly pizza delivery guy in New York of 1999 before getting frozen on New Year’s Eve and waking up on the verge of the year 3000. This truly brilliant animated comedy from Matt Groening and David X. Cohen follows Fry, as well as Bender the robot and Scruffy the janitor, on all sorts of adventures. This includes plenty of trips into space, even if it’s just to a cheesy amusement park on the Moon.

Fooled you! We managed to sneak ALF in. Yes, “ALF” is about Gordon Shumway as an alien on Earth. However, “ALF: The Animated Series” is a cartoon prequel about his life on Melmac. It doesn’t have the amazing opening credits “ALF” does, but it is a show about space.

Yes, this was a real show. Yes, the title explains the premise. Two dudes travel through the universe in a car they call the “Space Hoopty.” Somehow, it lasted a full season on UPN. These days, it’s really remembered only for its ridiculous premise.

In the “Star Wars” movies, we hear about the Clone Wars a bunch. This 2008 animated series, the second crack at an animated Clone Wars show, is considered quite good by “Star Wars” fans, and it had an eventful life as well. “The Clone Wars” ran five seasons on Cartoon Network and one on Netflix and then finished its life with one season on Disney+.

The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest galaxy to our own. It’s also the name of a TV series that ran from 2000 through 2005 starring Kevin Sorbo. The show is notable because it was based on material that Gene Rodenberry was working on when he was alive. Rodenberry, of course, is known as the creator of “Star Trek.”

Why is “I Dream of Jeannie” on a list of shows about space? Isn’t it a show about a genie? Yes, a genie who serves an astronaut. Tony Nelson finds the genie because he lands on an uncharted island after a space mission. He works as an astronaut through the entire show, and there are other missions to space during its run. Since “I Dream of Jeannie” is a classic sitcom, we wanted to include it.

“Buck Rogers” is another show created in the wake of “Star Wars.” However, the character of Buck Rogers actually was probably one of the inspirations for George Lucas’ space opera. The swashbuckling space explorer was created for books in 1928, the kind of serialized sci-fi character that Lucas grew up loving. Everything comes full circle.

“Final Space” seems to fly under the radar a bit. It’s not a show that gets much press, even though it’s aired two seasons and has a third coming. Also, it’s produced by Conan O’Brien. The show, which follows the space adventures of astronaut Gary Goodspeed and alien Mooncake, will be airing its third season on its third network. That also probably doesn’t help.

Space is expansive, so it makes sense there would be a show called “The Expanse.” It’s a pretty heady sci-fi series, but after three seasons it was canceled by SyFy. However, the fan base spoke up, and the show was picked up for Amazon Prime, where it has found even more success, as a fifth season is on the way after the well-received fourth season.

Before he directed “Independence Day,” Roland Emmerich made a movie called “Stargate,” which was about a series of, well, stargates that let you travel from planet to planet through space. This movie served as the inspiration for “Stargate SG-1,” which was about an Air Force squad who used stargates to travel the universe and face off with aliens. Surprisingly, the show lasted 10 seasons and only ended in 2007.

“Babylon 5” is the name of a space station inhabited by both humans and aliens. The space opera was the rare show for its era that was basically plotted out before it even aired. “Babylon 5” told that story over five seasons and 110 episodes, and it was able to end it on its own terms.

“The Jetsons” were the flipside of “The Flintstones, " the latter about a Stone Age family, whereas the Jetsons lived in the future. They also lived up above the clouds in Orbit City. Sure, they were sort of technically on a future Earth, but it really felt like space. They lived way up in the sky and had to use little ships to get around. Who is to say they weren’t beyond our atmosphere and living in Low Earth Orbit?