My Netflix queue is getting skimpy so I’d welcome suggestions for a good science fiction TV series to watch from beginning to end. I want something with an interesting, consistent story line. I can tolerate some fantastical elements, but I’d prefer more hard SF than fantasy. Bonus: characters I can care about.
Here’s what I’ve seen:
Dr. Who: I’ve started watching the earliest extant episodes but I’ve got it on hold now until The Sensorites comes out on DVD. I’m really hoping the series got more interesting over the years.
New Battlestar Galactica: Couldn’t care at all about the characters but I was interested enough in the mythos and Cylon mysteries to plow through it.
Dune: Good, but I’d already read the books.
Lost: I was really into the whole series, but the disappointing resolution left me convinced that the writers didn’t have a consistent vision from the beginning.
Possibilities so far:
Babylon 5.
A Stargate series.
Deep Space 9. I watched this only sporadically, not enough to follow all the plot lines. Is it worth watching all of it?
DS9 is one of my favorite TV series, so I vote for that. All the characters get to develop interesting back stories, it has a good story arc with a satisfying conclusion, there’s a good balance of arc episodes and one-offs and has a lot of memorable recurring guest characters.
Yeah seriously, seconding the question of why Firefly isn’t on your list. It’s terrific.
Babylon 5 was very well done, and Farscape is also a good choice.
I’m not actually seeing a lot of good hard scifi tv on netflix’s instant watch list. But Quantum Leap and Sliders (at least the 1st two seasons) are both good scifi shows it has. Similar premises where something new happens every week if you later feel you wants some switching it up in what you watch. But really I think the first three are your best choices and Firefly would be my #1 pick.
Ultraviolet. Not the Mila Jojovich vampire movie, which really sucked (although Mila Jojovich is always good to look at no matter how bad the movie), but a very good short-duration British vampire series.
It’s your basic shadowy government organization, fighting vampires with high tech weaponry. It isn’t your standard fangs vs. wooden stakes vampires (the word “vampire” is never even used in the series). Instead, the infestation and spread of vampire is treated as a epidemiological problem, to be addressed by medical means, or, if that doesn’t work, paramilitary means.
Very, very good stuff, with a distinctly British flavor.
Curiously, one of the main characters is played by Susannah Harker, great-great-granddaughter of Bram Stoker’s good friend Johnathon, who Stoker wrote into his most famous novel.
Netflix has the remastered HD version of the original Star Trek. I have been watching those in order for the first time. Yes, there is some hard core cheese, and some glaring inconsistencies. But the show is from a time before season long story arcs. Even with its flaws brought on by the era in which it is made, there are plenty of good science fiction stories too.
Or Farscape or the Stargate SG-1. Again, both have their flaws, but in the long run the flaws are outstripped by the highlights.
Stargate Universe and Dollhouse are two shows that lasted only a brief time, but I thought improved dramatically over the course of their runs. Dollhouse was improved by being cancelled early but allowed to produce its second season. I would like to see that show redone complete as a 20 episode mini-series. Stargate Universe felt like it was finding itself in its second season but got the ratings ax. They did have time to semi-wrap-up.
Yeah, Farscape & Firefly are wonderful. As are others mentioned.
You said you’d been watching early Doctor Who. Have you seen the newish shows, starting with Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor? If not, please do. Then you might want to check out some of the older stuff…
Funny you mention it, I just recently started re-watching DS9 for the first time since its original broadcast - I’m about halfway through Season 1.
In my memory, the show didn’t really get good until Season 3, but I’m finding that even Season 1 has some pretty good episodes. The acting, especially in the first couple eps, is pretty wooden and Alexander Siddig hasn’t really found his footing yet half way through the season. But overall it’s interesting and IMO it went on to be the best Star Trek series by far.
Also, another vote for Firefly if you’ve never seen it.
The Prisoner. Only the original, Patrick McGoohan version, of course.
Day of the Triffids – British 6-part TV adaptation, not the 1960s movie. A limited mini-series, rather than a TV series. In fact, if you do that, you might want to watch the original Quatermass series. I think I and II aren’t completely available, but Quatermass and the Pit is. It’s different from the movie they later made of it. Middleman
Babylon 5 is one of the best TV series ever. Just be aware that it takes a while before it really gets going, and that the last season, while it still has some good stuff happening, doesn’t live up to the preceding four.
Firefly is great, but sadly there isn’t very much of it.
Farscape is great too, but also quite silly–one of the main characters is a muppet who farts a lot, fergawdsake.
I definitely vote for Babylon 5. Firefly’s good, not great, but it also ends really really fast - I mean 13 episodes are not going to keep you going for long.
(Henson studios is a big chunk of the shows producers. It shows. Often instead of using badly and cheaply done CGI, they used very realistic puppets. It is hard to believe a few of the characters don’t actually exist as separate entities.)
If you like Star Trek then I recommend Enterprise. It has a bad rep which is completely undeserved. It was a great show, especially the last season (and there were (sadly) only four seasons). Miles better than Voyager ever was…
Definitely will start Babylon 5. Also good to hear DS9 would not be a waste. Hadn’t thought of Farscape; have to check that out.
I stuck my head in the room a few times while the wife was watching Firefly and wasn’t sure it was for me. It looked more like a Western set on a spaceship than real SF. Is it better than that? (I’ve already had to eat crow for laughing at her watching Buffy. I had to admit it was cleverly written and had great characters, even if I’m still not into the vampires and demons thing. If I watch Firefly it will be in secret.)
As for Dr. Who: I’m still going to try to watch it in order, even though it will take years. I’m just stubborn that way.
Dollhouse
Deep Space Nine is good if you like Star Trek. Otherwise, it isn’t that great. It is probably the best trek show, along with Next generation.
