38 Shows Like Doctor Who (2005) to Watch When You're Done
Updated August 2026
View Doctor Who details →If you loved Doctor Who (2005), here are 38 TV series that share its content DNA. iRankMovies measures real similarity using cosine similarity across eight weighted dimensions — genre (50%), tone (12%), pace (10%), structure (8%), era (7%), theme (6%), audience (4%) and narrative perspective (3%) — not just the rating. The closest matches according to our analysis are Quantum Leap, The 4400, Continuum. Every title is ranked by how closely it matches and backed by the iRank Score, a composite of IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and TMDb across 12,000+ analysed titles.
The Best Shows Similar to Doctor Who
Selected for their real similarity in content, these are the shows that share the most with Doctor Who in terms of theme, narrative tone, and cinematic style. Every recommendation goes beyond genre — we evaluate the type of conflict, pacing, dramatic context, and the experience they create for viewers.
Quantum Leap
1989 · Donald P. Bellisario
Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished... He woke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror imag
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
The 4400
2004 · Scott Peters
4400 centers on the return of 4400 people who, previously presumed dead or reported missing, reappear on Earth. Though they have not aged physically, some of them seem to have deeper alterations rangi
In common: Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Continuum
2012
The series centers on the conflict between a group of rebels from the year 2077 who time-travel to Vancouver, BC, in 2012, and a police officer who accidentally accompanies them. In spite of being man
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
12 Monkeys
2015 · Richard Suckle
The provocative story of Cole, a time traveler from a decimated future in a high-stakes race against the clock. Utilizing a dangerous and untested method of time travel, he journeys from 2043 to the p
In common: Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Travelers
2016 · John G. Lenic
Hundreds of years from now, the last surviving humans discover the means of sending consciousness back through time, directly into people in the 21st century. These "travelers" assume the lives of see
In common: Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Timeless
2016 · Arika Lisanne Mittman
A mysterious criminal steals a secret state-of-the-art time machine, intent on destroying America as we know it by changing the past. Our only hope is an unexpected team: a scientist, a soldier and a
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
The King: Eternal Monarch
2020 · Jinnie Choi
Korean emperor Lee Gon tries to close the doors to a parallel world which was opened by demons; a detective tries to protect the people and the one she loves.
In common: Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Outlander
2014 · Luke Schelhaas
The story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When s
In common: Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
La Brea
2021 · Christopher Hollier
An epic adventure begins when a massive sinkhole opens in the middle of Los Angeles, pulling hundreds of people and buildings into its depths. Those who fell in find themselves in a mysterious and dan
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Stargate Atlantis
2004 · Brad Wright
With the Ancients' city of Atlantis discovered in the Pegasus Galaxy by Stargate Command, Dr. Elizabeth Weir and Major Sheppard lead a scientific expedition to the ancient abandoned city. Once there,
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Falling Skies
2011 · David Eick
Falling Skies opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the six months since the initial invasion, the few survivors have banded to
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
V
2009 · Jace Hall
A re-imagining of the 1980s miniseries about the world's first encounter with an alien race in which the aliens call themselves The Visitors, and have a seemingly friendly agenda that may or may not b
In common: Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Defiance
2013
In the near future, planet Earth is permanently altered following the sudden—and tumultuous—arrival of seven unique alien races. In the boom-town of Defiance, the newly-formed civilization of humans a
In common: Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Stargate Universe
2009 · Brad Wright
The adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient spaceship Destiny many billions of light years distant from the Milky Way Galaxy. They evacuated there and are
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
The Twilight Zone
1959 · Rod Serling
An anthology series containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and/or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist.
In common: Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Ben 10: Omniverse
2012 · Vincent Aniceto
A year after the events that took place during the "Final Battle" and equipped with an all-new completed Omnitrix, 16-year-old Ben Tennyson has to face new enemies.
In common: Action & Adventure
Babylon 5
1994
Babylon 5 is a five-mile long space station located in neutral space. Built by the Earth Alliance in the 2250s, its goal is to maintain peace among the various alien races by providing a sanctuary whe
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Manifest
2018 · Robert Zemeckis
After landing from a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers of Montego Air Flight 828 discover five years have passed in what seemed like a few hours. As their new realities become clea
In common: Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Marry My Husband
2024
Kang Ji-won, a terminally ill cancer patient, is killed by her husband and best friend after she witnesses them having an affair. She wakes up 10 years before the incident and decides to seek revenge
In common: Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Bewitched
1964
Samantha Stephens is a seemingly normal suburban housewife who also happens to be a genuine witch, with all the requisite magical powers. Her husband Darrin insists that Samantha keep her witchcraft u
In common: Drama
Scarlet Heart: Ryeo
2016
A story of a 25-year-old Go Hajin who is transported back in time to the Goryeo Dynasty. She then wakes up in the body of Lady Hae Soo and finds herself amongst the ruling princes of the Wang Family.
In common: Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Star Trek: Voyager
1995 · Rick Berman
Pulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is 75 years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels to find a way home.
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
1993
At Deep Space Nine, a space station located next to a wormhole in the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, Commander Sisko and crew welcome alien visitors, root out evildoers and solve all types
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
DC's Legends of Tomorrow
2016 · Ray Utarnachitt
When heroes alone are not enough ... the world needs legends. Having seen the future, one he will desperately try to prevent from happening, time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter is tasked with assembling a
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Loki
2021 · Aaron Moorhead
After stealing the Tesseract during the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” an alternate version of Loki is brought to the mysterious Time Variance Authority, a bureaucratic organization that exists outsid
In common: Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Farscape
1999
A freak accident during an experimental space mission catapults Astronaut John Crichton across a thousand galaxies to an alien battlefield.
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
The Umbrella Academy
2019 · Jeremy Webb
Reunited by their father's death, estranged siblings with extraordinary powers uncover shocking family secrets — and a looming threat to humanity.
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
2022 · Akiva Goldsman
Follow Captain Christopher Pike, Science Officer Spock and Number One in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy.
In common: Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
ALF
1986 · Tom Patchett
A furry alien wiseguy comes to live with a terran family after crashing into their garage.
In common: Drama
My Love from the Star
2013 · Choi Moon-su
An alien who came to Earth 400 years ago is almost able to return to his own planet, but when he meets a famous actress, he doesn't want to go home.
In common: Drama
Smallville
2001 · Tom Welling
The origins of the world’s greatest hero–from Krypton refugee Kal-el’s arrival on Earth through his tumultuous teen years to Clark Kent’s final steps toward embracing his destiny as the Man of Steel.
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Supergirl
2015 · Rob Wright
Twenty-four-year-old Kara Zor-El, who was taken in by the Danvers family when she was 13 after being sent away from Krypton, must learn to embrace her powers after previously hiding them. The Danvers
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Superman & Lois
2021 · Gregory Smith
After years of facing megalomaniacal supervillains, monsters wreaking havoc on Metropolis, and alien invaders intent on wiping out the human race, The Man of Steel aka Clark Kent and Lois Lane come fa
In common: Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Rick and Morty
2013 · Rob Schrab
Follows a sociopathic genius scientist who drags his inherently timid grandson on adventures across the universe.
In common: Action & Adventure
Halo
2022 · David Wiener
Depicting an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant, the series weaves deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision
In common: Action & Adventure · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Resident Alien
2021 · Chris Sheridan
Crash-landed alien Harry takes on the identity of a small-town Colorado doctor. Arriving with a secret mission, he starts off living a simple life…but things get a bit rocky when he’s roped into solvi
In common: Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Dark
2017 · Quirin Berg
A missing child sets four families on a frantic hunt for answers as they unearth a mind-bending mystery that spans three generations.
In common: Drama
Star Trek: Discovery
2017 · Michelle Paradise
Follow the voyages of Starfleet on their missions to discover new worlds and new life forms, and one Starfleet officer who must learn that to truly understand all things alien, you must first understa
In common: Action & Adventure · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Popular movies
The Godfather
1972 · Francis Ford Coppola
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his y
12 Angry Men
1957 · Sidney Lumet
The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and sh
Schindler's List
1993 · Steven Spielberg
The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
Seven Samurai
1954 · Akira Kurosawa
A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
2011 · Quentin Tarantino
A former assassin, known simply as The Bride, wakes from a coma four years after her jealous ex-lover Bill attempts to murder her on her wedding day. Fueled by an insatiable desire for revenge, she vo
Rear Window
1954 · Alfred Hitchcock
A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.