Post about a Science Fiction or other genre show you like and why you like it!

[Joelist]

The idea here is simple, what shows do you like? Why do you like them?

One rule in this thread - no critical or negative commentary about what someone says they like. The purpose here is for us to get a better understanding of what sorts of Science Fiction we all like.

 

[Joelist]

And as I started it I will lead off with what to me is an oldie but goodie - Space 1999 (especially Season One).

So why did it appeal to me? I think it breaks down as follows:

a) The tone, pacing and storylines had a rather "Arthur C Clarke" feel especially in the first season. Some of the stories definitely went a bit into "high concept" Science Fiction (like Black Sun) and even those which did not had a slightly detached tone which contributed to the atmosphere.

b) Phenomenal model work on the moonbase and ships. Even today it looks better than a lot of the CGI stuff we get now. The designs are also excellent in that they are functional - they look like actual space vehicles and not like fantasy "starships".

c) Good acting. This show got good performances out of its leads (Barbara Bain and Martin Landau) and had a strong supporting cast as well.

To me it's always a good watch.

 

[Overmind One]

Right now, I am going to say that The Expanse is the best science fiction story ever to be made for TV as a series. It is far and away and above everything that has been on the air before it. And yes, that includes Star Trek. This is my opinion, of course. The reasons are many:

• The canon was created before any episode was created. This means that the production of each episode already has it's framework written into the story. Only the Babylon 5 has done it this way, and that is my third favorite.
• The actors are well chosen, diverse, and talented. There is chemistry between all of them.
• The backstories of each character was done in the first 5 episodes. This allowed us to perceive events from the perspective of the type of characters in the scenes.
• The production itself is beautiful. The latest CGI techniques, high quality visuals which are only there to flesh out the written story and none used as a wow factor or for 'splosions and lens flare, even though we get both 'splosions and lens flare in some of the episodes.
• The story is compelling. It follows the novels which serve as a framework of this series, and the author(s) are still writing them. This means that we get as much of it as they can make.

So for me, The Expanse tops the list. Babylon 5 is my third favorite ONLY because it was lacking in visual effects and production values when compared to Star Trek Deep Space Nine and TNG. I have more science fiction shows I like, since scifi is about 90% of what I watch, even back to the very old stories.

 

[PussyGalore]

Favorite scifi show? Hands down it has to be Stargate Universe. The writing, the acting, the science bolstering the story line, all was top notch!

Okay, all jokes aside, I'd have to say that I have a soft spot for stuff like "olde" BSG even though it was not exactly science fiction (Same with Star Wars). Like most scifi it has been diluted with supernatural mysticism and fantasy. I wouldn't say it's my absolute favorite, but I am nostalgic for it. I do agree that B5 and Space 1999 were really great. (The Arthur C. Clarke comparison to Space 1999 is quite apt!) The original Star Trek was amazingly good too when you consider that it was produced in the 60's. Sure there was some schlock to it but overall the writing and production was very good. Had it just been a simple space jockey type of show it wouldn't have endured for as long as it has. And for the most part it had science at its core. It didn't rely on magic to explain things.

But in closing I think we can all agree that Lost in Space was the ultimate in science fiction viewing that we have ever seen, or will ever see, in our lifetimes.

 

[Lord Ba'al]

@Overmind One you didn't mention which show is your number 2. (npi)

I like all Star Trek series so far, Stargate SG-1 and SG-A, I'll even take SG-U over most of the crap that's on TV, I like the new BSG, haven't seen the old one, I like The Expanse as well, I'm sure there's something else that I'm not recalling at this moment. I think it's fair to say that I'll take anything sci-fi over other kinds of TV shows. But there's a lot of sci-fi I haven't seen and there might be shows I wouldn't like.

 

[PussyGalore]

A big issue with this subject is that a lot of the stuff we collectively like isn't wholly science fiction, which isn't our fault of course. The other issue is that a lot of scifi shows have been quickly cancelled over the decades. For many shows we only get one season and that's it, which sucks.

Oddly enough I've been considering creating a Kolchak: The Night Stalker thread because I've been rewatching it on ME Tv and have been reminded what a good show it was. While it was a supernatural show and not scifi, it too suffered the fate of only having one season. (And to make matters worse I just found out that they were slated to film four more episodes in that season but the producers decided to just pull the plug early, which is a total shame.)

Now while the show was cheaply done (you could practically see the zippers on the monster costumes) it was well written in terms of characterization. The dynamics of the news room that Carl Kolchak worked in were very engaging. His boss was cantankerous and his coworkers were oddballs but the patois between them was always interesting. And their office interactions often included a healthy dose of humor. (There was one scene where Kolchak and his boss Vincenzo stare at Ron Updyke until the supercilious man leaves the office under their withering glares. It's hard to describe but as scenes go it was a good chuckle.)

So I guess that's the curse of liking genre TV shows; they often get truncated prematurely and we're left wanting.

 

[Joelist]

Kolchak (the original not the preposterous remake) was a very good show. In many ways ahead of its time.

 

[Joelist]

As to old BSG, I actually did a thread on it in here somewhere, and noted that I liked it a good deal as it had good acting, felt epic and had true heroes and villains.

Another fantasy show I liked was The Dresden Files. Not only was acting good but the writing was crisp, witty and the universe had properly defined rules that were actually obeyed. When SyFy canned it after one season they got flamed by fans as they kept some REAL trash on the air at the same time that had lower ratings than Dresden.

 

[PussyGalore]

Kolchak (the original not the preposterous remake) was a very good show. In many ways ahead of its time.

The creativity of the original show was amazing compared to what we get with genre shows today. That horrible remake in 2005 showed us that show running had drastically changed since 1974. Gone was originality, replaced by carbon copy templates that every show used by that point. That's why I'm so impressed by the original now because it really stands out as a very creative work. How sad that we can't expect much in the way of creativity on tv today.

 

[PussyGalore]

As to old BSG, I actually did a thread on it in here somewhere, and noted that I liked it a good deal as it had good acting, felt epic and had true heroes and villains.

Another fantasy show I liked was The Dresden Files. Not only was acting good but the writing was crisp, witty and the universe had properly defined rules that were actually obeyed. When SyFy canned it after one season they got flamed by fans as they kept some REAL trash on the air at the same time that had lower ratings than Dresden.

I assume a lot of what made The Dresden Files good was the source material, i.e. the books. I haven't read the books yet so I don't know how closely the show honed to them. Hopefully they remained accurate. Nothing worse than a book being cannibalized and perverted by show runners.

 

[Joelist]

The books got a lot more fantasy-ish while the show was a bit more grounded. I liked the approach the show took better because it resulted in a magic universe with definite rules and the show obeyed those rules - which made character actions and motivations much more logical.

 

[Overmind One]

@Overmind One you didn't mention which show is your number 2. (npi)

I like all Star Trek series so far, Stargate SG-1 and SG-A, I'll even take SG-U over most of the crap that's on TV, I like the new BSG, haven't seen the old one, I like The Expanse as well, I'm sure there's something else that I'm not recalling at this moment. I think it's fair to say that I'll take anything sci-fi over other kinds of TV shows. But there's a lot of sci-fi I haven't seen and there might be shows I wouldn't like.

I think Joelist wants the thread to talk about shows we like, so of course Star Trek will be one of them (my number 2), and I will write a nice long comment for that one. Before The Expanse, it was my number one for decades. And "Star Trek" includes everything Star Trek except Enterprise, the Abrams movies, and The Animated Series for me. My short list:

1. The Expanse
2. All things Star Trek except Enterprise, the Abrams reboot movies and The Animated Series
3. Babylon 5
4. Stargate Atlantis
5. Stargate SG-1
6. Outer Limits (prefer the older ones)
7. Twilight Zone (old and new)
8. Night Gallery
9. The Thunderbirds (yes, the puppet one)
10. Bewitched (laugh if you want to!) But really just the ones with Dick York.

There are many more! But Kolchak, I had forgotten about! Talking about him reminded me of:

1. Land of the Giants
2. Planet of the Apes (the Series)
3. UFO
4. Space 1999
5. Original BSG
6. Starlost
7. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
8. Time Tunnel
9. Lost In Space
10. The Invaders
11. My Favorite Martian

 

[Joelist]

I agree I generally like Star Trek - except for DS9. Also on the like list:

UFO
Space Precinct
Old BSG
Classic Doctor Who
Dresden Files
Farscape
The Expanse
All the SG shows except SGU
La Femme Nikita (Peta Wilson version)
Andromeda
Remington Steele
Z Nation
Space Battleship Yamato

It goes on a bit

 

[Jim of WVa]

I would help fund a television version of John Scalzi's Old Man's War.

Existing genre television programs? The Expanse, the final season of Enterprise, Babylon 5, DS9

 

[Joelist]

I should add Eureka, Warehouse 13 and Sanctuary to the list.

Warehouse 13 definitely faded hear the end but the dynamics between Pete, Myka, Claudia and Artie were fun to watch and kept it afloat even when the writing was subpar.

Sanctuary was an interesting project as it was not made by a studio or funded in the usual manner - Amanda Tapping and Damien Kindler literally solicited investors to fund each season and as such it had to take every possible cost cutting measure. Fortunately it made up in writing (especially the first two seasons) and acting (especially Tapping, Chris Heyerdahl and Jonathon Young) for its inexpensive production values. It also was the closest thing to StarGate out there for a while as Tapping and Kindler brought some of that tone and general feel over from StarGate.

Eureka was just a fun science fiction show its whole run. It even had a decent ending. Were some of the experiments preposterous? Yep. But the chemistry of the cast and the overall spirit of the show compensated for that well.

 

[Lord Ba'al]

Yes, I totally forgot Eureka, Warehouse 13 and Sanctuary. I like those too. Though especially Sanctuary is more fantasy than sci-fi. Except the hollow earth city and the Tesla character I guess.

 

[PussyGalore]

Warehouse 13 wasn't scifi. You could possibly stretch the definition to label it "Steampunk scifi", but even that is a bit of a stretch.

 

[Joelist]

Yep. Based on your earlier post I changed the thread topic to make it broader.

 

[PussyGalore]

Yep. Based on your earlier post I changed the thread topic to make it broader.

Wasn't trying to bust on the theme of the thread. Unfortunately for us it just happens that most of the "scifi" we enjoy isn't pure scifi by our definition of the term. We always seem to get stuck with a hybrid of science and fantasy (magic). Not our fault, but as the kids say, it is wut it is.

 

[PussyGalore]

Forgot to mention:

The Six Million Dollar Man/Bionic Woman. The underlying premise was definitely science fiction for both of these shows. Of course they were spy/adventure type of stories but it was the futuristic technology that gave these characters their superpowers (strength, speed, hearing and sight) and made it so they could complete each of their missions.