Determining what is the best science fiction television series?

[Greylock Crescent]

There's a difference between "Best" and "Top" ... and "Most Popular," no? If anyone's going to attempt a legitimate "Best" or "Top" list of anything, it kinda makes sense to look beyond the ratings and see how well-regarded the shows are after the fact. Otherwise the list is like that Boston.com article: incomplete.

 

[Greg Cox]

I tend to prefer "Favorite" over "Best." With "Best," people often feel obliged to recite the acknowledged classics, which can get boring. "Favorite" lists tend to be more idiosyncratic and interesting.

And, of course, fans are never going to agree on what's "Best."

 

[label]

I'm surprised by how popular "Babylon 5" and "Farscape" are. I assumed they were just very niche shows with very small fan bases. I've never seen an episode of either show, and until I came here I'd never really heard of them, aside from seeing the occasional commercial for one while waiting for one of my favourite sci-fi shows to come on.

I am extremely jealous of you. First you get to watch Angel for the first time and that's pretty awesome in and of itself, but to be able to watch Babylon 5 for the first time, watching the story unfold.......people can quibble over where it should be ranked in their personal preference though most will put it in the top 5......however, I don't think anyone will argue with me (of course, having said that there will now be that one person who feels they need to try..... ) that Bab 5, at least through the first four seasons represents the most epic Sci-Fi story ever told on the small screen.

I would love it if you watched it like you did Angel and talked through your reactions in a thread. The angel thread has been required reading for me these last couple weeks. The first time I did that I read through the corresponding episode info from here:

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/eplist.html

Also, Farscape being one of my top 3 series, that's another one I'd love to be able to watch for the first time again.

 

[Captaindemotion]

I love Angel and Buffy, I just don't consider them sci-fi. If this was a list of the best sci-fi or fantasy shows, they'd both be in my top 5.

 

[Skellington]

I love Angel and Buffy, I just don't consider them sci-fi. If this was a list of the best sci-fi or fantasy shows, they'd both be in my top 5.

Both are superhero shows, and both featured elements of sci-fi anyway.

 

[Alex1939]

.however, I don't think anyone will argue with me (of course, having said that there will now be that one person who feels they need to try..... ) that Bab 5, at least through the first four seasons represents the most epic Sci-Fi story ever told on the small screen.

Depending on the definition you want to use for epic, I would suggest nuBSG is just as "epic".

That has nothing to do with quality but just overall "story" from beginning to end. Personally, I only thought Babylon5 was ok. It just didn't pull me in like some here.

 

[I Grok Spock]

I cheated. No order, and more than 10:

Star Trek
Space Battleship Yamato
The Twilight Zone (1955)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Addams Family
Lost
Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Space Angel
Doctor Who
Buffy
Spider-Man (1966)
Firefly
Red Dwarf

 

[tharpdevenport]

I'm going to go with my personal tastes, leaving out ones which are too personal to make such a list (like "7 Days" or "Time Trax"):

(not particular order)

1. The X-Files (until it junmped the shark; hell, it didn't just "jump" the shark, it chased it around with super soldiers, then kidnapped it and did tests on it, then blew the fucking shark up)
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
3. Angel
4. Firefly
5. [original] The Twilight Zone
6. Star Trek: The Next Generation
7. Quantum Leap
8. Futurama
9. Stargate: SG1 (first six years; especially the first few which carried on the original idea and interesting concepts that made the series so special)
10. Drawing a blank.

 

[label]

Depending on the definition you want to use for epic, I would suggest nuBSG is just as "epic".

I dunno...........

Spoilers for the finale of nuBSG and Bab5 ahead.............
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I suppose you could argue that once the nuBSG finale had aired and you realized how long the cycle had been going on, that we were witnessing preHistory on the show that the show gained an "epic" feel to it. However, previous to the finale and an isolated episode here or there, the show largely revolved around the one ship and it's one enemy. The scope of the story just didn't seem "epic" or galactic in scope or scale, which is not to say I didn't love the series.

With Bab 5 you literally had dozens of different races from dozens of different galaxies spanning literally thousands of years and that's not counting the episode where they looked 1 million years into the future at the end of Season 4.

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End Spoilers


So, I guess for me "epic" means large scope/scale of the primary story and Bab 5's canvass seemed to have a grander, larger scope than any other piece I've seen.

 

[Kegg]

Xena was too silly and melodramatic at times and I guess that's why some people dismiss the whole thing as junk, but when the comedy and drama was done right on that show, it was just transcendent. I'm surprised by how popular "Babylon 5" and "Farscape" are.

You have to make a big list of multiple good genre shows on television.

Farscape and Babylon 5 were, yes, shows that had a very small niche of the audience. BUt if you want to make any kind of list about the sci-fi shows that didn't suck either one can have a credible case built for them.

 

[Miss Chicken]

My 10 favourite (but not in any order are)

Supernatural
Dr Who
Torchwood
Star Trek TNG
Babylon 5
Blake's 7
Red Dwarf
LOST
Angel
Star Trek: DS9

When they showed I prefered ST VOY to DS9 but since then I have come to appreciate DS9 more and VOY slightly less.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

There's a difference between "Best" and "Top" ... and "Most Popular," no? If anyone's going to attempt a legitimate "Best" or "Top" list of anything, it kinda makes sense to look beyond the ratings and see how well-regarded the shows are after the fact. Otherwise the list is like that Boston.com article: incomplete.

"Well-regarded..." by whom?

Value judgments are nice for bar room arguments, but while there's some chance of measuring with a little objectivity whether one thing is more or less popular than another there's no chance whatever of getting broad consensus on what's "best."

Arguably shows like The Twilight Zone or the original Star Trek have been around long enough to suggest some enduring appeal. Similarly annointing anything less than a generation or so old is dubious.

I tend to prefer "Favorite" over "Best."

"Favorite" works. Who'd want to argue with "favorite?"

I thought about "Hitchhiker's Guide" myself, but to me none of the adaptations approach the brilliance of the original radio plays.

 

[Too Much Fun]

I'm surprised by how popular "Babylon 5" and "Farscape" are. I assumed they were just very niche shows with very small fan bases. I've never seen an episode of either show, and until I came here I'd never really heard of them, aside from seeing the occasional commercial for one while waiting for one of my favourite sci-fi shows to come on.

I am extremely jealous of you. First you get to watch Angel for the first time and that's pretty awesome in and of itself, but to be able to watch Babylon 5 for the first time, watching the story unfold.......people can quibble over where it should be ranked in their personal preference though most will put it in the top 5......however, I don't think anyone will argue with me (of course, having said that there will now be that one person who feels they need to try..... ) that Bab 5, at least through the first four seasons represents the most epic Sci-Fi story ever told on the small screen.

I would love it if you watched it like you did Angel and talked through your reactions in a thread. The angel thread has been required reading for me these last couple weeks. The first time I did that I read through the corresponding episode info from here:

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/eplist.html

Also, Farscape being one of my top 3 series, that's another one I'd love to be able to watch for the first time again.

Aw, thanks for the compliment, chum. I'm glad you enjoyed my rambling so much. Maybe I will give B5 a shot someday. Unfortunately, with the schedule I have next year, it'll be a good long awhile before I get a chance.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

There's a difference between "Best" and "Top" ... and "Most Popular," no? If anyone's going to attempt a legitimate "Best" or "Top" list of anything, it kinda makes sense to look beyond the ratings and see how well-regarded the shows are after the fact. Otherwise the list is like that Boston.com article: incomplete.

"Well-regarded..." by whom?

Value judgments are nice for bar room arguments, but while there's some chance of measuring with a little objectivity whether one thing is more or less popular than another there's no chance whatever of getting broad consensus on what's "best."

Arguably shows like The Twilight Zone or the original Star Trek have been around long enough to suggest some enduring appeal. Similarly annointing anything less than a generation or so old is dubious.

Bar rooms and internet message boards aren't all that dissimilar, it would seem. And yeah, television ratings aren't particularly relevant beyond determining which shows were "most popular," as I'm sure you know. As for who holds these shows in high regard, why not go to a few message boards (or bar rooms) and ask ... and pay particular attention to the responses that discuss the actual content of the shows in question, rather than those which simply report ratings (or those that respond to such posts ).

Content would certainly explain why a show like Star Trek (or Firefly if you prefer a more modern example), whose ratings weren't enough to support a continuation, would have, as you say, "enduring appeal" -- not only for the original audiences that weren't big enough in the ratings, but for new viewers who continue to watch, and find appeal in, the show.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

As for who holds these shows in high regard, why not go to a few message boards (or bar rooms) and ask ... and pay particular attention to the responses that discuss the actual content of the shows in question, rather than those which simply report ratings.

Well, then, we'll know which shows are their favorites. And...?

 

[label]

Aw, thanks for the compliment, chum. I'm glad you enjoyed my rambling so much. Maybe I will give B5 a shot someday. Unfortunately, with the schedule I have next year, it'll be a good long awhile before I get a chance.

That's too bad you won't have more time coming up soon...... Bab 5 and Farscape are required viewing for any serious SciFi fan. Both are amazing shows and could not be more opposite than each other. In fact, as much as I loved Angel, I'd rate both shows higher than Angel or Buffy. (and in fact, looking back in the thread, I did! )

 

[psikeyhackr]

Xena was too silly and melodramatic at times and I guess that's why some people dismiss the whole thing as junk, but when the comedy and drama was done right on that show, it was just transcendent. I'm surprised by how popular "Babylon 5" and "Farscape" are. I assumed they were just very niche shows with very small fan bases. I've never seen an episode of either show, and until I came here I'd never really heard of them, aside from seeing the occasional commercial for one while waiting for one of my favourite sci-fi shows to come on.

I have the Babylon 5 DVDs but I have never watched an entire Xena episode. B5 is the closest thing to top quality SF literature that I have ever seen on TV.

Science fiction is forward looking. Technology changes society but society has to decide how to use it and not use it. Look at the stem cell issue. Look at the global warming issue. Science fiction is about more than entertainment. Arthur C. Clarke suggested that politicians read it.

We currently have the problem of figuring out how to use computers in education. I think we can bet that educators don't want to use them in a way that would eliminate lots of teachers even if they would do a better job.

http://www.cris.com/~faben1/section1.shtml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgGSlz_-34E

psik

 

[FordSVT]

^
They did have BtVS listed at #27...that is pretty much fantasy. I guess it is up to ElimParra. And they had Xena too...also fantasy.

I didn't even see them. I didn't check the entire list, just a random sampling of 15-20 that were all thoroughly traditional sci-fi.

Again, back to why I hate websites with that design.

 

[Too Much Fun]

We currently have the problem of figuring out how to use computers in education. I think we can bet that educators don't want to use them in a way that would eliminate lots of teachers even if they would do a better job.

I don't know what this has to do with the topic at hand, but I just have to ask, what are you basing this assertion on? I'm a teacher and I use computers a lot in teaching. I have never felt threatened by them or thought they could ever replace me.

Computers are a great educational aid for teaching as they can help students with research and help teachers deliver curriculum more interestingly through PowerPoint presentations, projected notes, video clips, audio, or pictures. They can enhance a lesson, but how could they do the lesson all by themselves? They could never interact with students and help with their specific educational needs and questions the way a teacher can.

 

[Vasquez Rocks]

I went through and copy & pasted the Boston.com list. Pain in the ass, but now no one else has to go through that website, unless you want to read their reason for each one they chose.

1.'Battlestar Galactica' (New)
2.'Star Trek' (Original)
3.'Star Trek: The Next Generation'
4.'The X-Files'
5.'Babylon 5'
6.'Stargate SG-1'
7.'The Twilight Zone'
8.'Dr. Who'
9.'Mystery Science Theater 3000'
10.'Sliders'
11.'Lost'
12.'Xena: Warrior Princess'
13.'The Outer Limits'
14.'Star Trek Voyager'
15.'Logan's Run'
16.'Flash Gordon'
17.'Firefly'
18.'V'
19.'Dark Angel'
20.'The Hitchhiker'
21.'Quantum Leap'
22.'Andromeda'
23.'Tales from the Crypt'
24.'Wonder Woman'
25.'The Jetsons'
26.'Stargate Atlantis'
27.'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'
28.'Adventures of Superman'
29.'The Six Million Dollar Man'
30.'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'
31.'Alien Nation'
32.'My Favorite Martian'
33.'Lost In Space'
34.'The Avengers'
35.'Battlestar Galactica' (Original)
36.'The Bionic Woman'
37.'Space 1999'
38.'Batman'
39.'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'
40.'The Thunderbirds'
41.'Futurama'
42.'Science Fiction Theatre'
43.'Nowhere Man'
44.'Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'
45.'The Greatest American Hero'
46.'That Was Then'
47.'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'
48.'3rd Rock From The Sun'
49.'The Wild Wild West'
50.'Earth - Final Conflict'