The fifty greatest sci-fi TV shows ever.
Two Whedonverse shows makes the list.
And some Whedon-adjacent shows as well.
June 07 2015
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SuperScuba | June 08, 05:16 CET
Brasilian Chaos Man | June 08, 05:46 CET
Nico-Angel | June 08, 06:11 CET
Notable omissions IMO: Time Tunnel, Black Mirror, Eureka.
tomg | June 08, 07:32 CET
Best opening credits ever.
Simon | June 08, 07:35 CET
Yeah... I tried Farscape when it started, but it could never quite catch my attention. Then I discovered Lexx (which I'm happy to see is on this list) and I haven't even thought about Farscape since.
brinderwalt | June 08, 08:41 CET
Stoney | June 08, 09:38 CET
Farscape has also the most beautiful love story I've ever seen in science fiction.
Nico-Angel | June 08, 10:02 CET
swanjun | June 08, 10:15 CET
Actually the thing that bothered me about it was how little actual science-fiction (that is, scientific reasoning applied to fictional things) there was in it. It's a matter of basic world-building, which is something you don't go in and change once you've established it. Admittedly, space-fantasy (which is how I would classify Farscape) has never been a particularly fond genre of mine.
The cool thing about Lexx (which I would also classify as space-fantasy) other than the general lack of political correctness is that they were taking cool, meaty ideas from other sources (such as Brigadoon, Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal, or - one of my personal favorites - the teenage slasher horror movie genre) and deconstructing them (often with bizarrely comical twists) in a fresh context.
Not to mention there's Tim Curry as... Poet Man.
[ edited by brinderwalt on 2015-06-08 20:29 ]
brinderwalt | June 08, 11:28 CET
redeem147 | June 08, 15:42 CET
Brasilian Chaos Man | June 08, 15:55 CET
Rachelkachel | June 08, 18:28 CET
I loved all the 3-part stories, big arcs, the animatronics, the strangeness of it all and of course the really very human characters, that screamed at each other, were not diplomatic, had issues to work through... and if a show can pull off looking into the mind of the characters as a Loony Toons animated episode and all these other experiments they did ... If they can pull that stuff off, it must be truly amazing.
Season 1 was bumpy and tried too much to be a planet-of-the-week-show. I like season 3 the best, too.
I don't wanna spoil anything. Staying vague here: What they did to John in season 3 was such a smart idea for cutting costs and interesting character combinations.
roadi | June 08, 22:56 CET
'LEXX' was pretty cool back in the day. I don't remember much about it, but it had funk and showcased that cute girl from 'Pumuckl TV'.
'Buch Rogers'...wow. Haven't seen that one in almost twenty-five years. Little-me was a fan, though.
The Doctor wins. Of course The Doctor wins. Such a rich show. Similar to the Whedonverse (visual, great characters, memorable scenes, STRONG "standalone" episodes - in my book 'Silence in the Library'/'Forest of the Dead' is on par with classics like 'A Hole in the World' or 'Objects in Space') but with even better music. And still going strong after ten years and eight seasons in modern times, which is remarkable.
Has anyone here seen 'Jericho'? How high do you rate it?
Sahjhan | June 08, 23:00 CET
But I have to say, in all seriousness: seasons 2 through 4 of Babylon 5 are some of the best TV writing I've ever seen, sci-fi or otherwise. And that's not nostalgia talking here, I didn't have cable when the series originally aired. I watched it in the last two years. And I was FLOORED. The depth of world-building, the interpersonal interactions, the intrigue, the serial nature of the plot, the sense of paranoia and defiance, the long-term realistic development of all the characters, the growth, the dark themes they were willing to explore, the heartbreak . . . it was all just outstanding! Sure, the CGI effects don't stand up today, and a lot of the makeup and costuming was classic rubber forehead alien fare, but honestly, you barely notice when you're just so invested in the tragic love-hate relationship between Londo Mollari and G'Kar, two of the deepest, most complex, and most "real" sci-fi characters ever written.
And of particular note, on a point that just about every other show on this list fumbles (either because of early cancellation or loss of direction over time, or odd artistic vision, or whatever), I can honestly say I've never seen a more perfect finale to a series than the last episode of B5.
Babylon 5 deserves to be WAY higher on this list!
Batman1016 | June 08, 23:46 CET
barboo | June 09, 14:13 CET
There are two shows are truly epic in my book. One is Buffy, the other is Babylon 5. JMS and co should be proud of what they achieved. Complex plot arcs, fantastic character development and gorgeous looking space ships.
Simon | June 09, 14:24 CET
mutt999 | June 10, 05:51 CET