Posted on 06/05/2016 9:02:29 AM PDT by EveningStar
It's odd to think that, once upon a time, a TV show set in space -- one that declared, in its opening narration, as the cosmos being the "final frontier" -- was considered the pop-cultural equivalent of an unwanted party-crasher. Yes, a concept like Star Trek was both of its time and clearly ahead of it; history has more than vindicated Gene Roddenberry's notion of boldly going where no man had gone before. But given the number of top-notch shows set in the far reaches of the galaxy and that used genre for pulpy and profound purposes over the last 30 or so years, it seems crazy to think that one of the most groundbreaking SF series was a network pariah and a ratings dud. Today, there's an entire cable network devoted to this kind of programming. You can't turn on your TV/Roku/cut-cord viewing device without bumping into spaceships, alien invasion and wonky sci-fi food-for-thought.
Science fiction has been around in one form or another since the early-ish days of television, both here and abroad, and its legacy now looms larger than ever. So what better time to count down the 40 best sci-fi TV shows of all time? From anime classics to outer-space soap operas, spooky British anthology shows to worst-case-scenario postapocalyptic dramas, primetime pop hits to obscure but beloved cult classics, here are our choices for the best the television genre has to offer -- submitted, for your approval.
(Excerpt) Read more at rollingstone.com ...
The Final Copout was a theatrical release with Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, Katharine Ross, James Farentino, Ron O’Neal, and Charles Durning.
Thank you. I stand corrected.
In the 80’s I was still in my ‘Budweiser Days’ and the last movie I saw at the theater was Blazing Saddles, followed by ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes’.
I, for some reason, thought it was a Made for TV..
Mea Culpa..
What about ALF? It was about an alien after all.
We control your television....
Kids today wouldn’t understand the opening, particularly the horizontal and vertical rolling.....
I can not stand Babylon 5. Space:Above and Beyond was a much better show.
And no Dr Who?
it’s for the ads, nothing more, “wasting server resources” is a non issue when job numero uno is serving up click-bait.
SAAB was killed just as it was really getting interesting.
At Christmas, we pull the DVD of the Christmas episode.
It was a good series that deserved more.
B5 is one of my all time favorites. Crusade would have done will if it hadn’t been meddled with.
Another JMS creation was the made for cable “Jeremiah” that had an arc and did character development.
Primeval was a favorite of mine as well.
There was the short lived Starcops from the 80s.
Torchwood was good to, even as creeped out as it could get sometimes.
Characters are a bit wooden.
The first episode of LiS really showed promise, with Dr. Smith being an interesting character. But within a few episodes, his character was changed to become comic relief, and it really ruined the show (at least for me.)
When I was little though, some of those episodes did give me nightmares!
Mark
But if Dr. Smith had remained a baddy, John Robinson would have boosted him out of the air lock. Smith had to reform (sort of) or he wouldn’t have reached season 2.
I agree, there are a few I've been meaning to see, but never have. One that's been on my list (but I've been too busy, I'll probably binge-watch "Orphan Black" in a few weeks, when I take a vacation from work.)
But here are a couple of observations I've made from the list of shows that may note be quite as well known:
#40 - Humans - Great show! Can't wait for the next season! If you have Amazon Prime, you can stream it at no charge right now.
#33 - Man in the High Castle - Rather interesting, sometimes difficult to watch. You may need to watch the series more than once to "get it." Also available on Amazon Prime.
#18 - Dollhouse - Joss Wheedon did a great job here, though it's somewhat adult themed in some episodes.
#15 - Fringe - This show was a really wild ride here. I think they got notice the show had been cancelled, and they had to rush to tie up the loose ends. The first 2 or 3 seasons were awesome. Think of "The X-Files" on steroids.
#7 - Firefly - Joss Wheedon's MASTERPIECE. An awesome show, it's actually a SF show that's character based, and you will genuinely begin to care about the characters. Great dialog, and possible the best cast TV show since "Gunsmoke."
#3 - Battlestar Galactica (Reboot) - If you watch the mini-series and like it, you will LOVE the next few seasons! The first episode once the show was picked up, "33" is one of the most gripping TV shows I can remember. Great casting, great dialog.
Mark
Last science fiction I watched on TV was Tom Corbett: Space Cadet - not a very inclusive list.....
“Red Dwarf”
loved the Cat!! great show; a family favorite
ping
Yeah....That was a cool movie....Kirk Douglas as the Captain of the Carrier if I remember correctly....
The most recent year was the best of the reboot.
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