If you loved
The Orphans
The Light and Tragic Company · Podcast · 2025
What hooked you in The Orphans was the way the vast, unforgiving nature of space forces unlikely companions into deeply intimate survival bonds.
Books on the same thread
Seven of Infinities
Aliette de Bodard · Book · 2021
Explores: Sentient AI, Found Family, Master Thief.
Like The Orphans, this story explores the complex inner lives of artificial beings, mirroring your fascination with how sentient A.I.s navigate connection and identity within a sprawling, indifferent galaxy.
The Lady Astronaut of Mars
Mary Robinette Kowal · Book · 2014
Explores: Aging, Sacrifice, Space Travel.
You will find the same bittersweet resonance found in The Orphans here, as this narrative focuses on the personal sacrifice required to explore the stars while grappling with aging.
Nona the Ninth
Tamsyn Muir · Book
Explores: identity crisis, found family, apocalyptic stakes.
If you loved the identity crises and found family dynamics in The Orphans, you will appreciate how this story forces its protagonist to find humanity while facing apocalyptic stakes.
Steampunk Universe
Diana M. Pho, Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, Maurice Broaddus, Ken Liu, Malon Edwards, Suna Dasi, Emily B. Cataneo, Matthew Bright, Lyndsay E. Gilbert, Candida Spillard, Pip Ballantine, Victor Fernando R. Ocampo, Kate Coe, Jody Lynn Nye, Liam Hogan, Zach Chapman, Andrew Knighton, Lucy A. Snyder · Book · 2018
Explores: Social Commentary, Technological Advancement, Victorian Era.
This collection mirrors the way The Orphans uses speculative settings to examine the human condition, offering a similar depth of social commentary through the lens of inventive, technological worlds.
Films on the same thread
The Gorge
Scott Derrickson · Film · 2025
Explores: Forbidden Love, Opposites Attract, Survival.
This film captures the intense survivalist tension of The Orphans, focusing on how isolated individuals form profound romantic bonds while facing a hostile, mysterious environment from across a divide.
Predator: Badlands
Dan Trachtenberg · Film · 2025
Explores: Outcast Hero, Unlikely Alliance, Redemption Arc.
Just as The Orphans centers on strange alliances, this story highlights the unlikely partnership between an outcast and an android, emphasizing survival and redemption in a dangerous, alien landscape.
The Wild Robot
Film · 2024
Explores: Artificial Intelligence, Parenthood, Nature vs Technology.
This film echoes the core themes of The Orphans by placing a solitary, intelligent robot in a harsh survival scenario, forcing it to learn the complexities of care and connection.
The Electric State
Joe Russo · Film · 2025
Explores: Sibling Relationships, Artificial Intelligence, Loss and Grief.
Much like the castaways in The Orphans, this story follows characters on a desperate journey through a dystopian landscape, relying on the emotional support of a robot to endure loss.
Series on the same thread
His Dark Materials
Jack Thorne · Series · 2019
Explores: Orphan Protagonist, Moral Ambiguity, Interdimensional Travel.
The orphans at the center of this story mirror those in The Orphans, as they navigate moral ambiguity and grand, mysterious phenomena while searching for meaning in a complex universe.
The Orville
Seth MacFarlane · Series · 2017
Explores: Exploration, Morality, Humanity.
This series captures the spirit of exploration seen in The Orphans, focusing on how a diverse crew navigates the moral challenges of an expansive and often unpredictable interstellar future.
The Expanse
Mark Fergus · Series · 2015
Explores: Interplanetary Conflict, Corporate Conspiracy, Social Stratification.
You will recognize the grand, interconnected scale of The Orphans in this thriller, where individual lives are caught in the grip of massive conspiracies and the evolution of artificial intelligence.
The Pitt
R. Scott Gemmill · Series · 2025
Explores: Underfunded Healthcare, Emergency Medicine, Trauma.
This drama mirrors the high-stakes survival environment of The Orphans by showing how a dedicated team forms deep bonds while working under constant pressure in a harsh, underfunded reality.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Orphans an anthology series?
The Orphans is a cinematic sci-fi audio drama that explores a new vantage point in an ever-expanding galaxy each season. While each season introduces a fresh perspective, the stories remain part of an interconnected universe created by The Light and Tragic Company.
What themes does The Orphans explore?
The Orphans focuses on survival in a harsh universe. The narrative features castaways on hostile worlds, artificial intelligences experiencing unprecedented emotions, and strangers who share faces. These stories examine love and loss set within a far-flung future.
How should I approach the interconnected galaxy of The Orphans?
Because each season of The Orphans explores a new vantage point in an ever-expanding and inter-connected galaxy, listeners can expect a evolving narrative. The show is produced by The Light and Tragic Company and maintains a focus on cinematic sci-fi storytelling throughout every season.
Is The Orphans a story about artificial intelligence?
Yes, The Orphans features A.I.s with unprecedented emotions as a core element of its narrative. These characters exist alongside castaways on hostile worlds and other individuals in a far-flung future, contributing to the show's focus on survival and human connection in a harsh universe.