Right now you can watch The Sarah Jane Adventures in the UK on Sky Go and BBC iPlayer — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. 5 seasons in, and the quality has not slipped. Its 7/10 TMDB score, built from 116 ratings, reflects a title that consistently delivers. Watch it for Elisabeth Sladen — the performance elevates material that could easily tip into self-seriousness. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Sky Go.

The Sarah Jane Adventures is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The world-building is meticulous, but it is the characters who carry The Sarah Jane Adventures through its more ambitious moments. Sarah Jane Smith is a truly remarkable woman who inhabits a world of mystery, danger and wonder; a world where aliens are commonplace and the Earth is under constant threat. A world that Maria Jackson, a seemingly ordinary girl, can only dream of – until she moves in next door. Nothing will ever be ordinary again. Elisabeth Sladen and Alexander Armstrong lead a cast that makes the ambitious moments land. Across 5 seasons (2007–2011), it never lost the thread that made it worth starting. The Sarah Jane Adventures resists the temptation to explain everything, trusting the audience to sit with ambiguity. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

For late-night viewing or a proper weekend binge, The Sarah Jane Adventures fits the bill. Fans of Doctor Who will recognise the sensibility here immediately. Short enough to finish in a weekend, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Elisabeth Sladen anchors it with a performance that makes the more abstract moments feel personal. If you have been burned by ambitious sci-fi before, this is the exception.

The Sarah Jane Adventures wrapped up in 2011, created by Russell T Davies — 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.