Alternate history tv shows

[JirinPanthosa]

The New Trek film was awesome, but I'm starting to worry they're oversaturating the market. Right after Enterprise ended in 2008, they immediately launched the 25th century series where they make contact with other galaxies and have to deal with races that aren't humanoid and are completely unlike them. Star Trek: Titan was still on the air! So Star Trek: Titan ends, they immediately announce that new series where Worf was captain AND announce a new throwback film. At this rate people are going to get tired of Trek. If they immediately launched a fourth Star Trek series after TNG ended people would have gotten tired of it ages ago.

And I would have honestly rather seen another DS9 film to conclude the 'Sisko Reborn' arc.

I hear the Borg are going to factor into the new series. We haven't heard from them since TNG, I can't WAIT to see more of them.

 

[scotpens]

That movie with what's-his-name...the one where they totally parodied Galaxy Quest was hysterical. Can you imagine some show called "Star Trek" in real life?

There was that little-known Desilu show Star Trek, about a group of Hollywood entertainers on a USO tour during World War II. It only lasted one season and hasn't had a home video release because of multiple issues with music clearances.

 

[Nerys Myk]

That movie with what's-his-name...the one where they totally parodied Galaxy Quest was hysterical. Can you imagine some show called "Star Trek" in real life?

There was that little-known Desilu show Star Trek, about a group of Hollywood entertainers on a USO tour during World War II. It only lasted one season and hasn't had a home video release because of multiple issues with music clearances.

It did launch Nichelle Nichols singing career. She could paper a wall with all those gold records.

 

[jespah]

Remember that cult favorite French show, Le étoile voyage? It ran for six seasons, with Maurice Chevalier as Le capitan Bayonette and Juliette Binoche as La première choisse. Some guy named Leonard Nimoy was brought in after a while to provide comic relief with his drag impressions and numerous drug references.

 

[Vendikarr]

I have to say the biggest mind blowing season finale was at the end of Firefly's 9th season. After years of fighting against the Alliance, Mal Reynolds is killed by Alliance deep cover agent River Tam.

Then the body glows, and Nathan Fillion changes into Charlie Sheen and is alive again. He just stood up and said "Call me the Captain.'

They called it a 'regeneration' in the season 10 premier. My friends as I were talking about that all summer long.

 

[lennier1]

Zipang, basic idea from The Final Countdown, but with a modern Japanese destroyer that's thrown back in time into WW2.
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A6T_rrUFIg[/yt]
Sadly, the anime covers only a fraction of the manga storyline.

Alternate history is actually not such a rare setting in Japanese entertainment, like Code Geass, the Kerberos Saga (not a show but actually a whole franchise of movies, books, audio dramas and other installments), Full Metal Panic (another franchise across different media),

As for US content, not sure if Otherworld, Alien Nation and Amerika were already mentioned.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I have to say the biggest mind blowing season finale was at the end of Firefly's 9th season. After years of fighting against the Alliance, Mal Reynolds is killed by Alliance deep cover agent River Tam.

Then the body glows, and Nathan Fillion changes into Charlie Sheen and is alive again. He just stood up and said "Call me the Captain.'

They called it a 'regeneration' in the season 10 premier. My friends as I were talking about that all summer long.

I only hope they manage to close the series out as satisfyingly as they did Battlestar Galactica. I was worried they'd pull some lame 'God did everything' thing, but they really managed to tie up everything perfectly. It was almost as good as Lost's ending. Hopefully Firefly's series finale will live up to the same standards.

 

[lennier1]

It was almost as good as Lost's ending.

I still feel it cheapened the whole thing when we found out that it's the same place as in Fantasy Island, just decades after its abandonment.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Gotta say when Lee and Kirby went over to DC they really changed comics. They took the Challengers of the Unknown and revamped them into super heroes, but a different style of hero that DC had at the time. Prof became Mr. Elastic, Rocky became The Thing, Red became the Human Torch, and June became the Invisible Girl. Having Ace seemingly die in the accident that gave them their powers, only to return as their greatest foe was a brilliant move.

 

[Mistral]

I've been thinking about what Nerys said about MASH. I'm actually not surprised it didn't last as long as the real WWII. Expecting any tv series to last 9 years without becoming stale is really asking a lot. I mean, look at The Rifleman. It lasted so long that Miss Kitty went from a hot love interest into an old maid aunt. Along the way, they must have told the same stories a dozen times over. If it weren't for all of the Luddites in California the show would have been yanked after 5 years, tops, instead of lasting 22.

 

[Jonas Grumby]

Man, there's nothing like the 20th season of Cop Rock.

I disagree. The music is so formulaic its like they recycle the same songs each week-and Brittany Spears is a weak replacement for Hugh Jackman, IMO. I just can't buy her as a detective. No gravitas.

But did you see the patter song episode? That was the most energetic single hour of television I've ever seen!

 

[Mistral]

I noticed no one has said a word about Barney Miller. I always thought that Hal Holbrook did such a good job as Barney that no one, literally, could replace him. I mean, I can't even imagine anyone else as Barney. And Morgan Freeman playing Detective Ron Harris alongside Matt Frewer as Arthur Dietrich simply sealed the deal. Classic. I watch the re-runs even today.

 

[DarthTom]

The 1994 HBO mini The Fatherland, is a great alternative history show. The story revolves around what if the Normany invasion failed and Germany only faced the Russians through the remainder of the war.

The plot is fast forwarded to the mid-1960's when an American reporter visiting the country attempts to uncover the holocaust which was covered up by the Nazi's.

Opening sequence on You Tube - Fatherland - first 5 minutes

 

[Silvercrest]

Anyone remember "Gilligan's Island"? It tanked after only half a season and isn't very well remembered, but it's recently been released on DVD.

I think it had great promise as a sitcom, but the casting was horrendous. I mean, Bill Mumy as "Willy Gilligan"? Guy Williams as a millionaire, June Lockhart as his wife, and Marta Kristen as a movie starlet? All three are far too down-home to be comfortable in those roles. I'm not even sure what the rest were supposed to be. And let's not even talk about that clanking metal autopilot.

Although I must admit Jonathan Harris works pretty well as the professor-type.

 

[sojourner]

^Surely you're not talking about Gilligan's Eye-land, that Sid and Marty Kroft show from Saturday mornings? That show was a trip, I always wondered what they were on when they wrote the episode where Gilligan met that Doctor that traveled in a blue box.

 

[Jonas Grumby]

My all-time favorite was Alan Hale as Cannon. Classic 70s detective show! Although, I will admit the quality did drop quite a bit after Joe Penny joined the cast and they renamed the show Cannon and the Thin Man.

 

[Silvercrest]

^Surely you're not talking about Gilligan's Eye-land, that Sid and Marty Kroft show from Saturday mornings? That show was a trip, I always wondered what they were on when they wrote the episode where Gilligan met that Doctor that traveled in a blue box.

Krofft shows are "alternate reality" no matter which reality you started in.

 

[scotpens]

Who could forget the classic Hawaiian P.I., set against the lush, exotic backdrop of Hawaii and starring Tom Selleck, Jack Lord and Robert Conrad as a trio of private detectives with Connie Stevens as their ditzy secretary? The show did a great job of portraying the Hawaiian atmosphere and culture, especially considering it was mostly filmed on Warner Brothers' Burbank backlot.

 

[Jonas Grumby]

You know what I was just thinking? You know who would have been perfect for the role of Cannon? William Conrad! I think he would have been even better than Alan Hale. (Hale played up the humor in the show a little too much for my taste. Conrad was "tougher.")

Never could have happened, though, what with Conrad tied up playing Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke for twenty years.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I thought John Wayne played Dillon on Gunsmoke. I thought he could have had a better career on the big screen instead of switching to TV. Imagine if he was in True Grit instead of Henry Fonda.