Reel Review Mom

There are TV shows you like, and then there are TV shows you fall into a wormhole with. For me, that show was Raised by Wolves, the Ridley Scott–backed sci-fi series that premiered on HBO Max (back when that name meant something other than “corporate reshuffling and headaches”). If you’ve never heard of it, let me tell you—this is one of the strangest, most original, and genuinely fascinating pieces of sci-fi television to come out in years. And sadly, it’s also one of the most short-lived.

The premise alone is bananas—in the best way possible. Androids called Mother and Father are tasked with raising human children on a distant planet after Earth basically eats itself alive. Cue the wildest parenting challenges imaginable, involving hostile environments, religious zealots in space armor, creepy creatures, and oh yeah, one android mom with the kind of godlike power that makes Superman look like a mall cop. The show plays like a fever dream where sci-fi meets mythology, and while it can be a little odd and even confusing at first, trust me—once you let it grab hold of you, it doesn’t let go.

Now, Raised by Wolves wasn’t just original, it was bold. It didn’t spoon-feed viewers easy answers, and it never apologized for being delightfully weird. Some people bailed early because they weren’t sure what was happening—but that was part of the charm! For me, every episode was like unwrapping a puzzle box with alien slime on it: unsettling, mesmerizing, and weirdly beautiful.

And then… it was gone ☹️. Canceled after only two seasons. W.T.F…… Just as the show was really starting to flex its wings (and believe me, this show had wings in more ways than one), Warner Bros. merged, did their whole “let’s slash content and bury shows people actually like” routine, and poof. Raised by Wolves was abandoned like one of those poor colonists left on Kepler-22b. It deserved more. It deserved better. But that’s the kind of heartbreak sci-fi fans know all too well.

The good news? It’s not lost forever….ehhhh…. Thanks to the great streaming shuffle, Raised by Wolves now lives on Roku—and yes, it’s absolutely worth tracking down. I know, I know. . . You probably didn’t get a Roku player so you could watch high-concept sci-fi about androids with complicated emotions and bird-baby hybrids. But trust me when I say: it’s worth the extra app click.

What Raised by Wolves did so well was remind us that sci-fi doesn’t have to follow the same formula we’ve seen a thousand times. It can be haunting, uncomfortable, breathtaking, and even a little silly, all in the span of one episode. It dared to be something completely different, and in doing so, it gave us one of the best (and weirdest) sci-fi stories in recent memory.

So yes, I loved this show. I still love this show… And while it may never get the third season it deserved, Raised by Wolves remains a shining, bizarre, unforgettable piece of television. If you’re into sci-fi that challenges you, creeps you out, and makes you say “what the heck did I just watch?” before immediately pressing play on the next episode—do yourself a favor. Go find it on Roku.

Because Raised by Wolves isn’t just a show—it’s an experience. And one that shouldn’t be left behind in the streaming wars. ☹️

Let me know what you think…. Have you watched this show? If so, let me know your thoughts; if not, check it out on Roku streaming!