While new streaming shows are currently very popular, many of them still use traditional storytelling structures – either self-contained episodes or ongoing, connected storylines. From established franchises like Star Trek to newer ideas like For All Mankind, there’s a lot of potential in this genre. As science fiction continues to develop, it’s drawing on a long and fascinating history.
Science fiction has a long history with anthology series, from classics like The Twilight Zone to more recent examples. This format allows creators to explore different concepts and experiment with ideas. However, truly capturing the spirit of the anthology hasn’t been common in recent sci-fi television. Fortunately, Electric Dreams provides a strong model for modern shows interested in using this storytelling approach.
Electric Dreams Pulls Inspiration From A Classic Novel
The title Electric Dreams will likely ring a bell for science fiction fans. It comes from the name of a 1968 novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick. The book was a deep and thought-provoking story that became the basis for many future works.
Years later, the author revisited the ideas from that original world in a new collection of stories called Electric Dreams. Released alongside a television show, this book brought together several short stories that explored what it means to be conscious and delved into various other science fiction themes.
Stories like “Autofac,” “Holy Quarrel,” and “Human Is” showed the author’s range and hinted at larger narratives. These short stories eventually formed the basis for a 2017 TV show, a collaboration between Channel 4 in the UK and Amazon Prime Video. The resulting series was a high-quality science fiction production featuring a talented cast.
The show had one season with ten episodes, and was intentionally created as a short, concise series. Each episode explored a different topic, and at roughly 50 minutes long, the show was particularly well-known for its excellent pacing.
Every episode felt like a self-contained movie, tackling complex themes that similar shows like Westworld later explored. Surprisingly, Sony TV was pleased with how it turned out and tried to develop a second season, even though that wasn’t the original intention.
Given that each season of the show features a completely new story and cast, it’s not surprising that actors like Timothy Spall, Sam Witwer, Terrence Howard, Bryan Cranston, Steve Buscemi, Geraldine Chaplin, Richard Madden, Juno Temple, Anna Paquin, and Benedict Wong won’t be back for another season.
The impressive cast list alone shows how talented the show was. Reviews were generally good, praising the strong performances. But what really set the series apart was its commitment to the classic anthology style.
The Series Reformed The Anthology Format
The show really feels like a classic anthology series. It’s made with a clear understanding of what makes this type of show work, and the final product lives up to expectations. That might sound basic, but when you compare it to other shows, it’s clear they often miss the core elements of good anthology storytelling.
To fully grasp this concept, let’s look back at the origins of the genre. A great place to start is with The Twilight Zone, a classic blend of horror and science fiction that heavily influenced many shows and movies that followed. While it may not have had a large budget or high production values, it compensated with a strong and consistent focus on its core themes.
The series felt unified despite telling different stories each time. It wasn’t about following a single character or plotline; instead, a host led viewers through each episode. The show embraced its unconventional structure seamlessly, creating a unique experience without feeling disjointed or artificial.
The show feels familiar, yet fresh. This is probably due to the source material: all the episodes are based on short stories by Philip K. Dick, and his unique perspective clearly shines through in each storyline.
The author clearly wanted to explore a lot of different ideas, and this series lets you see that experimentation unfold. Despite not having a traditional, connected storyline or recurring characters, the series feels unified. Each episode stands on its own, without being forced to fit into one overarching plot.
Despite its unique format, Electric Dreams maintains the quality you’d expect from a top-tier TV show. It’s not a traditional, big-budget limited series like many streaming shows, but it’s still designed to be captivating and easy to watch all at once, and it’s written to appeal to today’s viewers.
Despite only lasting one season, Electric Dreams had a lot of potential for future growth. It successfully combined classic anthology storytelling with a modern approach, proving the format could still resonate with today’s audiences.
Current Anthology Shows Fail To Grasp The Dynamic
I’ve noticed something interesting with a lot of anthology series lately – they seem to really want to connect everything! It feels a little strange, since anthologies are usually about self-contained stories, but it keeps happening. Take Marvel’s What If…? for example – it wasn’t just a series of different stories, it actively moved between timelines, showing us all the ‘what ifs’ and possibilities within the Marvel universe. It’s like they can’t resist building a bigger picture, even when the format doesn’t necessarily call for it.
Initially, the show used a narrator called The Watcher to allow for a non-traditional, story-by-story format. However, once a main villain appeared, the series moved away from this approach. By the end, it stopped being a true anthology, instead focusing on connecting characters and creating ongoing storylines. The latest season follows this trend, bringing back familiar faces and plot threads, which goes against the typical structure of an anthology series.
Like Tales From The Loop, some stories benefit from being set in a shared world. However, it can also be creatively freeing to move away from that approach. In the case of Tales From The Loop, keeping the location consistent was essential to the show’s overall idea, and all episodes were designed to fit within that single universe.
The show often jumps between very different moods and styles, from silly parodies like Star Trek to sharp political commentary. Despite these shifts, it feels like all the stories share a common perspective. Ultimately, the main thing connecting everything is the idea that technology has a damaging influence.
However, Electric Dreams makes things even more confusing for anthology storytelling. The show fully commits to its initial idea: each episode is a self-contained story with no connections to others through shared characters or an overarching plot. Instead, the episodes are linked by common themes and a consistently high level of production quality.
As a sci-fi lover, this show is exactly what I’ve been waiting for – a fantastic binge-watch that really proves how powerful anthology storytelling can be when it’s given the freedom to shine. I think it’s time we saw more shows like this, exploring all sorts of different concepts in this format.
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2026-02-28 18:09