Bablyon 5 is a prime example of what it looks like to have a plan. The script and story was set out to be a 5 season run from the start. They (the showrunners) denied studio incentives to make more and they fought to let it stay when the rating dipped. Once completed it became one of the best sci-fi shows to hit screens. A start-to-finish plan is something you do not see in Hollywood anymore. A definitive start and an outline of maybes based on financial success is as far as it goes now. B5 is top tier television. Love the video Mr. Cullen and as always I'll be looking forward to more.
Babylon 5 is, I always say, the exact antipode to JJ Abrams style 2000s storytelling. That style has no real plan or higher meaning, it just strings viewers along. Babylon 5 is the epitome of a planned arc; I've never seen a better one in television.
It unfortunately didn't go entirely to plan... The studio told them at the start of S4 that they weren't going to be renewed for S5, so plotlines had to be retooled and cut down so they could get to the end of the Shadow War by the end of the season. About halfway through the studio came back and said "surprise, we got you renewed for S5 after all!" And that's why S5 feels a bit awkward. It's still good stuff, but it's mostly made up of the bits and pieces they had to cut out of S4.
@@voutsider190 nah half the cast left because of all of the deviations from the season 1 plot and adding aliens to it as most of the Seaquest cast liked the idea of a future society living underwater and having episodes where they would discover historical artifacts and explain the history of them
NBC moved production to Florida to save money, and then hyper-sexualized the female conn officer (even going so far as having her proposition Jonathan Brandis’s teenage character when he planned to sacrifice himself for the others to escape in one episode). Season 1 of SeaQuest is great, especially with Chief Crocker on the boat and the recurring story arcs (like the Magma Buoy).
Babylon 5 is the single greatest television show in history, IMO. A real testament to what can happen if you have exceptional writing and experienced actors.
@@veganconservative1109 Not completely but mostly yes.The studio screwed around resulting in a cut down season 5. However I really like that season as a kind of calm after the storm of season 4.
Still pushing for Space: Above and Beyond. A great show that sadly only had one season. There were several comments in the last video about this show. I was pleasantly surprised at how many people remembered it.
@@Bow-to-the-absurd remember the twins? Lizard baby with human eyes and human baby with a forked tongue? Just watched it recently and thought, “Here comes the lizard muppet!” 🤣
@@snakeplissken2963i havent watched it since the 80's I was about 9 years old. I remember the girl giving birth. Absolutely terrifying!!! It was so 80's and so good .
Yes it happened. Here in the UK we were all watching real Star Trek and SeaQuest was mocked and derided and laughed at constantly. It never gained any traction. It was even sent up on Steve Wrights radio show on a daily basis for some time. Most sketches start with it being Sea Quest and as they run more and more Trek sound effects and phrases creep in as certain characters get confused over what show they are supposed to be making and keep thinking its Trek. They skits were funnier and more interesting than the show itself.
Until we got The Expanse, Babylon 5 was so easily my favourite piece of science-fiction...anything, maybe, of all time. It's the closest I have ever come to loving something sci-fi as much as I did B5. And it's fitting, maybe, that The Expanse is, itself, woefully undersung.
@@Blisterdude123looking back, I don’t think the Expanse has held up as well as people think. Season 1 and the first half of season 2 are excellent, as was the first half of season 3. Season 4 and 6 were alright, and the second halves of seasons 2 and 3, and a lot of season 5 (the Inaros plot, for example) were pretty weak.
Man, SeaQuest takes me back. I was a huge fan of TNG growing up, and SeaQuest had a very similar feeling. I really miss the 90s era of TV sci-fi, it was so bright and hopeful.
5th season of B5 was Scouring the Shire section of Lord of the Rings (taken from the finale of The Odyssey). A portion of Tolkien's trilogy never done in films.
@@STho205 I hated the telepath part of season 5. Byron and his acolytes were just a pain in the backside and it was a relief when that storyline ended. The whole Drakh/Centauri story arc was excellent.
@@St_AngusYoung the Shadows and Vorlons had left a mess in their wake. While Sheridan and Delin had gone and fought the great crusade and with the help of the 1st One and the ghost of Kosh, rid the galaxy of them....their minions had invaded behind the lines to ruin home.
I felt that way about the rebooted Battlestar-Galactica series that came out in 2003,I thought it was the best show on tv at that time with-The SHIELD coming neck-to-neck with BSG. I still rewatch both series. I also thought the new BSG was even better than TNG,DS9 and Voyager and this coming from a true Trekkie.
@user-be7tc2bd6e I very much enjoyed BSG as well. I was very skeptical of the show at the start, especially with the recasting of Starbuck as a woman. But I grew to really enjoy the show and still do to this day.
@@danielseelye6005 Ah, Katsulas' G'kar; he really was the perfect foil. I think he and Londo are truly the main characters of the story. Their rivalry is beyond compare, and unlike Sheridan and Delen, they actually change as a result of the story. And everything that happens until the end of the Shadow War is a result of their feud.
Londo was great - but the dynamic between him and G'Kar was exceptional! Peter Jurrasic and Andreas Katsulas outshined everyone in their roles.. God.. i miss shows as good as this :(
G'Kar and Londo are two of my favorite characters on Babylon 5 and I think their story is one of the highlights of the whole series. I also think they are two of the most interesting and complex characters I've seen on any show, sci-fi or otherwise. I also really liked Andromeda though I wouldn't call it great because the writing was a bit weak in some parts and there were a few dropped storylines.
It really is a stand out when the most developed and complex characters in your story are a pair of (humanoid sure, but still) aliens, and not the actual humans.
I liked Andromeda, but season 5 really suffered from the issue of losing Romy for a bit and the plan wasn't great. The first three seasons were better.
There were so many good shows back in the those day's like Alien Nation, Earth: Final Conflict, and who can't forget The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr with Bruce Campbell.
Not so sure about EFC. While I did find many of the ideas introduced really cool, it's always felt like a let-down that the series never satisfyingly explored the greater conflict between the Taelons and the Jaridians.
Loved FK. Still have the three novels that were written based on it as well as the fanzine created by FORKNI-L Those were wonderful times. Could not understand the appeal of Buffy when there was Nicholas, LaCroix, and Janette. Skanke was a blast. I kept expecting Nick to murder him just to avoid more garlicky aggravation. 😅@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812
Earth: Final Conflict began well, but actors and others left until it was a B grade show with D grade writers. I re-watch Alien Nation from time to time, but they did have a bit of an issue with the writers not understanding the science is a sci-fi show. It was still better than a lot of the stuff these days though.
A reliable friend strongly recommended that I watch all of Babylon 5 in the early 2000s, So I bought the Full series on dvd, and binged it, and it totally blew my mind with its awesome characters and incredibly well written & cohesive storyline! Definitely in my Top3 space sci-fi series of all time.
Babylon 5 holds up story-wise, especially seasons 2, 3, and 4. There is so much going on in the narrative, layered and interacting character arcs, and a well-constructed sci-fi history and philosophy in the world-building.
@@Ma55ey I can still remember watching the end of season 4, having heard this was the series finale, only to watch the cliffhanger ending and literally raging for an hour straight at not getting a good end. Thanks to all the fans throwing enough of a shitfit, we were able to get "The Peacekeeper Wars" and then a comic O'Bannon did to continue after "PK Wars" that delved into the history of the Delvians.
Tried to watch Andromeda again a year or two ago. It does *not* hold up well at all. Cinematography and effects are terrible and story is poorly written.
Babylon 5. Complex and interesting story lines, excellent casting, strong male and female characters and top quality world building. Even with Commodore Amiga CGI, very few modern shows come close and it is still one of the best TV series of all time. It's a pity they are not remastering the CGI, but at least the show itself has been remastered.
Ahh, a time when there was no pandering to identity politics or dumb "girl power" moments. Delenn and Ivanova are perfect examples of strongly written characters that aren't at the expense of the male characters.
@@Bassquake76 Delenn is intelligent and thoughtful, not just "educated". Strong in her principles yet "feminine" and compassionate. What makes her character even rarer is that she is also willing to support her man.
I’m afraid I could just never get past the garish CGI, the cheesy costume design & make-up, the horrible lighting & cinematography. The whole thing had a home-made look to it, not in a good way. Still, my loss, I guess.
@@Midwinter2 It's probably not the easiest show to get in to. I don't even remember how I started watching the show, but if you wish to try again one day then start from Season 2.
@@TheAk1292 There are some key points in the first season that links all the way to the last season though! I will say there's plenty of filler and cheesy episodes that can be skipped. Hoping someone's listed ones to watch or even done a fan edit to get rid off unnecessary scenes.
*sigh* Babylon 5..... so much good. So many quotes, SOOOOOO many great moments. You mentioned Sheridan's jump over the balcony on Za'Ha'Dum. The whole scene is great, but Melissa Gilbert, as Ann Sheridan..... her death scream as the White Star crashes the dome..... that sound, and her anger and defeat, just absolutely sells it all. I could go on for days. 'Faith manages,' folks.
My favourite moment in Babylon 5 has to be Severed Dreams when the Minbari fleet and Delen show up. "Negative, we have authority here. Don't force us to engage your ships!" "Why not? Only one human captain has ever survived battle with the Minbari fleet, he is behind me. You are infront if me, if you value your lives, BE SOMEWHERE ELSE!" Probably the only time I was that pumped over TV is probably when the Defiant flys in and rescues Odo and Garak from the Jem Had'Dar fleet in "The Die is Cast",
I was an extra on SeaQuest for Season 2 when it was filmed in Florida. It was certainly an interesting experience. I was sad to learn that Darwin was a puppet…
One of my high school friends was an extra on seasons 1 and 2. Big blond dude, last name Skinner, REALLY into UFO stuff and Art Bell. Did you work with him?
I appreciate remembering some old classics from my childhood. One show that had a strong premise and some interesting stories was Sliders, although much like Sea Quest, it quickly lost its footing after the first season.
Babylon 5 is a VERY deep show , as a child you just do not get it , example : "My shoes are too tight , but it does not matter cause I forgot how to dance" was something Londo said and thought it stuck with me I did not understand it , until i was older , after a serious heartbreak . Philosophy , religion , morality ... Even getting down to it analyzing the story with pure , cold logic you notice tha actually it was the shadows that were ... well the BETTER guys (as it was the Vorlons that broke the "treaty" and started bio engineering telepaths and for all their talk they were way more hypocritical than the shadows) as there were no really GOOD guys , some better than others , but no GOOD guys
Which made the ending of the Shadow War that much more great. One of the best scenes of Sheridan (bar the also impressive diving into the pit. It was an eternity waiting for the next episode to air after THAT.)
@@veganconservative1109 Sheridan telling off both the Vorlons and Shadows is one of the most epic moments and best speeches of scifi, period. "Now get the hell out of our galaxy!"
One of the best Sci-Fi shows I ever saw that I wish could have lasted was 'Space: Above and Beyond'. Fantastic, yet realistic view on what interplanetary war would look like that ran for 1 season on Fox in 1995/96. I wonder who here even heard of it let alone saw it. It never got the conclusion it deserved.
@@haitolawrence5986 I think that, in general the first 5 seasons are brilliant. Sure, with 22 episodes each season, there were a few "okay" episodes here and there, but overall? My personal favourite telly ever. Like a classic band that knocked out classic albums, each one gaining more momentum and popularity, peaking with the first movie. I think, in season 6 started to jump the serious shark via too many comedic episodes and not bothering their arse to follow up the excellent events set in motion from the Movie. Season 8 with Robert Patrick was great, but the damage from seasons 6 and 7 had hindered its popularity at that point.
I think The X Files first 7 seasons and the first movie are great or a least pretty good. It sucks that everything after season 7 is pretty bad but still my favorite science fiction show.
When you mentioned the last show with Eliza Dushku, I was reminded of a similar show in the early 2000's called "Pushing Daisies." Another show where a character has the ability to talk to the dead. Have you seen that one?
Crime Traveller was created by Anthony Horowitz, who also created the brilliant Foyle's War, as well as writing several absolutely ingenious crime novels. He's more a plot than a character guy, but his plots are simply amazing and they lifted Crime Traveller into a different space.
Red Dwarf? It’s a sizable side step into comedy but sometimes comedy allows sci-fi to push the story in unexpected directions. I remember the buzz the Omni magazine article generated. I also think it primed me for Futurama.
B5 is King as you might have noticed from the comments on here :) But Red Dwarf is still legendary. Especially if you ignore the crappy Kanchanski arc.
Literally noone remembers Sliders??? Ran from 95-00. One of the most creative sci-fi shows I've ever seen. If not Sliders then why not Warehouse 13, Eureka or Andromeda?
Found Andromeda on Tubi and introduced my kids to it and Seaquest S1. They're now hooked and whining about how "the really good shows aren't made anymore". Neither has finished high school...
Eureka was amazing. I just bought the whole(I think) series on dvd. Sliders was an alt history wet dream. Andromeda was good until some time before they slummed it in the Firefly universe for a season.
@@darwinxavier3516"alt history" is a good way to put it, the adverts reminded me of Quantum Leap, and that was a bit, eh. good stories yet thin on science-fiction bit if not more science fantasy. if I recall, the pilot was very good with tech everywhere and enticing, then the rest of the episodes just left me feeling a bit let down. like watching only the star trek transporter scene, flowed by some random early TV show unrelated to anything science fiction, lol.
Babylon 5 is THE DEFINITOIN of EPIC science fiction. I found X-files to be way too convoluted to follow. SeaQuest had some good episodes but also had a bunch that just plain sucked.
To me Babylon 5 was good, but IT was too convoluted to follow at times. X-Files was much more accessible and traditional TV that was perfect for the first 5 seasons. Seaquest we agree on, some good eps especially early on but it got weird and worse as it went on.....edit had to add Ivanovic and Garabaldi were all time greats.
@@chonconnor6144 Yeah, Babylon 5's biggest issue is how heavily it went with the overarching story that made it harder to get into there. It also seems to hit the same issue that I have with several older anime where the animation pushes me out of it in the CGI work despite loving the story.
B5 had to be watched form beginning to end without missing any episodes to avoid missing important plot points. While I didn't have access to a station that carried the show, I was able to watch it all in order on VHS weeks after it aired. Bingeing helped follow what was happening.
For me The X Files was all too often unintentially hilarious. Chris Carter was a firm adherent of the "throw a ton of poop against the wall and hope some sticks" school of screenwriting.
Most of Xfiles is actually a bunch of stand alone stories. They are better within the context of the series, but generally isolated from the increasingly convoluted mythology. There are many great eps in both categories, and if you are tempted to watch it again, there are lists of the mythology eps so you could either focus on them or avoid them.
I started "Quantum Leap" the other day because of your last video. I actually had to look up the "3rd Strike Drop Rule" at the end of the episode because I had no idea why Sam was allowed to round the bases after striking out. So I even got to learn some new baseball rules in the process.
It almost never happens at the professional level. And if it does you'll typically see the Catcher pick up the ball and tag the batter out before he takes a step. But when I played Little League it was a frequent occurrence. And one of the early lessons a Catcher has to learn is to pick up the ball, take a breath and then throw it carefully to 1st Base. And anxious Catcher will over throw the 1st Baseman and then chaos ensues. :)
An anecdote Jerry Doyle (Michael Garibaldi) told many times at conventions for B5 was that he totally fabricated his resume when he presented it to showrunner J Michael Straczynski for the part of Garibaldi, lol. He had had a few guest starring roles for an episode in a few shows, but B5 was his first main cast role.
It's still the most horrific and unsettling thing I've seen on the small screen. Even big screen versions of that concept don't compare. The X-Files will always be legendary for creating something that just shakes the audience to such a deep level.
Whenever I think of that show, I think of that episode and the creepy song starts playing in my head (not the x-files song but the one from the end of that episode as they loaded into the trunk of the car)
Speaking of Eliza Dushku, does anyone remember Dollhouse? I think it would be another great show to look out and hear Dave's thoughts on...if he's ever seen it, that is.
I love seeing everyone else's love for Babylon 5 fill the comments! Out of that list this is the one that i preferred. Im glad that history has kinda brought the fact that deep space nine ripped it off to light.
It's a known fact (at least among B5 fans), that Michael J Straczynski took his idea, with extensive notes and storyboards to Paramount before finding a home with Fox. They kept his ideas and notes, then said no to him and ran with their own 'copy' of the show. DS9 is good but it's not up to B5 levels of wrting.
There’s a movie everyone always seems to forget, and that is ‘The Guyver’, it’s based on a manga, and the biomechanical Guyver suit is done really well.
The Guyver has been review by several UA-camrs. I have only one seen talk about it and that was only in the context of the Game Boy game. The crappy licensed game is more remembered than the show itself.
Bab 5 and Trek in the later 90s were both using Lightwave 3d animation for most of their ship shots. Think it goes to show what higher detailed 3d modeling and textures help in making the ships appear more "real" in Trek. I even think all of the shows were also done by the same company, Foundation Imaging.
It’s a shame most of the original models have been lost from Foundation Imaging. Ron Thornton had said the rendering used in the series was primitive because of limited time available before broadcast. The full textured models and lighting were actually as good as anything today.
I LOVED SeaQuest when I was a little kid! So much so my parents would use it to get me to do my math flash cards, "No SeaQuest until you finish your subtraction cards!"
Babylon 5 and JMS don't get enough (or any!) credit for breaking the mould that required TV shows to be episodic. Modern television exists only because one boneheaded writer insisted viewers will tune in every week to see a story continue rather than just to see a new story. I know of only 1 show before it that did a season long arc, "Wiseguy" 1987-1990 which among other actors had Jonathan Banks (Mike Ehrmantraut in Breaking Bad) as a regular and Kevin Spacey was the big villain in the second season.
I hear a lot of conflict between the episodic vs serial approach. And people tend to miss the mark that it's not an either/or. You can have individual self contained episodes that are good on their own, AND have a long arc sprinkled in every so often. Episodic done badly is when no progress can be made because everything has to return to the same status quo. Especially shows where people are relearning the same character lessons over and over again despite repeatedly having the "I learned X" moments at the end of the episodes. Serial done badly is when the filler episodes add nothing and are extremely boring because everything has to revolve around the season arc and so there's no opportunity to do anything else.
Love the X-Files. Own the Blu-ray set. Having said that I prefer the stand alone stories over the alien invasion story arc. It got so convoluted, especially at the end that there could never be a truly satisfying resolution IMO. Those first three seasons in particular were a cultural phenomenon. Really amazing stuff.
@@Bow-to-the-absurd To be fair there are some stellar episodes in every season. The inconsistency was a bit of a 'slow creep'. Like you said 'what a ride'. 😉
I'm surprised you didn't cover the show "7 days". It was a show that also used time travel. The basic premise was; an event would occur, they would investigate the cause, then send a pilot back in time with a hexagonal sphere craft built from the remains of the area 51 alien craft to stop the event from happening. I thought it was very intriguing when I was in high school.
Space Above and Beyond and Roughnecks. Two military dramas in need of love. SAAB did everything BSG 2003 did but was ahead of its time. Roughnecks is the true adaptation and sequel to Starship Troopers.
Rico's Roughnecks also had the benefit of following the Starship Troopers' war with the arachnids on a timeline. Also introduced a non-human alien race as war allies. One of the few shows that ACTUALLY understood how to use military units effectively. But for interesting weapons tech, nothing beats the Starship Troopers movie series, not to mention the CGI movie which introduced LaGrange point cannons.
I'm absolutely fanatical about Babylon 5, everytime I see clips or people mentnioning the characters, the depth... something in me just shines, beauty, sorrow, poetry. I always feel at home on that station. Which is all the more shattering when watching "Sleeping in Light".
i was always creeped out by that episode where the man kills anyone who steps ino his shadow. "Hard Light" i think it was called. then the one with the green firefly things out in the woods where you need to keep the light on to stop them from getting you.
I'd like to add a couple other series worthy of mention: Space: Above and Beyond (1995)--sort of a WWII in space where a future US military is at war with an alien species. Also Dark Angel (2000)--genetically engineered children trained to be soldiers escape from a government lab into a post apocalyptic American society. Although both of these FOX series were short lived, these were great shows that were canceled way too soon.
"Seven Days", "Odyssey 5" are 2 time travel shows that I liked in the noughties. "Odyssey 5" was short lived unfortunately. "Seven days" lasted for 3 seasons. Also "Threshold" and "Invasion" (2005) were interesting sci fi shows from the same time.
Seven Days worked surprisingly well. The constant dance between what characters knew and didn't know *yet* because of the time skip made for some good writing.
Sadly, it was the offscreen drama that killed Seven Days. Quite the conundrum. It's always a little treat when I see Frank or Donovan do a guest spot now.
Odyssey 5 is another really good sci fi series that was taken behind the barn and shot as a puppy. Also Rubicon, was a really good conspiracy thriller series gone before its time.
Was looking for someone else to mention Odyssey 5, while it was short lived it was pretty good for a 1 season show. What's not to like about Robocop being a main character.
2 more additions although they were short lived. Dark Skies and First wave (i think). Within the last decade an excellent show on BBC was Intruders. In this time I also loved Legion, the Magicians, Haven and Angel.
Anyone remember Earth 2? It also had a good premise, but I think the Big 3 networks in the US were too afraid of Sci-Fi and saw it as beneath them: something for nerds to watch on those backward UHF channels. I think this is why scifi shows on the big networks were rare and only lasted a seadon or 2 at most so that they could get back to proper network TV cookie-cutter dramas like Dallas and lawyer and hospital shows. It was really nice how cable became the place for daring dramas starting in the 00s.
I loved Earth 2 and was so disappointed when it got cancelled. Looking back on it now, though, I wonder if they had real plan for it if it had been allowed to continue. But I do wish we could have found out.
They weren't so much afraid, and more about budget vs ratings. The Big 3 wouldn't accept a middling show to let it develop a following and were ruthless with the cancellation axe. All the post Star Wars sci-fi shows were considered failures. There's a reason Roddenberry skipped networks with The Next Generation. Then with TNG's success, and then X-Files, the big 3 tried again. All the 90's big 3 network shows, the Trek and X-Files wannabes didn't last. It didn't matter whose name they got attached to it, Spielberg for example. Not enough viewers. So really, the basic bitch general public didn't support sci-fi. Or not enough.
@@ChaoticYak1 I agree, I think Season 2 was going to introduce the landing of a new group of colonists, and if they had done periodic time jumps they could have deeply explored the process of colonizong a planet.
@@scockery Fox was an oddball back then. It was the un-network network and really pushed the envelope in many ways. For examplw, the Garry Shandling and Herman's Head shows never would have happemed on tgr other 3, and Fox was the first to do an animated prime tome series in devades. It makes sense it would have pickef up The x files, but by the time of Fire Fly I think Fox lost that diffetent edge and didn't give it a fair chance.
J.M.S. has said he wants to reboot Babylon 5 for a "modern audience" and I think there are actually plans to do this. It is very sad to think that great show will be ruined. I guess I will always maybe have the original
Shame on you. He has consistently wanted to do more with B5 from the start and he finally has the opportunity. Trust the man that created this beautiful story to do it justice. You should publicly apologize to JMS.
@@bsg111987 lol, he ruined spider-man when he was at marvel comics. he also made sense8 with the wachowski "sisters". the guy has any right to expect the worst especially since the red flag has been uttered.
@@bsg111987 I have learned the hard way through many disappointments that no one is above suspicion or scrutiny. The Road Home turned out fine, but that was based on already existing story threads. I don't know if he actually said he wants to appeal to a "modern audience", but that would indeed be a red flag. Because the modern audience is full of vapid neophiles with low attention spans and even lower standards who have a child's idea of what mature and adult means. So I'll wait and see what happens.
I remember (and recently found on DVD) a Channel 4 show called Ultraviolet from 1998 - great cop/action/vampire series with a young Idris Elba . Bit gutted C4 never gave it a second series...really solid show when telly was still decent.
The other thing about Duchovny leaving the show is that that was the perfect time to wrap it up, not necessarily because one of the leads left, but the whole cultural phenomena surrounding the show had faded, which unfortunately the show did in the end, rather than go out on a high. B5 was one of the greatest - and I agree, underappreciated Sci Fi shows of all time. There is a fan upscale of the effects which look amazing, even by today's standards. You should check it out.
I actually always thought that would of kind of been a fitting end. I would of kind if compared that to Cooper getting stuck in the Black Lodge at the end of season 2 of Twin Peaks.
Blake's 7 - the Scorpio landing sequence still seems quite impressive to me. Something about the way the model just looks more realistic. Notice that when the recent film "Moon" was made - they just old school models.
I'm so pleasantly surprised to see Babylon 5 being mentioned so much in the comments! I watched it on its first run and to this day it's still the most beautiful crafted and touching story I've ever seen on television. So happy thats its getting much deserved new attention!
Millennium was kind of interesting. At least in its first season - although there's a lot of comparisons to Cracker there. Sadly, it wasn't allowed to develop the way Carter wanted it to - and there were problems behind the scenes with the production. It's a shame as it was an interesting concept.
Another fun show that only lasted a little while was called Legend. It ran on UPN right after the first season of Star Trek Voyager. It was a comedy sci-fi Western with John Delancey from Trek as a crazy scientist who helps a writer, played by O'Neil from Stargate SG1, solve crime in the American West using his gadgets and brains.
I watched Seaquest until it became no longer recognizable from the original series, then dropped out. But now I have a few more from your list to check out. Thanks, Dave.
The series finale of Babylon 5 Sleeping in Light was heartbreaking but, a perfect ending to one of the best sci fi shows. I hope it never gets a reboot.
me to ive always wished there was more b5 and i would'nt mind watching more if the new stuff is as good or better than the old stuff. I loved this series when it aired and i watched it front to back, some episodes even got replay's for some reason idk? If there's a site where i can stream b5 for free would anyone tell me about it please?
I remember there were some shows that seemed great at the time. One we watched was Time Trax. Captain Darian Lambert was sent back in time to catch fugitives from the future. It was only on for 2 seasons.
Never watched the series True Calling but I remember a TV series back in 2002 starring Matthew Fox called "Haunted." The series only lasted 1 season before getting cancelled. I watched all aired episodes and it was interesting from beginning to end.
I didn't see Star Trek influence in it as much as some do... Star Trek was optimistic, too much, at times , and implied that mankind's basic nature could be changed in a couple of hundred yrs. I think the one constant in the universe is Human nature. Babylon 5 had a far more realistic view of mankind and our basic nature., it was epic, though, tying itself to legends and myths, religion ... Even the concept of the ages of the earth tied it to Lord of the Rings .
Millenium, the short-run sister show to The X-Files, was an underappreciated gem. Well, the first season, anyway. Again, like SeaQuest DSV, seasons Two and Three are okay. But One stands out. As showrunner, Chris Carter envisioned, a darker-Seven inspired show. Also, series star Lance Henrikson is always stellar - as is Terry O'Quinn. A
One of the sci-fi shows I enjoyed in my youth was called 7 Days if I am remembering correctly. It was about stopping events and disasters with a time machine that can go back 7 days. Main character's name was Frank. It was a lot of fun.
I was wondering if anyone had ever seen Dark Angel, with Jessica Alba, I feel it is a very underrated show. Not sure how well it will have held up but remember enjoying it at the time
It was Cameron trying to do Alita: Battle Angel before he produced the big screen movie. I love the movie and need to revisit the series as I kind of missed it back in the day.
The political subplot of Babylon 5 (Nightwatch, President Clarke, secession of Mars Colony) taught me an awful lot about corruption and fascism. Those lessons became immensely relevant in the last few years, when trying to decode what's going on in the world. Looks like Mr Morden has been particularly busy!
I remember SeaQuest, I just blanked out on the name! I actually enjoyed the StarGate movie and television series that resulted from it, think I stopped at Atlantis.
A sci-fi show that had an interesting take on time travel is Seven Days. The show revolves around a secret branch of America's NSA that has built a time machine using technology recovered from Roswell. Due to the limitations of the fuel and reactor, the machine can only go back in time seven days and reserved to prevent events involving national security. Former Navy Seal and ex-CIA agent Frank Parker, played by Jonathan LaPaglia, is selected to be project's "chrononaut" codenamed conundrum due to his high pain tolerance, photographic memory and unorthodox problem solving despite dealing with emotional trauma after being tortured in Somalia where he was taken prisoner. The show only lasted three seasons but by mixing sci-fi with contemporary action drama it shown a great amount of restraint while being genuinely funny at times.
I’m American, but there were several BBC series really liked that only lasted a season or two- Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, Primeval, Demons. I think primeval may have four or five seasons
Wasn't there two locations for the Primeval series? I can vaguely remember 2 different kinds of Primeval, but it could have been 2 different locations for Primeval (like British/American). Also, Torchwood. Plus, the web series Sanctuary, featuring Amanda Tapping (or as us SG-1 fans know her, Samantha Carter) as the the head of an institute that looks after hidden cryptid-esque creatures and unusual peoples in a special, global network of "secret preserves". The story being told from the POV of a young guy who thought he was going to have a NORMAL day job. :P
Babylon 5 is one of my favorite shows of all time. John Sheridan and his "Army of Light" are the definition of heroes against the darkness. :) It was a very well written and well acted masterpiece of science fiction. (With some real klunkers now and again too jajaja but then those were the years of many episodes a season so... kinda comes with the territory).
Thank you Dave. I’d completely forgotten about Crime Traveller, having originally watched it when it was first broadcast, and remembered enjoying it immensely. So I took your advice and did a search and found it here on the Tube… just watched the first episode and all the joy came back. The chemistry between to the two charismatic leads is as great as I remembered, I loved the spin on the time paradox in this episode when Slade places a bet on the horses but as Holly says “you couldn’t know the result as the race hadn’t run yet… it won’t let you cheat”. Good call, will enjoy rewatching this.
Wow, you really are bringing back all the memories of all the series. I used to watch with my dad. I was also too young for the X-Files, however, wasn’t young enough to work the VCR and watch the one is my Dad recorded. Just throwing out a couple of other names, space above and beyond and space precinct Think I’m going to be watching some clips on UA-cam
The 90s really was the golden age of sci-fi TV. So much nostalgia in this video. Confession: I've not seen Babylon 5 though. As a big DS9 fan, perhaps I should.
Babylon 5 is amazing. DS9 is great. I like them both, and I’m glad both were made, I’m not interested in the “this vs that” attitude that some have about them. But there’s just something extra-special about Babylon 5. I purchased the DVDs and watched the show for the first time last year. Loved it. The CGI improves as the show progresses, but it’s definitely early CGI at the beginning lol.
I'd never heard of Crime Traveller before watching this video. The episodes are all here on UA-cam, and I'm currently working my way through them. I've watched six of the eight episodes so far and really enjoying them, thanks Dave!
That was a golden age for SF. Good, entertaining shows largely with none of the message and identity politics being pushed on us today. Also quite a few shows that only made it to one season but were still a lot of fun. Babylon 5 (5 seasons) Crusade (1 season only) Andromeda (5 seasons) Space Above and Beyond (1 season) SeaQuest DSV (2 and a half seasons) Earth 2 (1 season) Mercy Point (barely 1 season) Dark Skies (1 season) Firefly (1 season) Psi-Factor (think it was 4 seasons) Poltergeist The Legacy (3 seasons?) Earth Final Conflict (5 seasons) Star Cops (1 season - a BBC show) Farscape (4 seasons plus miniseries) 7 Days (3 seasons?) The Pretender (3 seasons?) Harsh Realm (1 season) Strange Luck (1 season - linked to the X files) The Visitor (1 season - references X Files) Millennium (3 seasons? - also linked to the X Files) Thankfully all of these except Mercy Point have had dvd releases which i am fortunate enough to have collected. And if you liked Tru Calling there was an earlier show called Early Edition that had the lead character get tomorrows newspaper a day early and allow them to prevent crimes.
I still have the entire Babylon 5 catalogue on VHS. It was a stunning series. The one I fell in love with after that was Farscape. Again, cut off before it could finish the story the way they wanted, but the Peacekeeper 'movies' did an ok job.
The wormhole? weapon felt like a commentary on the unnecessary development of hugely destructive arsenals like nuclear, huydrogen and antimatter weapons.
Other memorable scifi shows from my younger days... Most of them died before their time... In no particular order... - Heroes - absolutely fantastic first season, season 2 gutted by the writers' strike, then it just was downhill... - Firefly - yeah, I know... kinda obvious. - LEXX - a quirky Canadian/German low budget scifi series with a STUNNING pilot episode, with a creepy, dystopian world and one of the best villain characters ever. The rest never lived up to the same level but it was fun to watch. - Jeremiah - a show by J Michael Straczynski, based on a comic book series, with Luke Perry as the lead. It was one of those slow burners you mentioned, which killed it after season 2, I believe. Too bad, it had potential. - Terminator: The Sarah Connor chronicles - surprisingly good! Forever unresolved because of the writers strike and subsequent cancellation. Too bad. It was better than any of the movies after T2 ;) - Crusade - a Babylon 5 spinoff that only survived about a dozen episodes. Which is a shame, as it had a great premise, great cast and was set in an already fantastic world. - Highlander - a sort of sequel to the Highlander movie (the first one). It was surprisingly good and went deep into the whole immortals mythology. - Constantine - fantastic atmosphere, absolutely perfectly cast lead (they later brought him into the CW Legends of Tomorrow lol) - Miracles - a sort of more religion-oriented version of the X-files. Had good cast, great atmosphere and some intriguing mysteries. Cancelled after half a season. - Andromeda - based on Gene Roddenberry's idea. The first season was excellent and had probably one of the best time travel story episodes I've seen (and that was episode 5 or 6!). Unfortunately, the other seasons should be simply forgotten. - Earth: Final Conflict - similar situation. A great first season with some intriguing ideas. Then it just go meh and worse. - RoboCop - yes, there was a TV show! And... it was decent! It had some good stories but it was a TV production so violence limits worked to its detriment ;) - Dark Skies - a really well made X-Files clone. Survived one season, I think. - Earth 2 - an interesting scifi series about colonists on another planet. Survived only one season. - Space: Above and Beyond - a great scifi show about 'space marines' fighting aliens. Cancelled after one season, which was a crime.
Re-watch Earth 2 now. See how many "woke" themes ran through it. The show was a fantastic predictor of where we are now. I wanted to like it, but it was so PC it was nauseating.
A couple of these shows remind me of "Journeyman", which was an awesome series and was really starting get intriguing when it was cancelled. It had the added angle of a relationship between the characters who had (unknowingly to each other) jumped from different time periods, and who could not love a bit of Moon Bloodgood!
Great stuff, Dave…The Lone Gunman/X Files Spinoff was fun and kinda foretelling from the first episode about taking control of planes and heading for some towers…crazy stuff and interesting
Bablyon 5 is a prime example of what it looks like to have a plan. The script and story was set out to be a 5 season run from the start. They (the showrunners) denied studio incentives to make more and they fought to let it stay when the rating dipped. Once completed it became one of the best sci-fi shows to hit screens. A start-to-finish plan is something you do not see in Hollywood anymore. A definitive start and an outline of maybes based on financial success is as far as it goes now. B5 is top tier television. Love the video Mr. Cullen and as always I'll be looking forward to more.
Some say Star Trek DS9 is blantent rip-off of B5
Babylon 5 is, I always say, the exact antipode to JJ Abrams style 2000s storytelling. That style has no real plan or higher meaning, it just strings viewers along. Babylon 5 is the epitome of a planned arc; I've never seen a better one in television.
It unfortunately didn't go entirely to plan... The studio told them at the start of S4 that they weren't going to be renewed for S5, so plotlines had to be retooled and cut down so they could get to the end of the Shadow War by the end of the season. About halfway through the studio came back and said "surprise, we got you renewed for S5 after all!"
And that's why S5 feels a bit awkward. It's still good stuff, but it's mostly made up of the bits and pieces they had to cut out of S4.
@@Scoonertunait is , even the Species 8472 are a total , watered down , streamlined version of the shadows
It's nice to see someone else who recognizes the fantastic nature of Babylon 5.
They don't make em like they used to, Bablyon 5 is a absolute gem!
1st season Seaquest was pure 90s sci-fi perfection. Underwater Star Trek that MADE SENSE.
Then they ruined it
Starting with firing half of the cast
@@voutsider190 nah half the cast left because of all of the deviations from the season 1 plot and adding aliens to it as most of the Seaquest cast liked the idea of a future society living underwater and having episodes where they would discover historical artifacts and explain the history of them
NBC moved production to Florida to save money, and then hyper-sexualized the female conn officer (even going so far as having her proposition Jonathan Brandis’s teenage character when he planned to sacrifice himself for the others to escape in one episode).
Season 1 of SeaQuest is great, especially with Chief Crocker on the boat and the recurring story arcs (like the Magma Buoy).
Coming from hardcore startrek fan: SeaQuest in 1st and 2nd season was better.
I agree completely.
Babylon 5 is the single greatest television show in history, IMO. A real testament to what can happen if you have exceptional writing and experienced actors.
And a writer who envisioned the whole thing beginning to end and saw it through.
@@veganconservative1109 Not completely but mostly yes.The studio screwed around resulting in a cut down season 5. However I really like that season as a kind of calm after the storm of season 4.
I love B5 with my heart and soul but Band of Brothers says hold my beer.
it sucks balls
I've tried to watch it, but I just haven't been able to get into it.
Still pushing for Space: Above and Beyond. A great show that sadly only had one season. There were several comments in the last video about this show. I was pleasantly surprised at how many people remembered it.
i was disapointed when they canned it after s1
I loved that show too!
I absolutely loved that show
We've been podcasting our watch-through of the show!
@@yumyumpodcast You guys are here on UA-cam. I’ll check it out. Thanks.
Michael Ironside is one of the best overlooked “tough guys” in Hollywood.
“See you at the party Richtor!”
Great in Starship Troopers
@@Bow-to-the-absurdI still remember him from the 80s series V and the low budget 80s sci-fi flicks Scanners and Spacehunter.
@@snakeplissken2963v scared the crap out of me back then, creepy stuff
@@Bow-to-the-absurd remember the twins? Lizard baby with human eyes and human baby with a forked tongue? Just watched it recently and thought, “Here comes the lizard muppet!” 🤣
@@snakeplissken2963i havent watched it since the 80's
I was about 9 years old.
I remember the girl giving birth.
Absolutely terrifying!!!
It was so 80's and so good .
So SeaQuest really happened; it wasn't just a fever dream.
I saw a box set at walmart once.
I still have that season 1 box set.
@@ghostofwolfmoonmani3877I need to compile my hard copy collection. Netflix has already ramped up their monthly fees.
Debatable.
Yes it happened. Here in the UK we were all watching real Star Trek and SeaQuest was mocked and derided and laughed at constantly. It never gained any traction. It was even sent up on Steve Wrights radio show on a daily basis for some time. Most sketches start with it being Sea Quest and as they run more and more Trek sound effects and phrases creep in as certain characters get confused over what show they are supposed to be making and keep thinking its Trek. They skits were funnier and more interesting than the show itself.
Babylon 5 is so underrated by many, but it is absolutely fantastic. My favorite.
B5 gets tons of love!
Until we got The Expanse, Babylon 5 was so easily my favourite piece of science-fiction...anything, maybe, of all time. It's the closest I have ever come to loving something sci-fi as much as I did B5. And it's fitting, maybe, that The Expanse is, itself, woefully undersung.
@@Blisterdude123 The Expanse is better than everything Star Trek and Star Wars have done in the last 25 years.
@@Blisterdude123looking back, I don’t think the Expanse has held up as well as people think. Season 1 and the first half of season 2 are excellent, as was the first half of season 3. Season 4 and 6 were alright, and the second halves of seasons 2 and 3, and a lot of season 5 (the Inaros plot, for example) were pretty weak.
One of my top ten sci fi shows, many sci fi rating sites put it in the top ten as well.
Man, SeaQuest takes me back. I was a huge fan of TNG growing up, and SeaQuest had a very similar feeling. I really miss the 90s era of TV sci-fi, it was so bright and hopeful.
I had high hopes for SeaQuest, but it led to such a boring disappointment.
Babylon 5 has always been my favorite scifi. Writing, plot, everything was spot on
I never seen a series that was mapped out as much as B5 to this day.
Seasons 2, 3, 4 and the 2nd half of season 5 of Babylon 5 are some of the greatest tv you could ever want to watch. That show was legendary.
5th season of B5 was Scouring the Shire section of Lord of the Rings (taken from the finale of The Odyssey). A portion of Tolkien's trilogy never done in films.
@@STho205 I hated the telepath part of season 5. Byron and his acolytes were just a pain in the backside and it was a relief when that storyline ended. The whole Drakh/Centauri story arc was excellent.
@@St_AngusYoung the Shadows and Vorlons had left a mess in their wake. While Sheridan and Delin had gone and fought the great crusade and with the help of the 1st One and the ghost of Kosh, rid the galaxy of them....their minions had invaded behind the lines to ruin home.
I felt that way about the rebooted Battlestar-Galactica series that came out in 2003,I thought it was the best show on tv at that time with-The SHIELD coming neck-to-neck with BSG. I still rewatch both series. I also thought the new BSG was even better than TNG,DS9 and Voyager and this coming from a true Trekkie.
@user-be7tc2bd6e I very much enjoyed BSG as well. I was very skeptical of the show at the start, especially with the recasting of Starbuck as a woman. But I grew to really enjoy the show and still do to this day.
Londo is one of the best written characters in sci-fi cinema imo. He made B5, and Jurassic did a spectacular job playing the character
I totally agree.
Londo was great, but having G'Kar as his foil really took it over the top. Jurasik and Katsulas were a phenomenal pair.
@@danielseelye6005 Ah, Katsulas' G'kar; he really was the perfect foil. I think he and Londo are truly the main characters of the story. Their rivalry is beyond compare, and unlike Sheridan and Delen, they actually change as a result of the story. And everything that happens until the end of the Shadow War is a result of their feud.
Londo and G'kar in the elevator....one of the best scenes done on SFTV.
Londo was great - but the dynamic between him and G'Kar was exceptional! Peter Jurrasic and Andreas Katsulas outshined everyone in their roles.. God.. i miss shows as good as this :(
G'Kar and Londo are two of my favorite characters on Babylon 5 and I think their story is one of the highlights of the whole series.
I also think they are two of the most interesting and complex characters I've seen on any show, sci-fi or otherwise.
I also really liked Andromeda though I wouldn't call it great because the writing was a bit weak in some parts and there were a few dropped storylines.
It really is a stand out when the most developed and complex characters in your story are a pair of (humanoid sure, but still) aliens, and not the actual humans.
I liked Andromeda, but season 5 really suffered from the issue of losing Romy for a bit and the plan wasn't great. The first three seasons were better.
There were so many good shows back in the those day's like Alien Nation, Earth: Final Conflict, and who can't forget The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr with Bruce Campbell.
Not so sure about EFC. While I did find many of the ideas introduced really cool, it's always felt like a let-down that the series never satisfyingly explored the greater conflict between the Taelons and the Jaridians.
Don't forget about Time Trax or Nowhere Man. Oh and definitely Forever Knight
I loved Forever Knight except the final episode that too sad of an ending 😢@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812
Loved FK. Still have the three novels that were written based on it as well as the fanzine created by FORKNI-L Those were wonderful times. Could not understand the appeal of Buffy when there was Nicholas, LaCroix, and Janette. Skanke was a blast. I kept expecting Nick to murder him just to avoid more garlicky aggravation. 😅@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812
Earth: Final Conflict began well, but actors and others left until it was a B grade show with D grade writers. I re-watch Alien Nation from time to time, but they did have a bit of an issue with the writers not understanding the science is a sci-fi show. It was still better than a lot of the stuff these days though.
A reliable friend strongly recommended that I watch all of Babylon 5 in the early 2000s, So I bought the Full series on dvd, and binged it, and it totally blew my mind with its awesome characters and incredibly well written & cohesive storyline! Definitely in my Top3 space sci-fi series of all time.
Babylon 5 holds up story-wise, especially seasons 2, 3, and 4. There is so much going on in the narrative, layered and interacting character arcs, and a well-constructed sci-fi history and philosophy in the world-building.
Seasons 2, 3, and 4 are some of the most excellent, and timeless television put to camera.
Farscape and Andromeda were two other shows that I thought were around this time period as well.
Amen. There's a lot to like about both of them.
Farscape was right at the end of the 90's but still counts.. worth it's own video though surly :)
@@Ma55ey I can still remember watching the end of season 4, having heard this was the series finale, only to watch the cliffhanger ending and literally raging for an hour straight at not getting a good end.
Thanks to all the fans throwing enough of a shitfit, we were able to get "The Peacekeeper Wars" and then a comic O'Bannon did to continue after "PK Wars" that delved into the history of the Delvians.
Tried to watch Andromeda again a year or two ago. It does *not* hold up well at all. Cinematography and effects are terrible and story is poorly written.
Farscape is still one of my favourite shows ever! They did good with that one.
Babylon 5. Complex and interesting story lines, excellent casting, strong male and female characters and top quality world building. Even with Commodore Amiga CGI, very few modern shows come close and it is still one of the best TV series of all time. It's a pity they are not remastering the CGI, but at least the show itself has been remastered.
Ahh, a time when there was no pandering to identity politics or dumb "girl power" moments. Delenn and Ivanova are perfect examples of strongly written characters that aren't at the expense of the male characters.
@@Bassquake76 Delenn is intelligent and thoughtful, not just "educated". Strong in her principles yet "feminine" and compassionate. What makes her character even rarer is that she is also willing to support her man.
I’m afraid I could just never get past the garish CGI, the cheesy costume design & make-up, the horrible lighting & cinematography. The whole thing had a home-made look to it, not in a good way.
Still, my loss, I guess.
@@Midwinter2 It's probably not the easiest show to get in to. I don't even remember how I started watching the show, but if you wish to try again one day then start from Season 2.
@@TheAk1292 There are some key points in the first season that links all the way to the last season though! I will say there's plenty of filler and cheesy episodes that can be skipped. Hoping someone's listed ones to watch or even done a fan edit to get rid off unnecessary scenes.
*sigh*
Babylon 5..... so much good. So many quotes, SOOOOOO many great moments.
You mentioned Sheridan's jump over the balcony on Za'Ha'Dum. The whole scene is great, but Melissa Gilbert, as Ann Sheridan..... her death scream as the White Star crashes the dome..... that sound, and her anger and defeat, just absolutely sells it all.
I could go on for days.
'Faith manages,' folks.
My favourite moment in Babylon 5 has to be Severed Dreams when the Minbari fleet and Delen show up.
"Negative, we have authority here. Don't force us to engage your ships!"
"Why not? Only one human captain has ever survived battle with the Minbari fleet, he is behind me. You are infront if me, if you value your lives, BE SOMEWHERE ELSE!"
Probably the only time I was that pumped over TV is probably when the Defiant flys in and rescues Odo and Garak from the Jem Had'Dar fleet in "The Die is Cast",
Babylon 5 was and still is my favourite!
I'm totally with you on that, nothing comes close.
Same
I was an extra on SeaQuest for Season 2 when it was filmed in Florida. It was certainly an interesting experience. I was sad to learn that Darwin was a puppet…
One of my high school friends was an extra on seasons 1 and 2. Big blond dude, last name Skinner, REALLY into UFO stuff and Art Bell. Did you work with him?
You just killed my childhood 😄
As a 70s kid I have fond memories of Space: 1999. It's a little too slow-moving and hippie-dippy psychedelic for most people today, but I love it.
I had the Eagle Spacecraft toy as a kid.
X-Files was always one of my favs. That and BSG, the reimagined series. Very good writing in the show in my opinion.
I appreciate remembering some old classics from my childhood. One show that had a strong premise and some interesting stories was Sliders, although much like Sea Quest, it quickly lost its footing after the first season.
Babylon 5 is a VERY deep show , as a child you just do not get it , example : "My shoes are too tight , but it does not matter cause I forgot how to dance" was something Londo said and thought it stuck with me I did not understand it , until i was older , after a serious heartbreak .
Philosophy , religion , morality ... Even getting down to it analyzing the story with pure , cold logic you notice tha actually it was the shadows that were ... well the BETTER guys (as it was the Vorlons that broke the "treaty" and started bio engineering telepaths and for all their talk they were way more hypocritical than the shadows) as there were no really GOOD guys , some better than others , but no GOOD guys
Agreed.
Sadly the entire use of Mass Media has, and still is, being used for social engineering.
Which made the ending of the Shadow War that much more great. One of the best scenes of Sheridan (bar the also impressive diving into the pit. It was an eternity waiting for the next episode to air after THAT.)
@@veganconservative1109 Sheridan telling off both the Vorlons and Shadows is one of the most epic moments and best speeches of scifi, period. "Now get the hell out of our galaxy!"
Yup, no bad guys. Only competing interests. The world starts looking very different when you look at things that way.
I agree with Babylon 5, there are a ton of lines that I quote from that show that nobody know comes from that series.
One of the best Sci-Fi shows I ever saw that I wish could have lasted was 'Space: Above and Beyond'. Fantastic, yet realistic view on what interplanetary war would look like that ran for 1 season on Fox in 1995/96. I wonder who here even heard of it let alone saw it. It never got the conclusion it deserved.
That’s how I feel about The Expanse. No humanoid aliens, no hyperdrive, just a realistic look at how we as humans would colonize our solar system.
Thank you! I have been searching for the name of that show. I saw bits and pieces of it as a kid and been quietly looking for for it since.
I loved Space: Above and Beyond too. There’s a UA-cam channel with the whole series posted.
@@maxwellheintz2391 No Shit! Share a link, please
I still hold up the first season of X-Files as the best overall, perhaps the best sci-fi tv we've had in decades.
It really was something special, until it went wonky after series 3 or so.
It's hard to point out a total dud in that season. It was must see TV every single week. Miss those days...
@@haitolawrence5986 I think that, in general the first 5 seasons are brilliant. Sure, with 22 episodes each season, there were a few "okay" episodes here and there, but overall? My personal favourite telly ever. Like a classic band that knocked out classic albums, each one gaining more momentum and popularity, peaking with the first movie.
I think, in season 6 started to jump the serious shark via too many comedic episodes and not bothering their arse to follow up the excellent events set in motion from the Movie. Season 8 with Robert Patrick was great, but the damage from seasons 6 and 7 had hindered its popularity at that point.
@@Bow-to-the-absurd they're called "seasons" you foreign dork
I think The X Files first 7 seasons and the first movie are great or a least pretty good. It sucks that everything after season 7 is pretty bad but still my favorite science fiction show.
When you mentioned the last show with Eliza Dushku, I was reminded of a similar show in the early 2000's called "Pushing Daisies." Another show where a character has the ability to talk to the dead. Have you seen that one?
Crime Traveller was created by Anthony Horowitz, who also created the brilliant Foyle's War, as well as writing several absolutely ingenious crime novels. He's more a plot than a character guy, but his plots are simply amazing and they lifted Crime Traveller into a different space.
Red Dwarf? It’s a sizable side step into comedy but sometimes comedy allows sci-fi to push the story in unexpected directions. I remember the buzz the Omni magazine article generated. I also think it primed me for Futurama.
B5 is King as you might have noticed from the comments on here :) But Red Dwarf is still legendary. Especially if you ignore the crappy Kanchanski arc.
Literally noone remembers Sliders??? Ran from 95-00. One of the most creative sci-fi shows I've ever seen. If not Sliders then why not Warehouse 13, Eureka or Andromeda?
He mentioned Sliders on the previous video. It was good until Arturo (John Rhys Davies) left.
Found Andromeda on Tubi and introduced my kids to it and Seaquest S1. They're now hooked and whining about how "the really good shows aren't made anymore". Neither has finished high school...
Don't forget Fringe
Eureka was amazing. I just bought the whole(I think) series on dvd. Sliders was an alt history wet dream. Andromeda was good until some time before they slummed it in the Firefly universe for a season.
@@darwinxavier3516"alt history" is a good way to put it, the adverts reminded me of Quantum Leap, and that was a bit, eh. good stories yet thin on science-fiction bit if not more science fantasy. if I recall, the pilot was very good with tech everywhere and enticing, then the rest of the episodes just left me feeling a bit let down. like watching only the star trek transporter scene, flowed by some random early TV show unrelated to anything science fiction, lol.
Other shows I remember nostalgically were 'Sliders' and '7 Days'.
Babylon 5 is THE DEFINITOIN of EPIC science fiction. I found X-files to be way too convoluted to follow. SeaQuest had some good episodes but also had a bunch that just plain sucked.
To me Babylon 5 was good, but IT was too convoluted to follow at times. X-Files was much more accessible and traditional TV that was perfect for the first 5 seasons. Seaquest we agree on, some good eps especially early on but it got weird and worse as it went on.....edit had to add Ivanovic and Garabaldi were all time greats.
@@chonconnor6144 Yeah, Babylon 5's biggest issue is how heavily it went with the overarching story that made it harder to get into there.
It also seems to hit the same issue that I have with several older anime where the animation pushes me out of it in the CGI work despite loving the story.
B5 had to be watched form beginning to end without missing any episodes to avoid missing important plot points. While I didn't have access to a station that carried the show, I was able to watch it all in order on VHS weeks after it aired. Bingeing helped follow what was happening.
For me The X Files was all too often unintentially hilarious. Chris Carter was a firm adherent of the "throw a ton of poop against the wall and hope some sticks" school of screenwriting.
Most of Xfiles is actually a bunch of stand alone stories. They are better within the context of the series, but generally isolated from the increasingly convoluted mythology. There are many great eps in both categories, and if you are tempted to watch it again, there are lists of the mythology eps so you could either focus on them or avoid them.
I started "Quantum Leap" the other day because of your last video.
I actually had to look up the "3rd Strike Drop Rule" at the end of the episode because I had no idea why Sam was allowed to round the bases after striking out. So I even got to learn some new baseball rules in the process.
Oh boy
It almost never happens at the professional level. And if it does you'll typically see the Catcher pick up the ball and tag the batter out before he takes a step. But when I played Little League it was a frequent occurrence. And one of the early lessons a Catcher has to learn is to pick up the ball, take a breath and then throw it carefully to 1st Base. And anxious Catcher will over throw the 1st Baseman and then chaos ensues. :)
An anecdote Jerry Doyle (Michael Garibaldi) told many times at conventions for B5 was that he totally fabricated his resume when he presented it to showrunner J Michael Straczynski for the part of Garibaldi, lol. He had had a few guest starring roles for an episode in a few shows, but B5 was his first main cast role.
One of the reasons Straczynski cast him is because that was something Garibaldi would have done...
Space 1999 with Barbara Bain and Martin Laudau.. the first season was epic horror scifi
Home (one with the inbred family) will always be one of my favorite X files episodes. Still shocked that one made it on air at the time.
'You don't know the priiiide.' That ending...creepy as hell!
HOME.
A genuinely all time creepy episode.
Disturbing stuff
It's still the most horrific and unsettling thing I've seen on the small screen. Even big screen versions of that concept don't compare. The X-Files will always be legendary for creating something that just shakes the audience to such a deep level.
Whenever I think of that show, I think of that episode and the creepy song starts playing in my head (not the x-files song but the one from the end of that episode as they loaded into the trunk of the car)
Speaking of Eliza Dushku, does anyone remember Dollhouse? I think it would be another great show to look out and hear Dave's thoughts on...if he's ever seen it, that is.
I love seeing everyone else's love for Babylon 5 fill the comments! Out of that list this is the one that i preferred.
Im glad that history has kinda brought the fact that deep space nine ripped it off to light.
It's a known fact (at least among B5 fans), that Michael J Straczynski took his idea, with extensive notes and storyboards to Paramount before finding a home with Fox. They kept his ideas and notes, then said no to him and ran with their own 'copy' of the show. DS9 is good but it's not up to B5 levels of wrting.
There’s a movie everyone always seems to forget, and that is ‘The Guyver’, it’s based on a manga, and the biomechanical Guyver suit is done really well.
I think the first movie was kind of silly. The second direct video movie was much better.
The Guyver has been review by several UA-camrs. I have only one seen talk about it and that was only in the context of the Game Boy game.
The crappy licensed game is more remembered than the show itself.
Anything based on Manga is nonsensical rubbish. Maybe it's just me, but Japanese philosophy and worldview feels alien.
^ It's just you 😂🤣
@@percussion44 Anything based on manga is nonsensical rubbish, because it was made by people who loathe manga.
Bab 5 and Trek in the later 90s were both using Lightwave 3d animation for most of their ship shots. Think it goes to show what higher detailed 3d modeling and textures help in making the ships appear more "real" in Trek. I even think all of the shows were also done by the same company, Foundation Imaging.
It’s a shame most of the original models have been lost from Foundation Imaging.
Ron Thornton had said the rendering used in the series was primitive because of limited time available before broadcast. The full textured models and lighting were actually as good as anything today.
I LOVED SeaQuest when I was a little kid! So much so my parents would use it to get me to do my math flash cards, "No SeaQuest until you finish your subtraction cards!"
loved..LOVED.. Bablyon 5! The twist of Sinclair gave me goosebumps!
Babylon 5 and JMS don't get enough (or any!) credit for breaking the mould that required TV shows to be episodic.
Modern television exists only because one boneheaded writer insisted viewers will tune in every week to see a story continue rather than just to see a new story.
I know of only 1 show before it that did a season long arc, "Wiseguy" 1987-1990 which among other actors had Jonathan Banks (Mike Ehrmantraut in Breaking Bad) as a regular and Kevin Spacey was the big villain in the second season.
I hear a lot of conflict between the episodic vs serial approach. And people tend to miss the mark that it's not an either/or. You can have individual self contained episodes that are good on their own, AND have a long arc sprinkled in every so often. Episodic done badly is when no progress can be made because everything has to return to the same status quo. Especially shows where people are relearning the same character lessons over and over again despite repeatedly having the "I learned X" moments at the end of the episodes. Serial done badly is when the filler episodes add nothing and are extremely boring because everything has to revolve around the season arc and so there's no opportunity to do anything else.
@@darwinxavier3516 oh I didn't mean to imply episodic is bad. Sometimes it's the best format.
Battlestar galáctica was the last of the great sci-fi space shows
Watch the expanse.
Love the X-Files. Own the Blu-ray set. Having said that I prefer the stand alone stories over the alien invasion story arc. It got so convoluted, especially at the end that there could never be a truly satisfying resolution IMO. Those first three seasons in particular were a cultural phenomenon. Really amazing stuff.
Totally agree.
They failed to land the ending, but what a ride
@@Bow-to-the-absurd To be fair there are some stellar episodes in every season. The inconsistency was a bit of a 'slow creep'. Like you said 'what a ride'. 😉
Squeeze and Tooms. Irresistible (pun) episodes.
I always felt just the opposite. I liked mainly the alien story line, less the monster-of-the-week 🤷♂️
I'm surprised you didn't cover the show "7 days". It was a show that also used time travel. The basic premise was; an event would occur, they would investigate the cause, then send a pilot back in time with a hexagonal sphere craft built from the remains of the area 51 alien craft to stop the event from happening. I thought it was very intriguing when I was in high school.
Space Above and Beyond and Roughnecks. Two military dramas in need of love. SAAB did everything BSG 2003 did but was ahead of its time. Roughnecks is the true adaptation and sequel to Starship Troopers.
Rico's Roughnecks also had the benefit of following the Starship Troopers' war with the arachnids on a timeline. Also introduced a non-human alien race as war allies. One of the few shows that ACTUALLY understood how to use military units effectively.
But for interesting weapons tech, nothing beats the Starship Troopers movie series, not to mention the CGI movie which introduced LaGrange point cannons.
I'm absolutely fanatical about Babylon 5, everytime I see clips or people mentnioning the characters, the depth... something in me just shines, beauty, sorrow, poetry. I always feel at home on that station.
Which is all the more shattering when watching "Sleeping in Light".
The X files episodes in the early seasons on the arctic prehistoric worm and the forest insects are brilliant.
i was always creeped out by that episode where the man kills anyone who steps ino his shadow. "Hard Light" i think it was called. then the one with the green firefly things out in the woods where you need to keep the light on to stop them from getting you.
Eliza Dushku also played Schwarzenegger’s daughter in ‘True Lies’.
I'd like to add a couple other series worthy of mention: Space: Above and Beyond (1995)--sort of a WWII in space where a future US military is at war with an alien species. Also Dark Angel (2000)--genetically engineered children trained to be soldiers escape from a government lab into a post apocalyptic American society. Although both of these FOX series were short lived, these were great shows that were canceled way too soon.
Jessica Alba!!!
"Seven Days", "Odyssey 5" are 2 time travel shows that I liked in the noughties. "Odyssey 5" was short lived unfortunately. "Seven days" lasted for 3 seasons. Also "Threshold" and "Invasion" (2005) were interesting sci fi shows from the same time.
Seven Days worked surprisingly well. The constant dance between what characters knew and didn't know *yet* because of the time skip made for some good writing.
Sadly, it was the offscreen drama that killed Seven Days. Quite the conundrum. It's always a little treat when I see Frank or Donovan do a guest spot now.
Seven Days and the Invisible Man or I-Man were must watch sci fi for me.
Odyssey 5 is another really good sci fi series that was taken behind the barn and shot as a puppy. Also Rubicon, was a really good conspiracy thriller series gone before its time.
Was looking for someone else to mention Odyssey 5, while it was short lived it was pretty good for a 1 season show. What's not to like about Robocop being a main character.
Yes, I remember that one and being so disappointed it only had one season
Earth 2?
2 more additions although they were short lived. Dark Skies and First wave (i think). Within the last decade an excellent show on BBC was Intruders. In this time I also loved Legion, the Magicians, Haven and Angel.
Tracker (starring Adrian Paul from Highlander The Series) and The Immortal (starring Lorenzo Lamas).
Anyone remember Earth 2? It also had a good premise, but I think the Big 3 networks in the US were too afraid of Sci-Fi and saw it as beneath them: something for nerds to watch on those backward UHF channels. I think this is why scifi shows on the big networks were rare and only lasted a seadon or 2 at most so that they could get back to proper network TV cookie-cutter dramas like Dallas and lawyer and hospital shows. It was really nice how cable became the place for daring dramas starting in the 00s.
I loved Earth 2 and was so disappointed when it got cancelled. Looking back on it now, though, I wonder if they had real plan for it if it had been allowed to continue. But I do wish we could have found out.
They weren't so much afraid, and more about budget vs ratings. The Big 3 wouldn't accept a middling show to let it develop a following and were ruthless with the cancellation axe. All the post Star Wars sci-fi shows were considered failures. There's a reason Roddenberry skipped networks with The Next Generation. Then with TNG's success, and then X-Files, the big 3 tried again. All the 90's big 3 network shows, the Trek and X-Files wannabes didn't last. It didn't matter whose name they got attached to it, Spielberg for example. Not enough viewers. So really, the basic bitch general public didn't support sci-fi. Or not enough.
@@ChaoticYak1 I agree, I think Season 2 was going to introduce the landing of a new group of colonists, and if they had done periodic time jumps they could have deeply explored the process of colonizong a planet.
@@scockery Fox was an oddball back then. It was the un-network network and really pushed the envelope in many ways. For examplw, the Garry Shandling and Herman's Head shows never would have happemed on tgr other 3, and Fox was the first to do an animated prime tome series in devades. It makes sense it would have pickef up The x files, but by the time of Fire Fly I think Fox lost that diffetent edge and didn't give it a fair chance.
Earth 2 was a very interesting show in the 90's definitley needed a second season, had a ton of great actors in it.
J.M.S. has said he wants to reboot Babylon 5 for a "modern audience" and I think there are actually plans to do this. It is very sad to think that great show will be ruined. I guess I will always maybe have the original
Shame on you. He has consistently wanted to do more with B5 from the start and he finally has the opportunity. Trust the man that created this beautiful story to do it justice. You should publicly apologize to JMS.
@@bsg111987 lol, he ruined spider-man when he was at marvel comics. he also made sense8 with the wachowski "sisters". the guy has any right to expect the worst especially since the red flag has been uttered.
@@bsg111987 I have learned the hard way through many disappointments that no one is above suspicion or scrutiny. The Road Home turned out fine, but that was based on already existing story threads. I don't know if he actually said he wants to appeal to a "modern audience", but that would indeed be a red flag. Because the modern audience is full of vapid neophiles with low attention spans and even lower standards who have a child's idea of what mature and adult means. So I'll wait and see what happens.
@@bsg111987
I dare you to watch anything he has done since B5. I couldnt get through Sense8. He truly does want to bring it to a "modern audience".
@@darwinxavier3516
I thought The Road Home was terrible. It was mostly member berries.
I remember (and recently found on DVD) a Channel 4 show called Ultraviolet from 1998 - great cop/action/vampire series with a young Idris Elba . Bit gutted C4 never gave it a second series...really solid show when telly was still decent.
the brilliant BLAKES 7.
Yes. I’d enjoy seeing Dave’s take on this show. It’s influence is definitely felt in other shows like Firefly and Farscape.
Rise, fall and redemption of Londo Mollari is one of the best in all of sci fi. It’s amazing. Babylon 5 was great.
The other thing about Duchovny leaving the show is that that was the perfect time to wrap it up, not necessarily because one of the leads left, but the whole cultural phenomena surrounding the show had faded, which unfortunately the show did in the end, rather than go out on a high. B5 was one of the greatest - and I agree, underappreciated Sci Fi shows of all time. There is a fan upscale of the effects which look amazing, even by today's standards. You should check it out.
I actually always thought that would of kind of been a fitting end. I would of kind if compared that to Cooper getting stuck in the Black Lodge at the end of season 2 of Twin Peaks.
Those of us who followed _Blake's 7_ are wholly unimpressed by modern props and CGI. ;)
Blake's 7 is on another level - the best sci-fi show.
I want to say it started the whole renegade crew of misfits running from a galactic government but I could be wrong. Feel free to correct me 😁
Blake's 7 - the Scorpio landing sequence still seems quite impressive to me. Something about the way the model just looks more realistic. Notice that when the recent film "Moon" was made - they just old school models.
I'm so pleasantly surprised to see Babylon 5 being mentioned so much in the comments! I watched it on its first run and to this day it's still the most beautiful crafted and touching story I've ever seen on television. So happy thats its getting much deserved new attention!
I did like SeaQuest. RIP Jonathan Brandis! What a loss. After X-Files, it's worth looking at Millennium with Lance Henrikson.
Millennium was kind of interesting. At least in its first season - although there's a lot of comparisons to Cracker there. Sadly, it wasn't allowed to develop the way Carter wanted it to - and there were problems behind the scenes with the production. It's a shame as it was an interesting concept.
Another fun show that only lasted a little while was called Legend. It ran on UPN right after the first season of Star Trek Voyager. It was a comedy sci-fi Western with John Delancey from Trek as a crazy scientist who helps a writer, played by O'Neil from Stargate SG1, solve crime in the American West using his gadgets and brains.
I watched Seaquest until it became no longer recognizable from the original series, then dropped out.
But now I have a few more from your list to check out. Thanks, Dave.
One show that had a lot of potential, but never got to develop was Earth 2. I was really disappointed when it was cancelled.
Tim Curry was very creepy with is greeting to True, "Hello Puppet"
The series finale of Babylon 5 Sleeping in Light was heartbreaking but, a perfect ending to one of the best sci fi shows. I hope it never gets a reboot.
It is in works right now but with original creator and from what he said it's gonna be different story and not 1 to 1 reboot.
B5 remastered with modern cgi. I NEED this!
me to ive always wished there was more b5 and i would'nt mind watching more if the new stuff is as good or better than the old stuff. I loved this series when it aired and i watched it front to back, some episodes even got replay's for some reason idk? If there's a site where i can stream b5 for free would anyone tell me about it please?
I remember there were some shows that seemed great at the time. One we watched was Time Trax. Captain Darian Lambert was sent back in time to catch fugitives from the future. It was only on for 2 seasons.
The X-Files is phenomenal!!! Seasons 1-7 are just the absolute best!!!!!!! I love the first film!!!
What is your favorite episode from season one through seven
Series 1-4
@@Bow-to-the-absurd Do you remember any episodes that you like particularly?
Never watched the series True Calling but I remember a TV series back in 2002 starring Matthew Fox called "Haunted." The series only lasted 1 season before getting cancelled. I watched all aired episodes and it was interesting from beginning to end.
Babylon 5 and seaquest were epic, basically star trek in all but name.
I didn't see Star Trek influence in it as much as some do... Star Trek was optimistic, too much, at times , and implied that mankind's basic nature could be changed in a couple of hundred yrs. I think the one constant in the universe is Human nature.
Babylon 5 had a far more realistic view of mankind and our basic nature., it was epic, though, tying itself to legends and myths, religion ... Even the concept of the ages of the earth tied it to Lord of the Rings .
@@kathleenhensley5951 And some of the naming conventions! eg: Z'ha'dum = Khazad-Dum (Mount Doom)!
ToS/ TNG Star Trek and B5 only shared superficial traits. They used different storytelling styles and focused on different themes.
Millenium, the short-run sister show to The X-Files, was an underappreciated gem. Well, the first season, anyway. Again, like SeaQuest DSV, seasons Two and Three are okay. But One stands out. As showrunner, Chris Carter envisioned, a darker-Seven inspired show. Also, series star Lance Henrikson is always stellar - as is Terry O'Quinn. A
Watching x.files right know on season two a brilliant show
One of the sci-fi shows I enjoyed in my youth was called 7 Days if I am remembering correctly. It was about stopping events and disasters with a time machine that can go back 7 days. Main character's name was Frank. It was a lot of fun.
I was wondering if anyone had ever seen Dark Angel, with Jessica Alba, I feel it is a very underrated show. Not sure how well it will have held up but remember enjoying it at the time
I watched that show when it debuted. Loved it.
It was Cameron trying to do Alita: Battle Angel before he produced the big screen movie. I love the movie and need to revisit the series as I kind of missed it back in the day.
I loved Tru Calling. My wife watched that together, as well as Dark Angel, Jeremiah, The 4400 & The Dead Zone. Those were good times.
The political subplot of Babylon 5 (Nightwatch, President Clarke, secession of Mars Colony) taught me an awful lot about corruption and fascism. Those lessons became immensely relevant in the last few years, when trying to decode what's going on in the world. Looks like Mr Morden has been particularly busy!
Yes, I agree, and now I have a vision in my head of Klaus Schwab sidling up to all the various world leaders and creepily murmuring "Vat do you vant?"
Space above and beyond, Farscape, Millennium are good.
I remember SeaQuest, I just blanked out on the name! I actually enjoyed the StarGate movie and television series that resulted from it, think I stopped at Atlantis.
A sci-fi show that had an interesting take on time travel is Seven Days. The show revolves around a secret branch of America's NSA that has built a time machine using technology recovered from Roswell. Due to the limitations of the fuel and reactor, the machine can only go back in time seven days and reserved to prevent events involving national security. Former Navy Seal and ex-CIA agent Frank Parker, played by Jonathan LaPaglia, is selected to be project's "chrononaut" codenamed conundrum due to his high pain tolerance, photographic memory and unorthodox problem solving despite dealing with emotional trauma after being tortured in Somalia where he was taken prisoner. The show only lasted three seasons but by mixing sci-fi with contemporary action drama it shown a great amount of restraint while being genuinely funny at times.
A scifi show i really enjoyed was 7 Days, very fun to watch.
I’m American, but there were several BBC series really liked that only lasted a season or two- Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, Primeval, Demons. I think primeval may have four or five seasons
Wasn't there two locations for the Primeval series? I can vaguely remember 2 different kinds of Primeval, but it could have been 2 different locations for Primeval (like British/American).
Also, Torchwood.
Plus, the web series Sanctuary, featuring Amanda Tapping (or as us SG-1 fans know her, Samantha Carter) as the the head of an institute that looks after hidden cryptid-esque creatures and unusual peoples in a special, global network of "secret preserves". The story being told from the POV of a young guy who thought he was going to have a NORMAL day job. :P
Babylon 5 is one of my favorite shows of all time. John Sheridan and his "Army of Light" are the definition of heroes against the darkness. :) It was a very well written and well acted masterpiece of science fiction. (With some real klunkers now and again too jajaja but then those were the years of many episodes a season so... kinda comes with the territory).
Thank you Dave. I’d completely forgotten about Crime Traveller, having originally watched it when it was first broadcast, and remembered enjoying it immensely. So I took your advice and did a search and found it here on the Tube… just watched the first episode and all the joy came back. The chemistry between to the two charismatic leads is as great as I remembered, I loved the spin on the time paradox in this episode when Slade places a bet on the horses but as Holly says “you couldn’t know the result as the race hadn’t run yet… it won’t let you cheat”. Good call, will enjoy rewatching this.
Wow, you really are bringing back all the memories of all the series. I used to watch with my dad.
I was also too young for the X-Files, however, wasn’t young enough to work the VCR and watch the one is my Dad recorded.
Just throwing out a couple of other names, space above and beyond and space precinct
Think I’m going to be watching some clips on UA-cam
The 90s really was the golden age of sci-fi TV. So much nostalgia in this video. Confession: I've not seen Babylon 5 though. As a big DS9 fan, perhaps I should.
Babylon 5 is amazing. DS9 is great. I like them both, and I’m glad both were made, I’m not interested in the “this vs that” attitude that some have about them. But there’s just something extra-special about Babylon 5. I purchased the DVDs and watched the show for the first time last year. Loved it. The CGI improves as the show progresses, but it’s definitely early CGI at the beginning lol.
B5 is what The Expanse was aiming for.
I would love to see you do a retrospective on The Prisoner, especially from today's perspective.
Amazing series with the most thought provoking endings ever.
Oh my God!! I thought I was the only person who'd seen Crime Traveller! Such a shame it didn't get more episodes.
I'd never heard of Crime Traveller before watching this video. The episodes are all here on UA-cam, and I'm currently working my way through them. I've watched six of the eight episodes so far and really enjoying them, thanks Dave!
Woah, Bablyon 5!
That was a golden age for SF. Good, entertaining shows largely with none of the message and identity politics being pushed on us today. Also quite a few shows that only made it to one season but were still a lot of fun.
Babylon 5 (5 seasons)
Crusade (1 season only)
Andromeda (5 seasons)
Space Above and Beyond (1 season)
SeaQuest DSV (2 and a half seasons)
Earth 2 (1 season)
Mercy Point (barely 1 season)
Dark Skies (1 season)
Firefly (1 season)
Psi-Factor (think it was 4 seasons)
Poltergeist The Legacy (3 seasons?)
Earth Final Conflict (5 seasons)
Star Cops (1 season - a BBC show)
Farscape (4 seasons plus miniseries)
7 Days (3 seasons?)
The Pretender (3 seasons?)
Harsh Realm (1 season)
Strange Luck (1 season - linked to the X files)
The Visitor (1 season - references X Files)
Millennium (3 seasons? - also linked to the X Files)
Thankfully all of these except Mercy Point have had dvd releases which i am fortunate enough to have collected.
And if you liked Tru Calling there was an earlier show called Early Edition that had the lead character get tomorrows newspaper a day early and allow them to prevent crimes.
The Visitor was a good show.
I still have the entire Babylon 5 catalogue on VHS. It was a stunning series. The one I fell in love with after that was Farscape. Again, cut off before it could finish the story the way they wanted, but the Peacekeeper 'movies' did an ok job.
The wormhole? weapon felt like a commentary on the unnecessary development of hugely destructive arsenals like nuclear, huydrogen and antimatter weapons.
Other memorable scifi shows from my younger days... Most of them died before their time...
In no particular order...
- Heroes - absolutely fantastic first season, season 2 gutted by the writers' strike, then it just was downhill...
- Firefly - yeah, I know... kinda obvious.
- LEXX - a quirky Canadian/German low budget scifi series with a STUNNING pilot episode, with a creepy, dystopian world and one of the best villain characters ever. The rest never lived up to the same level but it was fun to watch.
- Jeremiah - a show by J Michael Straczynski, based on a comic book series, with Luke Perry as the lead. It was one of those slow burners you mentioned, which killed it after season 2, I believe. Too bad, it had potential.
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor chronicles - surprisingly good! Forever unresolved because of the writers strike and subsequent cancellation. Too bad. It was better than any of the movies after T2 ;)
- Crusade - a Babylon 5 spinoff that only survived about a dozen episodes. Which is a shame, as it had a great premise, great cast and was set in an already fantastic world.
- Highlander - a sort of sequel to the Highlander movie (the first one). It was surprisingly good and went deep into the whole immortals mythology.
- Constantine - fantastic atmosphere, absolutely perfectly cast lead (they later brought him into the CW Legends of Tomorrow lol)
- Miracles - a sort of more religion-oriented version of the X-files. Had good cast, great atmosphere and some intriguing mysteries. Cancelled after half a season.
- Andromeda - based on Gene Roddenberry's idea. The first season was excellent and had probably one of the best time travel story episodes I've seen (and that was episode 5 or 6!). Unfortunately, the other seasons should be simply forgotten.
- Earth: Final Conflict - similar situation. A great first season with some intriguing ideas. Then it just go meh and worse.
- RoboCop - yes, there was a TV show! And... it was decent! It had some good stories but it was a TV production so violence limits worked to its detriment ;)
- Dark Skies - a really well made X-Files clone. Survived one season, I think.
- Earth 2 - an interesting scifi series about colonists on another planet. Survived only one season.
- Space: Above and Beyond - a great scifi show about 'space marines' fighting aliens. Cancelled after one season, which was a crime.
Re-watch Earth 2 now. See how many "woke" themes ran through it. The show was a fantastic predictor of where we are now. I wanted to like it, but it was so PC it was nauseating.
The world of SQ DSV season 1 was such a interesting setting.
Yes, that first season was great. That second season was just cringeville. Very disappointing.
Loved all those shows. Have you done one on Fringe yet? That’s in my top 5 of all time
Fringe is the biggest pile of mystery box horse nonsense ever filmed.
@@Bow-to-the-absurd I disagree. It’s the only thing JarJar has written that wraps up every storyline and question mark beautifully
A couple of these shows remind me of "Journeyman", which was an awesome series and was really starting get intriguing when it was cancelled. It had the added angle of a relationship between the characters who had (unknowingly to each other) jumped from different time periods, and who could not love a bit of Moon Bloodgood!
Great stuff, Dave…The Lone Gunman/X Files Spinoff was fun and kinda foretelling from the first episode about taking control of planes and heading for some towers…crazy stuff and interesting