Please recommend me a brilliant Sci-Fi TV show?

condra

Hey guys.

I'm hoping someone can recommend me a good Sci-Fi show.

I've tried getting into a few recently and have been really disappointed.

I really enjoyed season 1 of Heroes. The rest was ok, worth watching. Same with BSG - First series was amazing, the rest was.. worth watching.

I've been watching Fringe recently. I'm at around episode 8, season 1.
It feels too much like a regular drama series shoehorned into the Sci-Fi genre. I mean, it's got drama, comedy, action, romance, all thrown into a long story arc, with shorter story arcs to keep you interested. It could be Greys anatomy for all I care. I don't like that feeling of being dragged along a very long arc with lots of filling, and very little payoff.

I was also recommended the new series of V, and Doctor Who. I got through a couple of episodes of both. I couldn't hack all the dodgy greenscreen stuff in V, and Doctor Who feels really novel, and kinda cheap.

A mate gave me Falling Skies but I'm reluctant to get into that based on what I've read about it.

Just so you don't think I'm a moany git who is impossible to please, here are some Sci-Fis I really enjoyed:
BSG and Heroes, as mentioned.
I also really enjoyed Firefly. Very entertaining, even though I'm not usually into too much comedy. The dialogue was great.


Maybe I need something gritty and unconventional. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I've been eyeing up Lost, Torchwood, and The Prisoner.

What about the BSG spinoffs? Are they worth a look?

Thanks for your time.

Slydice

I'm about to watch Dark Skies.

Sleepy

Space: Above & Beyond

condra

Thanks for the suggestions.

Had a look at clips from both on YouTube. Dark Skies looks like X-Files only less corny. Space - Above And Beyond looks like it could be very entertaining. Some nice design and post production by the looks of things.

I'll look into both in more detail when I have time.

ixoy

condra wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestions.

Had a look at clips from both on YouTube. Dark Skies looks like X-Files only less corny. Space - Above And Beyond looks like it could be very entertaining. Some nice design and post production by the looks of things.

I'll look into both in more detail when I have time.

Both are good shows but bear in mind that both were cancelled after one season with plot arcs outstanding. Dark Skies had plans for multiple seasons.

However, there are better shows. Babylon 5 is a must. It is a proper space opera with story arcs plotted in advance over years. It also features some of the best characters ever in the genre.

Farscape is also a great show. It's off the wall and far more inventive than others. Lots of humour, great characters and original.

mcgovern

Dark Skies was great

Tomk1

'Firefly' sounds exactly what you need, no aliens, no laser-guns (maybe 1 untill it ran out of power) , no soap-drama, great actors. Wild west like set in the aftermath of a failed independence war by colonisated planets, grity, humour, well thought out storyline.
-can be hard to get into at first as so unlike the standard sci-fi and regarded by many as the best sci-fi ever made, which make's the star-trek-utopia-world look silly/unrealistic.
It was dropped because the general public didn't get it.

If you like Castle, same actor.

moomooman

"Falling Skies" is a decent show. First few episodes were a bit slow I thought, didnt really see myself watching the series but it gets better.

V is something I'm following, pacey at least, keeps moving ahead without the screeching halt of prolonged family bonding moments or cute kid syndrome that you get with anything Spielberg related like "Taken" or "Falling Skies".

Gearheart

Have you tried SG-1?

Bloody Nipples

Yeah, Firefly is excellent. I'm watching Falling Skies at the moment and I'm finding it enjoyable.

syklops

. I mean, it's got drama, comedy, action, romance, all thrown into a long story arc,

The same could be said about Star Trek, The X files, The Outer Limits, Dr Who, or any other main stream sci fi series.

ixoy

condra wrote: »

I've been watching Fringe recently. I'm at around episode 8, season 1.
It feels too much like a regular drama series shoehorned into the Sci-Fi genre. I mean, it's got drama, comedy, action, romance, all thrown into a long story arc, with shorter story arcs to keep you interested. It could be Greys anatomy for all I care. I don't like that feeling of being dragged along a very long arc with lots of filling, and very little payoff.

Your problem is you're watching Season 1. Season 1, especially the first half, isn't very good.
Season 2 improves a hell of a lot. The writing is much more focused and the story arcs much more interesting. In fact it's better in every single way than the first season. Season 3 maintains this high level of quality. Stick with it!

OwaynOTT

ixoy wrote: »

Your problem is you're watching Season 1. Season 1, especially the first half, isn't very good.
Season 2 improves a hell of a lot. The writing is much more focused and the story arcs much more interesting. In fact it's better in every single way than the first season. Season 3 maintains this high level of quality. Stick with it!

Season 4 looks like it might be even better again.

condra

Thanks again everyone for the suggestions....

ixoy wrote: »

Both are good shows but bear in mind that both were cancelled after one season with plot arcs outstanding. Dark Skies had plans for multiple seasons.

Farscape is also a great show. It's off the wall and far more inventive than others. Lots of humour, great characters and original.

Yeah the cancellation would put me off a bit. I believe Farscape was cancelled too, but it does look pretty good. I love the fact that they used puppets as well as CGI, and it looks whacky as Hell, hopefully in a good way (like Firefly was)

Babylon 5 is a must. It is a proper space opera...

Man no offence but I've watched a few episodes and have always found B5 kinda corny and naive. I've never much liked StarTrek either so I guess the space opera thing really isn't for me. Thanks for the suggestion though.

ixoy wrote: »

Your problem is you're watching Season 1. ........ Stick with it!

I'm up to about episode 12 now and it has improved a great deal. I still don't like the doc character, though the comic relief moments are admittadly getting funnier. Overall, I'm starting to enjoy it and I can see it improving.

Tomk1 wrote: »

'Firefly' sounds exactly what you need

Seen it, loved it! Cheers anyway

Tenger

Sleepy wrote: »

Space: Above & Beyond

This was class when I first watched it.........however I re-watched it about 2-3 years ago and it hadn't aged as well as I had hoped. Still have a special fondness in my heart for it though.

Shame it only got the 1st season

angie16ab

i think fringe is brilliant! iv watched it from the start and each season gets better with great twists! counting down the days til season 4!

BrerWolf

A bit of an old one, but give Babylon 5 a go....

Cass

Gearheart wrote: »

Have you tried SG-1?

Ahem........... ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

• Original Stargate film,
• Stargate the series (seasons 1 -10),
• Stargate Atlantis (seasons 1 - 5),
• Stargate Universe (seasons 1 &2),
• Stargate; Ark of truth (film)
• Stargate; Continuum (film)

Enough to keep anyone going for a couple of months or the average person for a year.

nirvanaholic

Personally, i recommend looking at the Sarah Connor Chronicles (Terminator). Also, Smallville is good.

Tigger

Lost was ok till the last couple of seasons and I'd watch it if j hadn't
I loved farscape and if you liked firefly then I think you'll like it

Sg1 is great and gets better and better till the end where funnily the cast of farscape start being added because the writers thought so much of them

although it was cancelled after 4 of the planned 5 seasons the Henson group finished it out with a four hour special

Isard

What about Babylon 5? Kinda classic))

Cass

Never liked B5. Didn't cut it for me in any format.

Smallville was good. Some episodes were like watching paint dry, but overall enjoyable.

Hobite

Stargate all series and movies. Try them. This is still my favorite one.

Babylon 5 . I watched it long time ago. But it was really good.

Fringe - this is my new favorite. Very easy to watch. Very relaxing.

oxygen

condra wrote: »

I've been watching Fringe recently. I'm at around episode 8, season 1.

Man, Fringe it my favourite TV show on being broadcast at the moment, but they way your watching it is really hard work, you will turn yourself off it. Fringe really got good when the got rid of the X-Files format, and started off the most awsome long running arc in recent science fiction. Watch the episodes below then kick into season 3. Season 4 just started on sky.

http://io9.com/5652372/want-to-get-into-fringe-these-are-the-episodes-you-need-to-watch

condra wrote: »

What about the BSG spinoffs? Are they worth a look?

I highly recommend Caprica, I dont know if people here will dissagree with me or not, but I thought it was a brilliant tv show. Its bizzare, I did not think I was going to like it, a science fictions show, that runs like a ganster soap opera, set on 12 planets before BSG? It had fail wrote all over it.

It was excellent, great acting, a great story, excellent production value, brilliant world building (this really draws you in). And the final episode, it was soo worth watching the whole series, a perfect wrapping up of all the plots.

Corsendonk

Buck Rodgers, pity the BBC stopped showing it.

Johnny Storm

Corsendonk wrote: »

Buck Rodgers, pity the BBC stopped showing it.

"bidi-bidi-bidi"
I liked Col Deering's lycra outfits

Corsendonk

Johnny Storm wrote: »

"bidi-bidi-bidi"
I liked Col Deering's lycra outfits

And the zip that seemed to creep lower and lower as episodes went on.

rory_K

Supernatural - its savage.
On its 8th season too so thats all you need for the foreseeable furture.

Honorable mentions - Dollhouse, Lost, Walking Dead, Stargrate SG-1, Battlestar Galactia, Firefly.

Hatgirl

Most of my favourites have already been mentioned.
How about Planetes? It's hard SF anime.

humbert

Have to give Red Dwarf an honourable mention, although it's more a comedy.

I'd give another +1 to Babylon 5 and Stargate. Babylon 5 is unequivocally the best sci-fi series ever made(imo).

Corsendonk

Is Lexx anygood?

condra

I'm proud of myself for sticking with Fringe for so long. But I can't go on. I've even tried watching some of the new ones. It just doesn't do it for me.

Have also recently tried and been disappointed by Terra Nova, and Twin Peaks.
Actually, Terra Nova more than disappointed me. It made me want to drown things.

Might have a look at The Prisoner or Farscape because they just look really out there.

Caprica is top of my list for now though.... About to watch episode 1...


...EDIT... Yeah, Caprica is brilliant.

humbert

Corsendonk wrote: »

Is Lexx anygood?

I've a friend who loved Lexx. I didn't get into it. It felt a little more like Farscape if you've seen that. It definitely gets points for originality.

condra

Finished Caprica. Really enjoyed it.

Watched episode 1 of Farscape tonight. "Muppets In Space" is how I've read people describe it. I think that's giving it too much credit.

It's absolute nonsense.
The acting is utterly dismal, especially that warrior twat.
The dialogue is lame.
The music sounds like my 4 year old neice hitting all the keys on some crappy Casio keyboard.
There are too many gags and none of them are funny.
The sets are appauling.
The editing is confusing.

Time to move on..

Jumpy

Haven gets good.

Dont trust the first few episodes, but it picks up well.

Its a Stephen King effort I believe.

L

condra wrote: »

Watched episode 1 of Farscape tonight. "Muppets In Space" is how I've read people describe it. I think that's giving it too much credit.
...
Time to move on..

Give Farscape a few episodes. It takes a little while to work into the right groove.

wintear

Have you tried Warehouse 13 or Sanctuary?

Warehouse 13 is good sci-fi twist on the police/ FBI procedural with interesting season long story arcs and interesting characters.

Sanctuary stars Amanda Tapping from Stargate as Dr Helen Magnus who runs a Sanctaury for Abnormals (Monsters to you or me). It has some really good episodes and the CGI sets look really good. The sci-fi bit is bits of Time travel, steam punky stuff.

angelll

The ones i loved/am loving...

All the stargate,natch
Town called Eureka
Haven
Supernatural
Once upon a time (this only started in the last few weeks)
Dr who
Torchwood,especially the specials but you kinda have to watch the series first to get the dynamics
Being Human
Misfits
No ordinary family was great til the cancelled it,same for V and Reaper :mad:
Terranova is taking a while to get into but worth it i think
The walking dead
Game of thrones meant to be excellent but still haven't watched it
Warehouse 13
Haven't watched Grimm yet but it's reviews aren't too bad

Hatgirl

Oh yes, another recommendation for Being Human. So marvelously odd
http://youtu.be/1pUnL5Sd458

MOH

Being Human (the BBC version, not the US remake)

Teminator:Sarah Connor Chronicles, although ended a bit abruptly

Only got around to watching Firefly, loved it.

Working my way through Babylon 5 at the moment, about halfway through season 2. While it has some cheesy space opera stuff at times, there's a lot of good stuff in it. There's a couple of plots, one in particular in the first season, that went where I wouldn't have expected. And there's an overall coherence to the main arc which helps.

Started watching Supernatural after a few recommendations at work. Hated it. Ground my way through the first two seasons, only because I was short of stuff to watch. Season 1 is just a poor man's X-Files. But it does improve after that, worth sticking with.

Dollhouse - no one else I know watched it. I really liked it, if it had less Eliza Dushku and focused more on the other characters it might have lasted longer.

angelll

Yep i did watch dollhouse,not all of it though,one of the last ones i remember was when she was being hunted through the woods? Agree it was focused too much on the one character,it got quite boring.

fjk49er

oxygen_temp wrote: »

Man, Fringe it my favourite TV show on being broadcast at the moment, but they way your watching it is really hard work, you will turn yourself off it. Fringe really got good when the got rid of the X-Files format, and started off the most awsome long running arc in recent science fiction. Watch the episodes below then kick into season 3. Season 4 just started on sky.

http://io9.com/5652372/want-to-get-into-fringe-these-are-the-episodes-you-need-to-watch

I like Fringe too, I have to say. Apparently, it has recently been commissioned for a fifth and final season. It struggles with ratings in the US, I think largely due to the fact that so many people are recording shows to watch them later, and was saved in part by a twitter campaign to keep it going. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/fringe-renewed-fifth-season-317063

Dan_Solo

Corsendonk wrote: »

Is Lexx anygood?

It certainly wouldn't suit everybody, but I bought the entire series (the only one I think I bothered to do so). Some of it looks a bit cheap, but at least they never compromised on the originality of the storylines just to fit a budget. I prefer good SF ideas implemented badly than the reverse myself any day.
Anybody seen the 2 series of Starhunter? Also low budget, but was alright.

Dan_Solo

Hatgirl wrote: »

Most of my favourites have already been mentioned.
How about Planetes? It's hard SF anime.

If we're getting into anime we could be here for a while... Cowboy Bebop is probably top of the list (perhaps not mine, but by consensus).

syklops

fjk49er wrote: »

largely due to the fact that so many people are recording shows to watch them later

Hardly surprising though is it? They started doing that with a load of series. Trickling out three or four episodes before christmas and then picking them up again in March, by which time you have lost all the momentum. Its bad enough ending a run at the start of Summer and having to wait until the autumn, but starting and stopping all through the seaon is tedious and annoying.

Announcer:"To see the next part, join us next week two weeks next month - ah jaysus, when is this show on again? Join us in a few weeks. Keep an eye on the TV guide."

Reviews and Books Galore

Lost Girl is really Fantasy, but it's preety good. It's a canadian TV show.

KenSwee

I'm going to throw you a curved ball with my suggestion.

Try this.

http://www.pioneerone.tv/

Dan_Solo

KenSwee wrote: »

I'm going to throw you a curved ball with my suggestion.

Try this.

http://www.pioneerone.tv/

I would in no way describe that show as brilliant. It's OK for what it is, a no-budget earth bound CGI free SF show, but there's basically nothing to it and even then it manages to plod.

KenSwee

Dan_Solo wrote: »

I[/URL] would in no way describe that show as brilliant. It's OK for what it is, a no-budget earth bound CGI free SF show, but there's basically nothing to it and even then it manages to plod.

I agree, I did enjoy the idea. I was verrryy slow but I think it showed potential that sci fi can be less sfx and more story.

komodosp

Definitely have to add my voice to Babylon 5 - yeah you're right it is kind of naive in places, and the dialogue and most of the acting are fairly bad not to mention the special effects.

But it is still possibly the best Sci Fi ever made. Some of the plot arcs are fantastic, and the characters are absolutely brilliant, especially Londo and G'Kar. But *especially* Londo.

Although Series 5 of it is a little bit... unnecessary and has the risk of leaving a bad taste in your mouth... (Yes I know they have an excuse but it still has to be said)

syklops

Definitely have to add my voice to Babylon 5 - yeah you're right it is kind of naive in places, and the dialogue and most of the acting are fairly bad not to mention the special effects.

Wow, thats a glowing recommendation you give it there.