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ing the events of WandaVision (and, slightly more tangentially, Agatha All Along), VisionQuest returns to the story of Marvel’s favorite synthic being, an artificial creation who fights supervillains and ponders the nature of his own existence, rather than more typical AI pursuits creating deep fakes.
White Vision (the character, not the political agenda) is a copy of the Vision who died two Avengers movies ago. He’s living within his own mind on a fantasy country estate while on the run from bounty hunters and in pursuit of his semi-fictional son. In that spirit, here are 10 more science fiction shows that involve artificial people and/or elaborate constructed realities.
Humans (2015 – 2018)
In the near-future world, highly advanced “synths” are commonplace, doing the work that regular humans can’t be bothered with. These beings are treated as entirely disposable sources of cheap labor, despite their apparent burgeoning humanity. The first season introduces the Hawkins family, who buy (on sale) a domestic servant synth named Anita (Gemma Chan); mom Laura is a little uncomfortable with the arrangement, especially when she finds her husband having sex with Anita, who has her own complicated backstory. Humans interrogates the ways humans always seem to find excuses to dehumanize others, which is just the type of thing that sci-fi is pretty great at. Stream Humans on Peacock, Prime Video, and Tubi.
Murderbot (2025 – )
One of the smartest recent shows is a dark comedy based on the Hugo-Award winning book series by Martha Wells. Alexander Skarsgård is the title’s hilariously deadpan robot, a private “security construct” who’s managed to hack its way through its own programming and gain free will—which it mostly wants to use to binge its favorite streaming shows. It can’t just run off for fear of drawing attention, but the self-named Murderbot (it’s being ironic, kinda) is content to do the bare minimum when it’s assigned to a team of naive hippie researchers who don’t see the need for a killer security robot—at least, not until they’re enmeshed in a complicated capitalist plot in which they’re all just cogs. Stream Murderbot on Apple TV.
Demascus (2025)
From playwright Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm (Hooded: Or Being Black for Dummies), this show stars Okieriete Onaodowan as the title character, an inhabitant of an alternate present who is turning 33 and pursuing therapy for the first time. He’s offered the chance to use DIRT (Digital Immersive Reality Therapy), in which he can visit and view other versions of himself, as long as he doesn’t interfere. Which, of course, he does, with results that are sometimes poignant and sometimes funny. Hard to believe that this clever show almost wound up in the bin, a victim of that stupid moment a couple of years ago when streamers and studios were shelving otherwise great projects for tax reasons. No robots here, but a human exploring a complex world inside his own head. Stream Demascus on Tubi.
Alice in Borderland (2020 – )
In this more darkly dangerous vision of a virtual world, video-game-obsessed Arisu gets his wish, after a fashion; he finds himself, along with a couple of friends, transported to an alternate, eerily abandoned version of Tokyo—the title’s Borderland—vividly brought to life via clever green screen work. The three are directed to an arena and given the instructions for the game, which they’ll be playing whether they want to or not. The first competition involves a locked-room-style puzzle; if they fail, the room goes up in flames with them in it—think Ready Player One, with deadlier stakes. There are games each night, though the rules allow for winners to get time off. There are a lot of rules, actually, but the games are cleverly and sadistically constructed. Stream Alice in Borderland on Netflix.
Legion (2017 – 2019)
Though ostensibly an X-Men spinoff, this phantasmagoric show from Noah Hawley (Fargo, Alien: Earth) stands entirely on its own, taking place largely inside the headspace of a deeply troubled man. Dan Stevens plays David Haller, diagnosed with schizophrenia and possessed of tremendous psychic abilities. In one of the many psychiatric hospitals to which he’s been committed, he meets first the free-wheeling Lenny (Aubrey Plaza) and then Syd (Rachel Keller), who can trade bodies with anyone she touches. Veering in and out of trippy astral planes and deeply damaged psyches, David soon comes to realize that he’s not crazy—and also that he’s probably not the hero of the story, even as he’s caught between the authorities who’d to use him for his power and the Shadow King who’s been haunting his mind since childhood. Stream Legion on Hulu.
Mrs. Davis (2023)
Just a science fiction action comedy about a nun married to literal Jesus on a quest to the world from the title’s artificial intelligence by finding the Holy Grail alongside her ex-boyfriend. So, yeah, there’s a lot going on in Mrs. Davis—sometimes a little too much, but the show gets major points for ambition. Betty Gilpin holds everything together as Sister Simone, playing it straight in an extremely over-the-top world. It’s refreshing to see a show that’s so unafraid to take big swings, and it works much more often than it should. Though it was cancelled after one season, it ends reasonably well, and, co-creator Damon Lindelof’s HBO series Watchmen, would probably be best served by remaining a one-and-done. Stream Mrs. Davis on Peacock.
Upload (2020 – 2025)
A charming comedy-drama set in a science fiction world, Robbie Amell stars as Nathan Brown, a young computer programmer who’s also recently deceased. In the future of 2033, humans have the option of having their consciousnesses uploaded into virtual worlds post-mortem and Nathan’s is chosen for him by his rich and rather possessive girlfriend. The exclusive afterlife setting of Lakeview is stifling, as is the fact that said girlfriend has a say in his perpetual existence. He’s on the brink of despair until he strikes up a friendship with Nora (Andy Allo), his very-much-alive customer service rep. Stream Upload on Prime Video and Hulu.
Person of Interest (2011 – 2016)
Think Minority Report, but with artificial intelligence standing in for the three naked, hairless precogs in a tub. Michael Emerson plays Harold Finch, a reclusive billionaire who designs and codes a system (called only the “Machine”) that collates enough information from global sources to predict terrorist acts and identify potential perpetrators (the show prompting the question: what if the world’s richest person wasn’t completely useless?). While operating on a surface level as the kind of CBS police procedural your parents love, the show (from Westworld creator Jonathan Nolan) asks fairly smart questions about free will and privacy, even as it generally leans on the safety > liberty side of the argument. It’s not a superhero show, but, VisionQuest, this offers up a picture of a world in which a crime-fighting AI might be put to better use than spying on protesters and stalking exes. Stream Person of Interest on Prime Video and Peacock.
Westworld (2016 – 2022)
Tricky to recommend, given that the show’s four seasons saw a period of decline ed by a cancellation just when it was getting really good again—however, when Westworld was cooking (as in its addictive first season), there was nothing else it on television. Set, initially, in a high-tech, near-future amusement park designed to appeal to wealthy clientele, the show finds the lifeandroids created to service the guests gradually waking up to their disposability. In the best tradition of sci-fi, this one’s less about AI than it is about a world of disposable beings existing purely at the whim, and for the amusement of, the ultra-wealthy. Which is definitely not a 100% relatable metaphor. Buy Westworld from Prime Video.
WandaVision (2021)
You’ve ly seen this one if you’re watching VisionQuest, but it’s worth mentioning as not only a fairly essential preface, but also one of the best (and most distinctive) bits of Marvel media…ever? (Agatha All Along is also great, but less essential to Vision’s narrative). At least initially, WandaVision confused dedicated Marvel fans as much as noobs, making it a unique on-ramp, even if it does have many threads connected to the broader superhero universe. Its story of a grieving witch living out her sitcom fantasies is an impressive swing into the surreal, well worth it if you’re content to go along for a weird and surprisingly emotional ride. Stream WandaVision on Disney+.
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