Every Stargate TV Series Ranked From Misfires to Masterpieces
Stargate blasted open a sci-fi universe in 1994, when Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin’s $55 million film raked in nearly $200 million and introduced a stone ring that tears wormholes across the stars—an audacious premise that begged for a bigger canvas.
Stargate is gearing up for a comeback, so consider this your quick catch-up and a no-nonsense ranking of every TV entry so far, from the ones you can safely skip to the stuff that still absolutely sings.
How we got here
The franchise kicked off with Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin's 1994 movie, a surprise hit that pulled in nearly $200 million against a $55 million budget. It introduced the big idea - an ancient ring that opens wormholes to other worlds - but the film never spawned a proper sequel. MGM scooped up the rights and, in 1997, handed the keys to Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner. Their TV follow-up not only took off, it eventually outlasted The X-Files to become the longest-running North American sci-fi series at the time. From there, Stargate basically did not leave the air for about 15 years: three live-action shows, one animated experiment, a late web series - more than 350 episodes total.
After Stargate Universe wrapped in 2011, things went quiet. Now Amazon MGM Studios has officially set a new series in motion, greenlit in 2025 with franchise alum Martin Gero running point as showrunner and writer. The original film duo, Emmerich and Devlin, are on board as executive producers. Stargate co-creator Brad Wright and longtime producer Joe Mallozzi are consulting producers. The writers room assembled in January 2026, and cameras are expected to roll in late 2026 in London.
Every Stargate series, ranked from worst to best
- Stargate Infinity (2002-2003)
The oddball outlier. This animated, French-American co-pro for Fox's Saturday morning block ran 26 episodes and had zero involvement from the live-action braintrust. Eric Lewald and Michael Maliani created a spin-off about Major Gus Bonner (voiced by Dale Wilson) and a squad of fresh recruits hopping from planet to planet after being framed for a crime. It barely resembles the franchise's military sci-fi vibe. Brad Wright - who co-created SG-1 - flat-out said it should not be counted as canon. Also not helping: the budget was clearly threadbare, and the animation looked rough even by early-2000s standards.
- Stargate Origins (2018)
Made to launch MGM's short-lived Stargate Command streaming portal, this prequel web series follows a young Catherine Langford (Ellie Gall) in 1938 as she tries to rescue her archaeologist father from Nazis who want to weaponize the Giza gate. The idea had juice, but the format undercut it: around ten minutes per episode leaves little room for character work or story depth, and none of the writers from the three live-action shows were involved. The platform shut down in 2019, which briefly turned the episodes into a scavenger hunt. Most folks have since caught it as the stitched-together feature cut, 'Stargate Origins: Catherine,' on digital.
- Stargate Universe (2009-2011)
The tonal pivot. Created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, SGU strands a mix of civilians and military on the Destiny, an Ancient ship auto-piloting toward the far reaches of the universe. Gone is the planet-of-the-week rhythm; in its place, a serialized, character-forward drama with a darker look and feel that clearly took a few cues from Battlestar Galactica. That shift split the fanbase - some missed the breezier adventure energy - but across two seasons the show carved out its own identity and delivered multiple gut-punch episodes anchored by strong performances.
- Stargate Atlantis (2004-2009)
SG-1's first spin-off jumps through the gate to the Pegasus galaxy, where an international expedition discovers the city of Atlantis and immediately ticks off the Wraith, a parasitic species that feeds on human life force. Also from Wright and Cooper, Atlantis ran five seasons and locked in a new ensemble - Joe Flanigan, David Hewlett, Torri Higginson, and more - whose chemistry rivaled the SG-1 crew. Moving the action to a whole other galaxy gave the show room to build fresh mythology without leaning constantly on its parent series. The Wraith, with their striking design and culture, stood apart from any prior Stargate villain and gave the series a pulse all its own.
- Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007)
The foundation and still the benchmark. Running 214 episodes across Showtime and the Sci Fi Channel, SG-1 picks up where the 1994 film left off and forms one of genre TV's most dependable teams: Colonel Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson), Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks), Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), and the Jaffa warrior Teal'c (Christopher Judge). The show balanced accessible, self-contained adventures with sprawling arcs featuring the Goa'uld, the Replicators, and later the Ori. As the seasons rolled, production values climbed, and the writers were never afraid to zag - a huge part of why it stayed nimble and bingeable for a decade.
What are you revisiting before the new series gets rolling? If you have a hot SGU defense or an Atlantis deep-cut episode I should shout out, I want to hear it.