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Best Sci-Fi TV Series of 1981

14 Sci-Fi series that started in 1981, ranked by popularity

All Sci-Fi series All series from 1981
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Genres

Genres as assigned by IMDb. Selecting several means a show must match all of them.

Decades

By first-air year. Several selections widen the range; a specific year narrows within its decade.

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Tags

Rating patterns, computed from IMDb episode-rating trajectories. Deliberately strict: only shows with an unmistakable pattern carry one, so expect small numbers.

Rating patterns

Taste tags, judged by our AI taste model. They cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

Tone & mood
Pacing & structure
Humor style
Themes & subject matter
Characters & perspective
Emotional payoff
Craft & style
Format & audience
Viewing-culture clusters
Intensity & content character
14 series

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

★ 8.0
12K 6 1981–1981
Dry humor · Absurdist · British TV

The Greatest American Hero

★ 7.3
7K 44 1981–1983
Campy · Episodic · Whimsical

The Day of the Triffids

★ 7.3
3K 6 1981–1981
Drama · Horror · Sci-Fi

Under the Mountain

★ 7.9
478 8 1981–1981
Family · Sci-Fi · Thriller

The Phoenix

★ 6.9
382 5 1981–1982
Sci-Fi

The Nightmare Man

★ 6.7
244 4 1981–1981
Horror · Sci-Fi · Thriller

Space Stars

★ 7.4
192 66 1981–1981
Animation · Family · Sci-Fi

Kinvig

★ 6.6
103 7 1981–1981
Comedy · Sci-Fi

GoShogun

★ 6.8
77 26 1981–1981
Action · Animation · Sci-Fi

Noires sont les galaxies

★ 6.4
46 4 1981–present
Horror · Sci-Fi

Kallocain

★ 5.4
44 2 1981–1981
Sci-Fi

Astronauts

★ 5.6
35 13 1981–1982
Comedy · Sci-Fi

Interster

★ 7.7
32 13 1981–present
Family · Sci-Fi

The Minikins

★ 6.2
25 12 1981–1982
Family · Sci-Fi
‹ 1980 1981 1982 ›
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