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10 Sci-Fi Shows That Don't Get Enough Love
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I waited for the second version of Battlestar Galactica to come out on DVD. It was better than I originally gave it credit for. It was hard letting go of the first one. That was a weekly family sit down. We never missed an episode.
I really liked Flash Forward, and Sense8 is as good as anything I've seen recently.
David wrote: "I really liked Flash Forward, and Sense8 is as good as anything I've seen recently."Sense8 is fantastic and I hope it has a good run.
I also liked Flash Forward, but Sense8 is easily one of the worst shows I've seen in quite a while. Equaled only by American Horror Story, aka "torture porn."
I liked the novel Flash forward by Robert J. Sawyer and I was eager to enjoy the tv series, but I gave up on it after some episodes. It didn't work for me.
The problem was the slow burn because they were trying to turn it into another Lost.
Oh, you know what show I really liked but was cancelled too soon? Go on, guess.Okay, I'll tell you: Surface.
Their cliffhanger ending at the finish of season 1 did kinda-sorta act as a finale, so you can look at the story as a tale of what happens when the world changes, but they were clearly setting up for some pretty over-the-top sci-fi adventures.
I thought that Sense8 developed their concept well. I was also glad that they didn’t round up the usual suspects and throw them all into the eight title roles (Doona Bae was the only one I’d seen before, in リンダリンダリンダ and Cloud Atlas). The obvious problem is that when you give eight people special abilities, you tend to get a little overlap, and some abilities are more special than others. They (perhaps) hit the gay button a little too often, but personally, it made me wonder if gay people have to cringe when they see hetero sex scenes. I also liked the Asylum season of AHS, and thought that the level of acting was just amazing. Of course, our expectations are all different. I’m sure we’re all constantly in a state of flabbergast at the narratives that actually find an outlet. If writers eschewed everything considered stupid by anyone, we'd have null fiction.
My favourite scifi series that seems to have got lost in the moists of time is Space: Above and Beyond.I would describe it as a mix of BSG and Starship Troopers.
I loved all the personalities in the that series and couldn't believe they didn't make more.
Our cable doesn't have Sense8 or Black Mirror so I will have to search them out online.
Fringe was pretty much my favorite of the last 10 years. Superb.
John wrote: "Fringe was pretty much my favorite of the last 10 years. Superb."...
Not sure if serious.
Different strokes for different folks and all that.
John wrote: "Fringe was pretty much my favorite of the last 10 years. Superb."I loved the 1st season of Fringe. But, I thought after that it went downhill pretty quickly. I like SF, but, it got weird real fast, to me. Thought it had a lot of promise, but, never realized it, for me.
Black Mirror is pretty cool, finally got around to seeing it. Apparently it's getting a 12 episode season soon, I hope it holds up in quality.
I just looked it up and it looks interesting. It says there's a different cast in each show. Thanks for the heads ups.
Aaron wrote: "Black Mirror is pretty cool..."It didn't work at all for me. It's essentially the old Twilight Zone/Outer Limits format: different odd/strange/bizarre short story each episode. Only I found the morals of the stories disturbingly depressing. At least in the few shows I managed to get through. They were very bleak and "nobody wins, there's no redeeming quality, there's no lesson learned, everything is hopeless" kind of stories.
Basically I ended up feeling worse after having watched the show, which isn't what I'm looking for. Not that I need all happy, happy, joy, joy stories. For example, A Clockwork Orange I find wickedly funny, despite its darkness. But it has a cutting satirical sensibility, a cleverness, a use of language and music, a way of making you laugh while simultaneously repelling you. That made it both a comedy and tragedy, depressing and mischievous, funny and horrifying.
Twilight Zone had a lot of hokey stories, but also some really clever one. The best ones tempered their strangeness with twists that pointed to something uplifting or revealing or ironic about the modern experience.
Black Mirror doesn't have that kind of style nor sensibility. It takes cool ideas, sometimes darkly funny ideas, and then drives those stories down into seriousness and depressing awfulness. The system wins. Tragedy wins. The oppressors win. And the viewer (or at least this viewer) is left just gaping and thinking "WTF? That's pretty sad."
Or maybe I'm the only one.
Micah wrote: "Aaron wrote: "Black Mirror is pretty cool..."It didn't work at all for me. It's essentially the old Twilight Zone/Outer Limits format: different odd/strange/bizarre short story each episode. Only..."
I really enjoyed the show. I found some of the episodes very funny, but a black humor. It does remind me of the newer Outer Limits. I have found these shows seem to be either loved or hated.
I liked Black Mirror as well. It is very dark. Each episode carries a very heavy sense of irony.
Jennifer wrote: "I liked Black Mirror as well. It is very dark. Each episode carries a very heavy sense of irony."The Brits are very good at that.
Threshold was another one that started off great until it got bumped off its perch by 4400 (which also got nipped in the bud). That was about the time that shows started getting axed in their infancy because of that writer's strike.
Micah wrote: "Aaron wrote: "Black Mirror is pretty cool..."It didn't work at all for me. It's essentially the old Twilight Zone/Outer Limits format: different odd/strange/bizarre short story each episode. Only..."
Nahh even though I liked it, I can certainly see where you are coming from, and I didn't like all the episodes, but I really enjoyed some. The Twilight Zone/Outer Limits but bleak and black humor is a very apt comparison.
Shan wrote: "My list of shows to look for is growing. Embarrassed to admit I've never seen Firefly. What about Eureka and Warehouse 13? I think both are on US Netflix. No serious ideas but fun to watch."I love those! If you do, you'll probably love Firefly too :)
I will have to give black mirror a view. I wonder what classification we give Red Dwarf.I have all the DVD's just loved it. But didn't take it as a serious sc fi show.
Kateb wrote: "...I wonder what classification we give Red Dwarf..."I call it a British SF Sitcom. Season X was surprisingly good. The only thing they did that I didn't like was Back to Earth (aka Season 9). All the rest was brilliant.
Don wrote: "I loved me a some Quantum leap"Quantum Leap still looks as good as it did when I first watched it. The only thing I hated about it was the final episode! :(
John wrote: "Threshold was another one that started off great until it got bumped off its perch by 4400 (which also got nipped in the bud). That was about the time that shows started getting axed in their infan..."4400 was OK but Threshold was just getting exciting when it disappeared. So frustrating!
A show you should all check out is Killjoys. It's a lot of fun and got an order for a second season. They really make the most of their low budget. The first season is 10 episodes, which means there aren't any real filler episodes. It deserves more viewers and a bigger budget.
Trike wrote: "A show you should all check out is Killjoys. It's a lot of fun and got an order for a second season. They really make the most of their low budget. The first season is 10 episodes, which means ther..."Seconded. I loved season one.
My favorite under hyped sci-fi series:Eureka
Babylon 5
Stargate Atlantis
Defiance
The Expanse (which is perhaps hyped)
Fringe (hyped?)
Firefly
Crusade
of these, Farscape was the only one I though wasn't worthy of watching after season one. There is also another couple of extremely under hyped series of only one season that I can't remember the name right now that I also liked. I still have to watch the second season of The Expanse and stuff like Black Mirror and Stranger Things. And I have DVDs of all the series I watch, I'm an eccentric GenX LOL
Fringe is certainly a show I miss a lot. Another one that I would love to watch again is the second version of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. How come it was never replayed on syndication?
I loved Crusade! - But like most of the SF shows I loved, it was cancelled. That's the reason, why I stopped watching TV-series until last year.
I am working my way through season 1 of Farscape and still enjoying it. Theres a certain charm to it that hasn't faded, unlike some SF shows. I also loved Babylon 5 and (eventually) Battlestar Galactica (modern version). I also have the first series of Space 1999 waiting to be watched - but not the ghastly second series.
Firefly was new to me until last year and I would have loved to have seen more. At least some of these shows have gained 'cult' status which helps keep them 'alive' for fans.
Trike wrote: "A show you should all check out is Killjoys. It's a lot of fun and got an order for a second season. They really make the most of their low budget. The first season is 10 episodes, which means ther..."I gasped when I saw this! Killjoys gave me the same feeling while watching Firefly. Fun stuff in space.
Another series I enjoyed but got canceled after one season was Class. It's a spin-off from doctor Who. But enjoyed this one more than Torchwood (I loathe Jack Harkness and Gwen's weird ass boner for him).
Lost Girl is a bit more fantasy I think. I liked the first season but after that it felt a bit forced. Still the actors kept me watching.
**fist pump**