Is 2025 the Year of Speculative Fiction on TV?

From big new adaptations to returning hits, this year is looking impressive

Let There be Content

So, did you know that the Murderbot trailer dropped this week? I've been anxious about this adaptation since the news first dropped online, a feeling which only increased when Alexander Skarsgård of all people was cast to play my favourite quirky SecUnit. My fears have been allayed a bit by both the trailer's excellent tone and seeing that author Martha Wells was involved to some extent with the production (here's a lovely shot of her on set with the cast). But as I was reminded by Severance, it can be useful to retain a little caution alongside my optimism.

As it happens, it was only from the suggested videos on the Murderbot trailer that I also learned both Black Mirror and Love, Death & Robots were returning on April 10th and May 15th respectively. If you're unfamiliar, both are anthology shows which feature different speculative fiction stories each episode. Black Mirror's stories are all original and live action, while Love, Death & Robots' are mostly adaptations of short stories and animated in a variety of styles. Those three (plus Severance) already had me interested in writing this post. Little did I know just how many shows are either debuting or returning this year.

In terms of returning big-hitters, there's Stranger Things, The Last of Us, Gen V, The Handmaid's Tale, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, For All Mankind, Yellowjackets, Severance, Doctor Who and (I'm sure) more Marvel and Star Wars shows than I could count – though I've at least heard good things about Andor. For new shows we have Murderbot, Alien: Earth, Star City and Blade Runner: 2099, then towards the end of the year a return to Westeros for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

So... why am I writing about this?

Collage of Posters for 2025 Shows

Eyes and Ears

I hope it's no secret that I believe speculative fiction stories, in addition to being quite entertaining, have a lot to teach us as both individuals and as a society. These stories reflect and clarify our fears, teach us empathy by giving us new perspectives and stoke our imaginations when life tries to extinguish them.

As much as I love books, they very rarely reach the popularity of even the most average TV show. Having these stories depicted (well) on the screen can both help to propagate important ideas of today and pave the way for many more in the future. They can also help to spread the love of books! I discovered one of my favourite science fiction authors, Alastair Reynolds, because of his stories being adapted into Love, Death & Robots' episodes 'Beyond the Aquila Rift' and 'Zima Blue'.

Poster for Love, Death & Robots: 'Zima Blue'

A great adaptation can make viewers that much more interested in the source material, just as a terrifying dystopian vision can incite interest and concern about real societal systems and technological developments. I've only watched the first episode of Black Mirror's new season and I'm already seeing our subscription-based models of entertainment in a horrifying new light. (I know, a little ironic given how many streaming platform logos I've included in the images above.)

I'll be writing more about the Murderbot books soon in preparation for the show, so consider giving them a try! The audiobooks are included with your Spotify Premium account (I cringe again), or see if your library has brought in more copies recently! Likely more TV content to follow as well, though I'll be more focused on my usual areas of interest than I was today.

Any stories in particular that you're excited to see or read this year?

Power Off

But as great an escape as these shows may be, it’s also crucial that we continue fighting and advocating for the world we believe in. Bread and circuses have come a long way since the days of the Romans, and even in the information age is still incredibly effective at soothing us away from acting in our own best interests.

Let's do our best to address our real life dystopia in addition to enjoying the entertaining ones!

Thanks for reading and until next time <3