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Top 50 Science Fiction TV Shows
pbaumgar writes "Boston.com is running an article discussing their top 50 Sci-Fi TV shows of all-time. What are some of your favorites?" From the article: "Number 10 -'Sliders. 'Sliders' should have been a widespread hit, but it was ahead of its time. The show was about a wiz-kid genius Quinn Mallory, played by Jerry O'Connell, and his band of three companions who slide among Earth's alternate realities. Toward the end of the series, the show quickly slid in quality as three of its stars - O'Connell, Sabrina Lloyd and John Rhys-Davies - departed and were replaced by others. A tragic demise to a fine show." They don't even give a nod to greatest-trek-of-all-time DS9, so I don't know about this list.
DS9 wasn't a sci-fi show. It was a soap opera, except for the first couple seasons...
Procrastination -- because good things come to those who wait.
I completely agree with Sliders. I really loved the series. But at the time Prof. Arthuro died it went downhill, fast. At a certain point it was only about those "aliens". A real shame.
to Star Trek Enterprise
But Voyager is... AT #14! What the hell? This list is also heavily dominated by fantasy rather than sci-fi, and if its to include fantasy, there were a lot of better shows not on it.
Have there even been 50 Science Fiction television series on TV?
Slashdot is not a place for a reasonable discussion of Sci-Fi shows. This might hurt someone's karma...
I have freaks! I did something right...
Dr Who was relegated to number 8 while Stargate got number 6?! Something is very wrong with this list.
Seriously-- there can't be 50!?! I'd be impressed if that many were ever made, even with the Sci-Fi channel... maybe non-English ones should be counted? Who can list that many? Pilots don't count... and neither does Mork & Mindy.
Wah??
Moore's better baby did pretty damn well.
I'd say more, but my guild is raiding.
There are better sci fi shows than Farscape, but there aren't 50 sci fi shows better than Farscape. What a horrible omission from that list.
Come on, they put the Thunderbirds in front of Futurama... That's just wrong.
It only lasted a single season but I really liked Space, Above and Beyond.
I don't think I could name 50 sci-fi TV shows I'd call "good". Sure, there are some I'd call great, but 50 good ones? Most of them are an inch from green monsters from Mars and space-whores. I'll let you guys guess an inch in which direction that is.
News for merdes. Shit that matters.
Ask me about my sig.
They don't even have "Kolchak the Night Stalker"? "Xena" rates higher than the original "The Outer Limits" (among numerous others)? They don't even include the new "Battlestar Galactica"?
"Physics is to math what sex is to masturbation." - Richard Feynman
Doesn't get much better than a show with smart ass comments about others.
/. to get my fill
Exactly what we all do in life
Hell, now I have to log onto
Ignorance is not a crime; neither should it be a way of life
Congress control $ = inmates run the asylum
Where was Space: Above and Beyond?
They have a pretty weird definition of science fiction. I mean, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.? Mystery Science Theater 3000? Tales from the Crypt? Avengers? Batman? Buffy? Why not Friends while you're at it? I mean, a New York without any colored people?
Je ne parle pas francais.
Buffy the vampire (s)layer a sci-fi-show? I suspect they pulled this list out of their ass..
I'm sorry, and I'm sure this is beating a dead horse, but Superman, Batman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, et als. are not SCIENCE FICTION. Granted, there may be a correlation between the viewership of said shows, but these shows don't even pretend to be futuristic, or contain a science element at all. Batman, maybe, but I hate it when people lump these things all under the "sci fi" umbrella. This is why we have all this horror shlock on the Sci-Fi channel and things like Farscape get cancelled.
Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
The top ten of this list I can agree with. Lost isn't even close to sci-fi, but man, how do you leave off Lexx from this list? Nothing grabbed my attention(and made me cover myself with a pillow) more than that show did.
I really hate Dan Patrick.
I watched it once, it was too alien to me.
Synapsis: This head alien interrogates others like it regarding its numerous abuses by Man. Freaky episodes about the aliens' fashion, body morphing in their latter life stage, even discussions about how they can get their alien race to win the Presidency.
Eerie.
Star Trek is the most overrated pap I've ever seen on television. Just because nerds have no sense of taste doesn't mean the show belongs in the top 50 list.
MST3K4LIFE!!!!!11
Talk about a show before it's time. Max Headroom's one of the few shows from many years ago I can watch today without it feeling extremely dated.
Yeah, I liked the original Star Trek, but truthfully, I can't watch it anymore. It just seems so... well, old.
Greatest 50, my arse! Where's The Prisoner?
the amount of science in these "sci-fi" shows is about .00000001 per cent.
How else do you explain Buffy the Vampire Slayer coming in lower than Wonder Woman? Ok, granted Linda Carter's breasts were bigger than all of the combined breasts of every female Buffy cast member but I don't think that should be the deciding factor.
Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
Hands down, Farscape. Well-thought-out, well-scripted, believable aliens, and an interesting ship. 'S a crying shame that the SciFi channel pulled the plug. I really miss it. It made cable tv worth the money - that, and F1 racing.
:( #6 just refused to cave in, and he won... or did he?
Next best is an oldie: The Prisoner. If you're under 40, you likely missed it.
Lemon curry?
Greatest American Hero, Lois & Clark, Batman, Adventures of Superman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Wonder Woman, Tales from the Crypt, Xena, Lost and Twilight Zone have nothing to do with science fiction. Not even in the most remote and lax sense of the word or genre. Since when is adventure, horror or comedy science fiction? Vampires are not scifi. Superheros in tights are not scifi. Xena and Hercules are not scifi characters or stories. Shows with a unique twist at the end (Twilight Zone, Crypt) are not scifi - hell, we usually call things that have unexpected twists at the end MYSTERIES.
And how is 3rd rock from the Sun or My Favorite Martian a scifi show? They're comedies that just happen to have an alien there. The alien/scifi part is almost entirely non-existant. ALF is more scifi than either of those two.
And considering the crap they have on here (Wonderwoman, but no Hulk?!) they couldn't at least be bothered to include Farscape, Lexx or First Wave?!
And yes, it also pisses me off when the Sci-Fi channel has Chucky or Wishmaster on. What do those have to do with sci-fi? Those are horror flicks. And bad ones at that.
Oh, and "'Star Trek Voyager' started off slow but ended as one of the better 'Star Trek' spinoffs" is not necessarily a compliment.
I can't believe no one seems to have mentioned this yet, slashdot is not normally short of firefly fanboys. Not that it actually deserves top spot, that should belong to Babylon 5, with Blake's 7 in second, but IMO firefly should still have made top 10
Red Dwarf
I don't think I saw Blake's 7 or H2G2 in their either, so it's more a top 50 US Sci-Fi, rather than a general top 50.
Xena, though a fine show, is hardly a science fiction. It has none of the technology, exploration of current social problems, or even exploration of various cultures. Pretty much it just a medeival cop show.
Sliders was not ahead of it's time. It was just another huckleberry finn, star trek, docotor who knockoff with none of the redeeming factors. It is quite suitable for the adolecent maile, with a good role model, a pretty girl into geeks, and trivial story line. However, there are no layers that might make it interesting to an adult. The writing was woodden, even by scifi standards.
One contemporary scifi show that is seldom mentioned is 'The Cape'. Based on reality, good exploration life, and how we might move forward. Much more interesting than anything I saw on that list, though the show only works if you ignore current reality, as is true for most scifi.
"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
Seriously. Where is "The Invaders"?
Funny how one geek's trash is another geeks treasure..
From scovetta.blogspot.com:
50. 'Earth - Final Conflict'
49. 'The Wild Wild West'
48. '3rd Rock From The Sun'
47. 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'
46. 'That Was Then'
45. 'The Greatest American Hero'
44. 'Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'
43. 'Nowhere Man'
42. 'Science Fiction Theatre'
41. 'Futurama'
40. 'The Thunderbirds'
39. 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'
38. 'Batman'
37. 'Space 1999'
36. 'The Bionic Woman'
35. 'Battlestar Galactica' (Original)
34. 'The Avengers'
33. 'Lost In Space'
32. 'My Favorite Martian'
31. 'Alien Nation'
30. 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'
29. 'The Six Million Dollar Man'
28. 'Adventures of Superman'
27. 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'
26. 'Stargate Atlantis'
25. 'The Jetsons'
24. 'Wonder Woman'
23. 'Tales from the Crypt'
22. 'Andromeda'
21. 'Quantum Leap'
20. 'The Hitchhiker'
19. 'Dark Angel'
18. 'V'
17. 'Firefly'
16. 'Flash Gordon'
15. 'Logan's Run'
14. 'Star Trek Voyager'
13. 'The Outer Limits'
12. 'Xena: Warrior Princess'
11. 'Lost'
10. 'Sliders'
9. 'Mystery Science Theater 3000'
8. 'Dr. Who'
7. 'The Twilight Zone'
6. 'Stargate SG-1'
5. 'Babylon 5'
4. 'The X-Files'
3. 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'
2. 'Battlestar Galactica' (New)
1. 'Star Trek' (Original)
Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehn, dass er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. --Nietzsche
If 20,000 decibels doesnt sound like much, you havent heard it :)
Storm
ST:TOS deserves to be #1, because that's what has brought more people into SciFi than anything else.
And while I liked the Man from U.N.C.L.E., I hardly consider it SciFi, even if he did have a communicator the size of a pack of cigarettes (later built into a pen).
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
...does that count?
Denham's Dentrifice, Denham's Dentrifice, Denham's Dandy Dental Dentrifice, Denham's Dentrifice Dentrifice Dentrifice.
I didn't realize there WERE 50 science fiction shows. Star Trek, Space 1999, Battlestar Galactica - can't be more than a few more than that,
Funniest Wikipedia article ever. The image there should have been labeled more along the lines of "We THINK this is a woman, but are unable to confirm."
News for merdes. Shit that matters.
Ask me about my sig.
some on the list, i wouldn't have considered 'pure' scifi...
/.'d and get all the geeks and nerds in the world to hit 50 page views each with NINE advertisements on it.....
3rd rock yes, ok, but no mork & mindy then? come on!!
how about dark angel? mst3k? knight rider? earth^2? seaquest? dark shadows? (my ex's favorite), and no ds9..
and if "v" was there (a miniseries), why not wild palms http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106175/
and with their stretching the definition of scifi a bit, why not the 10th kingdom? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0207275/
sheesh.. me thinks this was just some ploy cooked up by the globe to get
I agree, Stargate is much better than that.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
What is the question? What are our 50 favorite Sci-Fi shows? Honestly.
Why are lists like this compiled? I'm sure some people like to watse time in that way, but when you put together a geek list, just don't publish it.
:)
And, for the record, Sabrina Lloyd was the reason to watch Sliders.
Retired from software... maybe. Sort of.
XENA better than futurama and firefly? you must be joking?
:D
and under the mountain is not even on the list!
oh well, if nothing else it will make for some great discussion here on slashdot!
--- blackironprison, where ignorance is bliss....
These are my favorite in no particular order:
Quantum Leap, Star Trek: Next Generation, Stargate SG-1, Battlestar Galactica (2004), Andromeda, and Tripping the Rift
I admit that I might be spoiled by Firefly, which actually did well all those things BSG tries but miserably fails at, minus that mystical crap about fulfilled prophecies, which just couldn't work and wasn't worth trying. But I've got to think that even without Firefly, I would see BSG for the vacuous soap opera that it is.
Anyway, if they didn't want me flaming on slashdot, they shouldn't have baited me by giving that vomit the second ranking in all-time sci-fi.
Hey, Boston.com, there's more to good SciFi than Jeri Ryan's boobs. (Like Kaylee....:-D)
Batman, Wonderwoman and Xena Warrior Princes in a sci fi list? They're fantasy, not sci-fi.
1. Post list of top 50 things a geek cares about.
/.
..., just straight profit from the geeks clicking through 50 pages of ads.
1a. doesn't matter how accurate or well researched the list is
2. Make list available one item per time on a page heavy with ads
3. Post link to
4. There is no
IANAL, but I play one on
You do realize that arguing about this list makes you sound like the Comic Book Guy on the Simpsons, right? I'm serious. Just read some of the threads in his voice, and it sounds like a custom-made script, a soliloquy of unrequited geek passion.
These lists are just an excuse to cram 50*4 ads in front of the user as he clicks "next" "next" "next" "next"
OMG ST:A GOT 4TH NOT 1ST.. BLOOD!
Ok, why is this in Ask Slashdot? There's no question being asked, unless its the implied: "Yet another bogus 'best of list' has been posted. How shall we flame it?"
And to avoid being modded off topic, this list was pretty lame. They can't even get the name of the main character in Space: 1999 correct. Hint: John Koenig was the name of the fictional commander on Moonbase Alpha, Walter Koenig is an actor.
..and they missed the best fantasy show of them all.
Where is The Prisioner? I mean it's not exatly Sci-fi, but neither is this list, and at least it was innovative.
I missed #50 since the login stopped working for me:
:|
50
49 The Wild Wild West
48 3rd Rock from the Sun
47 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
46 That was Then
45 The Greatest American hero
44 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
43 Nowhere Man
42 Science Fiction Theater
41 Futurama
40 The Thunderbirds
39 The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
38 Batman
37 Space 1999
36 The Bionic Woman
35 Battlestar Galactica (original)
34 The Avengers
33 Lost in Space
32 My Favorite Martian
31 Alien Nation
30 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
29 The Six Dollar Man
28 Adventures of Superman
27 Buffy the Vampire Slayer
26 Stargate Atlantis
25 The Jetsons
24 Wonder Woman
23 Tales from the Crypt
22 Andromeda
21 Quantum Leap
20 The Hitchiker
19 Dark Angel
18 V
17 Firefly
16 Flash Gordon
15 Logan's Run
14 Star Trek Voyager
13 The Outer Limits
12 Xena: Warrior Princess
11 Lost
10 Sliders
09 Mystery Science Theater 3000
08 Dr. Who
07 The Twilight Zone
06 Stargate SG-1
05 Babylon 5
04 The X-Files
03 Star Trek: The Next Generation
02 Battlestar Galatica (New)
01 Star Trek
The new Battlestar Galatica is ok, but not better than B5.
50. 'Earth - Final Conflict'
49. 'The Wild Wild West'
48. '3rd Rock From The Sun'
47. 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'
46. 'That Was Then'
45. 'The Greatest American Hero'
44. 'Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'
43. 'Nowhere Man'
42. 'Science Fiction Theatre'
41. 'Futurama'
40. 'The Thunderbirds'
39. 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'
38. 'Batman'
37. 'Space 1999'
36. 'The Bionic Woman'
35. 'Battlestar Galactica' (Original)
34. 'The Avengers'
33. 'Lost In Space'
32. 'My Favorite Martian'
31. 'Alien Nation'
30. 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'
29. 'The Six Million Dollar Man'
28. 'Adventures of Superman'
27. 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'
26. 'Stargate Atlantis'
25. 'The Jetsons'
24. 'Wonder Woman'
23. 'Tales from the Crypt'
22. 'Andromeda'
21. 'Quantum Leap'
20. 'The Hitchhiker'
19. 'Dark Angel'
18. 'V'
17. 'Firefly'
16. 'Flash Gordon'
15. 'Logan's Run'
14. 'Star Trek Voyager'
13. 'The Outer Limits'
12. 'Xena: Warrior Princess'
11. 'Lost'
10. 'Sliders'
9. 'Mystery Science Theater 3000'
8. 'Dr. Who'
7. 'The Twilight Zone'
6. 'Stargate SG-1'
5. 'Babylon 5'
4. 'The X-Files'
3. 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'
2. 'Battlestar Galactica' (New)
1. 'Star Trek' (Original)
#5 Battlestar: Galactica (new) ...is not worth reading any further IMO. The only arguable point in my mind is whether BSG should actually be ahead of The Outer Limits. My feeling is it probably will be, and could even beat out ST:TOS in the end, but for now it's where it should be.
:)
#4 The Outer Limits (original)
#3 Star Trek TOS
#2 Stargate SG-1
#1 Babylon 5
And don't bother disagreeing, you are wrong
If a pion (n-) collides with a proton in the woods & noone is there to hear it, does lamdba decay into the source pa
Futurama 41st greatest of all time?!?!?!
When the Humanoid-Carrot revolution of 2120 comes, you'll understand how far ahead of its time this fantastic show really was.Just as irrigation is the lifeblood of the Southwest, lifeblood is the soup of cannibals. -- Jack Handy
If you reply, do so only to what I explicitly wrote. If I didn't write it, don't assume or infer it.
Battlestar Galactica (original)
The Prisoner
V
star trek (original)
Just kind of surprised Seaquest DSV didn't make the list. It had it's flaws, but at a time when every other Sci-Fi show seemed to be about Outer Space, it made exploring the Earth exciting.
Introducing Microsoft Vacuum 1.0 The first Microsoft product that doesn't suck.
My no. 1 show, Farscape , isn't even on the list. And Futurama at no. 41? Um, ok. I'd also have included some anime, such as Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Neon Genesis Evangelion. I guess this list if only for American programs, with Farscape being an Australian production.
Futurama would of been higher up if they hadn't cancelled it. I mean with community sites like "Can't Get Enough Futurama" organizing signature drives in the 10k's and sales of the DVD compilations setting records for sales it would be madness not to do something more with the franchise than comic books. The rumored direct to DVD movie coming out in 2007 will hopefully see a return of the series if it sells well enough.
An Education is the Font of All Liberty
Lexx, Farscape, and MacGuyver. I mean, MacGuyver is not strictly SF, but it did define science geek gone cool. Other than flimsy plot devices, Sliders, Quantum Leap and a few others had little to no science in their fiction.
What I found odd was SG:Atlantis making the list so high. Almost smacks of paid advertising. It's a good show, but fairly cookie cutter w/ some interesting ideas.
"The area of penetration will no doubt be sensitive." ~ Spock
Flamebait (-1)
-Vendal Thornheart
I'm pleased that classics such as Dr. Who and Babylon 5 were on the list but...whoever compiled it definately needs a reminder as to what sci-fi is... If they did a sci-fi movie list, I wouldn't be suprised to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Lord of the Rings up there with Dark City and Wing Commander. As for DS9, they did mention it in the Babylon 5 segment as a cheap rip-off. *shrugs*
Farscape was brilliant.
I'm not sure how buffy counts as sci-fi, and yet farscape does not.
For all of his genius Quinn Mallory couldn't slide into a reality where his show wasn't going to get canceled. Pfft... some genius.
How were these shows scored and ranked??
Futurama is 41 and Tales from the Crypt is 23?
Nonsense.
Oh WOW! Star Trek is number 1... didn't see that coming.
But seriuosly.... Voyager was 14 and Xena 12...thats some serious BS!!
Voyager had its slow moments, but season 3 and on was awesome scifi. NextGen doesn't hold a candle to it. I've never seen Dr. Cursher on the level of Holo-Doc trying to retake a stolen fedration ship from romulans (so funny). (It's ironiclly the only time I found andy dick funny too.)Plus, Picard is wuss captian, solves most all his problems by sending worf, riker and data to deal with it. Whilst he sits and attempts to have witty conversation with Crusher. But Janeway drove her ship into the temporal time ship to end a temporal loop, Picard causes them left and right.
Next Gen was pathetic in its presentation. Picard mostly was the problem. Spineless captain, with no "fight it out" ability. He was no Kirk... but I give Next Gen some things, Data, Q, and the borg. Only redeeming parts of the show.
(Go ahead you next gen zealots... mod me a troll... but secertly you know right!)
A bullet sounds the same in every language. So stick a fucking sock in it...
Well we (you and me too) are all here on a Saturday afternoon reading (and replying to) Slashdot, ya know. That's already pretty nerdy and kinda implies we don't have too much of a life to begin with.
If Superman and Buffy are categorised as science fiction, I don't see a single reason why Spongebob Squarepants should be left out.
I use to watch this as a kid...all my geek friends were always which was better, Lost in Space or....http://www.thetimetunnel.com/The Time Tunnel
The article is nice and all, but how can we even dispute the ranking of shows without knowing what criteria were used to decide?
How important is, say, originality, compared to character depth?
Is each show measured against its peers of that era in TV? Or is the ranking independent of time?
Sure, it's a qualitative ranking, but give us slashdotters something to work with!
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
Well, this is slashdot, so how about some lists of ones that should have been on there but weren't. I've seen a few good ones mentioned already, but I'd like to know if I've missed any classics. There are quite a few I'd swop out to replace with any of these:
Planet of the Apes (TV Series)
Survivors (BBC 80s series)
The Invaders
The Transformers should definitely be in this list. Even if it was a toy commercial in the form of a cartoon. Transformers was about machines that overthrew their organic masters. Became sentient. Learned to Transform into vehicles. The storyline goes as far back 9 million years where we first see Orion Pax become Optimus Prime.
Come to think of it Robotech should have been in there too.
When will these Sci-Fi "critics" finally live up to their lofty edifice and recognize Lost Saucer as one of the greats?
Someday, Ruth Buzzy and Jim Neighbors will get their due.
I am just amazed that Twin Peaks isn't on this list.
Does eat oates and little lambs eat ivy.
d. Taylor Singletary,
reality technician techra.el
Apparently they missed the new show with Christopher Eccleston - they just mentioned the old one.
The new show got tremendous ratings, so it surely should have been in the top 10.
SCIREV.NET - fanfics,reviews & more
http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/gallery/topscifishows? pg=14
Martin Landau played Commander John Koenig, not Walter Koenig. Walter Koenig is the actor for Paval Chekov in the original Star Trek series.
Nice work, eh.
Space: 1999 at IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072564/
Walter Koenig at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Koenig
and it sounds like a custom-made script, a soliloquy of unrequited geek passion.
Reading your post while imagining the Comicbook Guy's voice is even more fun.
The Internet is generally stupid
How in the crap can the Jetsons beat Futurama? Futurama should have been in the top twenty at least.
Smallville is better than lois and clark
Considering that the list is full of the usual shit I as a fan consider it an honour that Dark Skies isn't on it :)
Dark Skies - for those who think The X Files is way too shallow and incoherent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Skies
this comment is provided "as is" and without any express or implied legibility or congruity [...]
I wouldn't necessarily put it in the top 50, but I really enjoyed Time Trax for the year or two that it was on Sci Fi. Not a terribly original plot, but the stories were pretty good and overall quite entertaining.
I won't complain about the possibility of a Sci Fi being a soap opera.
Babylon 5 was not a soap opera. Babylon 5 was a story. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. Towards the end of B5 you can definitely see all of the pieces being moved off of the board one by one.
A soap opera is not going anywhere. Things just keep happening. You can keep it up for as long as you want. Characters can come and go. The basic direction can change. This is very different than a novel, or Babylon 5.
DS 9 might be a soap opera. (I quit watching after 2nd season due to liking B5 better and had insufficient time for both DS9 and B5.) I don't know if DS9 was a soap opera. Was the story working its way towards any overall conclusion?
This brings me to the new Battlestar Galactica. I wonder if it is like B5 in that there is a distinct conclusion that they are heading towards? Maybe so, but maybe they don't have a plan for getting there? Will they drive off into the ditch along the way and never get to the conclusion. I sure hope not. I would be very disappointed in investing time to watch it.
I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
A casual glance reveals two types of shows; popular hits and "gems." I'd assume these results were glarked from respondants to a survey, who likely were either writing in to sound off like the rest of the herd or champion their pet one-season, brilliant-but-cancelled show. They obviously didn't bother to choose a definition of what "science fiction" meant, but instead relied upon the respondent's personal definition, casually moderated by the compilers of this list.
Lord, deliver us from politicians, pop-psychobabblers and other users of imprecise terms in their "research."
Or not, as you seem to be on vacation this time of the eon.
To the public, possibly because of the Sci-Fi channel, perhaps because of willful ignorance, and most likely a brilliant (sarcasm) combination of both, anything that is not straight slice-'o-life in content is "scifi."
As to clearly delineating what science fiction is and isn't, I read one helpful definition, dependant on the prescence and quality of Suspension of Disbelief. While mainstream literature doesn't need it, and Fantasy demands it, Science Fiction sets itself apart from other brands of imaginative literature in attempting to create it, foster it and encourage it.
But until a sufficently clear definition, like the above, is adopted, "science fiction" will remain a label for marketing and advertising, unworthy of the enterprise it describes.
ok lets put one show per page, how fracking stupid can they be, just show us the lamo list you retards!
If you reply, do so only to what I explicitly wrote. If I didn't write it, don't assume or infer it.
Giving Star Trek #1 is like giving Smells like Teen Spirit number one on any music countdown. It's not the best song ever written, nor is it really anyone's favorite. It's only there because it was a standard..
If every "N Greatest Whatevers" list instead said "N Great Whatevers", it would be way more honest, way more accurate, and would generate way less controversy. (People would still say "I can't believe X isn't on the list", but it would have more the tenor of "how weird that these people don't like X that much" rather than "this list is totally not authoratative since it doesn't have X". Yes, the list isn't authoratative. It's just an opinion. Stop posting to slashdot telling us it's not authoratative because it doesn't have X.)
This is true even when N=1, say Time's Man of the Year (or of the Century, and s/man/person/ as preferred). It's the opinion of Time's editor. I once participated in a conversation where people were debating who should be the Person of the Century. That's totally fine, and it's great if they can marshall arguments about why somebody was more important than someone else. But, guess what, when Time finally announces their choice, that doesn't make you right. That just means that a bunch of opinionated S.O.B.s happened to have the same opinion as you. Accurately predicting Time's choice is way less interesting than having actual knowledge and opinions about the nominees.
Then you've got omissions like "Farscape", "Blake's 7", "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy", "Star Cops", "The Tomorrow People", "Smallville", "UFO", "Crusade", "Captain Scarlet" (old or new version), "The Incredible Hulk", "The Invaders", "Lexx", "Red Dwarf" amd "VR.5". Are seriously telling me that "Batman", "Lost In Space", "The Jetsons" and "Logan's Run" are better than all of those?
It's a pathetic list if you think about it - cooked up by someone with no knowledge of TV science-fiction (woefully lacking in non-US shows as well - I count only 3, yes three, from the UK). Even the most novice list compiler would check another list on another site as a reference point - for example, why didn't they go to tv.com's large alphabetical list of "all science-fiction shows" (no, it's not all of them, but it's a reasonable starting point)
That's my opinion - I definitely prefer Firely over Star Trek.
...
Also for me Smallville was a great show and it did not get on the list
It's MUCH better than Xena which ranked 12.
Now this list is seriously flawed if not for:
More subjective, the order is warped and not from this planet.
Where's Earth 2?!? Shame it didn't last longer... This list needs some work.
Someone should perhaps tell them the differences between sci-fi, fantasy, comedy, and drama. Seriously, Xena? While a decent fantasy show, it hardly qualifies as science fiction by any stretch of the imagination. Just the fact that the author(s) seemed to have no idea what constitutes science fiction is enough to invalidate the entire thing for me. Better luck next time.
Us Brits were just lucky I guess. Blake's 7 was the ultimate anti-Star Trek. Here Blake and his dubious crew of criminals and freedom fighters/terrorists took on the all-powerful Big-Brother-esque Federation.
In the first episode our hero is set up as a post mind-wipe former rabble rouser that witnesses the mass murder of a secret meeting of dissidents. The authorities have him set up as a child molester, destroy him and his reputation and then ship him off to a penal colony (after having his lawyer and the lawyer's wife killed off because they were getting in the way).
Dark enough for you? That's just the first episode. Written by Terry Nation, mind behind the better Doctor Who stories amongst many other things, this series has all the depth and tension that you could possibly hope for. Of course the special effects look very dated and they seemed to find every last disused quarrry and scrap of wasteland left in England to film in.
Even if you're not much of a sci-fi fan, I highly recommend it.
When "fantasy" and "science" are both used to blob together a whole genre, it's no wonder people think ID and evolution have equal merits and should be taught together.
...but I think Babylon 5 should have been left off. I'm sick and tired of "tough guy/girl" scifi. If the future is populated by assholes who would rather "kick ass" than apply intellect to solving a problem, then I really would rather hope all sentient beings nuke themselves before then. We should all be striving for intellectual perfection and the abandonment of all violence, selfishness and greed. That's why the best of the Star Trek series (TOS, TNG and Voyager) are happily on the list. The one abberation is DS9. Too much strife and war. And "tough guy/gal" antics. I can't stand that shit. The world isn't made of people who "kick ass".
-"...bad old ideas look confusingly fresh when they are packaged as technology" - Jaron Lanier (Digital Maoism on Edge.o
Come on! Hehe :)
Old men in baby carraiges? The birth of "shazbot"? Travelling through space in a giant egg?
You all know you watched it. And enjoyed it. And think fondly back upon it. Sure beats the hell out of Buffy.
Glad to see Quantum Leap in the mix, though
What happened to these two, starring Patrick McGoohan?
Maybe this show is too new, but Chalie Jade is great and must be included in this to 50.
i ler.mov
It's a Canada/South Africa production.
Preview : http://www.charliejade.com/multimedia/video/CJtra
Web site : http://www.charliejade.com/
Take a look.
no DS9...futurama in 41st place....voyager all the way up to 14... but luckily they did some things right too... no farscape. the reason they didn't include farscape? probably that episode where john imagines he is going "insane" and sees everybody as cartoon characters (read: lame)
it may have not been american but it sure as hell was better than some on that list!!! I loved red dwarf
With one show listed per page, and surrounded by ads, this is a click troll. Somewhere, somebody is getting pay per click payments for this turkey.
...is Sci-Fi.
An alien from an advanced civilization who's planet (Krypton) was destroyed comes to earth as a child and exibits extrodinary strength and superhuman powers.
He grows up to become a hero, and a guardian of truth and justice...saving the earth and it's people many times over both from themselves and from other superhuman and outworldly enemies.
In some versions of the story, Superman has some of Krypton's tech to rely on....see the Fortress of Solitude.
Sounds like pretty reasonable Sci-Fi to me.
If you think of Batman's story, it starts off as more of a drama..really a sad story but it quickly incorporates Sc-Fi elements. I'd definitly consider it to be Sci-Fi on it's own...more so that Batman often crosses over with Superman.
wbs.
Huh?
17? 17? Aw crap. More people need to see this show. And even more people need to go see Serenity http://serenitymovie.com/
Fritz Lang's 1927 Metropolis. Probably the best science fiction movie in history.
Sig: I stole this sig.
10:25PM GMT: TFA has been declared "a joke" by unanimous consensus of the /. community.
Nothing to see here, folks... Move along, move along...
Arguing about vi versus Emacs is like arguing whether it's better to make fire by rubbing sticks or banging rocks.
Red Dwarf wasn't even mentioned! Whoever came up with this list is a complete and utter smeghead.
Invader Zim!!! It features a hostile alien force trying to destroy our planet, but get this, he's the star!! And we're meant to identify with him! It may just be a cartoon, but it explores more areas of science fiction that half of that list combined. Oh and Spaced, while technically not a real science-fiction series, again more seriously discusses the human condition in an imaginitive context than, well, again half of what's on Boston.com's list.
I just loved Sliders, but after a few seasons alot of characters got replaced or died. :(
Eventually Quin Mallory himself got replaced or died (I forgot, sorry), and the show just went on without him... After that the show just wasnt as good as before
What I hate the most is when an already introduced character just gets replaced with a different actor without any reason, I mean do you really think the viewers wont notice!? I'm not sure if it was the case with Sliders, but ive seen it in alot of TV shows.
Missing option:
Space Above and Beyond - there is a thread up higher
The Singularity is closer than you think
Quant
firefly deserved at least 2 or 3 places higher :( nonetheless, it's still quite impressive, considering how short-lived it was... =0
"The Jetsons" makes the list, but DS9 doesn't? What kind of crack did these guys buy from CowboyNeal?
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
Let me just say how happy I am that "Mystery Science Theater 3000" made the top 10. It was, and still is, my favorite TV show of all time, and I've felt that it's always been underappreciated. I always thought it was brilliant. Hopefully though, thanks to efforts like the MST3K Digital Archive Project, it will have some life for some time. Also, there's quite a few torrents available.
Its a fav of mine. Seriously, looking at this list, dont they realize how badly all of the earlier show hold up? I mean they are embarrasingly bad. Buck Rodgers? Hey, I was as big a fan of Erin Gray in a tight jumpsuit as anyone, but they play it late on Scifi and it is bad. really really bad. Here's my list of 'you will be in pain watching these': 47. 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' (makes comic books look well written- oh and 'Hawk!') 40. 'The Thunderbirds' (does not hold up well) 38. 'Batman' (okay as a comedy) 36. 'The Bionic Woman' (actuallly thought this was better the 6M$Man) 35. 'Battlestar Galactica' (Original) (saw the 'beings of light' episodes recently- w/patrick mckneeewww) 33. 'Lost In Space' 29. 'The Six Million Dollar Man' (answered the immortal question: whats up with bigfoot?) 24. 'Wonder Woman' (really really embarresing) 16. 'Flash Gordon' 15. 'Logan's Run'
I dont do meaning of life questions.
It also happened to be a bit comedic and sappy at times! ;)
No! It's a *SIG*. Keep the Special Interest Groups away! (Con joke!)
...but at least it made the cut. That was one of our favorite shows. Too bad only a few others on the planet appreciated it too.
Two glaring omissions: Blake's 7, and DS9--two classics that certainly merit recogintion.
My mom always said, "Jim, you're 1 in a million." Given the current population, there are 7000 of me. God help us all!
This isn't really a story; its just a bunch of blurbs about show plots with actually no commentary whatsoever. I clicked through fifty pages of that nonsense hoping to find some meat to it, but I hath been led down a path of ad impressions and wasted time. From now on I'm boycotting all thigns Boston, except when the Sox play the Yankees, and then only to root for the Yankees. Thats right Boston.com, I said go Yankees.
On a slightly more relevent note, I just marathoned like seven episodes of the new Battlestar Galactica on my DVR, and I think it might actually be the best show on TV, including those edgy shows on cable where they show boobies. Its that good.
Andromeda at 22? Someone actually expects us to beleive Andromeda is better than Earth Final Conflict, Buffy, Angel, or Futurama?
ADVENTURERS! - ANTIHERO FOR HIRE - CARDMASTER CONFLICT
They put Batman and Superman in, but miss "The 4400"?
Bleh.
This list just got totally discredited...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088591/
The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
what tard decided this flamebait deserved a +4 insightful for fuck's sake??!?!?
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Blakes 7
The Time Machine
Farscape
Space: Above and Beyond
This show, more than anything else, caused me to pursue a career in engineering. The whole idea that science and engineering could restore a man who lost two legs, an arm and an eye to full function convinced me that the way for me to make a difference in the world was to learn how to design electronics and robotics. I'll admit that 30 years later, we still haven't created technology equal to that depicted on the show, but that doesn't change my opinion that the only way to improve the human condition is through intelligent application of engineering.
I am not a crackpot.
Generally, Voyager seems to be unfavourably compared to DS9, and rightly so in my opinion. I realise that opinions differ, but to have Voyager at 14th, and DS9 judged not good enough for the top 50, is a travesty.
Farscape should have been in the top 10, but it wasn't even in the top 50. What idiot made this list? DS9 has no place in the list whatsoever, so they at least got that right. It was a total ripoff of B5, and a pale shadow of B5 at that. (In fact, JMS pitched B5 to Paramount originally. They said "not interested", then put out DS9 on their own.) Voyager barely belongs on the list. A lot of the crap on the list is pure camp or not even sci-fi. Given some of the garbage they've included, I have to wonder why they skipped Mork From Ork?
Oh yeah, where's Blakes 7?
Deep Space 9 and Farscape, but also The Prisoner and Sapphire and Steel.
:)
Also, I suppose it was unavoidable to have a list focuse on English-language productions, but I would NEVER leave out Raumpatrouille, a superb German series from the sixties.
I would also remember Star Maidens, although I might not put it among the best 50...
The list doesn't make sense, because it includes fantasies such as Xena, and spy dramas such as The Avengers and The Man from UNCLE, neither of which can by any stretch of the imagination be categorized as science fiction. Even including the X-Files is pushing it. Buffy (great show) doesn't belong on the list either. Right now, I've got to go to work, so I don't have time to pick apart this list. But, since that would be a waste of time anyway, I'm better off.
Make your own list. It doesn't have to be good enough, for anyone else but you.
Besides, B5 is better than Star Trek.
144l. ph34r my 133t l3g4l 5k1lz!
A lot of this will be echoing the comments of others, but here are my gripes. . .
I don't see how some of these shows even remotely qualify as science fiction. I mean. . . Xena? Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman? Buffy? Tales from the Crypt? Weeding these out, even if it meant reducing the list to a top-30 list, would have given us something more focused.
I would also weed out "anthology" shows just on principle, like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and even Mystery Science Theater 3000 (cool tho it was).
For another thing, I don't understand what the criteria for ranking the shows could be. As somebody else said. . . Farscape may not be the best SF show ever, but it definitely belongs somewhere in the list. I would even put Planet of the Apes above some that are on the list. At times they seem to be picking out good-but-overlooked shows (i.e. Sliders, Logan's Run), but other times they seem to be following the guideline of mass popularity.
Futurama should definitely be ranked WAY higher than 41.
Looking at this, I'm reminded of just what a science fiction wasteland TV is. It's very hard to bring science fiction to TV successfully for a number of reasons. The economics are against it, for one thing, due to the cost of sets, props, special effects. It's much cheaper to produce another cop show, or another sitcom, or another reality show.
Another problem is that most TV SF is produced by TV people who aren't really into science or science fiction, aren't familiar with SF literature, and they are reaching for a mass market who largely share those same traits. It's not made by SF fans and it's not aimed at SF fans.
Add to that, TV is not a medium well suited to getting across complicated explanations. Time is constrained, extended dialog is often considered tiresome, and you can't afford to lose a bunch of viewers just because they missed an episode or two. Therefore most TV shows have to stick with the familiar (and tired) concepts that their viewers already understand.
And the result is, a list of SF movies would produce far more gold than a list of TV series, and a list of great SF novels would have even more potential than a list of movies.
Absolutely - but who in their wrong mind could rank The Outer Limits # 13, behind even such garbage as Xena and Flash Gordon? TOL was almost the only real SF on the whole list besides the Twilight Zone! Space operas and open-ended "series" are ALL crap if you plug in your frontal lobes. Mere entertainment, sometimes with belabored pretentions to serious thought - but that's all.
"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?" - Patrick Henry
no thanks. torrents, please.
I hope I didn't brain my damage.
Why nerds have yet to take over the world:
They were too busy arguing over what sci-fi. Especially Star Trek.
One thing about BSG is the effortless casting of women in numerous powerful roles. President Ross is a middle aged woman with terminal breast cancer. The toughest good guy is Kara Thrace, a female. The toughest bad guy is #6, a female Cylon. The traitorous Boomer is female Cylon. Katy Sakhoff (Kara Thrace, callsign Starbuck) is simply an amazing. Imho.
Fry got the shaft - no way 'The Thunderbirds', and BSG TOS should be rated higher than Futurama
It is better to be the hammer than the anvil.
A man wakes up on an island with total amnesia, but with an encyclopedic knowledge of everything else. He uses his abilities to solve crimes... while he tries to discover who he is. It was on FOX at the same as Firefly.... ran one season... and was cancelled AFTER a really intriguing 1st season cliffhanger. It was a real shame as it was a great show. It would have been nice to have some sort of closure...
My first post was marked Troll by a thoughtless mod. Instant Bad Karma.
A lot of what Filmation made sucked, but The New Adventures Of Flash Gordon (first season) was the best sci-fi they ever made.
There was more story line in the opening sentence of episode 1 of Babylon 5 than all of the new Galactica combined.
SG-1 and Babylon 5 are the two best sci-fi series EVER. Oh well, at least they placed in the top ten...
--- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
They must have some really good shit up there in Boston. No Farscape? No DS9? And the new BSG better than TNG. Not to mention all the non-sf shows in their best sf shows of all time list.
Now, I'm not trying to start a flame-war here, but I have a serious question: What is it about the new BSG that everybody loves so much? I don't mean critics, I mean regular eight-sided-die-owning, j. random geeks. Seriously, I really want to know. I really want to like it, but I just can't get into it.
Maybe it's just that it's shot in Zapruder-Vison. I understand the reasoning for the hand-held camera look, I just don't like it. Especially in the space battle scenes.
So please, somebody out there, one of "us", explain the new BSG to me.
P.S. God help me, but I'm gonna burn my karma here in the hopes that I'll get a real answer.
Does the name "The Village" mean anything to you?
Maybe you should take some time and re-watch "The Chimes of Big Ben".
EVERYTHING in that series was tied back to society and how many of the people in charge were directly tied to the people running The Village.
You should also re-watch the first episode so you can listen for the phrase "serve my new masters".
In that series, society was shaped by the people who used the technology to convert/control other people who then moved into positions of authority in regular society.
Number 37
'Space 1999'
When the moon gets pulled out of orbit in 1999, astronauts on Moon Base Alpha are pulled into space with it. Led by the valiant Commander Walter Koenig (played by Martin Landau)....
It was just a cross section of genre shows a good share were either a stretch to call scifi or were outright fantasy. Alot of actual good shows were ignored where as some of the worst shows ever made it well up into the list. The list order also seemed random other than maybe the top ten and even then some ranked higher than they should have. Very bad, like I say pointless, list.
Number 27: 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'
Number 12: 'Xena: Warrior Princess'
Xena better than Buffy? Both sci-fi?
They don't even give a nod to greatest-trek-of-all-time DS9, so I don't know about this list
the article says:
Number 5 'Babylon 5' 'Babylon 5' is arguably one of the best sci-fi shows ever made. Some may compare it to 'Star Trek DS-9' but with a better plot and cast - you be the judge. In the meantime, we'll give 'Babylon 5'; a thumbs up showing in the No. 5 spot.
That could be a nod and maybe a nod & a wink.
This is just stuff off the top of my head. I'm sure others can come up with other examples.
-- $SIGNATURE
MST3K in the top 10? Please, do not get me wrong on this. I love Crow and Tom like they are my own children, I watched religiously, I have shirts, posters, laser discs and DVDs.... But in the top 10? It's not even sci-fi but we may as well skip that concept altogether or we would be looking at the top 20 list if we discounted all the crap in there.
And to have Twilight Zone at a (imho) lowly 7. If anything Zone should have been #2 at least, I can give merit to the social implications of ST:TOS but Zone is where it's at. While not always sci-fi based it had tons of great sci-episodes and it gave writers that would have gained little more than a "pulp" standing a mainstream outlet.
Speaking of TZ, where the fuck is Night Gallery? If Xena is more sci-fi than NG I'll bite my own ass not to mention that again NG was also another great outlet for fringe writers to make it to the TVs and minds of the viewing public.
I don't even want to mention stuff like Lexx, Seaquest, Red Dwarf... these people need to pull their heads out of their asses.
I would even go as far as to mention Cosmos since Sagan had conjecture about scenerios involving life beyond this planet. Certainly more sci-fi than the fucking Jetsons.
Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
> Will they drive off into the ditch along
/. recently I've finally found some decent sci-fi in Firefly.
> the way and never get to the conclusion
They are already driving into the ditch, this started off as one of the best remakes I've ever seen, but the new episodes are dropping so much bollocks on the veiwer it's not funny anymore. Take the last episode I saw, you can't tell who's a cylon, they x-ray etc the same way humans do, but the viewer is expected to belive that Sharon can cut herself, poke a fibre optic cable up her arm, and read and write data down it and save the fleet? c'mon, i'm about done with it, thanks to the hubub made on
Only aired two episodes, but they were good. Google search for Harsh Realms
Before I part with'em: two pennies weigh ~4.996+/-0.014g, have a zinc core, and the face of Lincoln. You can keep 'em.
Like most of the intended audience for this article and subsequent discussion, I thought I wasn't going to have anything to do tonight (Saturday).
Slashdot and Boston.com to the rescue!
Bush is a cylon.
I already raved once, I know. I'm looking more for how people feel about a fine show but I'm cautious to call it sci-fi....
That show is, of course, In Search Of. Spock was kicking out the old campfire yarns about every unexplained event ever. To even hear the theme music today would send a chill down my spine. But is it sci-fi? I'd just like to hear some thoughts since the show hasn't been mentioned (I think).
Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
That show could possibly be my favorite sci-fi series yet, even better than the new Battlestar... Did anyone watch it through? It had some of the deepest content about real dilemnas that would be faced by a society with futuristic technology that I've ever seen. Admittedly, I haven't seen many anime series, but that one really struck me as amazing. They had Futurama, Thunderbirds, and several mini-series, so I'm not sure why anime would be ruled out, either.
They must be outta they're frelling heads...Farscape is one of the most original, well written sci-fi shows of the last decade. It was waaaay ahead of "Voyager" and its "temporal anomaly of the week" storylines and I would go so far as to say its as good as or even better than DS9. As for the new BSG being #2 on the list, that seems pretty fair, although I think a few years from now, we'll remember it as being number one.
WTF? The show was trash. More than half the time the "alternate earths" were so implausible as to shetter suspension of disbelief within the first 10 minutes. Sample plot synopsis: "a parallel earth where all is the same as now...only there's no medicines". That's right, identical except for lack of antibiotics and such. I wanted to suggest reading Connections by James Burke to the genius who wrote that episode (plus smack him in the head). Good science fiction it wasn't.
If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
No Sapphire & Steel? This list sucks.
Da Blog
Ensign Ro Laren was from TNG, not DS9. Apparently she was considered for DS9, but the actress turned it down so the producers modified the role and turned it into Kira Nerys, another strong female sci-fi character.
a list without Farscape and the 4400 where even Xena came in.. forget it.
exit();
Episode 1 introduces the balloon-like Rover, guardian of the Village. No technology like it existed then or now. Later in the episode, #6 is given an "electropass" which, by inferrance, amounts to a low range wireless transmitter, which emits a "key" signal to Rover, telling it to ignore the bearer. This is not dissimilar to current technologies which didn't exist in 1967 (such as bluetooth or WiFi).
Episode 3 (A B & C) features "dream viewing" technology, something far beyond the grasp of even current technology.
Episode 5 (The Schizoid Man) mentions and Episode 6 (The General) features an advanced AI in charge of predicting complex social patterns and forming brainwashing strategies. It is presented as being capable of answering any question, with the exception of one, insoluble by man nor machine.
Episode 6 also features a concept called "speed-learn," a process by which a person can quickly absorb large amounts of information via a television broadcast. It is presented as giving a full 9-week class in the space of 30 seconds.
Episode 12 (A Change of Mind) fatures a non-invasive form of neurosurgery, using highly focused soundwaves. Although the device is not used on #6, its functionality is demonstrated. Technology such as this did not exist in 1967, and likely does not exist now.
Episode 14 (Living in Harmony) features a combination of hallucinogenic drugs and audio stimuli which produces an impossible effect with any known drugs.
Many elements within the series are used frequently, including implied mind-control rays/beams/lights/sounds which induce instant paralysis, the precise location of The Village, and the unknown function of the teeter-totter device.
And if the final episode (Fall Out) takes place in this universe, I want to know how.
Happiness is relative, Based upon the way we live.
Space 1999 is the second most psychedelic TV series I've ever seen, (#1 being the Prisoner of course). Planets were typically orange, green, yellow, or pink, and the worst the aliens could do was make the crew have some bad hallucinatory trip. Way cool!
"In our tactical decisions, we are operating contrary to our strategic interest."
What about "The Time Tunnel"? The list has "Quantum Leap" and QL is simply an updated TTT. Both were pretty much the same thing except QL overlayed a social commentary on the time jumps that TTT didn't.
Uh, try John Koenig. And Andromeda as 22! These guys must be on crack!
Silicon & Charybdis McLuhan Kildall Papert Kay
The list also missed "One Step Beyond",
a late 1950's series with new Sci-Fi stories
each week. Predated the 1st "The Outer Limits"
with many, but not all, shows as good as the best from that series.
A lot of the shows on the list aren't science fiction. I'm glad to see Star Trek as the number one show though.
9 782/salvage1.html
Here's one they missed. It was far ahead of its time, and a lot of people still remember it, even though they never reran it!
Salvage One - Its about a salvage company that launched rockets into space to salvage old satelightes, and they always broke into NASA computers with a modem before launch to get the data they needed - which may be the first depiction of online hacking - security cracking on TV. It starred Andy Griffith and was made in the late 70s.
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/
How the hell does babylon5 beat sg1? BS. Stargate is the top 9th most searched word in isohunt.
The human race is artificial intelligence created using object orientated programming.
Let me throw The Starlost onto your list. Earthship Ark has got to be the largest vessel built by humans on any TV show.
"I'm not impatient. I just hate waiting." - My Dad
The list isn't terrible, there are some great shows in there that I'd forgotten about: Sliders, at least the first few seasons of it, Alien Nation, Babylon 5, MST3K), but Stargate: Atlantis? I liked the original series basically only because of Richard Dean Anderson, but Atlantis has just got nothing. It's like comparing CSI and CSI:Miami, the former has great characters in fairly improbable situations, the latter has a bunch of dull characters in poorly-written, completely improbably situations. They also kill a lot more people in both Atlantis and CSI:Miami, I guess that's supposed to make the show more exciting. Also Farscape missing is a crime.
Dr Who is only a number 8? This list, needs to be bombed and the person who wrote it needs to be tortured- the worst punishment is watching 24 hours, back-to-back episodes of the Simple Life...
Funnily enough, I think that's the first think Zonk has said or done which I wholeheartedly applaud ;)
I've always liked UFO although it hasn't been broadcast recently.
It'd probably suck if I were to watch it today (much like Get Smart and Quark.
Those of you who are less than 30 years old have been spoiled.
It's good to be a geek and to be able to argue about this.
Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
Farscape should have been in the top 10, AT LEAST. On *my* list it would be number one. I am glad to see MST3K, Twilight Zone, and ST:TOS made the list.
While we're remembering British shows, let's not forget UFO, a short-lived show that aired about the time of Space 1999. Pretty decent sci-fi. I believe there are still people trying to revive it.
You forgot to mention X-Files, which they ranked above Babylon 5, even, in the number four spot. That was fantasy, damn it. You can call it post-modern fantasy if you want, but it doesn't change the fact that Carter et al. had no gorram clue what The Truth actually was, so that the mytharc turned to shit by season six.
(Daren Morgan, however, was still fuckin' brilliant.)
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
Whaaa-waaaa--wwwwaaattt?????
no Salvage, Blue Thunder, Airwolf, Knight Rider, Automan, Max Headroom or The Prisoner????
// TODO: Insert Cool Sig
What about Now and Again?
Xena is not sci-fi.
Stargate Atlantis is okay, but every other episode is a "look we're in the jungle and have no technology" episode
I don't know who these people think they are, trying to make money. They should get with the new times and give everything away.
Slashdot - where whining about luck is the new way to make the world you want.
Chris Carter's Millenium ranks in my top 10 list of best Sci-Fi shows that I have seen. Lance Henriksen does an incredible job and the show had some of most powerful moments I have ever seen on any type of screen (the plague scene where Lance takes his daughter and his wife up to a cabin in the woods to wait it out - still send shivers down my body). so basically, WTF!
where the hell is Lexx? it makes my top 50 easily so does
Time Tunnel, Land of The Giants and The Invaders
There are a bunch of good SciFi series out there that far outranks some of the ones that made the top 50 -
I love Linda Carter as Wonder Woman, but give me a break as SciFi it does not even rate a number IMHO !
gimme a momment, I'll fix that definition to suit ME!
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
Babylon 5 was not a soap opera. Babylon 5 was a story.
It was also called Babble on 5. Blah, Blah, Blah........
Dood ... they missed one of the very best skiffy shows EVAR, Kolchak: The Night Stalker . X-Files creator Chris Carter cites Kolchak as key inspiration ... run down the five-DVD set, turn off the lights, and prepare to be creeped out, starting with the scariest theme song in the history of TV.
I clicked through the whole 50 just to make sure that Lexx wasn't in the list.
dnuof eruc rof aixelsid
I guess that makes Peabody's Improbable History also sci fi.
I never saw the allure of sliders. Sure, it had a good premise but the execution was terrible. It was, lets face it, poorly acted, poorly shot, and consisted of cheap sets. Either the characters weren't fleshed out or the actors couldnt pull it off. I remember thinking this show could breakthrough to the mainstream if it had more drama and was simply better made. Instead of improving on the first two seasons Fox and Scifi pretty much gave it a slow and ugly death.
I wouldnt mind seeing a better production team try the "elseworld" game. Perhaps with more allegory.
Yes - lets put the Muppets in there...
dnuof eruc rof aixelsid
Totally agree that Battle Star Galatica is on track to being #1. It is an incredible show. A lot of powerful episodes, especially when they recombined the fleet. That was some great stuff there. Looking forward to what happens with the Pegasus.
It's either on the beat or off the beat, it's that easy.
I moderate therefore I rule!
--
Come on! Wonder Woman, Batman and Two Supermen (None are Sci-Fi AFAIAC) but no Incredible Hulk?
This is completely wack! This person needs their nerd credentials revoked.
--fatboy
Enterprise and Star Trek TOS were the only shows in the genre where people acted like real people instead of one-dimensional politically correct cardboard cutouts. Battlestar Galactica belongs at number 1, but the fact that it actually made it to number 2 on this list was surprising, given the crap that got high rankings.
Vote for Pedro
Science fiction made its broadcast debut long before television. Hundreds of shows have been preserved, largely by the fan community, which thrives now more than ever thanks to mp3s and the Internet. Many shows were scripted by the classic sci-fi authors of the day, or were dramatizations of their published stories. Some are way better than TV.
Related article on sci-fi.com
A few of the many sci-fi/weirdness shows:
2000 Plus
2000 X
Atom Man
Beyond Our Ken
Beyond Midnight
Beyond Tomorrow
Buck Rogers
Ceiling Unlimited
Dark Fantasy
Dimension X
Exploring Tomorrow
The Fifth Horseman
Hall of Fantasy
Inner Sanctum
Journey Into Space
Orbit One Zero
Planet Man
Space Patrol
The Strange Dr. Weird
Superman
Tom Corbett, Space Cadet
The Unexpected
Weird Circle
Witch's Tale
You can't get to #1 without hitting 11 pages. Nice ad impressions there. Better if you hit all 50 pages. Just wanted to hear myself complain out loud. I'm feeling mighty bitchy today and this article just irritated me.
What in the world are they thinking? It's closer to soft-porn than sci-fi.
1) Bash Bush, Fox News, or anything even remotely related to conservatism on slashdot,
2) Get modded +5
3) Profit!
to rant about the ones they left out! I mostly agree with the order, except for a few places...but where are these in the list?
in no particular order:
Red Dwarf: Comic genious, in SPAAACE! The Cat alone deserves to make the list!
Farscape: Better than BSG(new) IMHO, Not #1, but it shoulda been there SOMEWHERE, and higher than BSG(new).
ST: DS9: My LEAST favorite trek series, but still deserves to be on the list. MMMmmmm... Dax.
The Prisoner: I've only seen one episode and it was good enough to make me belive it ought to be on the list.
SeaQuest DSV: Campy writing, but cool SFX and fun to watch. Definately better than Flash Gordon, but not better than The Thunder Birds.
Logan's Run: Oh, wait! They included it, cool!
UFO: Space 1999, The ThunderBirds, but no UFO? balls.
Thats My 2 cents.
A Call For A New Slashdot Moderation Level!
Nuff said.
And where's The Starlost???
I cannot believe that they missed the prisoner... How many of these shows have their own society that meets where the series was filmed... How many series can still blow your mind the way that #6 and his fellow prisoners did...
oh well
I'd put CSI up there - all their evidence gathering & sleuthing uses science & some form of logic reasoning. Add in the fictional characters and plots & you get Science Fiction. Oh, and it is entertaining - a big plus!
Since when are comic book adaptations considered sci-fi? Superman, Batman, Lois and Clark, and Wonder Woman? If any comic book adaptations made the list, it should have been the animated X-men series or The Incredible Hulk. At least, David Banner was a scientist. Also, where the heck is Quantum Leap? Another show with a scientist. I also echo the outcry about omitting Red Dwarf (should have made top ten) and Blake 7. Also, the more recent version of The Outer Limits was actually better in many ways than the original. Overall, the list is pretty lame.
Or maybe it was a typo: we all make mistakes when it's been a long day. His fingers reached for TNG, but some strange cosmic force changed it to DS9. Obviously this was in error. Can an admin go up and fix that please?
-Vendal Thornheart
...or clueless slashdot readers who are politically brainwashed.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I agree there's no particular reason for the strong characters to be male in sci-fi, but there are plenty of examples of strong female characters in recent shows. I'd extend your list somewhat:
Babylon 5 Ivanova (possibly the best female character in sci-fi ever) Delenn Elizabeth Lochley Star Trek + spin-offs Kira Nerys Kathryn Janeway Firefly Pretty much the whole female cast SG-1 + Atlantis Sam Carter Elizabeth Weir BSG (the new one) Starbuck Dr Who Rose TylerThose are the first few that come to mind, all of them not just strong female characters, but main fixtures of the biggest sci-fi series in recent years.
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
So, it's a list about Sci-Fi, and they put "Wild Wild Wild West" and "Xena: Warrior Princess". Sorry guys, those aren't Sci-fi. Ones a western. The other's fantasy. And "Lost"... that's a drama. Likewise, "Hitchiker" was horror, as was "Tales from the Crypt." "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," was... well... crap, but it too is horror/creature feature. I'll give you pass on "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." for its science elements, but "Nowhere Man" belongs nowhere on this list.
Meanwhile, no "Farscape", no "Lexx". "ST:DS9" and "ST:Enterprise" get punked. Where's "Space: Above and Beyond"? "Seaquest DSV"?
This is what happens when journalists, armed with not a clue but an uncanny ability to search the IMDB, try to write an article.
I think of pro wrestlers as live-action stuntmen.
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
Gary Gnu would be sad at that.
I'm pro-accordion and I vote
The authors of that list had better keep a close eye on their cats.
eg.
The Tomorrow People
Sapphire and Steel
I was completely shocked by that list when I got up to number 2, obviously Star Trek was going to be 1, and they left The Prisoner off. Allowing for varying tastes, that should be top five on any SF fan's list (I figured it for one or two). Also, echoing what has been said elsewhere, I'll take DS9 over voyager, and both over some of what is in 25-50 (though both the Bionic Woman and Six Million Dollar Man are a little underrated). Max Hedroom, Blakes 7, Red Dwarf and Mork and Mindi should also edge some of that stuff out (at 15ish, 40ish, 4, 20ish for my personal rankings of those). Dr Who being 7 was also disappointing. Should be top five, expecially given what was...
There was another BBC comedy, that would float in the 45-50 range of my personal top fifty, that had the lady that played Mrs Slocumb accidentally (?) launched into space that was somewhat funny. Anyone recognise it from that? Takeoff on an children's novel that also escapes me where some woman goes to mars (Mrs Pickrell or something like that?).
Because everybody has their different tastes. However, there are some things that are perhaps a bit more possible to make objective, and that's worth getting even voted opinions on.
In particular, it's often clear with SF/Fantasy shows that sometimes we have a show that "gets" the genre, and sometimes we have a show that is hollywood people doing SF. In both cases you can have better and worse. After all there are good non-SF hollywood people and they can make good SF from time to time, but sometimes they will just throw in something that is plain stupid, and shows that they don't understand SF.
Shows that get the genre can also vary in quality, but in this case it will be more a question of the usual variations of quality. And when they are excellent, they will be the best.
To make a top 50 list, a show should have few episodes that make you turn away in disgust, and also have many excellent shows. There are shows on this list (and shows I have seen people claim as favourites) that don't make this cut, and thus we will argue.
Has it been over a year since you last donated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Sliders?
List invalidated.
And its spiritual follower, "Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." was even more so.
I do agree Xena isn't. It's clearly fantasy, not Sci-Fi, not that that means much really.
Lost is a borderline case. There is dramatic Sci-Fi, and if you read the stuff on the next of what people have figured out (I recommend you don't, BTW, it spoils it), it's probably Sci-Fi.
Lexx sucked. Not sure why people keep calling for that. Hell, "Cleopatra 2525" was better than Lexx and I wouldn't put it on the list either.
Dark Angel sucked too, how that made the list, I dunno.
What a mess this list is.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
My good ole Mozilla extensions must be blocking that tripe well.
Nothing but content on my LCD, baby.
They stuck in a lot of shows that are hard to justify as true sci-fi, or are hard to explain other members of the franchise if they are (Xena at 12 but Hercules nowhere on the list at all, when several members of the Trek franchise made the list, showing it's not about only one to a franchise). A show like That Was Then makes the list of 50 best, but they left out so many others, including Time Tunnel, Land of Giants, Men in Space, even the obvious classic The Invaders. Nowhere Man made the list but Menenium did not, nor did Harsh Realm, but I keep coming back to see that That Was Then is in the list, and not even in the bottom 10. It wouldn't take long to come up with a couple dozen other shows that much more deserve to be on this list than many of the choices that they came up with. It would have been better titled "50 Sci-fi shows I can list without much thinking and write a small blurb on each to get a paycheck", the intent sure wasn't to really come up with a list of the 50 best sci-fi shows by any standard.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
I think the point is that by the standards of the list itself the Prisoner would have to be on the list long before (and much higher rated) than The Man From Uncle or Wild Wild West. Personally I wouldn't include any of these shows in a Sci-fi list, but to include the ones they did and leave out The Prisoner makes no sense at all.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
I didn't think of it, someone else on here did.
But it's clearly worthy. Go back and watch it. Some episodes did suck a bit, but overall, the show was incredibly foresightful about the growth of the news media and television in general.
Edison Carter: "Since when is news entertainment?"
his editor: "Since the beginning."
And definitely "The Time Tunnel" would have to be mentioned before you even think of "Sliders".
If "Man from U.N.C.L.E", "The Avengers" and "The Prisoner" make it because of gadgets, then "Get Smart" should be there too. It had way more gadgets.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
Honestly, was it too hard for them to check IMdB for the little details?
FTFA: Space: 1999 - Led by the valiant Commander Walter [sic] Koenig (played by Martin Landau).
I mean, really... I suppose I'm expecting too much from modern "journalists".
You can't take the sky from me!
was a good show, and I think Star Trek, TNG, X Files, and B5 are at the top of MY list....
This list is a joke designed to get people to eyeball ads on Boston.com.
I like the new Battlestar Galactica, but there is now way that it is in the same leagues as Babylon 5 and the original Trek.
The top five should read:
1) Star Trek: Original Series
2) Babylon 5
3) Star Trek: The Next Generation
4) Farscape
5) The X Files
Deep Space Nine belong in the top 15--it really got better toward the end when they started using story arcs. If Buffy counts as SF, it should be moved up, along with Futurama. It's downright bizarre that The Prisoner is left off the list. It belongs in the top ten too.
People will always come up with different lists, but the folks who created this list have a shallow familiarity with science fiction.
The main problem with sliders happened towards the end.
When sci-fi picked it up it suddenly had to have a solid and specific enemy. So they made goofy looking nazi's to hate.
I always liked the idea that anyone could die in the series and be replaced with another one of themselves from a slightly alternate reality.
"You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours." -- Yogi Berra
I actually agree that the article is flame-bait. Take the description from Babylon-5. Babylon-5 is #5, the article states that it can be compared to DS9 and 'arguably' with better plot/characters. That being the case DS9 should be there somewhere. Disclaimer: Love B5, didn't think much of any Trek. Personally I think if those guys had seen the new Dr. Who then that would be a few places higher.
...both the one where they went to Gamelon (sp?) and battled the Comet Empire. It was Babylon: Crusade before Crusade! ;)
I set my VCR to record this episode last night, but for some reason it aired an hour earlier than usual.
Be seeing you!
From the Babylon 5 entry: "Some may compare it to 'Star Trek DS-9' but with a better plot and cast - you be the judge." I am no fan of DS9, but I would never compare even my worst enemy unfavorably to Babylon 5! Bleh!
This was a great British show that was syndicated on Nickelodeon when I was a kid... ok, maybe it really sucked and I am really just remember it was childish nostalgia. I don't know, but at the very least I thought that someone should bring it up.
Nevermind the fact that they left off a lot of really good shows (Farscape, DS9, etc.) and put some really good shows behind other crappy ones (Xena?), it's their OPINION of the 50 best Sci-Fi shows yet.
What they really did wrong though, is that over half of the entries were missing air dates, another couple only had the beginning air date. For Doctor Who they didn't even mention that there's a really great new season that just aired. They didn't point out that for e.g. in Earth Final Conflict, William Boone was replaced in the second season and the replacement played for 4 seasons. Some summaries were utterly short (Futurama for one) and others were almost full blown reviews.
[Nitpicking] How much trouble would have been involved in porviding links to the shows' home pages in www.epguides.com or the (evil) www.tv.com. Besides the author could've have gotten most of the information above form those sites really easily. [/Nitpicking]
I'm willing to bet that the author decided to create a list of his top 20-25 Sci-Fi shows and added a few more to not have everybody mad at him for exluding their favourite show. Then he realised that this would take him more than 2 or 3 hours so he decided not to research anything at all, but just o everything from memory.
In case you folks haven't I'll Karma-whore the whole list out.
1) Star Trek (TOS)
2) Battlestar Galactica (new)
3) Star Trek (TNG)
4) X-Files
5) Babylon 5
6) Stargate SG-1
7) The Twilight Zone
8) Dr. Who
9) Mystery Science Theater 3000
10) Sliders
11) Lost
12) Xena: Warrior Pincess
13) The Outer Limits
14) Star Trek (VOY)
15) Logan's Run
16) Flash Gordon
17) Firefly
18) V
19) Dark Angel
20) The Hitchhiker
21) Quantum Leap
22) Andromeda
23) Tales from the Crypt
24) Wonder Woman
25) The Jetsons
26) Stargate Atlantis
27) Buffy the Vampire Slayer
28) Adventures of Superman
29) The Six Million Dollar Man
30) Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
31) Alien Nation
32) My Favorite Martian
33) Lost in Space
34) The Avengers
35) Battlestar Galactica (Original)
36) The Bionic Woman
37) Space 1999
38) Batman
39) The man from U.N.C.L.E
40) The Thunderbirds
41) Futurama
42) Science Fiction Theater
43) Nowhere Man
44) Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
45) The Greatest American Hero
46) That Was Then
47) Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
48) 3rd Rock From the Sun
49) Wild Wild West
50) Earth: Final Conflict
DS9, Earth 2, First Wave, Space Above and Beyond, Crusade, Enterprise, Max Headroom, Farscape they missed some major ones, and included some totally non-scifi ones.
It is no longer uncommon to be uncommon.
and Mork and Mindy?
"Shuzzbut!"
Anybody that thinks star trek and any derivative of it is decent science fiction needs to be shot. Star trek inc was the worst scifi ever made it put a bad light on science fiction and its only recently been shaken. The show was blatently unrealistic, took no account of reality and was the most horrible travesty ever to be broadcasted. The fact that therre are allot of people who are so stupid that they actually liked it is shamefull. Anyone who likes star trek is a moron with no concept of reality and they should be sterilised to ensure that they don't reproduce and polute the gene pool.
Here is my list of the top 10
1) Xfiles
2) milenium
3) space above and beyond
4) Battlestar galactica
5) Farscape
6) Stargate SG1
7) Babylon 5
Im to tired to remember any other shows.
First the person that wrote this list needs to step away from the bong or stop having 6 martini lunchs. For one there is way too many, what I would call "fantasy" or "comic book" titles among the 50. Secondly to miss out on DS9 or Red Dwarf or well the titles have been covered.
But here's an interesting twist. I couldn't help but notice that Battlestar Galactica took 2 spots (#35 & 2), the Bionic Man and Woman each got a place (#36 & 29), Star Trek comes in with 3 shows in the top 50 (#14, #3 & #1..no DS9?????)
And then we see number 8, Dr Who. Which they say it ran from 1963 to 1989. The list totally dissed the new Dr Who (Christopher Eccleston).
But, here's the twist, if Star Trek and the other shows can take multiple spots in the list, (same name, different cast) then Dr. Who should also take multiple spots. Who wouldn't agree that Dr Who (Tom Baker)deserves a top 10 spot on the list. But would you honestly put Dr Who (Peter Davison) in the top 10? Probably not. But I have to remember that this writer included Xena in the top 15. Oh bother!
Boston.com wouldn't know Sci Fi if it beamed into thier tighty whities and gave them a wedgie.
The show was definitely ahead of its time. The writing was brilliant. The acting was brilliant. The story arcs were compelling. It also rewarded the viewer who kept his brain in gear - such as the plague scene you mention. We all see Frank's wife leave the cabin - and that's it. We do not need to see her die because we know she has died. Brilliant directing.
http://one-salient-oversight.blogspot.com/
This just screams out for a list of Top 50 Overrated Sci-Fi Shows. Number one on this list will be Babylon 5. It includes all the essentials ingredients to make it really, really bad: 1) "Intricate plot" is nothing more than the usual space opera crap you once liked in HIGHSCHOOL 2) Bad actors. The biggest problem with most sci-fi shows. They are designed to run say 5 seasons. So you need to sign actors on 5 year contracts. Actors which can, say, act, or actors who have the X-factor like Shatner (note the mutual exclusive here), don't sign these contracts. They want to be available for stuff like movies. Babylon sports a parade of totally bland actors. I don't remember any of them except for blandless. All the new Star Trek etc. series have the same problem. Picard is the only one I remember. I don't wanna watch these bland people each week. 3) Telepaths. Sometime, somewhere, someone decided if you think up a future in a sci-fi series, it surely much sport telepaths. What?? I left highschool long, long ago, take your sorcery and magic elsewhere! This is ridiculous. 4) Cheesiness all over. Cheesy clothing. Cheesy animations. Need I go on? Still it goes on and on here on Slashdot what a great series it is. This is not surprising looking at the horrible crap on this list. Number two on my list, for instance, must be Stargate SG-1. Again, bad, real BAD actors. Boy they're glad they can support the family with their 5 year contracts. But look at this series. It's based on a movie. This movie was a B movie. It was pulp. Good fun, but pulp. It had two good actors, one pulp actor (Russel) but he has the X-factor you'll never see in a sci-fi television series. (This is the first and last time I hail the actor Russel). It's a movie where you can almost hear the moronic Universal (or whatever) producer tell the scriptwriter: "Hmm nice concept, but what about throwing in some Egyptian stuff, duuuude?" So on this crap, they base a tv-series. Which on it's turn gets in the top 10 of all time sci-fi series. So everything under that, must be even worse utter crap? So it's fair to conclude that everything under the original Star Trek is crap. And you know what the original Star Trek is... Look, I was a huge sci-fi fan as a kid and still am, but most stuff is just utter crap, and I can't believe the crap people keep seeing, and even more surprising, hailing, just because they're sci-fi fans? (Movie wise is not much better, just look at the Matrix for instance, which is essentially a stolen mix of Neuromancer vs tech singularity concepts gone bad by cheesy scriptwriting. I can't believe no one ever tells these Matrix fans with their crap ever that the concept of a computer fighting a human by generating characters and have game like fights within computer generated environments and if the human wins, the computer is, like, defeated duuude! is a really, REALLY stupendous concept.)
I have nothing against these shows and there is nothing wrong with them, but from what I could see, these were not Sci-fi, at least to me. These are more categorized as Comedy, Action, Drama, Horror, or Fantasy. Granted, Sci-fi to some extent has these elements in it. But Tales from the Crypt doesnt exactly scream Sci-fi to me.
Now, shows that should of been included: Red Dwarf, Farscape, Lexx, and SeaQuest DSV.
When in doubt mumble, when in trouble delegate -Murphy's Law-
http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Contrib/SciFi/Blakes7/e pisodes.html
I believe actor Gareth Thomas (Blake himself) went AWOL for (at least) the second series due to Royal Shakesperae Company commitments.
And Jacqueline Pearce as Servelan has to be the horniest Sci-Fi woman in the whole of SF TV and cinema history!
No, your children are not the special ones. Nor are your pets.
How is 'Lost' a Sci-Fi Show? ... nevermind. That list is just a Web-Columnist on a budget at work I guess. ... you know the drill. There's nothing like it. When this german TV show ran in the early sixties the street were empty. ;-)
And Raumpatrouille isn't even mentioned.
Raumpatrouille! Yeah!
RÜCKSTURZ ZUR ERDE, baby! , Alphaorder, "Starlight Casino",
No, there's no doubt: 'Raumpatrouille' is the original. Everything else is just a rippoff.
Curiously original ST is at position 1 and it's arguably strongly influenced by Raumpatrouille.
Signed
Tamara Jagolowsk
Galaktischer Sicherheitsdienst
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Well, at least #1 was the original Trek, and not some crap like Andromeda or Firefly or Babylon 5 or Battlestar Galactica (new), which I don't watch.
Ok, I can see them wanting to punish "Enterprise", but was it really worse than Logan's Run: The TV Show"? I actually watched that show every week until it went off the air. And even if so, was DS9 as well? Once the Quark-n-Kira circus act got going it wasn't too bad.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
I'm dejected that the Galaxy Quest TV show is not even on the list.
How could they? Commander Peter Quincy Taggart is one of the most memorable starship captains in television! Us questoids strongly object to this piece of hack journalism.
It's not the policital stance of Fox News I'm parodying, it's their level of reporting. You know, the way they dumb everything down, and what isn't dumbed down is either factually incorrect or just plain made up.
Fox aren't the only ones (all US news networks we get here in the UK are bad), but they're the worst offenders.
Maybe I'm just being spoilt by the BBC.
Firefly should be top five, Futurama in the top ten, and the original Battlestar Galactica in the top 15.
"I'm not a cool person in real life, but I play one on the Internet". Galley
That they simply asked an intern to draw up a list of every scifi show s/he could think of, then they went down the list, grabbing ones they'd heard were cool and throwing in the ones they were sure they'd get yelled at for not including (Dr. Who, Firefly, Star Trek, Buffy, and Xena may have made it on that way -- not saying they are or aren't good, but that they'd have the "yelling" factor.)
I mean, it doesn't look like any devoted scifi fans were asked, and it seems clear that some stuff was thrown on there just because they couldn't think of something better. I mean, to include The Bionic Woman and The Six Million Dollar Man, to include Buffy but not Angel, to include Firefly but not Farscape, to include The Greatest American Hero but not Mork and Mindy, to forget The Prisoner, Space Above and Beyond AND Earth 2 but remember Atlantis and Voyager? Heck, to put in Voyager, TNG, and the original Star Trek but not DS9 -- that shows nothing more than sloppiness. I blame Arts/Entertainment editors who just wanted something that'd get Slashdotted.
(also, it looks like some of their comments were written by "someone who cares a lot about this show" and others were written by "the guy who's in charge of writing 45 words about every TV show ever written")
It was a watershed in both special effects at its time and in the exploration of deeper philosophical ideas.
> Episode 12 (A Change of Mind) f[e]atures a non-invasive form of neurosurgery, using highly
> focused soundwaves. [...]
> Technology such as this did not exist in 1967, and likely does not exist now.
The basic technology for it exists now and has FDA approval for its first clinical application (treatment of uterine fibroids). See http://www.insightec.com/
Red Dwarf was lovely. But then it never aired in the US, so it didn't really exist, right?
The Hitchhiker's Guide appears to be missing as well.
And if they count Buffy, Batman and Xena as science fiction, they might as well count Grim & Evil, too. Completely useless flab, the whole list. They obviously just put their thumbs in their mouths and drooled until they could think of 50 shows to put in. Not worth the hits they collect.
37. 'Space 1999'
I remember vaguely liking this as a kid.
Watching recent reruns, I started to suspect that my parents kept me heavily sedated throughout my childhood...snooze city! Severely bored actors standing around waiting for their next gruesome line of dialogue to come along ever so slowly.
After the premier that "stunt" loses all meaning.
Have you seen the new BSG? As a kid I was a huge fan of the original series, and as one of maybe 5 people on the planet that thought that the Sci-Fi Channel version of Dune was an utter abomination I had serious concerns that they were going to turn a beloved part of my childhood into a polished turd.
I've never been so happy to be wrong. The changes made from the original series were clearly not a gimmick, but were done both to open up new avenues and plot possibilities. To claim otherwise is to unfairly marginalize the new series as a simple copy of the original.
It's an absolute masterpiece, and as much as I adored the original I seldom give it a thought when watching the new version. The two shows have the same basic premise, but tone of the show and the plot lines and character development that are explored are so different that it's impossible to have a meaningful comparison between the two. The creators, IMHO, are respectful of the genesis of their show, but don't generally have the original in mind when writing it. Their focus is on making their show the best they can, and I think that what they're turning out is a jaw-dropping success.
Frankly Stargate SG:1 is good science fiction, perhaps the best adaptation of any movie to the small screen.
You may be right, but I think that Buffy the Vampire Slayer would be a strong contender for that title.
Also missing, but borderline, is Project Bluebook.
Thanks for the flashback! I'd completely forgotten about that show! It was possibly the first sci-fi I'd ever been exposed to.
Boundless Expansion, Self-Transformation, Dynamic Optimism, Intelligent Technology, Spontaneous Order- BEST DO IT SO!
As the topic says, how the hell is a myth based episodic series set in the era of ancient Greece qualify as Sci-fi?
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_on_te levision.
There's nothing wrong with mirrors of Wikipedia content, and laborlawtalk acknowledges Wikipedia as the source of the material so it is compliant with the GFDL, but people here might want to add to the article, and they can only do that at Wikipedia and not at a mirror.
I reviewed the list from Boston.com and revised it after conducting an informal survey of the
..not on original list..sci-fi channel pgm wormholes..space travel..good actresses
sci-fi viewers in my large family:
Real Science Fiction
Number 1 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' was #3
Number 2 'Stargate SG-1' was #6
Number 3 'Star Trek Deep Space 9....not in original list.probably cuz it had no faggots
Number 4 'Star Trek Voyager' was #14
Number 5 'Stargate Atlantis' 2004-? was #26
Number 6 'SeaQuest DSV...not on original list..deep sea exploration 1993-96
Number 7 'The X-Files' was #4
Number 8 'Star Trek Enterprise' 4 seasons 2001-2005 not on original list
Number 9 'Battlestar Galactica' (Original) was #35
Number 10 'Battlestar Galactica' (New) was #2
Number 11 'Star Trek' (Original )was #1
Number 12 'FarScape'
Number 13 'Sliders' was #10
Number 14 'Babylon 5' was #5
Number 15 'Earth - Final Conflict' Rodenberry's final series. 97-02 too ethereal. Aliens effeminate was #50
Number 16 'The Twilight Zone' was #7
Number 17 'The Outer Limits' was #13
Number 18 'Andromeda' series on sci-fi channel was #22
Number 19 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' new from 79-81, many reruns in 80's was #47
Number 20 'Dark Angel' lasted three years was #19
Number 21 'Quantum Leap' was #21
Number 22 'Lost' abc was #11
Number 23 'Tremors' not on original list 3 seasons on Sci-Fi channel
Number 24 'Space 1999' when the moon flew in hyperspace..from 1975-77 was #37
Number 25 'V' mini series that came back as a short lived series in 1983-84 was #18
Number 26 'Firefly' 1 season on sci-fi channel was #17
Number 27 'Logan's Run' 1 season only was #15
Number 28 'Flash Gordon' 1950's series was #16
Number 29 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' 64-68 was #30
Anthologies of Science Fiction
Number 30 'Science Fiction Theatre' from 55-57...an early Twilight Zone was #42
Number 31 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' was #9
The Following are not Science Fiction per se and do not belong here:
Not really Science Fiction....more drama
Number x60 'The Wild Wild West' James Bond rip-off as a western in 70's was #49
Number x61 'The Avengers' British James Bondish imitator. Honor Blackman WAS Bond girl was #34
Number x62 'The Six Million Dollar Man' 73-79? was #29
Number x63 'The Bionic Woman' from 76-78 was #36
Number x64 'The Hitchhiker' on cable 83-91 was #20
Number x65 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' James Bond rip off on tv from 64-68 was #39
Number x66 'Nowhere Man' based on genre of The Fugitive..so bad it was cancelled late in 1st season #43
Comedy Programs
Number x67 '3rd Rock From The Sun' soap ope
I am totally pleased with Battlestar Galactica in number 2.. the new one that is.. It is more than the Next Gen of the BG universe... The story lines are great.. If you have not had a chance, check out the podcasts... I just listen to them on the bus after I have seen the show.. it is great insight...
Ok, it's obvious some freak and not some geek wrote this! Anyone that puts Lost in Space at number 33, includes WonderWoman at all and forgets the original Battlestar Galactica completely obviously doesn't know there ass from a "Red Dwarf"!
Jay Dale "If you're not living on the edge then you're taking up too much space!"
Alien Nation was NOT better than Buck Rogers/B. Galactica (orig.)/Batman (orig.)
Buffy was fantasy, it is science fiction to think that it belongs in this category.
Tales from the Crypt?!?!?! for Christ sakes..
Xena?!?!? again is'nt that fantasy..?
Lost!!?!?!?!? okay it is at this point that the list officaially gives the Globe the "FUCKTARD" title. it's a year old yet they claim it to be better than all the others?!
after a phone call or two it turns out that this "article" was written by an intern at the Globe.
Are they insane? Stargate SG-1 at six? That programme is terrible: they took a bad film, added even hammier acting and produced an even worse series.
Your mention of the magic reset button reminded me of something that we figured out throughout all of the Star Trek shows. It was something like this:
Original Series: "Don't worry cap'n, the writers'll get us outta this one too!"
The Next Generation: "Don't worry, captain, I'll just reconfigure something!"
Deep Space Nine: "Don't worry, commander, the particle du jour is just what we need!"
Voyager: "Not to worry, captain, pluck and Borg technology will get us out of this one!"
Enterprise: "Oh, crap! Run!"
Now as to the original Battlestar Galactica, I don't think it was bad, given its era. It was very cheesy due to budget, and it had a lot of the same flaws as every show written in the '70s, but overall it was a very good idea, done as well as possible given its limits. Like all shows that ran too many seasons, the story fell apart at the end, but all in all, it stands that it belongs on a best 50 list, or at least a top 100. Besides, who could resist raster-scan monitors full of little triangles?
The new BSG deserves its slot because it's what BSG would have been if TV back in the '70s would have allowed it. I always thought that the biggest problem with the original show was that it was way too lighthearted, that Starbuck was not nearly mentally damaged enough to have the reputation he had, and that everything looked a little too neat, clean and friendly for a "ragtag, fugitive fleet" that was always running low on food and fuel. Darker colors and darker plots have won me over, even if there are plot holes, because realistically how many sci-fi films or shows are perfect as regards continuity?
Virg
I won an Emmy for Best Miniseries, for cripes sake.
-- Boycott Shell
I'm guessing the only reason Odyssey 5 (from Showtime) was left off of the list because most nobody ever heard of it! I noticed that nobody mentioned it yet on this board. Maybe I am the only one that enjoyed it?
;) So... am I truly alone in remembering and admiring this short-lived sci-fi show? I really hope this show makes it to DVD someday; I just wish it lasted longer. :(
Anyway, for those of you who don't know what I am talking about... it was a series starring Peter Weller that ran for two seasons on Showtime a couple of years ago. Here is the plot summary that I snatched from imdb:
"The astronaut crew of a space shuttle looks on in horror as they witness the violent destruction of the Earth. However, they are given a chance to change humanity's fate when a sympathetic alien sends them five years into the past. Their mission--find out who's responsible for the plot to destroy the planet. Can they deal with their own pasts while saving the world from the mysterious organism known only as 'Leviathan?'"
The show was fantastic and was easily boosted by the fact that it was on pay-cable television; it added to the gritty quality of the dialog and the more mature subject matter that could only make it on cable.
~Kat ^_^
"Never give up, for that is just the time and place when the tide will change." -Harriet Beecher Stowe ^_^
I'm shocked that Farscape didn't make the top 10 much less top 20. Nice to see Battlestar Galactica receive such high praise. It is deserved!
In addition to other neglected shows I also noticed two others worth mentioning, Ultraman and Automan. I love Lucy Lawless but what did Xena have to do with Science Fiction?
I watched the show in its entirety (unless this phantom second season exists somewhere) three times. Great show - it's too bad it never took off.
First off, there is 3rd rock, BUT NO RED DWARF????!?!!!!?!!?
Not only should 3rd rock not be on this list, but Red Dwarf should be the first in terms of sci-fi comedies. It's a trajedy this was left off.
Another thing is that pure CRAP like Firefly made this list, but Patrick McGoohan's GREAT series, THE PRISONER, is nowhere to be found. Another PATHETIC omission.
This lists sucks, and isn't even worthy of Ask DumbDots, let alone Ask Slashdot. NEXT!!!
What's that?
There's nothing you have that they can't take away: Absolute zero, Gentle Jack, bottom line.
Hmmm... Well, maybe it is actually one season that was spread out over two years, then. You may be right. imdb shows it as being on from 2002-2004, so that may have thrown me. I also simply remember Showtime airing new shows about a year after the first batch, so I may have been confused and thought it was a second season.
:)
Another interesting thing about this show that I noticed... it has two entries on imdb. Weirdness!
Anyway, it's nice to see that I wasn't the only person on the planet that watched and enjoyed this show.
~Kat ^_^
"Never give up, for that is just the time and place when the tide will change." -Harriet Beecher Stowe ^_^
That was a classic.
The first show that came to mind when I saw the headline. Out of 50 SF shows I'm sure B7 would rate well above some of the ones they included.
Maybe the list was compiled by an american.
You make the mistake of thinking you can educate the fundamental stupidity out of people. You can't.
This list is total crap. I mean seriously, in a list of the top 50 SCI-FI shows of all time, what the hell is Batman doing on the list? Not to mention Superman and Xena? And how the hell did Alien Nation get on the list while DS9 and Farscape didn't? I mean, seriously...did ANYONE like Alien Nation? I thought it was complete crap....and I thought Time Trax was decent back in the day, proving that my standards aren't all too high. V makes number 18 on the list, outranking Lois and Clark, Superman, Wonder Woman, Andromeda, Stargate Atlantis, just to name a few of the 32 shows it was apparantly better than. The only show I'd rate lower than V on this list is Alien Nation. TOS takes the top slot, the new BSG takes second, and TNG takes third. Reverse that order and you'd be much closer to the truth. Finally, Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman, and Man From UNCLE all made the list. Get Smart didn't. And I doubt anyone who has ever seen Get Smart would rank it below the likes of Tales from the Crypt or Xena. I think Boston.Com just wanted to anger the whole sci-fi community with this completely bullshit list. The only good thing about it is that it gives Sliders some measure of respect - the first two seasons were brilliant and awesome. After that it jumped the shark and bad.
While Im happy that Quantum Leap somehow made it, since so many others did not (we have an almost all Sci-Fi request in our house), it bothers me that a non-sci-fi fool made this list. Maybe we should find him and send him to a far far away mean mean place....
Captain Adam Quark http://www.snowcrest.net/fox/quark/ and the UGSP are available to haul this list away AS garbage.