If you want science fiction that respects its own premise, Babylon 5 is available in Australia on Amazon Prime Video, and in the UK on Amazon Prime Video right now. 5 seasons in, and the quality has not slipped. With 603 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Bruce Boxleitner anchors it with a performance that grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Available now on Amazon Prime Video — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Babylon 5 earns its spot. What makes Babylon 5 work is that the ideas never crowd out the people having them. Babylon 5 is a five-mile long space station located in neutral space. Built by the Earth Alliance in the 2250s, its goal is to maintain peace among the various alien races by providing a sanctuary where grievances and negotiations can be worked out among duly appointed ambassadors. A council made up of representatives from the five major space-faring civilizations - the Earth Alliance, Minbari Federation, Centauri Republic, Narn Regime, and Vorlon Empire - work with the League of Non-Aligned Worlds to keep interstellar relations under control. Bruce Boxleitner and Jerry Doyle lead a cast that keeps the bigger ideas grounded in something human. The series ran for 5 seasons (1994–1998), building a story that gave its audience time to invest properly. The rules of Babylon 5's world are consistent enough that the big swings never feel like cheating. The hit rate here is high enough that skipping ahead never feels like an option.

Babylon 5 is satisfying on multiple levels — something to watch and something to think about after. If you have already watched Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Babylon 5 is a natural next step. A contained run means every episode is doing real work. Bruce Boxleitner grounds the bigger ideas in something human. Once you are in, you will want to talk about it.

Babylon 5 wrapped up in 1998, created by J. Michael Straczynski — and 5 seasons are available to watch from start to finish. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.