Netflix's Best Sci-Fi Series Is This Epic That Changed The 1990s Forever

Published Nov 8, 2026, 9:30 PM EST Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows. The best series of the 1990s is available to watch on Netflix. The 1990s was a true golden age for sci-fi television that encompassed everything from grounded mysteries to space operas to animated classics. The decade's pop culture juggernauts were undoubtedly The X-Files and Babylon 5. Network and cable also thrived with hits like Stargate SG-1, the multiverse-hopping Sliders, and the episodic time-travel drama Quantum Leap, which kicked off in 1989 and ran into the early 1990s. Meanwhile, late-1990s animation pushed the boundaries of sci-fi storytelling with masterpieces like Cowboy Bebop, Futurama, and Batman Beyond. Alongside them, Star Trek dominated the decade with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. While streaming catalogs change regularly, Netflix continues to host notable 1990s sci-fi and nostalgic programming. In a major streaming shift, all ten seasons of the military sci-fi hit Stargate SG-1 returned to Netflix in early 2026, alongside select classic episodes and Re-Ignition installments of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, as well as the 2023 reunion special Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always. Meanwhile, Shinichirō Watanabe’s 1998 anime masterpiece Cowboy Bebop can be streamed in the U.S. on Crunchyroll, while Netflix continues to host its 2021 live-action adaptation. The crown jewel of 1990s animation is also currently available to watch on Netflix, complete with two additional movies that complement the experience. Neon Genesis Evangelion Is An Anime Masterpiece No Sci-Fi Anime Compares To Hideaki Anno's Best Work Neon Genesis Evangelion is a landmark achievement of 1990s animation and one of the most influential deconstructions of the mecha genre ever produced. Hideaki Anno strips away the traditional escapism of giant-robot adventures to expose the agonizing reality of child soldiers forced to shoulder the survival of humanity. Shinji Ikari's paralyzing self-hatred. Asuka Langley Soryu's abandonment issues, and Rei Ayanami identity struggles overshadow their heroism, and the Evangelion's terrifying appearance gradually reveals that NERV's greatest weapons are living monstrosities with human souls trapped inside them. Evangelion's original religious symbolism further distinguishes it from practically every other anime of its era. Judeo-Christian and Kabbalistic imagery like enormous cross-shaped explosions, the Tree of Life, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Lance of Longinus, and the mythological figures of Adam and Lilith adds unique symbolism and creates an unmistakable atmosphere of impending cosmic catastrophe. These apocalyptic elements interlock with Freudian psychoanalysis and the central theme of the series, the Hedgehog Dilemma, a metaphor that describes how individuals desperately desire emotional intimacy while simultaneously fearing the pain that comes with allowing others too close. Neon Genesis Evangelion's manga adaptation started around a year before the original anime first aired. Shiro Sagisu's soundtrack features haunting atmospheric pieces and memorable electronic compositions, combined with classical pieces such as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The contrast between these grand musical passages and the J-Pop arrangement of its opening theme, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis," are part of why Neon Genesis Evangelion continues to be unforgettable. Decades after its original broadcast, Evangelion's technical spectacle and bold narrative experimentation still make it an anime that rewards repeated viewings and continues to provoke drastically different interpretations. Neon Genesis Evangelion's Multiple Endings Are All Must-Watch Each Evangelion Genesis Adds A New Perspective To The Previous One One of the most fascinating aspects of Neon Genesis Evangelion is that the story has several different conclusions, each of which offers a remarkably different perspective on Shinji Ikari and the fate of humanity. Evangelion's first conclusion is the original series' final two episodes, which focus almost entirely on Shinji's psyche as the apocalypse takes hold. The first and most popular movie, The End of Evangelion, offers a drastically different perspective on the same events, with a more concrete look at the catastrophe, with Shinji at the center of humanity's fate and his decision to reject a collective existence providing a bleak counterpart to the television finale's more hopeful conclusion. Neon Genesis Evangelion's two endings are often interpreted as complementary perspectives on the same climax. Simultaneously, the four-movie reimagining of the series' conclusion, the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy, revisits the apocalypse and diverges into a new story. Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone introduces a more polished retelling of the original premise, and Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance makes substantial alterations to the characters. Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo introduces a time jump where Shinji confronts a world devastated by his decisions. Finally, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time provides a remarkably different conclusion, as Shinji reconciles with his past and moves beyond the world of Evangelion itself. Which 1990s sci-fi series is your favorite?