The Most Epic Fantasy and Sci-Fi Website

10 Fantasy and Sci-fi Web Series Worth Checking Out


With the advent of the internet, a whole new way to both create and enjoy media opened up to us. Webseries are amazing because anyone can makes shows now, not just people approved by various rich executives. The wealthy of creativity in sci-fi and fantasy webseries is a testament to what people can do even without corporate overlords. And while most fantasy web series have lower budgets than what you see on TV, they still manage to turn out great stories and some of them even have really impressive, believable visuals.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at some sci-fi and fantasy web series that are well worth a look. What’s your favorite on the list? Do you have any favorites I wasn’t able to include? Talk about it in the comments!

  1. Carmilla (Created by Jordan Hall and Ellen Simpson)

    Carmilla is a wonderful modern reimagining of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s classic vampire story of the same name. The series focuses on a girl named Laura who is attending Silas University in Austria. Her roommate goes missing one night with a mysterious note and gross fluids as the only thing that’s left behind. The school completely ignores her attempts to find out what’s going on and replaces her roommate with the moody Carmilla, who is very obviously and also obviously involved in whatever’s going on. As Laura digs deeper to discover the mystery behind the school, things get more complicated than she can ever imagine.

    While Carmilla has a clearly low budget, it’s an well-told story with larger-than-life characters that offers a lot of supernatural fun. It’s been particularly popular with queer women for presenting well-rounded female characters and well-developed, interesting queer relationships

    The original Carmilla novella started the “lesbian vampire” trend, but was obviously very rooted in Victorian attitudes towards sexuality- Carmilla’s flirtation with women was supposed to be a further sign of her being a predatory monster.

    click to enlarge

    However, this webseries gives the idea the reinterpretation it deserves and uses the “queer vampire” concept in a positive, nuanced way. While it can occasionally verge into cheese territory, the series also bucks convention and smashes through supernatural romance clichés. Particularly in the second season, which has a good take on the “fall in love with a monster and make them not a monster anymore” idea and the huge mess that kind of thinking can cause. And while the series has romance, the characters main focus is generally fighting whatever new ridiculous monstrous evil their school throws at them.

     The characters in the series are flawed, funny and messy. They grow and clash with and challenge each other. While the first season is a bit predictable, the second season really cranks it up, putting the heroes through the wringer and introducing big threats, complexities and villains who are kind of likable.  

    Carmilla has 2 completed 36-episode seasons with episodes usually running from three-to-seven minutes.  There’s a 12 episode "season zero" prequel as well. It’s currently in the middle of its third season. Watch it here

  2. Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog (Created by Joss Whedon)

    The webseries is definitely the most professional on our list, featuring big-name talent like Neal Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion. Created during the writer’s strike a few years ago, Dr. Horrible is the tale of a hapless supervillain (the titular doctor) who is trying to get into “The Evil League of Evil” and constantly getting beaten down by his brawny egotistical superhero nemesis, Captain Hammer. Meanwhile, he’s pining for Penny, a girl he sees at the laundromat.

    Dr, Horrible is an incredibly quotable affectionate parody of superhero narratives, reveling in cliché but flipping the script and portraying the brainy villain as more sympathetic than his brawny nemesis. The cast is top notch and they get to flex their many talents- Fillion shines as an egotistical superhero while Harris pulls off an awkward, neurotic introvert perfectly. The series also features Felicia Day as a sweet ingénue. The ending is…predictable if you’re familiar with Whedon’s work at all, but it’s a really fun and funny ride until then with tons of catchy songs to boot!

    Dr. Horrible is three episodes that are 42 minutes long all together. You can learn about it here and visit the official website.

  3. Peacekeepers (Created by Charlie Reeves)

    Peacekeepers is a web series that only has one episode so far, but it’s already acclaimed and was nominated for several awards. The second episode is in post-production and will air later this year.

    The series takes place in a world where there’s an organization called the Peacekeepers. These people receive texts on their cellphone from a mysterious “he” who informs them that somebody is about to be killed in some way, with the location and the time. The predictions are always right, and so the Peacekeeper is sent to prevent the death from happening. The series follows a Peacekeeper named Alana, who while trying to do her job runs into some adversaries..

    The series is stylishly shot. Of particular note is the creative and fun way the texts are incorporated into the video. The dialogue is snappy, it’s well acted and we get a hint of interesting backstory for our main character. The premise is also intriguing, raising interesting questions. Weighty issues like religion are bought up, as people question whether this mysterious presence is divine in nature and why he only stops a few deaths if he can predict the future like that. The episode ends on a big plot twist that leaves the viewer wanting more.

    It may just be one episode, but it’s very promising and this is a series to keep your eye on. Check out the first episode here.

  4. Video Game High School (Produced by Rocket Jump Studios)

    Video Game High School is an action-comedy that takes place in a world where video games have advanced and rule all as the world’s most popular competitive sport, to the point that the most prestigious school around is one for gamers. A completely normal gamer usernamed BrianD unwittingly defeats an internationally famous gamer on live TV and gets accepted into this prestigious school, which he quickly finds is quite a vicious place.

    VGHS is a popular, award-winning series. The video game parts of the narrative are done in live-action with some truly cool special effects that make it really seem like a game. The series deals with a lot of typical high school drama with the very typical timid-nerdy-everyman-who-ends-up-triumphing protagonist , but it gives a unique touch to it all by putting a video game spin on it. A lot of the series is very tongue-in-cheek too. For example, in the second episode, the protagonist offers a rather horrible comeback to a bully of “where did you pick up your manners, the rude store?” only for the bully to respond to it like it’s deadly serious. “No one insults my manners!” That got a laugh out of me.­

    VGHS is a complete 3-season show with 21 20-30 minute episodes in total. Watch it here.

  5. Save Our Skins (Created by Nat Saunders and Chris Hayward)

    Save Our Skins tells the story of two British geek guys who go to New York for a sci-fi convention. They wake up and prepare to go to the convention, only to find that everybody in the entire world seems to have vanished while they were asleep. But they’re not as alone as they think and end up living out their own sci-fi.

    If you love dry British humor, this comedy is up your alley because it’s chock full of it. There’s lots of quips to be had as the protagonists bumble through their weird situation.”There shouldn’t be monsters at a 3-star-hotel.  We should leave a comment on their website” was one of my favorites. The leads bounce well off each other in general.“ There’s lots of nerdy humor and absurdism here, which can make for a fun, relaxing watch.

    The series is 13 roughly 6-minute long episodes, along with some bonus videos. You can watch it here.

  6. MisSpelled (Created by Lindsey McDowell)

    MisSpelled follows five young women with magic powers. One of these witches accidentally kills her boyfriend with her uncontrollable magic while angry during a fight. She gathers the other girls and they attempt to bring him back to life. And as you’d expect, there are consequences for such an action…

    MisSpelled is incomplete at six episodes, but there’s a good chance it might be continued and what’s there so far is intriguing. We have flawed, and in some cases volatile, girls dealing with magic gone wrong. Gladys (the boyfriend killer)’s huge temper and magic powers make for a dangerous combination and the other girls are clearly struggling to figure themselves out as well. The sense of tension building over whatever’s going on with the boyfriend is well done and the effects aren’t bad either. There was an effects-heavy scare in episode six that genuinely startled me. It’s also nice to see a cast that’s diverse in size and in general.

    MisSpelled is six six-eight minute episodes so far. You can watch it here.

  7. Anamnesis (Produced by Finite Studios)

    Anamnesis is a gorgeously shot series about lucid dreaming. In the series, three people start mysteriously sharing lucid dreams. Hannah shares a lucid dream with her boyfriend as he is dying and is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Meanwhile, a composer named Noah is beginning to lose his grip on what is reality and what is dreams. Sean finds an escape in his dreams. All three of these lives collide in a spectacular way. Then there’s Vera, who’s having night terrors…

    The beautiful scenery and transitions in Anamnesis are stunning, the acting is top-notch and the plot is multilayered. The series was selected for many filmfests and nominated for awards. There are five episodes that are about fifteen minutes long.  Watch it here

  8. Surviving (Created by Reagan Gomez)

    Surviving follows a pair of sisters as they find themselves thrust into a zombie apocalypse. It’s a popular premise, but the show stands out for having a deep focus on family. Shayla is instantly likeable as a protagonist- she’s practical, level-headed and deeply protective of her sister. There’s also the intriguing aspect of her backstory- she was estranged from her family and now this incident is forcing her to be closer to them. And mysteriously,her father seemed to somehow know something like this would happen and trained her for it. As the show goes on, Shayla discovers a conspiracy that runs deeper and deeper.

    If you like zombie stories, stories about family or even if you're simply looking for more sci-fi stories driven by well written women of color, this is worth checking out. It’s well-directed with a good, tense atmosphere. The first season is complete, with seven 10-15 minute episodes. Watch it here.

  9. The Mercury Men (Created by Christopher Preksta)

    The Mercury Men was a series of shorts created for the SyFy Channel’s website, but now it’s available on YouTube. The series is a well-done throwback to old-school sci-fi series, being reminiscent of The Outer Limits in some places and Flash Gordon in others. The series is done in black-and-white and set in the 1970s. It follows a mild mannered office worker who is attacked by beings of pure light and drawn into an adventure when he runs into a space faring hero. If you dig retro sci-fi, you might dig this. It has a great aesthetic and is well-directed.

    The series is 10 episodes that are each about 7 minutes long. You can watch it here.

  10. RWBY (Created by Monty Oum)

    Here’s an animated series for the list! Clearly inspired heavily by fairy tales, anime and video games, RWBY follows a team of four girls who attending an academy where they train to become “huntresses”, warriors tasked with battling the vicious magical creatures known as the Grimm.

    The series is done in 3D-animation. The animation can be stiff during regular scenes, but the fight scenes are where it shines, giving viewers spectacular action. The series is a decent romp with an appealing fantasy world. The music is fantastic, the plot is serviceable, there’s some decent banter, the fights are fun and villains are often creepy cool. Whenever the series focuses romance, everything tends to come grinding to a halt and I feel some of its characters are sadly underserved, but it’s definitely worth a look if you love the genre. The series became a viral hit almost overnight and is heavily cosplayed.

    RWBY is ongoing, with three seasons currently out. It can be seen on Crunchyroll as well as Rooster Teeth’s website.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Fandoms and Lists page.