All the Excellent Sci-Fi Movies and Shows You Can Watch This Week at Home or in Theaters, Including ‘Futurama’

It’s a big week for genre fans, with aliens, post-apocalyptic treasure hunts, and campus supers all landing at once. Below, you’ll find quick, useful rundowns for each title—what it’s about, who made it, and who’s in it—plus exactly when and where you can watch. No fluff, just the essentials.

Movies first, then streaming premieres, and finally the week’s episodic drops. Dates and services are included inside each section so you can plan your watchlist without digging around.

‘Xeno’ (2025)

A teen named Renee crosses paths with a crash-landed extraterrestrial in the desert and forms an unlikely bond as federal agents close in; characters include Renee (Lulu Wilson), Jonathan Keyes (Omari Hardwick), Chase (Paul Schneider), Gil (Trae Romano), Linda (Wrenn Schmidt), and Agent Brown (Josh Cooke). The film opens in U.S. theaters on September 19, 2025.

Written and directed by Matthew Loren Oates, ‘Xeno’ is produced by Hartbeat (Kevin Hart, Bryan Smiley, Luke Kelly-Clyne) alongside partners including Shana Marie and Jesse Jensen, with Blue Fox Entertainment handling distribution; the alien creature was created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

‘Afterburn’ (2025)

Set a decade after a solar flare wrecked modern tech, ex-soldier-turned-recovery expert Jake (Dave Bautista) takes a high-risk job to retrieve pre-flare artifacts—including the Mona Lisa—while crossing paths with allies and rivals like Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), Drea (Olga Kurylenko), and Volkov (Kristofer Hivju). The film plays in U.S. theaters on September 19, 2025.

Directed by J. J. Perry, ‘Afterburn’ adapts the Red 5 Comics series by Scott Chitwood and Paul Ens, with a screenplay by Matt Johnson and Nimród Antal. The production is from Original Film, Endurance Media, and Dogbone Entertainment, with José David Montero as cinematographer and a score by Roque Baños.

‘Another End’ (2024)

In a near-future grief-tech story, Sal (Gael García Bernal) uses a service that temporarily maps his late partner Zoe’s consciousness into a living host body, reuniting him with Zoe (Renate Reinsve) under strict limits enforced by the company where his sister Ebe (Bérénice Bejo) works; Olivia Williams co-stars. In the U.S., the film arrives in theaters and is available digitally on September 19, 2025, including on Fandango at Home.

Written and directed by Piero Messina (with co-writers Giacomo Bendotti, Valentina Gaddi, and Sebastiano Melloni), ‘Another End’ was produced by Indigo Film and Rai Cinema, premiered in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, and was acquired for U.S. release in August 2025.

‘Unexpected Treasures’ (2025)

Set around Joshua Tree/Mojave, the story pairs Hartley (Olivia Blue), a down-and-out local, with Sam (Mike Manning), an alien stranded on Earth; supporting players include Michael Dunn (Frank), AnnaMaria DeMara (June), Lauren Han (Kaia), Jay Whittaker, and Rex Edhlund. The film is available to own or rent on September 19, 2025, on Apple TV and Prime Video.

‘Unexpected Treasures’ is directed by John Paul Ungaretti and co-written by Christina Heller and Ungaretti, with producing credits that include Christina Heller and Aline Andrade; the production held a Comic-Con screening and Q&A ahead of release.

‘Futurama’ (1999– )

The animated sci-fi sitcom from Matt Groening and David X. Cohen continues the adventures of the Planet Express crew—Fry, Leela, and Bender—voiced by Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, and an ensemble including Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Phil LaMarr, Lauren Tom, and David Herman. New episodes land on Hulu on Monday, September 15, 2025.

The series, set in 31st-century New New York, mixes workplace hijinks with spacefaring misadventures and has been revived multiple times over its run. The current era remains under the stewardship of Groening and Cohen, with 20th Television Animation producing.

‘Gen V’ (2023– )

Prime Video’s college-set spin-off of ‘The Boys’ returns to Godolkin University with Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), Emma Meyer (Lizze Broadway), Jordan Li (London Thor/Derek Luh), Cate Dunlap (Maddie Phillips), and Sam (Asa Germann) confronting a militarized campus under a new dean, Cipher (Hamish Linklater). Season 2 premieres on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, on Prime Video.

Developed by Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg, and Eric Kripke, the series is showrun by Michele Fazekas and remains tightly connected to the flagship storyline, with crossovers from familiar Supes and an eight-episode season structure.

Share your picks for this week’s sci-fi watchlist in the comments—what are you pressing play on first?