Sci-fi Brilliant but Canceled or little known gems

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Gotham Central, Apr 21, 2008.

  1. Temis the Vorta

    Temis the Vorta Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Haven't noticed Invasion mentioned yet. Not exactly low-profile but it certainly was going somewhere when the plug was pulled.
     
  2. The Borgified Corpse

    The Borgified Corpse Admiral Admiral

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    It's also been noted that the American theme song to Secret Agent (what Danger Man is called in the U.S.) includes the lyrics, "They've given you a number and taken away your name."

    Personally, I like that this will always be one of the great debated, unresolved questions in sci-fi history. I lean towards the school of thought that says that Number 6 is John Drake but I don't insist that everyone thinks so. I'm just big on crossovers. (Hell, I'm trying to figure out a way to finagle it so that 10,000 B.C. is a prequel to Stargate and that Mac MacDonald's character in Aliens is actually Captain Hollister from Red Dwarf.)
     
  3. Fencer

    Fencer Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Wild Palms was a mini-series, so technically it wasn't cancelled.

    The other one sounds a lot like Total Recall 2070

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Recall_2070
     
  4. TheMasterOfOrion

    TheMasterOfOrion Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Scifi moved CharlieJade to the 3AM death slot
     
  5. PKTrekGirl

    PKTrekGirl Arrogant Niner Thug Admiral

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    I haven't read all that much about ideas they had for future seasons. Although I think that I did read (maybe on Wiki?) that they were tossing around the idea of Jaye ending up in a mental institution at some point....

    Not sure how they could have made that funny...but then, I was continuously amazed at that show...and at Pushing Daisies too, for that matter! I love Bryan Fuller! That guy could make just about anything funny, I think. I'm not as big of a fan of Dead Like Me, but I think it's because I don't really like that actress very much.

    As for the actresses in Wonderfalls, I especially liked Caroline Dhavernas. I think she is great - REALLY great. I wish Fuller would cast her again in something quirky - she was very good at quirky. In fact, I can't help wondering if I'd have liked Dead Like Me more if she has been the star of that one.

    Katie Finneran was good too, but for my money it's Caroline all the way. Katie can get a bit screechy at times for my taste. Still love her...but Caroline is better, IMO.
     
  6. Timewalker

    Timewalker Cat-lovin', Star Trekkin' Time Lady Premium Member

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    In many different universes, simultaneously.
    I have the pleasure of watching Relic Hunter every day on the Space Channel here in Canada. :D

    Ooh, Dirk Blackpool... Duncan Regehr! :drool: That show was on in 1984.

    I enjoyed Seaquest and Sliders until John Rhys-Davies left the show.

    "Smart kids give me a pain!" :lol:

    My own choices are:

    The Crow: Stairway to Heaven -- okay, I know some people can't stand it because it's not like the movie. But let's face it -- it would be an awfully short(er) series if all the bad guys got killed right away. The way it was done in the series is that the bad guys were being killed off gradually... and in ways that worked against Eric. The whole revenge vs. redemption/forgiveness quandary... it's hard to figure out sometimes in RL, and the show did an excellent job of exploring this theme. And the actors were so good at getting into their characters; I've been truly inspired in my fanfic efforts for this show, and currently have about 3 binders full of stories and poems. Sometimes all it took was a single line of dialogue or a character's unspoken reaction to somebody else's dialogue to make me get ideas on why he/she said that, why the character reacted that way... the words just flowed out.

    This show was supposed to run a second season. They had been given the go-ahead... and then corporate crap happened. I don't recall which company bought which other company which decided that gothic fantasy wasn't what anybody wanted to watch -- but those decisions made the fans extremely frustrated because the first season ended on a literal cliffhanger. And now we'll never know what was meant to happen. :(

    My other picks for this thread:

    Highlander: The Raven
    Space Island One
    The Fantastic Journey
    Logan's Run (yep, it was a TV series, too!)
    Starman
    Hard Time on Planet Earth
    Planet of the Apes
     
  7. archeryguy1701

    archeryguy1701 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Jericho and Invasion. Great shows that are both on top of my list of favorites.
     
  8. The Borgified Corpse

    The Borgified Corpse Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah. The only 2 future season ideas they mentioned on the DVD set were Sharon's pregnancy in Season 2 and Jaye getting sent to a mental institution for the Season 2 cliffhanger. One of the other people in the institution would have been the kid from "Lovesick Ass."
     
  9. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I had no idea that song was the theme to a TV series. I always just thought it was a take on 007 (since its main guitar riff is taken directly from the Bond theme).

    I've never seen Secret Agent, though. ;)
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2017
  10. Triskelion

    Triskelion Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Thanks, that's the one!
     
  11. Aragorn

    Aragorn Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Though they weren't meant to be the same type of show, The Magnificent Seven was a much better short-lived western than Brisco County. And during season two, you had Carl Lumbly (Bulldog) playing Rick Worthy's (Simon, a No. 4) dad. :)
     
  12. Galactus

    Galactus Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I thought I already posted in this thread, but I don't see. Was there a similar one? Anyway. I will try to keep it short.

    Jake 2.0
    Now and Again
    Threshold
    Invasion
    Surface
    Outlaws
    Birds of Prey
    John Doe
    Miracles
    Mortal Kombat

    That is all of the top of my head
     
  13. IJD GAF

    IJD GAF Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Came in to mention Odyssey 5 and The Invisible Man. The former has been mentioned, I see, but I don't see the latter anywhere. Damned fun show.
     
  14. JoeD80

    JoeD80 Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Probe. Absolutely wonderful show. Only lasted six episodes (I see seven on imdb, but I only remember six). Created by Asimov! Michael Piller was a writer on the show before he went to TNG. It was like a sci-fi mystery show. I thought every episode was entertaining and the mysteries were interesting and took some thought to solve at the same time the characters were trying to. Wish this one was on DVD.
     
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  15. A Clockwork Lim

    A Clockwork Lim Lieutenant Commander

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    G vs. E (later renamed Good vs. Evil) is definately at the top of my list. Great characters, great story, charismatic actors. Was just a brilliant show. Sadly, it's name is probably it's biggest downfall. It's almost impossible to find it on most search engines, especially the cheap ones sites like Amazon.com uses. I love the reason they drove around in an orange Volvo, too. And the fact that the very same reason ends up being rendered moot a few scenes later. To top it all off, they had a character named Mistress Hector. How could that not be friggin' amazing? Absolutely classic series.

    I really liked Miracles, too. I think someone else mentioned it as well. Was disappointed when it was shot down before it really got a chance to blossom.

    Another I absolutely adored was The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.. It was a wonderful combination of steampunk western, futuristic sci-fi, and Asian mysticism all wrapped up into one. And it had Bruce Campbell. I mean, come on. I think my favorite character on the show was Comet the Wonder Horse, especially the episode where he got flustered that Brisco would dare take a motorcycle over him so, intent on beating him to the destination, Comet took a train and tried to act all smug about winning. At least until Brisco found the train ticket. XD

    I'm so easily amused.
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2008
  16. Saul

    Saul Vice Admiral Admiral

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    GvsE was great, no doubt because it was a show that had Ron Moore working on it. Total Recall: 2070, American Gothic (David Eick), Space Above and Beyond and Crusade I would also pick as shows I would have loved to have seen continued.
     
  17. Asbo Zaprudder

    Asbo Zaprudder Admiral Admiral

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    Did anyone mention Deepwater Black (1997)? I think it was known as Mission Genesis in the US. I can't recall whether this series was any good -- perhaps not as it's not available on DVD.
     
  18. Mistral

    Mistral Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Although probably mentioned-I can't help but say, Charlie Jade. I'm deep into it now and it is/was brilliant. It started slow but as I got farther in I realized it had to in order to establish the mood and background story. The tale it tells is the kind of thing scifi writers write about, not the dreck non-fan tv producers create. Oh, Charlie, i'm gonna miss you when I'm done.
     
  19. Snowy

    Snowy Cadet Newbie

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    Blake’s seven
     
  20. auntiehill

    auntiehill The Blooness Premium Member

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    You went back to an 11 year-old thread just to post two words? :wtf:
     
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