# Recommend me a scifi tv series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 25, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444 "2010-02-25T21:33:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/21 "2010-02-26T02:55:48Z")
-Farscape Goofy, funny, and has it’s moving moments; definitely an original 'verse, and much appreciated for that. -Being Human \ -Torchwood Loved loved loved loved it!! Loved it even though I can’t really get into Dr. Who. \ Why does everything I love die? ☹ Stupid stations can’t tell what’s good or bad; I _hate_ the Stargate series, and it just won’t fricking die!! And the good stuff dies off. Le sigh. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/22 "2010-02-26T03:09:31Z")
> [@GythaOgg](#): > > Yet another _Eureka_ rec. I love this show. It manages to combine a quirky sense of humor with serious drama and does it well. The cast is really good. > > I’ll also recommend _Warehouse 13_ . After a couple of stumbles early on it grew on me a great deal. And Saul Rubinek is incredible in everything he does. > > BrainGlutton - you may get your wish - the producers of _Eureka_ are, according to a recent interview, seriously considering doing a _Warehouse 13_ crossover this season… I take it back! Introducing **magic** into the _Eureka_ universe is **not** what I had in mind! :eek: (I know, I know. But indistinguishable-from-magic-technology is not the same thing, not in genre terms.) ---
**Author:** ![GythaOgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@GythaOgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GythaOgg)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/23 "2010-02-26T04:22:59Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I take it back! Introducing **magic** into the _Eureka_ universe is **not** what I had in mind! :eek: > (I know, I know. But indistinguishable-from-magic-technology is not the same thing, not in genre terms.) It _may_ be an elaborate leg-pull. The producers are playing very coy about the plans for this season; no hints, unlike previous years. (The exec producer is on Twitter - look for ‘Bergopolis’. There’s also a production blog at [http://www.eurekaunscripted.typepad.com/](http://www.eurekaunscripted.typepad.com/) ) They just announced shooting starting March 18th for season premiere on July 16th. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/24 "2010-02-26T06:03:00Z")
Futurama You say you only like DS9, but I’ll have to throw in TNG, just because. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/25 "2010-02-26T06:23:14Z")
**Supernatural**. start at the beginning, it’s worth it. Excellent writing, great chemistry between the leads and a story arc that really starts coming together as the show goes on. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/26 "2010-02-26T06:48:10Z")
I’ll pipe in also to recommend **Farscape**. I’m currently watching those, and I’m close to halfway through season 2 right now. Series premiere was a nice set-up. Though a number of the early season 1 episodes were pretty predictable standard fare, I thought season 1 picked up rather nicely partway through, and the finish of that season was great. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/27 "2010-02-26T07:53:42Z")
Seconding \*\*Ultraviolet \*\*, \*Futurama \*and **The Locked Room**. **[Charlie Jade](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Jade)** is good, IMO, initially a bit confusing and suffers from overly arty camera use, but it’s good Sci Fi. A good comedy SF series, if you’re at all into British humour, is [Hyperdrive](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperdrive_%28TV_series%29), with Nick Frost of _Hot Fuzz!_/_Shaun of the Dead_. Also, although not Sci Fi, you \*must \*watch _Spaced_, with Frost, Simon Pegg and others. Just because. I found the _[Total Recall 2070](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Recall_2070)_ TV series to be quite good, others disagree. Also, _[Space Island One](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Island_One)_ is \*very \*good, \*very \*hard, SF set on a \*very \*realistic space station in the very near future. With two of the hottest [S](http://www.heikesteinweg.de/Fotos/Julia-Bremermann.jpg) [F](http://www.industryhollywood.com/images/indra.jpg) babes you’ve never heard of, either, and the cutest science nerd. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/28 "2010-02-26T09:25:54Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Also, **Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles,** while sometimes dramatic and interesting, was all kind of a pointless exercise (especially since it had to come to a premature end due to cancellation). > > And **Dollhouse** was pretty limp. It had its episodes, but after I heard they cancelled the series, I immediately lost interest and stopped watching halfway thru season 2. I actually watched Dollhouse & found it worthwhile. ---
**Author:** ![wintertime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c68b51/32.png) [@wintertime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wintertime)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/29 "2010-02-26T10:30:22Z")
**Estilicon** , we seem to have similar tastes. I loved _ **Eureka** _ at first, but it was too repetitive for me and I lost interest during the second season. _ **Torchwood** _ is sometimes cheesy on the good side and sometimes not, not at all. But the third season, “Children of Earth”, is worth your time. I third **cmyk** ’s suggestion to watch _ **The Lost Room** _; I was skeptical at first but that changed quickly. _ **Flashforward** _ is, imo, a fascinating idea with a lackluster execution and an incredibly unlikable lead. It might also be cut short, so you might want to wait to hear if the show gets a somewhat satisfying end. The remake of the old _ **V** _ hasn’t gripped me yet either; it has decent production values and an acceptable cast but, well, there is a bewildering disconnect between the world-shattering setting and the observable actions. And it’s quite boring for a show that should be exciting. Back to history: I agree that _ **Farscape** _’s second season is the best one, though, all in all, it didn’t work for me. _ **The Sarah Connor Chronicles** _, otoh, is one of my favourite shows; some might argue that it was too slow but when you watch the episodes without the week-long delay, the well-structured arc becomes far more apparent. Also, the cast did a great job and the writers gave the terminator universe surprising depth and went at times beyond well-trodden paths. _ **Dollhouse** _ was the first Whedon-show that I couldn’t stand. For some reason, I can be entertained by shadow wars and the doom of genocide and killer robots from the future, but I couldn’t bear the abuse that was shown there. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/30 "2010-02-26T11:08:38Z")
Another vote for **Torchwood** , based purely on the “Children of Earth” story arc, which was excellent; creepy, well acted, with interesting characters and a nice bit of “child safety” paranoia thrown in. **Being Human** has its good points, and I enjoy it a lot, but it does feel rushed sometimes. Still, this week’s episode was very good. At its best it’s funny, disturbing, sexy and zany with the occasional emotional moment in. Also, the special effects seem to have improved a bit the second season (not that it uses much FX). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/31 "2010-02-26T12:32:48Z")
**The Prisoner** – the original, of course. Some episodes are severely weird, but the others more than make up for it. The entire series has been available as a boxed set. The original **Outer Limits** and **Twilight Zone**. And their respective new series. I don’t approve of all of them, but there has been some of the best science fiction on TV in both. [BMiddleman\*\* – a wonderfully whacked-out series with more obscure references than you can shake a stick at, and it’s blissfully unapologetic about them. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/32 "2010-02-26T13:57:23Z")
You might hate it, but give “Lexx” a quick look. “Dead Like Me” is fantasy, not science fiction, but I liked it a lot. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/33 "2010-02-26T14:18:15Z")
**Farscape** - I liked the whole run, including the wrap-up tv movie. A lot of episodes stretch credibility and tread real close to fantasy, but the show was always trying to do something new. Plus, the cast is very good. **Dollhouse** - This show was meant to grow its theme over a couple of scenes. The cancellation led to the big reveal. Overall, its a big argument for the British habit of planned short run tv shows. Had it been plotted out to run 20-24 episodes, it would have been an all time classic. **Flashforward** - Meh. I was turned off by the commercials. Sawyer’s book is better and even it has flaws. **V** - Straight up primetime broadcast network science fiction. Watch the already aired episodes and starting watching when it returns next month. There is a chance the show can bite it big, but I am hopeful that it will continue to be strong. **Lost** - I watched one or two episodes, and I don’t classify it as sci-fi. Might be fantasy, but really seems to be a confusing mess of plotlines that really had nowhere to go. **Stargate Universe** - I also hated the Atlantis incarnation, also hated the final season or two of the original. SG-1 was strongest when it did not take itself seriously and allowed Richard Dean Anderson to have some fun. Universe takes the franchise in a new direction. It has been a little uneven, with some plotholes that are frustrating. Even so, I am interested in seeing where the show goes. And not recent or even strictly sci-fi, try the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents series. It is avaiable through Netflix, Hulu, or maybe even your local library. Some episodes don’t work, some are great. In either case, its a format you don’t see much of anymore. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/34 "2010-02-26T14:31:59Z")
I vaguely remember a short-lived conspiracy-theory-themed SF series in the early '90s – the main protagonist was a woman, the Kabbalistic [Tree of Life](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_life_(Kabbalah)) or something similar figured in it – can anyone ID this? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/35 "2010-02-26T14:49:13Z")
Nobody’s mentioned Misfits, another British series (6 episodes, but I believe more are planned) about a bunch of young thugs who are in a mysterious storm and are given superpowers. Not at ALL what you’re thinking it’s like right now. I wouldn’t say I recommend it, exactly, but you might want to check it out. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/36 "2010-02-26T16:36:55Z")
[_Millennium_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_(TV_series)) is worth a look. Initially it was a fairly straightforward detective series, with a late-'90s dark-and-edgy feel, based on the rather implausible premise that serial killers are common enough to support a specialized professional consulting firm helping law-enforcement agencies. In the second season, they started introducing supernatural elements. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/37 "2010-02-26T17:43:47Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I vaguely remember a short-lived conspiracy-theory-themed SF series in the early '90s – the main protagonist was a woman, the Kabbalistic [Tree of Life](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_life_(Kabbalah)) or something similar figured in it – can anyone ID this? [VR.5.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VR5) Good luck finding it, though. No reruns, no DVDs. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/38 "2010-02-26T18:12:58Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > A good comedy SF series, if you’re at all into British humour, is [Hyperdrive](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperdrive_%28TV_series%29), with Nick Frost of _Hot Fuzz!_/_Shaun of the Dead_. Also, although not Sci Fi, you \*must \*watch _Spaced_, with Frost, Simon Pegg and others. Just because. Ooooh, now that sounds like something I’m going to have to check out!! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/39 "2010-02-26T18:49:20Z")
[_Roswell,_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_(TV_series)) if you like your SF mixed with 90210ey teen soap opera. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444/40 "2010-02-26T18:57:07Z")
There was a short-lived [_Alien Nation_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_Nation_(1989_TV_series)) TV series, based on the film. It was pretty good, for what remained essentially a cop show with ETs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scifi-tv-series/530444.md?page=3)