Brilliant sci-fi shows i missed somehow

from Sins Forums

So for the last year and so i used to watch few sci-fi shows, but all of them with exception of Fringe ended up cancelled. Some of them i did not considered to be that great (V 2009, SGU), so i do not regret it that much, although both shows had potential and i would continue to watch them if they kept making them. Flash Forward on other hand, i was really pissed to see that one to be canned, really like that show. Some people might abject, it had logical fallacies, the level of acting was low, etc... but i found its main story compelling and interesting and every episode ended up with massive cliffhanger, thats the way i like it!It was fun and its focal point was some interesting sci-fi mystery, which was slowly uncovered.

Anyway, it was canned, so i was left with nothing to watch, so i started to look for something new, i never saw before, and was amazed to find literally shitloads of  sci-fi shows, which were canned in exactly same manner as FF, SGU or V. I already watched some of them and here are my observations...

Firefly: well, this one is probably the most famous one and talked up here before. I knew about it for some time, but hesitated to give it a try, as i was not much fan of Buffy (show, not actress :D) It was a mistake though, it was beyond brilliant really. The main strength of this shows are its actors and cleverly written dialogues, i would say. Highly recommended.

Odyssey 5: this one had brilliant sci-fi back-story and similarly to Firefly, it was about brilliant acting. The episodes though, were bit more episodic to my liking and not as compelling as they could  be. It was still a really good show and ended up with some major events/ cliffhanger in final episode. Shame.

Surface: This one made me literally watch with open mouth. The level of acting was not on par with Firefly and O5, the main story though was brilliant IMHO. There is very special trait to this shows, it starts like bit of an adventure, the Flipper/Save Willy thing with some sci-fi mystery, then it turns into thriller and ends up with events, which as i said, left me with :O kind of face, never saw that coming. Basically its kind of unpredictable and that is a good thing (in my book).

Threshold: its back story is not very original, based on Outer Limits episode, but otherwise its very good, some tense situations and difficult decisions made there, really good level of acting. Overall pretty good.

The Event: still not finished watching, it reminds me bit of Flash Forward, although this one is about aliens. Acting could be better, but the main story is great, again its pretty tense sometimes and like FF/Surface tends to end with cliffhanger. Cant wait for the season finale!

 

Common observation: Have you noticed, these new sci-fi shows, even if they feature aliens, they all look human? Galacticas Cylons (not really aliens, i know), Thresholds infectees, Event aliens, Odyssey 5 AIs, V´s aliens in human skin, etc.... In 90s, Star Treks, B5 and others had plethora of alien spieces in various costumes etc, these days its days its considered "immature" or what is the problem?

So, have you seen any of these shows and what do you think? Are there more like these, i am not aware of, you know? Tell me about it :-P

 

 

92,378 views 44 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

So many cancelled shows... so much sorrow ;(

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

I agree with so much of what the poster wrote. 

I suspect the main reason for making aliens look like humans has three parts:  1) the increased cost of the costumes, 2)the cost of time getting in and out of costumes, and 3) the additional layer of the viewer having a more difficult time 'reading' the facial expressions and body language of aliens that look, well, alien. While i don't agree with all aliens looking like humans, I suspect money is part of the reason. 

IMHO, i prefer aliens that don't look exactly like humans, but who do follow the basic evolutionary structures that go with sentient intelligence.  Creatures with claws, (no way to grasp and manipulate delicate tools or tools used for making other tools) and without decent depth perception in their 'seeing' senses (bi ocular.. or tri, etc)  just don't make sense as tool wielding sentients. 

CursorFX - Customize your Windows cursor
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

Fox is responsible for several of the show murders that vex you. Kryo typed somewhere around here that they kill shows very dead, as in refusing to let them move to another network where new financing might keep things going.

I hate them particularly for killing Dollhouse and The Sara Connor Chronicles. Both made it into second seasons, but neither had a chance to fulfill their real potential. Dollhouse is another Joss Whedon show, and to me SCC is the best thing yet to come from the Terminator saga. But then I have a weakness for strong, smart female leads.

One of my other favorite one-season SF wonders was Defying Gravity. Good cast, and an interesting long-term story arc that looks to have been planned for several seasons. 

 

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

Falling Skies is ok in a campy sort of way. I can never take Dr. Carter too seriously.

 

And the aliens aren't very human like.

 

 

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

I really enjoyed "Space Above and Beyond". Only lasted 24 episodes (originally planned for 5 seasons). The show had a good atmosphere, great story, and lots of potential. When the Jew controls the American film business the quality doesn't really matter, what matters is the quantity of coin coming in. *sigh*

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting AdolfBinStalin, reply 5
I really enjoyed "Space Above and Beyond". Only lasted 24 episodes (originally planned for 5 seasons). The show had a good atmosphere, great story, and lots of potential. When the Jew controls the American film business the quality doesn't really matter, what matters is the quantity of coin coming in. *sigh*
End of AdolfBinStalin's quote

Wow, a thoughtful response promptly ruined by re-tread racist raving.

Do some reading--the big networks are owned by world-wide big money now, not that interesting old crew of mostly-Jewish mid-20th moguls. I like Space A&B. It was also murdered by Fox, hardly a bastion of Jewish media power. 

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

Firefly
End of quote

There is a special place in hell for the Fox executive(s) who cancelled Firefly. He/she/they will be forced to watch 24 for the rest of eternity. All eight seasons will be jumbled together and out of order, and some episodes will be missing (like the final episode of each season).:P

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

Farscape is one of the truly best sci-fi shows of my generation that I just started watching continuously. It definitely deserves a look if you are hard up for a new show. One of the best that alot of people never saw. Its on stagevu.com or any other less than honest streaming site or you can buy the whole 4 season, 1 movie, saga for around 100 american on amazon. 

On a side note: Farscape uses Jim Henson for all its alien puppets, a real work of art that is, as you mentioned, uncommon in recent sci-fi. They also rely heavily on drawn landscapes that are just epic. I often find myself pausing the show just to gaze at a painted city or alien planet. The space battles are top-notch and it sort of has that Dr.Who feel to it since the ship they are running has no weapons. Oh and the ship is a sentient creature to boot. 

It was really funny to me when SG-1 lost Anderson and decided to port two of Farscape's best to fill the cast. A little tongue-in-cheek if you ask me.

 

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Farscape and Firefly are also both available on Netflix, DVD and streaming.

I've watched all of SG-1, but never loved it; SGU is my favorite work from Brad Wright. Seeing Browder and Black show up at the end was weird, but better for me than Anderson, whom I've always found to be irritating in general and a radically poor substitute for Kurt Russel. Michael Shanks is no James Spader, but at least he isn't as disdainful of his own work as Anderson appears to be. 

Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting AdolfBinStalin,

I really enjoyed "Space Above and Beyond". Only lasted 24 episodes (originally planned for 5 seasons). The show had a good atmosphere, great story, and lots of potential. When the Jew controls the American film business the quality doesn't really matter, what matters is the quantity of coin coming in. *sigh*
End of AdolfBinStalin's quote

Quoting GW,

Wow, a thoughtful response promptly ruined by re-tread racist raving.

Do some reading--the big networks are owned by world-wide big money now, not that interesting old crew of mostly-Jewish mid-20th moguls. I like Space A&B. It was also murdered by Fox, hardly a bastion of Jewish media power. 
End of GW's quote

 

Firstly, I am no racist, besides I think the word you're looking for is "antisemite". Secondly, I am simply stating a fact to which the Jews have already admitted to (see above video)...

  • Sumner Murray Redstone (Jewish)-majority owner of CBS Corporation, Viacom, MTV Networks, BET, and the film studio Paramount Pictures, and equal partner in MovieTickets.com;
  • Brad Alan Grey (Jewish)- Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures;
  • Robert A. "Bob" Iger (Jewish)- president and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company;
  • Michael Lynton (Jewish)- in the past has led Time Warner, The Walt Disney Company's Hollywood Pictures and Pearson's Penguin Group. Currently Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertaiment;
  • Barry Meyer (Jewish)- Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment;
  • Leslie Moonves (Jewish)- President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Corporation;
  • Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum (both Jewish)-Co Chairman and CEO of MGM;

...and the list goes on...

 

Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top

SGU was great IMHO, finally darker and more mature Star Gate, and they cancel it.. :( The same with Defying Gravity, that show definately had potential.. And canceling shows like Firelfly should be a crime.

Reply #12 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting AdolfBinStalin, reply 10
Firstly, I am no racist, besides I think the word you're looking for is "antisemite". Secondly, I am simply stating a fact to which the Jews have already admitted to (see above video)...
End of AdolfBinStalin's quote


Beg pardon, I consider anti-Semites to be a subset of racists. Also, I don't care for videos as sources, I prefer text. Most importantly, you listed a bunch of executives but you noted nothing about ownership stakes in the given corporations, and you appeared to duck the question about outfits like News Corp, Bertelsmann AG, and Vivendi with "and the list goes on."

I'm neither Jewish nor religious, but I can't for the life of me think of a good reason for you to have dropped a line like "when the Jew controls" unless you are actually a fan of genocidal politics. Well, one reason--I have a friend who's a recreational anti-Semite. If you were just having low-brow fun in public, I apologize. 

Reply #13 from Elemental Forums Top

Can you both shut up about your stupid race crap and enjoy a good tv-show thread?

Thanks for the tip about Falling Skies, impinc.

I really like the new doctor who series. It's a lot more kids friendly, no doubt, and still cheesy enough to be interesting. I have to say the last 2 seasons have probably been the best I've ever seen.

The lost room is a decent present-time scifi mini-series I greatly enjoyed.

Reply #14 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Heavenfall, reply 13
Can you both shut up about your stupid race crap and enjoy a good tv-show thread? ...
End of Heavenfall's quote

I'd be happy to drop the subject, but I must note that I don't think it's stupid to call out crap like "when the Jew controls."

Falling Skies lost me immediately because it just seemed like more of the same effects-heavy invasion/apocalypse stuff. The series Invasion was yet another one-season wonder that I really liked; effects were light but the story was strong, as were the dialog and acting. Shaun Cassidy should keep on trying; I liked American Gothic as well (not 'sci-fi' but still a potentially neat show that didn't get time to flourish).

For me, the Doctor Who reboot has started down hill since Russell Davies left. I thought it seemed swell to branch the kid-friendly stuff off to Sara Jane and let those of us who've watched Who for decades finally get some grownup time in that weird world. Torchwood is a decent substitute there, but it isn't the same as seeing the Doctor involved in stories that include 'adult' stuff.

The Lost Room is more than decent, and might be part of what made Warehouse 13 happen. I enjoy camp in general, but I'd probably like Warehouse 13 more if it used the comedy more as relief and less as structural material.

Reply #15 from Sins Forums Top

I really like the new Doctor Who for the most part, but I'm still not sure about Matt Smith. He seems more inconsistant to me, with some good episodes and some that are kind of lame. I suppose that's at least partly because of the writing, but still. David Tennant was my favorite, although it did take a while for him to grow on me too. The last season (or half-season or whatever it was) seemed even more up-and-down than the previous one. I'm glad they've made Rory a regular, even if he's mostly comedic relief. They could stop killing him off so frequently though:P

Another show I really like is Eureka, which, coincedentally, comes back tonight.

Reply #16 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting GW, reply 12

I don't care for videos as sources, I prefer text. Most importantly, you listed a bunch of executives but you noted nothing about ownership stakes in the given corporations, and you appeared to duck the question about outfits like News Corp, Bertelsmann AG, and Vivendi with "and the list goes on..."
End of GW's quote

Firstly, the video points to textual sources and is a good start/reference for anyone genuinely interested in the issue to follow up. However, you're are right don't believe me or the video alone, in fact you need to do your own research first and then make up your own mind. Secondly, I do mention ;though very briefly, ownership stakes (did you even read my post?). Thirdly, it is the CEO; who is also the chairman of the board, that has responsibilities as decision maker, leader, and manager and not the stakeholders.

Finally, I didn't duck the question about outfits like News Corp, Bertelsmann AG, and Vivendi. I just didn't want to post a wall of text. Rupert Murdoch is the CEO of News Corp (and you're right he is not Jewish), the company however is founded in Australia. Vivendi is a French company not American, however, CEO and Chairman Jean-Bernard Lévy is Jewish. Likewise, Bertelsmann AG is German not American. So as you can see my earlier point re: "American film industry being controlled by Jews" is still very much valid.

 

p.s. "Sliders" was another sci-fi not yet mentioned I got into in the late 90's (or was it early 2000's?). I also enjoyed the original Star-Gate while MacGiver (Richard Dean Anderson) was on it. However, I lost total interest once he departed from the show.

 

Reply #17 from Sins Forums Top

Thanks for all your responses and suggestions.  Regarding Jewish stuff, please let it go. Jews are not responsible for canning good sci-fi shows, period. At best there are inidividual persons of Jewish origin/heritage, who may or may not be blamed for that, but there  is no Jewish conspiracy to f*ck us sci-fi fans up by cancelling every decent sci-fi show Thats all i will say on the subject.

 

Anyway, my take on some other shows you mentioned:

Space: Above and Beyond: i saw it, but it was more than 10 years ago, more like 15, i was a kid back then and unlike Star Trek or B5, did not like it that much, although i still considered it decent. I suspect though, as i matured, if i watched it now again, i would enjoy it much, much more. Maybe its time to give it another go. ABANDON ALL HOPE aaaaa... :grin:

Defying Gravity: Never seen that, but i am aware of its existence. There is an actress, blond, forgot her name, who was starring on Dead Like Me, another brilliant show, i did not mention in my OP, as it was not really sci-fi....but its great, one of the best non-sci-fi shows out there. Canned after 2 seasons, ofc >:( ... highly recommended, mature stuff

Farscape: only saw i think the final movie, LOL. It is definitely on my list. BTW, those of you, who play StarCraft 2, do you think Ben Browder of the show (and SG-1 as mentioned) is relative to the Dustin Browder, developer of SC? I remember seeing some MP beta video of SC2 and those guys have very very similar voices... at least to my ears.

Sarah Connor Chronicles: not sure about this, not a big fan of Terminator. But might be worth a try, if you say its good.

Dollhouse: Its more like Buffy or like Firefly? Cause thats the decisive factor for me...

Falling Skies: have not seen it yet,  not sure about that one. Bit afraid its too much like Battle LA or Skyline, both rubbish movies of highest order IMHO. I like Dr. Carter though, at least i think he was OK on ER, so i think i will look at it. After all, there are not many current sci-fi shows left, are they?

 

@Elana Ahova> agreed about the aliens look stuff. BTW you may be right, maybe its the question of money, did not think about that. My line of thinking was more like they are out of "fashion" and the producers are afraid their "mature" sci-fi show will become stuff for geeks only and ofc they want to target broader audience than that...

 

 

 

Reply #18 from Sins Forums Top

Are there more like these, i am not aware of, you know? Tell me about it 
End of quote

There is plenty of sci-fi show... several was already named in previous post but not series like "Andromeda", like "Starhunter" or like "earth final conflict" listed in these topic...

well, i have more that 10 Tb of sci-fi... some very old like "space 1999" from 1975... "The outer limits" from 1995 is somehow good too ( 1 or 2 episodes by story, 7 seasons )... wish to find the 1963 original serie but i have no luck until now...

More recent, maybe the 2011 BBC short series ( 8 episodes ) called "Outcasts"...

Not really a divertissment show but very interesting ( education ), the 5 seasons of "The Universe" from the history channel !!!

Reply #19 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting GW, reply 14

Quoting Heavenfall, reply 13Can you both shut up about your stupid race crap and enjoy a good tv-show thread? ...
I'd be happy to drop the subject, but I must note that I don't think it's stupid to call out crap like "when the Jew controls."

Falling Skies lost me immediately because it just seemed like more of the same effects-heavy invasion/apocalypse stuff. The series Invasion was yet another one-season wonder that I really liked; effects were light but the story was strong, as were the dialog and acting. Shaun Cassidy should keep on trying; I liked American Gothic as well (not 'sci-fi' but still a potentially neat show that didn't get time to flourish).

For me, the Doctor Who reboot has started down hill since Russell Davies left. I thought it seemed swell to branch the kid-friendly stuff off to Sara Jane and let those of us who've watched Who for decades finally get some grownup time in that weird world. Torchwood is a decent substitute there, but it isn't the same as seeing the Doctor involved in stories that include 'adult' stuff.

The Lost Room is more than decent, and might be part of what made Warehouse 13 happen. I enjoy camp in general, but I'd probably like Warehouse 13 more if it used the comedy more as relief and less as structural material.
End of GW's quote

 

Invasion, that is one more show, i "discovered" alongside Event/Surface/Threshold triplet. When i was deciding, which one to watch first, Invasion lost, as i read somewhere its similar to the Invasion of the Body Snatchers - therefore not very original. Anyway i found out Threshold is very much the same, when it comes to basic story, but i still liked it... so there is a good chance i will like Invasion too. Planning to get it in the near future.

Reply #20 from Elemental Forums Top

Threshold was awesome, it worked on so many levels because it was really an exploration of corruption in modern society. Sort of like a super-light version of the Chaos gods from warhammer 40k, in present time.

Reply #21 from Elemental Forums Top

Hey you all.  There are so many si fi shows mentioned here that i have never heard of.  And I love sci-fi.  i watch all the shows that end up on hulu tv.  Are all these on cable TV?  IS that why they never appeared on my radar?

Any way, besides getting the DVDs, to view them.. and see which ones I like?

 

Reply #22 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Heavenfall, reply 20
Threshold was awesome, it worked on so many levels because it was really an exploration of corruption in modern society. Sort of like a super-light version of the Chaos gods from warhammer 40k, in present time.
End of Heavenfall's quote

Do not really know, what you mean? Please elaborate

Reply #23 from Elemental Forums Top

The chaos gods in warhammer universes deal a lot with corruption and how you have to seek out even the slightest hint of it or everything goes to shit. Also, how you can become corrupted yourself while searching, without realizing it.

Reply #24 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Heavenfall, reply 23
The chaos gods in warhammer universes deal a lot with corruption and how you have to seek out even the slightest hint of it or everything goes to shit. Also, how you can become corrupted yourself while searching, without realizing it.
End of Heavenfall's quote

So you think, how they dealing with alien infection, they need basically cut all the "tentacles", its meant to be "metaphor" or hint on the fighting the corruption in the reality? I mean you think its a deeper show than it looks from outside in this regard and the sci-fi aspect of the show is "glittering" on top, i mean its not the most important part of the show and could be substituted for something else?

 

Reply #25 from Elemental Forums Top



Falling Skies: have not seen it yet,  not sure about that one. Bit afraid its too much like Battle LA or Skyline, both rubbish movies of highest order IMHO. I like Dr. Carter though, at least i think he was OK on ER, so i think i will look at it. After all, there are not many current sci-fi shows left, are they?

 
 
End of quote

 

 There's nothing original in it, to be honest. Yes, it's a typical apocalyptic, end-of-the-world type series. I view it as cheese TV. If you think of it like that, it's watchable. Although I have to say, they've really been piling up the cheese the last couple of episodes (I really hope that means it's building up for a great fall).