Ridley Scott's 18-Episode Sci-Fi Series On HBO Is So Good, It Demands To Be Seen Twice

Published Oct 2, 2026, 1:35 AM EDT

Mary Kassel is a Senior Writer & Critic who joined the Screen Rant team in 2023. 

After graduating from Emerson College with a degree in Media Arts Production, Kassel started at Screen Rant with a focus on the critical analysis side of movies and television while continuing to work on set in film production. 

At Screen Rant, Kassel primarily writes for the Classic TV section, mining their encyclopedic knowledge of television history for content. However, they also contribute to the Books team and review both film and television as a critic. 

Ridley Scott is known for helming some of the best additions to the science fiction genre of all time. While many of his most famous works were movies, like Alien and Blade Runner, he's contributed to television as well. One of the most exciting parts of the present era of streaming TV is that platforms like HBO have many hidden gems waiting to be discovered, with brilliant creative teams working behind the scenes.

Ridley Scott's upcoming movies and TV shows will live on in the science fiction canon. Anyone who enjoyed the series Scott executive-produced, the Alien prequel, Alien: Earth, is well aware that Scott has his finger on the pulse of the next phase of speculative fiction on TV. Though his films are incredible, genre projects have always done well on TV, since there's more room to explore the story's world and craft episodes that viewers can watch many times over to discover every detail.

Though the Alien franchise and its characters will likely always be Scott's best-known piece of IP, there are many underrated additions to his filmography worth checking out. Scott's short-lived sci-fi TV show Raised by Wolves aired on HBO from 2020–2022, and there's little question that it's a groundbreaking television series that's too often overlooked. When watching Raised by Wolves, it's important to pay attention, or something vital could be missed.

Raised By Wolves Is Good The First Time, But Better On Rewatch

Raised by Wolves is so layered and complex; viewers should return to the series if they get the chance to understand just how good this show is. Touching upon complex themes like the intersection between religion and science fiction and what it means to be human, Raised by Wolves was executive produced by Scott, and the influence of his work shines through. Following a colony of humans on a far-flung planet in the future, Raised by Wolves digs into some of humanity's biggest questions.

Just 18 episodes long, it doesn't take long to watch seasons 1 and 2 of Raised by Wolves, and it's difficult to stop watching once the viewer is immersed in the otherworldly story. Touching upon different religious factions, dangerous technologies, and the decay of Earth as a home for the human race, Raised by Wolves might be set in the future, but it has a lot in common with contemporary issues, like all great sci-fi.

Question 1 of 3

When watching Raised by Wolves for the first time, it's easy to get swept up in the momentum of the narrative, striving to catch up and understand the minutiae of the world. While the major beats of the story are clear, when rewatching Raised by Wolves, it's the subtlety of the storytelling that draws the audience in. Not only is the world-building top-notch in Raised by Wolves, but the character work and careful foreshadowing make the series' arc all the more satisfying on a second watch.

After Watching Raised By Wolves Twice, You'll Wonder Why There Isn't More

If there is a flaw with Raised by Wolves, it's that the show ends with season 2. The sudden cancelation of Raised by Wolves was surprising to audiences and critics alike, as the series received critical acclaim. While there's little chance the show will return for season 3, it helps that starting Raised by Wolves from the beginning is just as thrilling, and even more compelling the second time around. The series is as stunning visually as it is narratively, with Scott serving as the director of the first two episodes.

In the years since Raised by Wolves went off the air, television has been in a science fiction renaissance, and filmmakers like Ridley Scott have taken advantage of this. The world might not have been ready for the dramatic, and sometimes shocking, tone of Raised by Wolves when it premiered, but there's plenty of time now to discover the series and find out why it lives up to the executive producer's reputation.