The 50 Greatest Sci-Fi TV Shows Ever

Popular Mechanics ^ | March 4, 2013 | Jordan Hoffman

[EveningStar]

From the whiz-bang and cheesy to the far-out and prematurely cancelled, sci-fi and TV have had a nice run. We locked ourselves in the basement with several milk crates of VHS tapes, laser discs, and back issues of Starlog to come up with the top 50 science-fiction television shows.

[XenaLee]

I thought Brainstorm, Natalie Wood’s last movie, was an excellent sci fi flick. Also, Surrogates and Twelve Monkeys with Bruce Willis. Final Countdown was also top notch....and so many others.

[EveningStar]

I recently rewatched Brainstorm. It was ok but a bit slow paced.

I’ve never seen Surrogates.

Twelve Monkeys was ruined by Brad Pitt’s ridiculous overacting. It was based on the short French film La Jetée, which I think is better.

The Final Countdown is The Final Copout as far as I’m concerned.

[Texas Songwriter]

Big eyes and exposed brains....yes, I believe so.

[Zathras]

Zathras thinks Babylon 5 is much better than #19 but Zathras disagrees.

[Vince Ferrer]

The new captain proceeds to tell Troi to get into some decent military clothing. The shock look on the counselor’s face was priceless.

Oddly enough the suggestion for that came from the actress who played Dianna Troi. She got tired of being the only one of the crew not wearing a uniform.

[sparklite2]

LOL

I did not know that.

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

Seriously, think about it. They projected onto the Ferengi everything they thought disgusting about us.

---

Yet as usual they project their own characteristics on that which they hate.

[Vince Ferrer]

The plotline of Architects of fear was “borrowed” in the graphic novel Watchmen. It also gets proposed by various democrats as a way to pass legislation.

[Vince Ferrer]

Initially, Sirtis/Troi was planned as the eye-candy of the show. Gene Roddenberry intended her to have four breasts, before his wife told him this was a poor idea.[8] Prior to filming, Sirtis was told to lose 5 pounds (2.3 kg; 0.36 st), but thought to herself that she had to drop even more, and was often wearing plunging necklines and form-fitting dresses. After six years, the producers decided to drop the "sexy and brainless" Troi and make her a stronger character:

"I was thrilled when I got my regulation Starfleet uniform... it covered up my cleavage and I got all my brains back, because when you have cleavage you can't have brains in Hollywood... I was allowed to do things that I hadn't been allowed to do for five or six years. I went on away teams, I was in charge of staff, I had my pips back, I had phasers, I had all the equipment again, and it was fabulous. I was absolutely thrilled."[7]i>

Deanna Troi

[XenaLee]

Well....much like tastes and preferences...

opinions vary.

[Oztrich Boy]

And that looks like the American Life on Mars which was ruined by a bad ending, British one is way better

Dates are for the UK version. Problem is, It was good, but, it wasn't science fiction, (Unlike the US version, which was science fiction, but not good)

And if you open the doors to include urban fantasy, there are a lot of vampire shows clamouring for recognition.,

[FortWorthPatriot]

No UFO?

[Cold Heat]

Some fans, including myself, do not like the idea that walking dead, snakes on a plane, sharknado and all this other nonsense is considered scifi...

I just can’t make that leap...

[NYFreeper]

Any list that puts ST-TNG over ST-TOS is crap. This list looks like is was made up by bunch of flaming libs over at PM.

[1010RD]

I recently ran into a cartoon in which a chubby little boy says, “I am a woman” or something. There were two other female looking characters with him. One was named Sapphire and they fought all the time. Creepy, and it seemed like an attempt to genderbender kids.

[DiogenesLamp]

I recently ran into a cartoon in which a chubby little boy says, “I am a woman” or something. There were two other female looking characters with him. One was named Sapphire and they fought all the time. Creepy, and it seemed like an attempt to genderbender kids.

They never stop. They just keep pushing for the normalization of weirdity.

[21twelve]

Yeah - the Walking Dead doesn’t seem to fit science fiction. As it is SO outlandish. Until I read an article about some wasp that stings some sort of spider, and the spider spins a web like it has never done before - and it is a nest for the wasp! (Zobie-like behaviour!).

Then a freeper educated me on rabies, and how that makes a person unable to drink water. The virus knows it will weaken the sickness, and so it causes the brain to be water-phobic! No matter how thirsty one is, you can’t drink the water!

One could add to this and “explain” the zombies in much the same manner that the huge insects of the 1950’s films were “scientifically” explained by radiation. (In a health and safety class the guy said “Um - you’ll be dead from the radiation sooner than you can grow 10 feet tall, or pass off two noses to your children.”)

[Cold Heat]

Then a freeper educated me on rabies, and how that makes a person unable to drink water.

Yes, back when I was a pup in school, science class I think, we were taught about a disease called hydrophobia, which today is called Rabies. Back then it was sometimes referred to as rabies..but the disease was hydrophobia then.