Anyone know of some good Sci-Fi TV?

[bobtheskull]

I'm looking for something I've not seen yet, and I've watched a lot! Thought I'd ask you guys to see you've got any good suggestions.

From the top of my head, I've seen all of Trek, I've watched everything Star Wars (including the god awful Battle for Endor and the weird 80's toon Droids), though I've not watched Clone Wars. Watched Firefly and loved it, watched Farscape and hated it. SG-1 up to season 8, then skipped to the TV movies (cos I disliked the new characters). SG Atlantis. Got bored with SG Universe half way through season 1. Watched all of the new BSG and loved it. Watched half the new V and hated it. I'm currently halfway through season 2 of Andromeda and am still unsure if I like it or not, though I'm sticking with it anyway. There are others I've not recalled, but know I've seen at least some of.

I haven't watched much Babylon 5, or any of Sanctuary, anyone watched them? Are there any other notable entries I should consider? I've got a lot of time on my hands over the next few months. In Scotland, we don't get Summer!

 

[Eejit]

Babylon 5 for sure. First season is kinda weak but it really picks up after that.

You could check out Dollhouse.

 

[bobtheskull]

Yeah, to be honest I think Bab5 will probably be next on my list. My sister watched Dollhouse and was always going on about it, but she watched all sorts of rubbish.... Think I'll relent and watch it.

 

[Remus]

I strongly suggest you watch the rest of Babylon 5, it's easily one of the best sci-fi tv shows ever made in my opinion.
As for Sanctuary, I've watched a few episodes but the whole "safe place" for mutants/monsters thing doesn't appeal to me at all.

Also, if you haven't seen it already you should give Fringe a shot.

 

[bobtheskull]

Also, if you haven't seen it already you should give Fringe a shot.

Fringe is the one with Leonard Nimoy doing guest roles? I've heard good things about that one too. Thats one that keeps appearing on my radar, then I forget about it until someone else brings it up again!

 

[Yorick]

watched Farscape and hated it.

WHAT. WHY.

Also to second others:

Babylon 5 is one of the best Scifi Shows ever, though both Seasons 1 and 5 are on the weak side, it's totally worth it.

Fringe has a similar problem, Season 1 is lousy, but 2 and 3 are awesome. I really ****ing hated 4, but I might be the only one.

Although they aren't straight "science fiction" so much as having fantastical elements, I'd recommend the other best television shows of all time: Twin Peaks, and LOST. Also, The Prisoner from the 60's is really excellent.

 

[Remus]

And now for some 90's nostalgia:

X-Files
SeaQuest (it's basically Star Trek underwater)
Sliders (first 2 seasons are good then it quickly takes a nosedive)
The Outerlimits
Space Above and Beyound (atmosphere very similar to Starship troopers, except the aliens aren't giant bugs)
Earth 2
Total Recall 2070

 

[bobtheskull]

WHAT. WHY.

Not entirely sure, but I think it might be Ben Bowder, I just don't like the guy. I think that's what put me off SG-1 too, when he started.

Yeah, Twin Peaks was awesome. And I loved LOST... until the last 20 minutes!!!!

Followed X-files for years.
GAWD! SeaQuest! Man, it's been a long time since I watched that. That was one... weird show by the end.
Loved Sliders until the last season (had them all on disc until last year)
Only watched Outer Limits if it just happened to be on when I was about. Kinda liked it from what I remember.
Space AaB I vaguely remember, but don't think I watched it all. Never really got into Earth 2. Though it did get interesting when Tim Curry turned up! Never watched Total Recall for fear that it wouldn't live up to the movie.

Watched the original Prisoner years ago. Was considering watching the new.

Looks like Bab 5 is topping the list at the mo.

 

[MFL]

The Prisoner.

Patrick McGoohan is top tier.

 

[Sliver]

Another one for Babylon 5, my favorite sci-fi show ever, and maybe television show ever, depending on the day.

 

[bobtheskull]

Anyone know anything about Falling Skies? It sounds like something I'd be interested in (the aftermath, rather than the battle), but I've only just heard about it. Anyone watched it?

 

[Remus]

Never watched Total Recall for fear that it wouldn't live up to the movie.

The tv show is inspired from the book, it's not meant to be anything like the movie. The atmosphere is similar to Bladerunner.
The main characters are a police officer/detective, and his synthetic partner. I still recommend giving it a chance.

Anyone know anything about Falling Skies? It sounds like something I'd be interested in (the aftermath, rather than the battle), but I've only just heard about it. Anyone watched it?

It's OK if you like postapocalyptic survival stories. The show feels like if you took the Steven Spielberg version of War of the Worlds and expanded it into a tv series. The alien mechs even have creepy horn sounds like the tripods in the movie.

 

[bobtheskull]

The tv show is inspired from the book, it's not meant to be anything like the movie. The atmosphere is similar to Bladerunner.
The main characters are a police officer/detective, and his synthetic partner. I still recommend giving it a chance.



It's OK if you like postapocalyptic survival stories. The show feels like if you took the Steven Spielberg version of War of the Worlds and expanded it into a tv series. The alien mechs even have creepy horn sounds like the tripods in the movie.

Ah, ok... see, I know so little about the Total Recall show. It was at that point where tv shows were getting made on the back of anything successful as film, so I avoided it like the plague (Robocop all the way through to Timecop). Sounds a bit like Total Recall meets Alien Nation. Might give it a try. Specially if its closer to the book.

And you're comparison to War of the Worlds has just put me off Falling Skies. With the exception of a few individual scenes, I didn't really like that movie overly much. Not Spielbergs best effort!

 

[Laivasse]

No love for Lexx?

...Not saying that I have any. I hated it, from what I remember. But it was weird as shit and I knew a couple of guys who loved it.

 

[bobtheskull]

No love for Lexx?

...Not saying that I have any. I hated it, from what I remember. But it was weird as shit and I knew a couple of guys who loved it.

LEXX!! I loved the original 4 part pilot. Watched it all the way up to the first few episodes of the last season and gave up. Though it was always weird as hell and all kinds of stupid, by that point it was beyond ridiculous... Definately one of the weirder things I've ever followed.

 

[Lucid]

Falling Skies is absolute garbage, totally generic in every sense.

Give Farscape another chance as it's truly excellent and features one of the best scifi villains ever, though I seriously don't understand how you can hate Ben Browder... the man is just awesome.

And I'll echo Babylon 5, some of the finest scifi writing ever I'd say... you just have to get through season 1 and then suffer through the awful first act of season 5 with the Psi War.

Fringe is definitely worth checking out as well, you'll either love it or hate it though... just have to get through the initially heavy monster of week formula that lasts until about halfway through season 2.

I don't know if you mean you've seen every Trek series but if not then give Deep Space Nine a go as it features some seriously great characters and story arcs.

There's also Joss Whedon's other shows Buffy and Angel which are both extremely well written shows with great arcs.
Angel moreso, it's just a shame that it was cancelled literally just as it was hitting its stride.

Oh, also, there's Smallville which I just started a couple of weeks ago... I'm into Season 2 now and it actually isn't that bad... reminds me of Buffy a lot with the high school aspect but I'm mostly intrigued by the relationship between Lex and Clark.
Helps too if you have some knowledge of Superman and that comic-verse in general.

 

[bobtheskull]

I might go back to farscape eventually. Bab 5 is definitely the winner at the moment. Fringe will be next.

I've watched everything Trek, ToS, TNG, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise, all the movies, the dodgy ToS cartoon, and even the fan flick Of Gods and Men (which included a chunk of the original cast and some from other Treks too.) and some of the other Trek fan stuff. DS9 was great once you got past about season 2. Loved the Dominion War.

To me, anything Whedon does is gold, just never got into the whole Buffy/Angel thing tbh.

Smallville... meh. Watched it until end of season 2 then gave up... caught the occasional episode throughout, some were good, some were god-awful! And when I heard the 'pay off' at the end was not worth the wait, I couldn't be bothered starting again. I did like the Justice Society episodes though. Michael Shanks is awesome.

 

[Yorick]

Give Farscape another chance as it's truly excellent and features one of the best scifi villains ever, though I seriously don't understand how you can hate Ben Browder... the man is just awesome.

The character of Crichton can definitely be an unlikable asshole at times, but I like that about him. It's not the typical "the protagonist always does the right thing and is perfect in every way".

And Scorpius is one of the best villains of anything ever, not just scifi and not just television. He's goddamn fantastic.

 

[Remus]

John Crichton is definitely a space cowboy. "Humans are superior!!!" *charge*

 

[Krynn72]

Falling Skies is good, just started up the second season this week. Its not like War of the Worlds at all really, and its not generic like Lucid says. I quite like it. Its got a lot more of a fairly realistic military response to an alien invasion, rather than the "untrained survivors doin' what it takes" kind of stuff we've seen over and over. It does take awhile to get into though, I'd recommend watching maybe the first 5 episodes before making a final decision on it.

 

[Lucid]

No, it's extremely generic.
Every single character is an uninteresting cardboard cut-out from the book of TV Show Character Archetypes and the shit that comes out of their mouths makes me cringe, never mind that they all seem to be inept morons.

 

[Yorick]

I'm going to have to watch it and pass judgment on which of you ****s is right.

 

[Krynn72]

No, it's extremely generic.
Every single character is an uninteresting cardboard cut-out from the book of TV Show Character Archetypes and the shit that comes out of their mouths makes me cringe, never mind that they all seem to be inept morons.

I think you're watching the wrong show.

 

[NeptuneUK]

Some good suggestions. I'll be checking out Falling Skies, Total Recall and Space AAB!
Can't believe I missed these.

 

[Lucid]

It's just a shame that so much of the good scifi consists of cancelled series that never got a chance to get off of their feet.

 

[bobtheskull]

It's just a shame that so much of the good scifi consists of cancelled series that never got a chance to get off of their feet.

Indeed. I still openly weep over Firefly