We’ve recently covered some of the best science fiction movie posters that the industry have ever produced, but we’d be remiss not to mention the wide variety of television posters that have also been created for series within the genre.
Over the last decade, the poster game has been stepped up in the television industry, as the land of the TV has entered a golden age. We’ve taken 10 of our favorite posters from shows that consistently turn out great marketing imagery and ranked them!
KRYPTON
This superhero TV show lends itself to the sci-fi genre due to the series being set on the home world of Superman, Krypton. It follows the early day’s of this hero’s journey, before Clark Kent is actually even born.
The poster has a brilliant tagline, promising much more to the legend we know so much about. That Superman S, a symbol of hope, can be clearly identified around our lead character, who is carefully studying the cape of the man of steel. The poster certainly gets us excited for the show!
THE MANDALORIAN
Everything is right about this poster for the latest Star Wars product. The titular character has a powerful walk, as he marches away from the iconic landscape of Tatooine. Star Wars imagery is immediately used, with a setting sun and some land crawlers populating the background.
Of course, this is all used to invoke classic western movies. The series is partially inspired by adventures in the Old West and this is exactly what this poster achieves. It also gets fans excited for the prospects of Disney Plus, which promises to bring major brands into the home.
LOST IN SPACE
The return of this classic brand may have caught everyone by surprise, so there was a lot of pressure on a poster to accurately show what direction the series would be heading in. We have to admit, ’the danger will find them’ line isn’t the most original.
However, the powerful image of the young boy staring up at the robotic creature, framed with multiple planets in the background, show that this series will be heading into the unknown. It’s clear that an adventure awaits, that will take us into the depths of space.
THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE
The Statue of Liberty is often used in marketing material, as it’s a classic symbol of American freedom. The use of this iconic landmark is a powerful one, especially in the context of a series where all freedom is lost.
The Nazi salute is not something that would be used lightly in any marketing campaign, but when the whole series is about these powers of evil winning WWII, a saluting Statue of Liberty shows what kind of world we are entering into.
DOCTOR WHO: THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR
This classic British science fiction series has produced a lot of great posters over the years. As time as gone on the series and therefore its marketing materials, have become far more cinematic. This was especially the case for the 50th anniversary.
The poster for The Day of the Doctor has so many elements to keep fans excited. The combination of Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt as the three doctors is certainly thrilling, as are the easter eggs in the middle of the poster, such as Bad Wolf.
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Marvel’s first TV show in their cinematic universe kicked off to a rocky start. However, after the first season the show went from strength to strength. By the time the series rolled around to its third installment, fans understood what it really was.
This had become a comic book show through and through, with the poster from comic-con highlighting that. With characters such as Mockingbird introduced, this felt like the homecoming for the show, into the MCU for good. Plus, it’s just a fantastic design.
STAR TREK: DISCOVERY
We’ve spoken about the cinematic nature of some of these and this season 2 poster certainly encapsulates that. With the franchise it represents crossing into the movie world, any TV show needs be at least comparable to that.
The poster is clearly inspired by those you’d see in a movie theater. It takes many modern design elements such as the stacked characters and emphasis on action elements such as the beautifully created space craft. It promises a new adventure, looking to live up to its potential at last.
BLACK MIRROR
This dark and dystopic series has a long history of twisting the genre on its head. It takes multiple stories, six for this particular season and weaves them through its dark psychology of the use of technology and the broken nature of our future.
The logo of the show is encapsulated in many of its posters, with the broken glass representing how these big technological ideas completely shatter our society. The poster also teases future episodes, with snippets from each in the broken shards.
WESTWORLD
Following on from the original film, this series takes the idea of sentient artificial intelligence and runs with it. The show, based on a Western background, really is all about the chaos taking control, as this poster suggests.
This is such a simple design but a powerful one. It represents the man in black, with a black hat thrown to the floor, the bloody nature of the series as well as the creatures that actually populate this deadly landscape. It promises death, destruction, fear and thoughtfulness.
STRANGER THINGS
Season 3 of this groundbreaking show was highly anticipated after the previous two series completely knocked it out of the park. The third installment had to promise something even bigger, capitalizing on a different theme.
With the poster highlighting the deadly creatures these teenagers must face, this beautifully designed poster once again demonstrates the retro era this is set in, as well as the summer theme that the show runners have chosen. The new and returning characters are brilliantly displayed.
