What To Watch When 'Childhood's End,' Well, Ends

Syfy's newest foray into the miniseries realm is Childhood's End, an adaptation of the novel by prolific science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke — you may have heard of a little movie of his called 2001: A Space Odyssey. The story of Childhood's End follows a seemingly peaceful alien invasion by the Overlords (already sounding like the opposite of peaceful with that aggressive name, guys) that leads to an era of utopia (maybe it's not so bad), but at the cost of human individuality (yikes). With the finale airing Wednesday night, some fans may be wondering if Childhood's End will return for more episodes, or a second season of sorts. However, since it was created as a three-night, close-ended miniseries, it seems likely that Childhood's End will only be six episodes.

In fact, while speaking to Blastr, series writer Matthew Graham said Childhood's End was originally planned as a two-night event, which means it would have been four hours rather than six. But for fans of the original Clarke novel, Graham said the miniseries format "was a blessing," since it meant they were able to fully explore not only the storyline, but the scope and "epic" scale of the book. So anyone hoping to see more than six hours of Childhood's End may be at a loss, as that doesn't appear to be in the cards, but you can take comfort in the fact that the miniseries producers made the best adaptation possible, and added two more hours than they originally envisioned.

Don't worry, if you still want more sci-fi television after finishing Childhood's End, I've got you covered with five series to check out if you enjoyed this alien invasion miniseries.

The X-Files

The pinnacle of sci-fi alien television is, of course, The X-Files. For nine seasons, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigated strange happenings — usually alien-related. Now, after more than a decade off the air, Mulder and Scully are returning for a miniseries on FOX, so it's the perfect time to catch up. Hurry, the whole series is on Netflix!

V

This sci-fi series ran for two seasons and follows a similar storyline to Childhood's End: peaceful aliens (known as Visitors) seem to be friendly, but they're actually hiding a very dangerous agenda. ABC's critically acclaimed series is the perfect follow-up if you need more alien invasion sci-fi — and the first episode is available for free on Amazon (the rest of the series is available if you have Amazon Prime).

Falling Skies

After a deadly alien attack, the human survivors band together in order to fight for their home and the future of their race. Of course, the plot thickens when they discover their foes to be extremely intelligent and well-armed, but they have determination on their side. Perfect for viewers looking for more action in their sci-fi, all seasons of Falling Skies are available on Amazon Prime.

Ascension

This sci-fi miniseries has nothing to do with aliens, instead drawing inspiration from a real-life government project to tell the story of a self-sustaining spaceship and all the mysteries surrounding it. Ascension features the cool twists you'd expect from any science fiction story, plus the miniseries is available in its entirety on Netflix.

The 4400

In the vein of V and The X-Files, this series deals with the sudden return of 4,400 people who went missing over the course of 50 years — but they're all the same age they were when they disappeared. Drama results from all the survivors attempting to assimilate into everyday life, while the rest of Earth must deal with their reappearance. If that's piqued your interest, the series is available to watch on Netflix.

So, if you enjoyed Childhood's End and wish there was more good sci-fi on TV, don't worry! There's plenty to watch, even after you finish the six episodes of Childhood's End Syfy gave us.

Images: Ben King/Syfy; Giphy (3)