8 Great Sci-Fi TV Shows With Plot Holes Too Big To Ignore

Published May 15, 2026, 3:08 PM EDT Diego Pineda has been a devout storyteller his whole life. He has self-published a fantasy novel and a book of short stories, and is actively working on publishing his second novel. A lifelong fan of watching movies and talking about them endlessly, he writes reviews and analyses on his Instagram page dedicated to cinema, and occasionally on his blog. His favorite filmmakers are Andrei Tarkovsky and Charlie Chaplin. He loves modern Mexican cinema and thinks it's tragically underappreciated. Other interests of Diego's include reading, gaming, roller coasters, writing reviews on his Letterboxd account (username: DPP_reviews), and going down rabbit holes of whatever topic he's interested in at any given point. Sign in to your Collider account The following article contains spoilers.It's not easy to write a sci-fi show that's truly perfect. This is, after all, a genre that lends itself perfectly to ambitious imagination, which is something that can sometimes result in plot holes that are impossible to ignore. This doesn't necessarily ruin a sci-fi show, however. In fact, there are several genuinely great sci-fi series that nevertheless have a few plot holes that one can't just look past. From modern shows like Westworld to classics like The X-Files, these exceptional series are proof that, even with a few logical inconsistencies in the script here and there, a sci-fi show can still manage to be great. These are, indeed, shows with a nearly innumerable number of positive qualities, which are by no means ruined by the rugged edges of their writing. 8 'Westworld' (2016–2022) Image via HBO When talking about HBO's dystopian sci-fi Western Westworld, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy's adaptation of Michael Crichton's 1973 film of the same name, there's a fact that most fans tend to agree on: the show's first season is an undeniable masterpiece, even if the following three seasons saw a considerable decline in quality. Some may argue that that's caused this to be one of those thriller TV shows that have aged like milk, but most sci-fi fans would agree that Westworld is still a fantastic show, even in spite of its issues. Among those issues is a number of plot holes too significant to simply look away from. Dolores' plans are at times a bit too contrived, the park's security is absurdly inconsistent, the purpose of season two's finale's last scene... The list goes on. It's fair to say that a few of the show's most prominent unanswered questions might have been addressed and satisfactorily explained if the series hadn't been canceled after season four, but even still, no matter how fun it is and how airtight its first season seems, Westworld is still a slice of Swiss cheese of a show. 7 'Fringe' (2008–2013) Image via FOX Fringe starts out as a more episodic sci-fi show, inspired by the likes of The X-Files and The Twilight Zone, in its first season. After that, however, that mystery-of-the-week-type show starts transforming into a far more serialized and entertaining hybrid between procedural and sci-fi elements. This makes it one of the most rewatchable sci-fi shows ever, but, alas, rewatches will inevitably reveal the show's many unexplainable plot holes. From the rules of parallel universe travel feeling inconsistent from episode to episode, to the paradox of Peter's existence never being fully coherent or satisfyingly explained, there are a bunch of plot elements in Fringe that are impossible to reconcile. This hardly ever matters, though—this is still one of the most fun sci-fi shows of 21st-century broadcast television, and even if its narrative about parallel universes may not be entirely flawless, it's still a blast to follow. 6 'The 100' (2014–2020) Image via The CW The 100 is the type of sci-fi show that got darker and better every season, a post-apocalyptic teen gem (based on Kass Morgan's YA novel series of the same name) that demonstrates the peak of The CW's capacities as a network. But like pretty much every other YA dystopian story of the 2010s, a decade during which the genre saw the biggest boom in its history, The 100 doesn't quite manage to be free of fault. Heroes acting out of character is a common occurrence in The 100, and the number of radiation-related plot holes is also far too large to count. There are also a few problems with how much sense technological and societal development align with the timeline since the apocalypse. But when a show is this intense, has such consistently high stakes, has such strong character development, and takes full advantage of what the sci-fi genre has to offer, it becomes far easier to ignore a few plot contrivances here and there. 5 'Lost' (2004–2010) Image via ABC Over the course of the 2000s, Lost was far and away one of the biggest shows on television. Everyone in the pop culture zeitgeist seemed to be having conversations about this pioneer of the mystery box genre, a type of show that relies on vast and highly complex stories full of secrets and surprises. That's the best way to describe Lost, a mystery sci-fi show that brought up at least two more mysteries every time it decided to have one solved. However, that focus on twists, questions, and mysticism inevitably led the show to fall into a few plot potholes on the road to its divisive finale. The rules of the island are inconsistent and impossible to fully explain, and key mysteries like the significance of the iconic number sequence remain equally worthy of head-scratching 16 years after the show ended. But even still, Lost is one of those classic thriller shows that have aged remarkably well, a gem of the genre with one of the most fascinating mythologies of any show of its kind—even if that mythology has more than a few holes. Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you'd actually make it out of alive. 💊The Matrix 🔥Mad Max 🌧️Blade Runner 🏜️Dune 🚀Star Wars TEST YOUR SURVIVAL → 01 You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one. APull on every thread until I understand the system — then figure out how to break it. BStop asking questions and start stockpiling — food, fuel, weapons. Questions don't keep you alive. CKeep my head down, observe carefully, and trust no one until I know who's pulling the strings. DStudy the patterns. Every system has a rhythm — learn it, and you learn how to survive it. EFind the people fighting back and join them. You can't fix a broken galaxy alone. NEXT QUESTION → 02 In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires. AKnowledge. If you understand the system, you don't need resources — you can generate them. BFuel. Everything else — movement, power, escape — runs on it. CTrust. In a world of fakes and informants, a truly reliable ally is rarer than any commodity. DWater. And after water, information — the two things empires are truly built on. EShips and credits. The galaxy is big — you survive it by being able to move through it freely. NEXT QUESTION → 03 What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of. AThat reality itself is a lie — that everything I experience has been constructed to keep me compliant. BA raid. No warning, no mercy — just the roar of engines and then nothing left. CBeing identified. Once someone with power decides you're a problem, you're already out of time. DBeing outmanoeuvred — losing a political game I didn't even know I was playing. EThe Empire tightening its grip until there's nowhere left to run. NEXT QUESTION → 04 How do you deal with authority you don't trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything. ASubvert it from the inside — learn its rules well enough to weaponise them against it. BIgnore it and stay out of its reach. The further from any power structure, the better. CAppear to comply while doing exactly what I need to do. Visibility is the enemy. DManoeuvre within it carefully. You can't beat a system you refuse to understand. EResist openly when I have to. Some things are worth the risk of being seen. NEXT QUESTION → 05 Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn't just tactical — it's physical, psychological, and very much about where you are. AUnderground bunkers and server rooms — cramped, artificial, but with access to everything that matters. BOpen wasteland — brutal sun, no shelter, constant movement. At least the threat is honest. CA dense, rain-soaked city where you can disappear into the crowd and nobody asks questions. DMerciless desert — extreme heat, no water, and something enormous living beneath the sand. EThe fringe — backwater planets and busy spaceports where the Empire's attention rarely reaches. NEXT QUESTION → 06 Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are. AA tight crew of believers who've seen behind the curtain and have nothing left to lose. BOne or two people I'd trust with my life. Any more than that and someone talks. CNobody, ideally. Alliances are liabilities. I work alone unless I have no choice. DA community bound by shared hardship and mutual survival — people who need each other to last. EA ragtag team with wildly different skills and total commitment when it counts. NEXT QUESTION → 07 Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they're actually made of. AI won't harm the innocent — even the ones who'd report me without hesitation. BI do what I have to to protect the people I've chosen. Everything else is negotiable. CThe line shifts depending on who's asking and what's at stake. DI draw a long-term line — nothing that compromises my people's future, even if it'd help now. ESome lines, once crossed, can't be uncrossed. I know which ones they are. NEXT QUESTION → 08 What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another. AWaking others up — dismantling the illusion so no one else has to live inside it. BFinding somewhere — or someone — worth protecting. A reason to keep moving. CAnswers. Understanding what I am, what any of this means, before time runs out. DLegacy — shaping the future in a way that outlasts me by generations. EFreedom — for myself, for others, for every world still living under someone else's boot. REVEAL MY WORLD → Your Fate Has Been Calculated You'd Survive In…Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for. The MatrixYou took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You're a systems thinker who can't help but notice the seams in things. You're drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it. You'd find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines' worst nightmare. You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it. The Matrix built an airtight prison. You'd be the one probing the walls for the door. Mad MaxThe wasteland doesn't reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That's you. You don't need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon. You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you're good at all three. You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider. In the wasteland, that distinction is everything. Blade RunnerYou'd survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely. You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer. In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional. You're not a hero. But you're not lost, either. In Blade Runner's world, that distinction is everything. DuneArrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards. Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they're survival tools. You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory. Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You'd learn its logic and earn its respect. In time, you wouldn't just survive Arrakis — you'd begin to reshape it. Star WarsThe galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn't have it any other way. You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion. You'd gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire's grip can be broken. You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn't something you're capable of. In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 4 'Stranger Things' (2016–2025) Image via Netflix Controversial final season notwithstanding, there's no denying the tremendous impact that Stranger Things had not only on the Netflix catalog, but on pop culture as a whole. Despite wearing its '80s influences on its sleeve with love and nostalgia, the originality of this delightfully fun, scary, and emotional adventure sci-fi show is on par with any other of the genre's best modern outings. However, there are plenty of Netflix shows full of plot holes, and Stranger Things is no exception. Alas, a solid number of Stranger Things' plot holes come from its final season. Why was Dimension X so devoid of monster goons? How did the government back down so easily? Why wasn't Will affected by Vecna's death? But even the previous four seasons had issues, like the murky rules of the Upside Down and the abundance of plot armor and deus ex machinas saving characters from otherwise inescapable situations. Stranger Things is a fantastic show overall, but the imperfections of its writing are undeniable. 3 'Doctor Who' (1963–Present) Image via BBC Sometimes, sci-fi fans are looking for a show that they'll be able to enjoy for several months. For that, there are plenty of great sci-fi shows longer than five seasons out there. But for those who really want a show that will work as a hell of a time investment, what better option could there be than the longest-running science fiction TV show in history? It went through a 16-year hiatus, but Doctor Who is still the currently-running sci-fi show with the longest and richest history. It should surprise no one, though, that over the course of that very long history, Doctor Who has run into plot holes the size of the TARDIS' interior. From the Doctor's age to the nearly canon-destroying "Timeless Children" story, the sheer number of Doctor Who plot holes is almost unbelievable. But in a show this consistently fresh and fun, one where anything is possible, and the narrative can always practically fix itself, plot holes become an essential part of the series' charm. 2 'The X-Files' (1993–2018) Image via FOX The X-Files revolutionized televisual science fiction, but even setting aside its tremendous historical impact, this '90s classic would still be one of the most enjoyable and well-made shows in the genre's history. Bolstered by Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny's off-the-charts chemistry, as well as the endlessly fun dynamic between Mulder and Scully, it's no wonder that this has remained one of the most iconic sci-fi cult classics in the history of television for as long as it has. It's easily one of the best sci-fi shows of the '90s, but that doesn't mean that it's without problems. Characters coming back from the dead in ways that strain credibility, Scully always conveniently missing proof of the paranormal's existence so that it's logical for her to remain a skeptic, the Cigarette Smoking Man's confusing connection to the Mulders... There's no shortage of plot elements in The X-Files that defy logic. 1 'Battlestar Galactica' (2004–2009) Image via SyFy Battlestar Galactica is one of those sci-fi shows that hold up surprisingly well, a phenomenal, dark, and mature series that reimagines the 1978 show of the same title. It's a direct thematic response to the United States' post-9/11 years, but also a universally enthralling gem that every fan of the genre—no matter where in the world they're from—should be able to vastly enjoy. Gritty, character-driven, and constantly defined by the high stakes of its narrative, it's a must-see for people who love science fiction. But though it's generally agreed to be one of the 21st-century sci-fi series that approaches perfection the most, that approach is by no means complete, particularly considering the story's many plot holes. The reveal of the Final Five Cylons, Dee's abrupt death, and the fuzzy rules of Cylon resurrection are but a few of the examples that shed light on how messy Battlestar's writing could sometimes get. But is it still one of the greatest shows that the genre has ever seen? Absolutely. If anything, this is proof that plot holes don't necessarily ruin a sci-fi show that's otherwise phenomenally made.