Collider has published a listicle recommending seven "soft sci-fi" television series that the author argues maintain consistently high quality across every episode, contrasting the genre with harder, more scientifically rigorous sci-fi. Soft sci-fi, the piece explains, leans on imaginative "techno-babble" and fantastical elements rather than rigorous scientific plausibility, and the shows chosen are singled out for delivering strong instalments throughout rather than just a handful of standout episodes.

The article opens with Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009), praised as a genre-defining "space opera" blending space battles with political intrigue and spiritual themes across its four Syfy seasons, and The Prisoner (1967–1968), the British psychological drama-thriller starring Patrick McGoohan as a captive former agent trapped in a mysterious coastal village over 17 episodes. Only these two entries are detailed in the excerpt, with the full piece reportedly covering five further shows to complete the list of seven recommended series.