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#1

So, we all love us some BSG. That much is obvious, 'cause if not, we wouldn’t be here.

I’m curious though to hear about some of your other all-time sci-fi (or other non-mainstream) TV shows. Part of my reasoning for this is that I’ve just discovered the joys of grabbing TV series’ from some online rental service (no free advertising for you! :wink: ), so I’m always eager to learn about past TV gems that might have slipped under my radar. Hopefully, we can make this thread into a sort of Master List of awesome television SF.

To start at all off, I’ll put down a few of my favs.

– Firefly
– Farscape
– Dark Angel (well, the first season…it was sci-fi-ish at times)
– Torchwood (it has its moments)
– Earth 2

#2

“Total Recall 2070” was one of the best shows that went nowhere. The pilot is out on DVD, but you’ll have to hit the torrents for the rest.

#3

Besides those already mentioned, I’m a pretty big Red Dwarf fan.

#4

I don’t get attracted to TV shows just for the genre, but if I had to limit it to Sci-Fi I’d have to go with

Futurama
Heroes (though, granted, not in the past, I’ve just recently discovered this gem and am loving every minute of it)
The Twilight Zone
(That one’s a bit of a freebie, and while I’m not a fan of the show in that I don’t know every episode, I am constantly amazed at how forward looking and intelligent that show was each time I catch a re-run somewhere.)

“Non-mainstream” but not sci-fi shows, I’m a big fan of:

Arrested Development
Rome
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Boomtown (a show that was focus-grouped to death in its second season but was way ahead of its time in terms of style and substance)

#5

Hi everyone, long time listener, first time poster.

Any one else here a Babylon 5 fan? Thats one of my favorite shows besides Battlestar and Star Trek. I’m surprised it hasn’t come up on the blog or podcast before, because I think its similar to Battlestar in many ways. Both are sci-fi shows that have long ongoing story arcs, and strong characters. The actual stories themselves are not very similar, but there are definitly common elements.

#6

I’ve never been a real Sci-Fi fan. I think BSG has opened my eyes a little. Huge fan of Firefly and Futurama, though!

#7

I think both Firefly and BSG represent sci-fi worlds that incorporate a realistic “economy” – as in people are driven by realistic needs and desires. That makes for real drama that strikes home. Believe it or not, I’ve always loved the fact that the tech took a back seat to people in BSG, and it’s one of the reasons I fell in love with the show.

And who can’t respect Firefly’s “fill the tanks for another flight” life? Of course, as Sean says, “I like the Firefly world. I wouldn’t want to live in it, but I like it.” Damn straight. And the same goes for BSG.

#8

Sadly, I think that even though this is arguably one of the best qualities of both shows, it’s also the reason there are so few shows that adopt it. Right now, both on television and in film, you have two categories of science fiction. They can be classified by the literary subgenres they mirror: Hard SF and Pulp SF. On the “Hard SF” end of the continuum, you’ve got the real gems like BSG, Firefly/Serenity, and Blade Runner (to an extent). On the “Pulp SF” end, you’ve got…well…everything else. For the most part, this is where you put your Star Treks, Stargates, and Star Wars’ (Han & Chewie independently may sit towards the center of the continuum, as they are the closest thing to Hard SF characters in the Star Wars universe – oddly enough, these are the “on the fringe” characters of the series that just don’t really fit in).
While most of the best literary SF has always been hard, pulp historically tends to sell better. I honestly think that’s why we don’t have very many of these great shows on TV. When one of them actually makes it to pilot, they tend to be quickly canceled because they don’t preform as well as their counterparts in terms of ratings.

That’s why I’m excited for the MMO. Wouldn’t want to live in the Firefly universe, but I’d sure like to visit it!

#9

I’m such a dork that I had to look up MMO, LOL! I clearly need an online education

#10

Where do my allegiances lie?

#11

Stargate
Firefly
DrWho
futurama
Stargate
Heroes
Starwars
Farscape
Mostly Stargate

#12

Maybe it is “pulp” scifi, but Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a fantastic and underrated series. And in many ways, it operates like a serial, with long story lines and epic battles that go on for seasons.

My other favorites: Firefly (brilliant and original - you must check it out), Futurama, and Red Dwarf (a truly original and hilarious BBC comedy from the 90s).

Fenatic: I used to watch Babylon 5 occasionally, but never got into it for two main reasons. 1. It came on at something like 1 a.m. on Saturdays when I was in high school. I wasn’t out at parties; rather, after watching Voyager and then Deep Space Nine I’d usually fall asleep in the beginning of Babylon 5, lol. And, 2. I couldn’t get over the weird hair.

Amber - I had to look it up, too. I’m a geek among geeks, I guess. :wink:

Oops - forgot to add Painkiller Jane, which I’ve barely seen but it looks cool.

#13

Never seen Futurama beyond caching a few minutes here and there, but I definitely have it on my “I Suck for Having Not Watched This Yet” list.

Painkiller Jane is okay, but I just can’t get past Kristanna Loken’s lack of acting ability in the few things I’ve seen her in.

#14

Sadly, I’m just getting started into watching sci-fi TV.
I love Firefly, and BSG. Bionic Woman doesn’t look half bad. I never really watched futurama except for a few episodes. I’ll be sure to check it out. I don’t know if you can call Dead Like Me sci-fi (it has grim reapers) but I like that too.

I love sci-fi movies, the most recent I’ve seen is Sunshine, which is awesome, Of course I love Star Wars, 2001: A Space Oydessy, The Matrix, Minority Report, Children of Men (I highly reccomend you see it), Alien and Predator movies, The Cronicles of Riddick, The Island, and V for Vendetta.

#15

Moot,

I am also a fan of Dead Like Me. Wonderfully written, great characters…however I will never forgive them for how they killed George (this isn’t a spoiler as, well, this happens in the first 10 minutes of the first episode…and the title of the show is Dead Like Me…)

Killing George with a toilet. C’mon!

#16

Is Rome very good. I was thinking of buying the First Season but its so expensive would wanna know if its worth it. One thing is I love pieces from the period, I have always enjoyed roman history. But that price tag … ehhh.

#17

Well, funny you ask since I remember telling one of my friends a few years ago that the only sci-fi I liked was Star Wars, but at the time I had only been exposed to the “crappy CGI syndicated 90’s sci-fi cheese” genre. I HATE that stuff. Most people think that it’s all that’s out there. It’s gar-bage.

I love Star Wars, of course, and I can’t wait until the TV shows start. Firefly is wonderful, too. Lately I’ve been keeping up with the Trek remastered and Farscape (Netflix doesn’t carry season 1 anymore, so I’m having to watch it as it airs weekly). Though not a specific show or movie, I love any and pretty much every movie with zombies. Oh also, Jurassic Park, even though it’s only some what considered sci-fi. It’s dinosaurs eating people, what’s not to love?

#18

“Must go faster, MUST GO FASTER”

“She’s always got to touch, she can’t just look, gotta touch.”

#19

I love Lost, it’s kinda Sci-Fi.

And I dunno if this has been mentioned yet, I didn’t see it. It’s a crime if you all havn’t seen it. The original miniseries of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The books are brilliant, the miniseries is just as amazing. The movie, kinda sucked.

#20

Ooh – I’m a huge HH2G fan, in all forms. I think the original mini-series is my least favorite, but I still love it – and in fact own the DVD. And I got a kick out of the movie, even though it bends “canon” a bit – as much as you can use the word with a “trilogy” like that.

My favorite HH2G format, though, is the radio show. I used to own cassette recordings that I listened to all the time in the car, and I still own a copy of the scripts. It’s really the genesis of the series, and it shows.