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10 Unsung Science Fiction TV Classics 10.
Space Island One (1998) Why
it's unsung: This German/Canadian co-production isn't out on DVD, and all of the
websites about it have been down for a few years. There aren't even any clips
on YouTube. Why it rules: This is one of the most hard-science-focused SF shows.
The crew of a corporate-funded space station mostly deals with scientifically
plausible problems (with a couple of exceptions) and the stories focus on the
ethical problems that come with profit-focused science. Yes, some episodes are
a tad slow-moving, but the best dozen eps feature high drama and high weirdness.
Sample plot lines: a lonely old NASA astronaut spends thousands of dollars calling
900 sex lines from the space station. The station gets the world's last sample
of smallpox for safe-keeping, and the crew debates whether to destroy it. 9.
Star Cops (1987) Why
it's unsung: This show about a police squad in the "Wild West" of space
stations and moonbases suffered from a cheesy title and a ridiculous ELO-esque
theme tune. (Which I've sort of gotten to love, for some dumb reason.) Why it
rules: Series creator Chris Boucher wrote some of the best episodes of the original
Doctor Who, and then masterminded the scripts for Blake's 7. Several Star Cops
episodes feature tons of Boucher's trademark razor-sharp dialog, plus the show
fumbles towards a space-noir aesthetic, with the cop squad including a bribe-taker
and a thuggish slob. 8.
Surface (2005-2006) Why
it's unsung: Cancelled after just one season, this show about undersea intrigue
failed to rope in the kind of audiences who were devouring Lost's tangled mysteries.
Why it rules: Dude, it had sea monsters! And there was a government coverup! And
we had a strong female character — a scientist, even — investigating
the emergence of a new and potentially world-ending form of sea life. And we never
got to learn what was really going. 7.
Odyssey 5 (2002) Why
it's unsung: This Canadian show about space shuttle astronauts who witness the
destruction of Earth never got enough publicity during its initial U.S. run on
Showtime. It felt like an attempt to do a mature extended-cable show like Big
Love, only with a science fiction premise, and it failed to reach either audience.
Showtime didn't even bother to show all of the first season, until 2004. Why it
rules: The main characters are all well-rounded and flawed. And the show's set-up,
in which an alien sends their consciousnesses back in time five years to try and
avert the world's destruction, generates tons of potential. The show is appearing
intermittently on Sci Fi, and it's worth catching despite the inconclusive ending.
The show was created by Manny Coto, who went on to mastermind the final season
of Star Trek: Enterprise. 6.
Journeyman (2007) Why
it's unsung: The first few weeks this time-travel show was on, its nickname was:
"Gah, post-Heroes buzzkill!" The drama of Kevin McKidd struggling to
hold onto his job and his marriage, while he kept slipping into the past, just
felt a bit too draggy. But then something funny happened: Heroes started being
the pain we endured to get to the reward of Journeyman. Why it rules: The mystery
of why Dan Vasser is traveling in time gets more intriguing, once a weird physicist
starts spouting about wormholes. And all of the characters get more nicely complex
as the show goes along. Most of all, though, all of Dan's meddling in the timestream
has consequences he can't predict — and they only pile up more alarmingly
over time. 5.
Lexx (1997-2002) Why
it's unsung: At least in the U.S., this Canadian show never quite crossed over
and gained a broader audience. Why it rules: Just the fact that they're in a planet-eating
bug ship is good enough for me. Not to mention the weird robot head with the love-slave
programming implanted in it, while the cluster lizard/slavegirl who was supposed
to get the programming runs free. It's a weirdly campy show, but actually has
moments of genuine greatness. 4.
Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974) Why
it's unsung: I know: How can a Star Trek series be unsung? But this one really
is. It only recently got a DVD release, and people often skip over it in discussing
Trek lore. Why it rules: Thanks to a writer's strike that didn't apply to animation,
the show managed to get some decent science fiction writers to contribute scripts,
including Larry Niven and Larry Brody, plus original series veterans like David
Gerrold and D.C. Fontana. The episodes are pretty fast-paced, thanks to their
22-minute runtimes, but that doesn't stop them dealing with ambitious ideas like
antimatter universes, an "ultimate weapon" and time paradoxes. 3.
Farscape (1999-2004) Why
it's unsung: Even for a Sci Fi Channel series whose name doesn't rhyme with "cattle
car," Farscape flew under the radar. The muppet-esque Henson animatronic
character probably made a lot of people think it was a kids' show. Why it rules:Farscape
had smart writing, good science and believable aliens — plus, it featured
Scorpius as a villain Crichton's head long before BSG ever did the head-villain
thing. Plus, we love the Moya, the living ship that Crichton finds himself on.
The Sci Fi Channel is supposedly going to make 10 webisodes, but their status
is uncertain. 2.
Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993-1994) Why
it's unsung: This sci-fi Western ran in the "Friday night death slot,"
and breathed its last after only one season. Like many of the shows on this list,
it has a cult following, but seldom gets much props as a science fiction show.
And star Bruce Campbell in general deserves way more accolades than he ever gets.
Why it rules: It smudged genre lines with total abandon, and you never knew what
sort of crazy gadgets would turn up, from an otherworldly superpowered orb to
the Mobile Battle Wagon and the Amazing Rocket Car. Co-creator Carlton Cuse now
works on Lost. 1.
Max Headroom (1987-1988) Why
it's unsung: It's still not out on DVD, except for an out-of-print DVD of the
original UK TV movie. The show has a cult following, but not as much as it deserves.
Why it rules: This cyberpunk show was prophetic in so many ways — TV ads
feel so geared to short attention spans and DVR-skipping, they might as well be
"blipverts." — and paranoia and corporate dystopias have seldom
been so entertaining.
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