Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows
- Thread starter rickandrews
- Start date
An oldie but a goody! 
1. Lost
2. DS9
3. TOS
4. Twilight Zone (original)
5. Farscape
6. Futurama
7. The X-Files
8. BSG (remake)
9. B5
10. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (I'm surprised as anyone that it's honestly earned its place on this list.)
PS, I don't rank shows like Firefly or The Walking Dead that didn't/don't yet have enough episodes to make get a fair read on. TWD will no doubt stagger onto the list after the upcoming season, somewhere around mid-list depending on how this season goes. Falling Skies might have an outside chance if it shapes up well, but not till S2.
1. Lost
2. DS9
3. TOS
4. Twilight Zone (original)
5. Farscape
6. Futurama
7. The X-Files
8. BSG (remake)
9. B5
10. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (I'm surprised as anyone that it's honestly earned its place on this list.)
PS, I don't rank shows like Firefly or The Walking Dead that didn't/don't yet have enough episodes to make get a fair read on. TWD will no doubt stagger onto the list after the upcoming season, somewhere around mid-list depending on how this season goes. Falling Skies might have an outside chance if it shapes up well, but not till S2.
1. Lost
2. Babylon 5
3. Farscape
5. DS9
6. TNG
7. The X-Files
8. Futurama
9. BSG (2004)
10. Supernatural
2. Babylon 5
3. Farscape
5. DS9
6. TNG
7. The X-Files
8. Futurama
9. BSG (2004)
10. Supernatural
Funny to see some of the shows people list here. "The Prisoner" for instance, one of my all-time favourites, but I'd never once have thought of it for a list of "sci-fi" series.
So here's mine:
1. Doctor Who
2. Space: 1999
3. Blakes 7
4. Star Trek
5. Sapphire and Steel
6. UFO
7. Babylon 5
8. Quatermass
9. Timeslip
10. Clangers
So here's mine:
1. Doctor Who
2. Space: 1999
3. Blakes 7
4. Star Trek
5. Sapphire and Steel
6. UFO
7. Babylon 5
8. Quatermass
9. Timeslip
10. Clangers
it is most definitely a science fiction series, with episodes dealing with virtual reality, dream manipulation through technology, computer technology used for learning (The General is one of the most prescient episodes ever made), and numerous other topics, all of which fit well into the SF mode.
Alex
Yes, well I'm not arguing over anyone's own criteria - just my own. In my mind, it's clearly an ITC thriller show, slotting in alongside its compatriots like The Saint, Danger Man, Department S, etc. Any of which could have sci-fi trappings. See also The Avengers, Columbo, James Bond films.
Well thriller is a more general term...it can include other categories...but one thing thing those shows you mention have in common are near future technologies that were rare, undeveloped or did not exist at all at the time, which clearly is at least PART of the definition of "sci fi".
Gotta love the love for Buck Rogers...really??
We need a top ten SF thread cheer or slogan!!
Well, it seems pretty clear to me that Sci-fi is a pretty broad church as well. Which is why some people think Buffy fits in there, I suppose. There just aren't clearly defined boundaries between thriller, sci-fi, horror, fantasy. I suppose my point was, each individual perceives these things in different ways. I wasn't criticizing anyone else's choices, just making an observation that The Prisoner would never have even entered my mind as being on a list of sci-fi shows, despite its obvious sci-fi trappings. Others see it differently: fair play. The Twilight Zone is another one.
1) Firefly
2) Star Trek DS9
3) Highlander
4) Stargate SG-1
5) Star Trek TNG
6) Star Trek TOS
7) Stargate Atlantis
8) Star Trek Voyager
9) Stargate Universe
10) Smallville
2) Star Trek DS9
3) Highlander
4) Stargate SG-1
5) Star Trek TNG
6) Star Trek TOS
7) Stargate Atlantis
8) Star Trek Voyager
9) Stargate Universe
10) Smallville
I went back and update my top 10 list. I can't believe that I forgot one of my favorite shows growing up, Kolchak: The Night Stalker. So, with that in mind....here's my *revised* top 10 list of All-time fav Sci-Fi Shows.
http://mix941kmxj.com/ricks-top-10-..._10150216193511846_16741837_10150216211621846
http://mix941kmxj.com/ricks-top-10-..._10150216193511846_16741837_10150216211621846
1. Doctor Who
2. Star Trek
No order:
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Twilight Zone
Outer Limits
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Firefly
Blake's 7
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. Star Trek
No order:
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Twilight Zone
Outer Limits
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Firefly
Blake's 7
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
10.) The Outer Limits (original) - provided a fascinating creep factor, and its opening is still one of television's more effective and unique.
09.) Quantum Leap - a nice spin on an earlier idea, time jumping without knowing where... only to end up in the body of another being. Nobly fighting to fix what went wrong, sometimes with hilarious and often gut-wrenching results.
08.) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Set on a space station, this was perhaps the Trek franchise's most daring attempt at a series... and it really worked for the most part. There was significant stretch of time in the first half of the series where I became rather bored with it though. Still... it comes back strong for the most part
07.) Star Trek: The Next Generation - Like RAMA, I see this as still the most successful combination of all of the factors figuring into success: special effects, acting, storytelling, social consciousness, and jsut plain hanging onto the existing fans while reachign out to new. Where it falls down is in the heavy-handed moralizing of the latter seasons, along with a lack of anything new musically or visually.
06.) The Twilight Zone (original) - one of the most influential shows in science fiction, maybe in all of entertainment. Rod Serling's brilliance shines through, sometimes without you ever realizing it. And yet he may have been a man before his time.
05.) Firefly - I tried to list this lower because of its incomplete run... but I just plain like the show too darned much! Different and quirky, it was snappy and sharply written, with a cast that seemed to gel instantly.
04.) Farscape - Brilliance fron Down Under, that may have been why. Freed from the constraints that shows developed in the US normally face, it frequently pushed the envelope. Sometimes that worked, sometimes that didn't. However, it introudced us to a completely different look, sound and feel than any show prior, maybe the biggest factor in my appreciation for "Farscape".
03.) Doctor Who (from 9th Doctor onward) - There's no denying that a series which has lasted for 40 years weighs heavily on me. Yet even moreso, the regeneration of the series seems brilliantly handled. Captivating characters, enchantign musical scores, fascinating stories, all while maintaining a decidedly British flavor and focus.
02.) Star Trek (as in the orignal series) - the show that set the mold for science fiction television, imho. Ironcially to the detriment of others in a way. It brought intelligence to a genre that had unfairly been labeled. It dared to try new tings, treat the old in new ways and has become so firmly entrenched in American pop culture. So why list it before TNG? Simply because this show had the im[possible mission of going where none had gone before.
That leaves, to nobody's surprise....
01.) Babylon 5 - My all-time favorite show, regardless of genre. It's not the best, but it stepped out of the deservedly long shadows of Star Trek in a way I could not ignore, and that made all the difference. Epic storylines that encompassed the galaxy. Emotionally evocative music. Ground-breaking use of CGI and show execution. To my eyes that more than made up for its only significant flaw of production value for sets. Even then, I don't see that. Instead I see political machination and attempts at genocidal death. I see the deaths of Presidents and the resurrection of heroes. I feel the sacrifices of people putting the good of the galaxy ahead of their own loves.
And the next time somebody posts this question, I will probably post a different list. Likely the same shows though in a different order.
09.) Quantum Leap - a nice spin on an earlier idea, time jumping without knowing where... only to end up in the body of another being. Nobly fighting to fix what went wrong, sometimes with hilarious and often gut-wrenching results.
08.) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Set on a space station, this was perhaps the Trek franchise's most daring attempt at a series... and it really worked for the most part. There was significant stretch of time in the first half of the series where I became rather bored with it though. Still... it comes back strong for the most part
07.) Star Trek: The Next Generation - Like RAMA, I see this as still the most successful combination of all of the factors figuring into success: special effects, acting, storytelling, social consciousness, and jsut plain hanging onto the existing fans while reachign out to new. Where it falls down is in the heavy-handed moralizing of the latter seasons, along with a lack of anything new musically or visually.
06.) The Twilight Zone (original) - one of the most influential shows in science fiction, maybe in all of entertainment. Rod Serling's brilliance shines through, sometimes without you ever realizing it. And yet he may have been a man before his time.
05.) Firefly - I tried to list this lower because of its incomplete run... but I just plain like the show too darned much! Different and quirky, it was snappy and sharply written, with a cast that seemed to gel instantly.
04.) Farscape - Brilliance fron Down Under, that may have been why. Freed from the constraints that shows developed in the US normally face, it frequently pushed the envelope. Sometimes that worked, sometimes that didn't. However, it introudced us to a completely different look, sound and feel than any show prior, maybe the biggest factor in my appreciation for "Farscape".
03.) Doctor Who (from 9th Doctor onward) - There's no denying that a series which has lasted for 40 years weighs heavily on me. Yet even moreso, the regeneration of the series seems brilliantly handled. Captivating characters, enchantign musical scores, fascinating stories, all while maintaining a decidedly British flavor and focus.
02.) Star Trek (as in the orignal series) - the show that set the mold for science fiction television, imho. Ironcially to the detriment of others in a way. It brought intelligence to a genre that had unfairly been labeled. It dared to try new tings, treat the old in new ways and has become so firmly entrenched in American pop culture. So why list it before TNG? Simply because this show had the im[possible mission of going where none had gone before.
That leaves, to nobody's surprise....
01.) Babylon 5 - My all-time favorite show, regardless of genre. It's not the best, but it stepped out of the deservedly long shadows of Star Trek in a way I could not ignore, and that made all the difference. Epic storylines that encompassed the galaxy. Emotionally evocative music. Ground-breaking use of CGI and show execution. To my eyes that more than made up for its only significant flaw of production value for sets. Even then, I don't see that. Instead I see political machination and attempts at genocidal death. I see the deaths of Presidents and the resurrection of heroes. I feel the sacrifices of people putting the good of the galaxy ahead of their own loves.
And the next time somebody posts this question, I will probably post a different list. Likely the same shows though in a different order.
pretty much in order
nuBSG
Firefly
ST TNG
ST TOS
ST DS9
Futurama
The Outer Limits (90s)
Dollhouse
Twilight Zone
Angel
tempted to watch more of Farscape. Watched some episodes here or there over the last few months but just didn't hold my interest. Maybe it's like Angel and I just need to make it out of the first season...
nuBSG
Firefly
ST TNG
ST TOS
ST DS9
Futurama
The Outer Limits (90s)
Dollhouse
Twilight Zone
Angel
tempted to watch more of Farscape. Watched some episodes here or there over the last few months but just didn't hold my interest. Maybe it's like Angel and I just need to make it out of the first season...
10. V (ABC reboot)
9. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
8. Power Rangers (RPM season)
7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
6. ANGEL
5. Firefly
4. Star Trek Voyager
3. Babylon 5
2. Star Trek Deep Space Nine
1. Battlestar Galactica (RDM)
9. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
8. Power Rangers (RPM season)
7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
6. ANGEL
5. Firefly
4. Star Trek Voyager
3. Babylon 5
2. Star Trek Deep Space Nine
1. Battlestar Galactica (RDM)
