The top 20 essential science fiction TV shows

 

The top 20 essential science fiction TV shows

Some good shows here, amazed that Cowboy Bebop is on there but wonder where Aeon Flux is? The much underrated Farscape is there to, who’d a thought a show first filmed in a metal shed in the outback would become such a big commodity? Also, there is a link to the Muppets – the ultimate SF creatures.

The rather poor SG1 is there, started out good but quickly descended into a rather bad soap. SG Universe seemed no better not even Robert Carlyle couldn’t save that but maybe a couple of thousand zombies could have.

The Tick is just pure lunacy but is it SF? BSG makes it up there but not the original. BSG was a good series, very dark and did respond to the Iraq war – just look at the subtext of Cylons vs Man.

DS9 is there, the most underrated of all the Star Trek franchises and probably the best written, doesn’t have the touchy feely crap that the New Generation did or oops there goes my shirt again of the original. Though I do love the original series and laughed at the Galaxy Quest send up of anyone who wore the red shirt. DS9 for me was darker and as soon as acts of terrorism became part of the plot you knew we were going somewhere dark.

Babylon 5 is there, great, great series and even Neil Gaiman wrote it!  Another dark SF series that played out a long storyline. Unlike Lost, they answered questions and showed that Bruce Boxleitner could act. Anyone remember Scarecrow and Mrs King?

The X Files is another dud, I watched them all, it soon became writers in search of a plot (sound familiar? See Lost). The truth is still out there and no one gives a stuff.

Doctor Who is quickly becoming a patronising kids programme. Even though I still watch it – says more about me.

What is stunning is there is no Red Dwarf – still SF even if it is a comedy. There is no Quantum Leap and there are a myriad of other shows I can think of that didn’t make the list. The Last Train (ITV’s failed attempt at SF now being repeated to some extent in the plot of The Deep on BBC 1 – another good show), UFO (Gerry Anderson’s only real people programme), Captain Scarlett, The Invaders, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, the original BSG.

No list is definitive but I do worry that a few of these on the list are just derivatives of one another.