Time travel is a concept depicted in many sci-fi shows and movies. Writers and showrunners have mostly tried two things with the genre: time travel as a means to change the present by altering the past, and time travel as a means to preserve the present status quo. However, some sci-fi shows have gone above and beyond the usual tried and tested stories.
These shows have taken the time-travel concept and used it to communicate a larger message. Most use the concept as a metaphor and offer commentary on trauma, living life, politics, and more, taking the time-travel idea to a whole new dimension. Here are 5 sci-fi shows that changed the way time travel was treated.
1. Dark
The Mobius Strip method of time travel has often been explored by filmmakers. The idea that the present is an eventuality is deeply philosophical and is a bit more depressing than the kind of hopeful time travel shown in Back to the Future. But no one has done it as meticulously as Dark.
The German series begins with two disappearances in a quiet town, but then it slowly unravels into a generational story. It follows four families and their intertwined fates that span across decades in the past and the future, a wormhole, and an apocalypse. While the plot is complex and filled with symbolism, the main theme of generational trauma is what makes it all the more interesting.
Where to watch (USA): Netflix
2. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
A still from Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency | Credits: BBC America
I will never stop recommending Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency to every living soul. It is based on Douglas Adams’ (yes, from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) book series, and follows the eponymous detective as he figures out cases. As a holistic detective, he not only solves cases but also figures out exactly what it is as he follows his instinct.
The world of Dirk Gently is filled with assassins, shadow governments, time travel, alternate dimensions, and more imaginative stuff. The first season again follows a Mobius Strip type time loop, with Dirk trying to solve a murder by stopping it before it happens. It is a deliciously quirky show with plenty of humor and creative use of time travel.
The nature of time is attached to the characters’ own growth, like with Elijah Wood’s Todd, who badly needs a do-over for his life after lying about being ill and swindling his parents. Here, time travel is not just a concept but also a metaphor for Todd’s character arc.
Where to watch (USA): Netflix
3. Star Trek: The Next Generation
A still from Star Trek: The Next Generation | Credts: Paramount Television
The Star Trek franchise has used up every sci-fi concept in existence, but The Next Generation did time travel like no other. Several episodes like ‘Time’s Arrow’ and ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise’ used time travel to explore different themes, be it war or history. One of the best time travel/time loop episodes is ‘Cause and Effect’.
The season 5 episode sees the Enterprise stuck in a time loop, where the ship is colliding with another USS ship and exploding, bringing the crew back to the same day again. The episode sees Data communicating across time to help save the Enterprise from being annihilated.
It was a different take on the concept at the time. Data does not really travel through time like other heroes, but it is more about communicating to the future (or the past in this case). Very few shows had done that before.
Where to watch (USA): Paramount+
4. 12 Monkeys
A still from 12 Monkeys | Credits: Syfy
Based on the cult classic film of the same name starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, 12 Monkeys is a darker and edgier version of time travel as shown in Back to the Future. In the series, a scavenger in the future named Cole is sent to the past to stop a viral outbreak from happening and to defeat the ‘Army of the 12 Monkeys’.
Time travel is set in the context of war in the show, with each temporal move affecting the broad history and future of the world. Each era becomes a front of the war, and paradoxes are plentiful in the show. As Cole tries to save a hopeless world, he is forced to make it worse. Time travel has never been so scary.
Where to watch (USA): Amazon Prime Video
5. Doctor Who
A still from Doctor Who | Credits: BBC
After all the ‘wibbly wobbly, timey wimey’ stuff we have seen so far, no other show has explored the linearity of time like Doctor Who. The Doctor is, in the strictest sense, a time traveler, as for him, time is not about when but where. Time is a place for the Doctor, and he constantly travels to different eras, planets, and dimensions.
The series puts the Doctor across various timelines, sometimes even to conspiratorial moments, making him an active participant in the history of the world. Time travel can never be shown with so much imagination by any other show. Tying loose ends is hardly the mission here.
Where to watch (USA): Disney+
Show NameCreatorsRotten Tomatoes (as of May 1, 2026)IMDb (as of May 1, 2026)DarkBaran bo Odar, Jantje FrieseTomatometer – 95%Popcornmeter – 94%8.7Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective AgencyMax LandisTomatometer – 85%Popcornmeter – 94%8.1Star Trek: TNGGene RoddenberryTomatometer – 92%Popcornmeter – 90%8.712 MonkeysTerry Matalas, Travis FickettTomatometer – 88%Popcornmeter – 78%7.7Doctor WhoSydney Newman; C. E. Webber; Donald WilsonTomatometer – 90%Popcornmeter – 64%8.5
Refer to the questions below in case you have any queries about the shows mentioned in the list.
Is Dark worth watching on Netflix?
If you are a fan of mind-bending sci-fi stories involving time travel, then Netflix’s Dark is the perfect show for you.
Why is Doctor Who so popular?
BBC’s Doctor Who has been a staple British show since the 1960s, imaginatively depicting scientific concepts and historical moments. It has since become part of pop culture.
Is Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency based on a book?
Yes, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency is based on the novel series by author Douglas Adams.
Which sci-fi show do you think depicted a new way of time travel? Comment below.
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