Science Fiction/Fantasy Television: The Best
The science fiction / fantasy television shows that most appeal to the bizarre taste of theNeoplatonist. In alphabetical order after some annoying numbers...
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- CreatorRené EchevarriaScott PetersStarsJacqueline McKenzieJoel GretschPatrick John FluegerAs the reappearance of 4,400 missing persons on a single day confounds the global community, federal agents on the case slowly discover the ways in which the victims have been changed.Compulsive stuff: hard not to watch the next episode, then the next...
- CreatorDavid WilcoxStarsRachael TaylorDave AnnableRobert BuckleyAt the 203 apartments Drake, NYC, residents are granted one wish - any wish. But beware of the price. There's something supernatural and evil about The Drake that only the owners, Gavin and Olivia. know about/control.Mind-boggling weirdness in a hotel no-one should ever stay in.
- CreatorTrevor PrestonStarsMichael MacKenzieTony SelbyJudy LoeTelepathic stage magician, Tarot, and his two assistants solve mysteries and crimes of a bizarre or magical nature, and battle against villains with various powers.A pity so many episodes are lost. The surviving ones (especially "Peacock Pie") show how atmospheric this was for a children's fantasy show. And the theme music is addictive in itself.
- CreatorGreg BerlantiMarc GuggenheimAndrew KreisbergStarsStephen AmellKatie CassidyDavid RamseySpoiled billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is missing and presumed dead when his yacht is lost at sea. He returns five years later a changed man, determined to clean up the city as a hooded vigilante armed with a bow.The first three seasons, at any rate. Even season 4 is good although the conclusion is rather weak.
- CreatorMatthew GrahamAshley PharoahStarsPhilip GlenisterKeeley HawesDean AndrewsAfter being shot in 2008 while investigating DCI Sam Tyler, DI Alex Drake wakes up in 1981.The follow-up to "Life on Mars" - just as good.
- CreatorSydney NewmanStarsPatrick MacneeDiana RiggHonor BlackmanA quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners.Steed and Emma Peel were the best partnership, in my humble opinion. Wonderful.
- CreatorJ. Michael StraczynskiStarsMira FurlanRichard BiggsStephen FurstIn the mid 23rd century, the Earth Alliance space station Babylon 5, located in neutral territory, is a major focal point for political intrigue, racial tensions and various wars over the course of five years.
- CreatorGlen A. LarsonRonald D. MooreStarsEdward James OlmosMary McDonnellJamie BamberWhen an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protect a small civilian fleet - the last of humanity - as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth.Plus the pilot movie from 2003.
- CreatorTerry NationStarsMichael KeatingPaul DarrowPeter TuddenhamA group of convicts and outcasts fight a guerrilla war against the totalitarian Terran Federation from a highly advanced alien spaceship.Oh my. The Federation is a totalitarian monstrosity (albeit run by a very beautiful woman), its opponents - apart from Blake himself - are little better, if more endearing. And in the last episode... No, I'd better not spoil it. Sob...
- StarsDevin StanfieldRobert StephensGeoffrey LarderBased on the classic children's novel by John Masefield, the story follows the exploits of a young boy, Kay Harker, who finds himself drawn into a world of magic and danger when he encounters an old Punch and Judy man.Enchanting. With Patrick Troughton, the second "Dr Who".
- CreatorGerry AndersonSylvia AndersonStarsEd BishopDonald GrayFrancis MatthewsIn 2068, the indestructible Captain Scarlet leads the agents of Spectrum in a war of nerves against the Mysterons from Mars.My favorite Gerry Anderson puppet series. The Mysterons are pretty spooky.
- CreatorRichard CarpenterStarsGeoffrey BayldonRobin DaviesGary WarrenA medieval wizard (though not a very good one) is transported to the modern age.
- CreatorMonty BermanDennis SpoonerStarsStuart DamonAlexandra BastedoWilliam GauntAfter a plane carrying three UN Agents crashes in the Himalayas, they are rescued by an advanced civilisation secretly living in Tibet who grant them enhanced versions of the ordinary five senses, and intellectual and physical abilities.
- CreatorChris RolandRobert WertheimerStarsJeffrey PierceMichael FilipowichMichele BurgersA missing persons detective finds himself caught between three parallel universes.Film noir sci-fi, all about parallel worlds. Highly distinctive visual and narrative style.
- StarsGareth ThomasVeronica StrongPeter DeminScientist Adam Brake and his son Matthew arrive in the sleepy English village of Milbury to find it under the grip of weird psychic powers unleashed by the sinister village squire, Hendrick, and whose power they struggle to break.Some creepy stuff here. Plus Gareth Thomas before he was immortalized as Roj Blake in "Blakes 7" (see above).
- CreatorSimon BarryStarsRachel NicholsVictor WebsterErik KnudsenA detective from the year 2077 finds herself trapped in present-day Vancouver and searching for ruthless criminals from the future.Probably the ultimate time-travel series, where the actual concept of time-travel drives everything and produces a few exquisite paradoxes.
- CreatorDrew GoddardStarsCharlie CoxVincent D'OnofrioDeborah Ann WollA blind lawyer by day, vigilante by night. Matt Murdock fights the crime of New York as Daredevil.
- CreatorBrent V. FriedmanBryce ZabelStarsEric CloseJ.T. WalshLackosIn 1960s America, a young couple struggle to expose the truth about a hidden alien invasion, while a secret government organization follows its own agenda in dealing with the threat.
- CreatorPaul ZbyszewskiStarsTaye DiggsMoon BloodgoodVictoria PrattToday Detective Brett Hopper will be accused of shooting state attorney Alberto Garza. He will offer his rock solid alibi. He will realize he's been framed. And he will run. Then he will wake up and start the day over again.Brilliant time-travel series, akin to Groundhog Day.
- StarsJohn DuttineEmma RelphMaurice ColbourneWhen a comet blinds nearly everyone in the world, a genetically-engineered species of plant takes over.A faithful adaptation of the novel and terrific tv science fiction.
- CreatorDonald WilsonSydney NewmanStarsWilliam HartnellPatrick TroughtonJon PertweeThe adventures in time and space of the Doctor, a Time Lord who changes appearance and personality by regenerating when near death, and is joined by companions in battles against aliens and other megalomaniacs.My favorite. Not so keen on New Who, as it has become increasingly a vehicle for Political Correctness. Ugh.
- CreatorNick WautersStarsJason RitterSarah RoemerIan Anthony DaleWhen a man goes looking for his missing girlfriend, he stumbles upon a government conspiracy that is bigger than the President himself.Another well-made show cancelled by the Evil Powers. May Shub-Niggurath dance on their skulls.
- CreatorJoss WhedonStarsNathan FillionGina TorresAlan TudykFive hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.
- CreatorGreg BerlantiGeoff JohnsAndrew KreisbergStarsGrant GustinCandice PattonDanielle PanabakerAfter being struck by lightning, Barry Allen wakes up from his coma to discover he's been given the power of super speed, becoming the Flash, and fighting crime in Central City.Wonderful modern version of the DC classic. Includes time-travel, hero-villains, and much else.
- CreatorBrannon BragaDavid S. GoyerStarsCourtney B. VanceJoseph FiennesJack DavenportA special task force in the FBI investigates after every person on Earth simultaneously blacks out and awakens with a short vision of their future.Cancelled on a cliffhanger. May the fungi of Yuggoth devour those tv business executives.
- CreatorJ.J. AbramsAlex KurtzmanRoberto OrciStarsAnna TorvJoshua JacksonJohn NobleAn F.B.I. agent is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist and his son in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.The X Files on LSD, if such a thing were possible (literally, in at least one episode). If you like "parallel world" stuff, THIS is your show.
- CreatorRex FirkinVincent TilsleyStarsGwyneth PowellCyril LuckhamDavid BurkeIn a declining England of the 1980s, the UK has broken up and England is ruled by a fascist military force called "The Guardians."England as a fascist state in an alternate reality or near future... Gripping drama.
- CreatorTim KringStarsJack ColemanHayden PanettiereMilo VentimigliaCommon people discover that they have super powers. Their lives intertwine as a devastating event must be prevented.
- CreatorLarry CohenStarsRoy ThinnesKent SmithMax KlevenThe Aliens are here, posing as human, and not friendly. David Vincent has seen them land and now must evade them and convince others of their presence while not being put in the booby hatch.Terrified me senseless as a child.
- CreatorKevin FallsStarsKevin McKiddGretchen EgolfMoon BloodgoodA San Francisco journalist mysteriously travels to the past and alters the path of people's lives. When his travels reunite him with his long-lost fiancée Livia, life with his present-day wife gets very interesting.Wonderful time-travel series. Cancelled by evil executives after only one season, but that season does tell a coherent story and reaches a conclusion of sorts. You won't see better acting than you get here.
- CreatorMichael GreenStarsIan McShaneChristopher EganSusanna ThompsonA modern day, alternate-reality drama about a hero who rises to become the King of his nation, based on the biblical story of King David.Brilliant re-imagining, in modern dress, of the biblical story of King Saul and his court. Liberties taken with the story, of course, but gripping as drama. Ian McShane as Saul is marvelous.
- StarsTony HaygarthPatsy RowlandsPrunella GeeLazy, unambitious repairman and UFO enthusiast Des Kinvig encounters a spaceship captained by the beautiful Miss Griffin from Mercury. Or is it all just the fantasy of a man having a quiet breakdown?Hilarious, affectionate send-up of UFO nerds. Open-ended: maybe our hero is delusional, or maybe these encounters are real... Funny either way. By Nigel Kneale of "Quatermass" fame.
- CreatorJeffrey Grant RiceStarsDarren McGavinSimon OaklandJack GrinnageCarl Kolchak is a reporter for a Chicago newspaper. Through more accident than design he ends up investigating homicides, many of which involve supernatural forces. Ultimately, rather than reporting on the crimes, he solves them.The most lovable paranormal investigator of all time.
- CreatorGreg BerlantiMarc GuggenheimPhil KlemmerStarsCaity LotzAmy Louise PembertonDominic PurcellTime-traveling rogue Rip Hunter must recruit a ragtag team of heroes and villains to help prevent an apocalypse that could impact not only Earth, but all of time.
- CreatorMatthew GrahamTony JordanAshley PharoahStarsJohn SimmPhilip GlenisterLiz WhiteAfter a near-fatal car accident, smart, savvy, sharp-suited detective Sam is mysteriously transported back to 1973. Confused by his new surroundings, Sam tries to return to the present, but the police force of long ago needs his help.The first round of "Ashes to Ashes", introducing Gene Hunt, the politically incorrect police inspector - one of the most colorful creations on any tv show.
- CreatorChris CarterVince GilliganJohn ShibanStarsBruce HarwoodTom BraidwoodDean HaglundThe X-Files' Lone Gunmen, their action-loving man-childish sidekick and patron, Jimmy Bond, and their sexy master thief frienemy, Yves, investigate crimes and conspiracies, often in a silly, comedic and over the top fashion.Affectionate comedy spinoff from "The X-Files". For the finale, see the X-Files episode "Jumping the Shark", where our heroes get a fitting send-off into Geek Glory.
- CreatorJ.J. AbramsJeffrey LieberDamon LindelofStarsJorge GarciaJosh HollowayYunjin KimThe survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.
- StarsPeter KrauseJulianna MarguliesPeter JacobsonA detective investigates a mysterious motel room which acts as a portal to anywhere in the world.Engrossing fantasy that deserved a second season. Still, the major story-arc is resolved.
- StarsRock HudsonGayle HunnicuttBernie CaseyIn the 21st century, Earth begins the colonization of Mars. However, things do not go as planned, at first due to the hostile Martian natives and later because of the self-destructive Earthmen.Beautiful adaptation of Ray Bradbury's book.
- StarsSam NeillHelena Bonham CarterJohn GielgudLegendary wizard Merlin tells his story of his war against Queen Mab of the Sidhe and his creation of Camelot.Eye-popping Arthurian extravaganza.
- CreatorChris CarterStarsLance HenriksenMegan GallagherTerry O'QuinnA former FBI profiler with the ability to look inside the mind of a killer begins working for the mysterious Millennium Group which investigates serial killers, conspiracies, the occult, and those obsessed with the end of the millennium.X-Files spinoff, but much darker and sadder. The central character Frank Black is a craggy, tortured force for truth in a sick world.
- CreatorMerwin GerardStarsJohn NewlandRobert DouglasOlan Soule"One Step Beyond" was a collection of tales about paranormal events, horrifying folklore, and the world of the unknown.
- CreatorLeslie StevensStarsBob JohnsonBen WrightWilliam DouglasAn anthology series of insightful science fiction tales.
- CreatorLizzie MickeryStarsTamzin OuthwaiteEmun ElliottMark BonnarDuring a period of high activity on the sun a physicist receives images in his lab that show an event that has yet to happen.Highly intriguing and addictive, police procedure colliding with sci-fi in a very gritty way. Canceled, of course, after only one season by the Evil Gremlins. May Cthulhu consume them.
- CreatorAnthony WilsonStarsRoddy McDowallRon HarperJames NaughtonTwo astronauts and a sympathetic chimp friend are fugitives in a future Earth dominated by a civilization of humanoid apes.The best spin-off from the movies.
- CreatorPatrick McGoohanStarsPatrick McGoohanAngelo MuscatPeter SwanwickAfter he resigns, a secret agent is abducted and taken to what looks like an idyllic village, but is actually a bizarre prison. He refuses to give his warders information while attempting to escape.And I confess to loving the last episode.
- CreatorBryan FullerStarsLee PaceAnna FrielChi McBrideA pastry chef with the power to bring dead people back to life solves murder mysteries with his resurrected childhood sweetheart, a cynical private investigator, and a lovesick waitress.Hilarious.
- StarsAndré MorellCec LinderAnthony BushellA team of scientists search for the origin and purpose of a mysterious capsule found on a building site.The best, I think, of the Quatermass tv serials. Eerie and disturbing.
- CreatorDennis SpoonerStarsMike PrattKenneth CopeAnnette AndreWhen Hopkirk gets killed, he reappears as a ghost - pretty handy to have around in this line of work.My childhood introduction to the afterlife. Marty Hopkirk, the literally dead hero, was a childhood icon. But if anyone could persuade me to stay on earth, it might just be his widow Annette Andre.
- CreatorChristina JenningsStarsPeter OuterbridgeConrad PlaDmitry ChepovetskyGeneticist David Sandstrom is the chief scientist at the prestigious virology/micro-biology NORBAC laboratory, a joint enterprise between the USA, Canada and Mexico for countering bio-terrorism.Sort of gritty, grizzled, down-to-earth, rock-hard-science version of "Fringe".
- CreatorRichard CarpenterStarsPeter Llewellyn WilliamsRay WinstoneMark RyanA forest mystical being appoints two men in succession as the legendary outlaw defender of the oppressed.Forget all other attempts at putting the Robin Hood story on screen: this alone is the Definitive Article.
- CreatorPeter HammondStarsDavid McCallumJoanna LumleyDavid CollingsThe secrets Sapphire, Steel and their colleagues find include people trapped in photos, ghosts lost in time and a retro dinner party.
- CreatorRussell T. DaviesStarsElisabeth SladenDaniel AnthonyAlexander ArmstrongInvestigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith, with the help of her adopted son, his friends, and an intelligent supercomputer, combats evil alien forces here on Earth.Dr Who spinoff. As good as the parent series albeit more in children's mode.
- StarsMarc HarrisonStuart LockCherrald ButterfieldA young time-traveller with superhuman powers is stranded on Earth after running into a Black Hole. Pursued by the evil Goodchild, Sky is helped on his quest to find a way home by three human teenagers, Arby, Jane and Roy.Totally weird. And brilliant.
- CreatorGene RoddenberryStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyIn the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.Impossible to comment on. A childhood favorite, with Spock as my great childhood hero.
- CreatorRick BermanMichael PillerStarsAvery BrooksRene AuberjonoisCirroc LoftonIn the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, the Federation space station Deep Space Nine guards the opening of a stable wormhole to the far side of the galaxy.
- CreatorGene RoddenberryStarsPatrick StewartBrent SpinerJonathan FrakesSet almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.
- CreatorRick BermanMichael PillerJeri TaylorStarsKate MulgrewRobert BeltranRoxann DawsonPulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is seventy-five years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels to find a way home.
- CreatorMatt DufferRoss DufferStarsMillie Bobby BrownFinn WolfhardWinona RyderWhen a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl.
- CreatorTerry NationStarsLucy FlemingIan McCullochDenis LillA community of survivors struggle to stay alive in the wake of a global pandemic known as the Death that wiped out 99.98% of humanity.Another Terry Nation cracker (he invented "Blakes 7" and Dr Who's Daleks). The best depiction of life after a global (viral) catastrophe.
- CreatorJames BoswellRuth BoswellStarsCheryl BurfieldSpencer BanksDenis QuilleySimon and Liz fell into a time hole and found themselves trapped in different eras of the 20th century, where they have all sorts of adventures. Many of these involve the nefarious Commander Traynor, who is also traveling through time.Well, they just don't make children's tv like this any more. Intelligent, gripping drama.
- CreatorIrwin AllenStarsJames DarrenRobert ColbertWhit BissellTwo scientists with a secret time travel project find themselves trapped in the time stream and appearing in notable periods of history.Rather like the little girl with the little curl: when it's good, it's very very good, but when it's bad it's horrid.
- CreatorRoger Damon PriceStarsNicholas YoungPhilip GilbertElizabeth AdareA group of teens with psychic and other paranormal abilities use their special gifts to battle evil.Surprisingly infectious, despite some poor stories and low-budget effects. The central idea and the catchy theme and titles work wonders.
- CreatorBrad WrightStarsEric McCormackMacKenzie PorterNesta CooperHundreds of years from now, surviving humans discover how to send consciousness back through time, into people of the 21st century, while attempting to change the path of humanity.
- CreatorRod SerlingStarsRod SerlingRobert McCordJay OverholtsOrdinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner.
- CreatorMark FrostDavid LynchStarsKyle MacLachlanMichael OntkeanMädchen AmickAn idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.
- CreatorGerry AndersonSylvia AndersonStarsEd BishopDolores MantezMichael BillingtonThe missions of the Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization (SHADO), which defends Earth from extra-terrestrial threats.Another childhood favorite, which is odd, because it's been called the most adult sci-fi show ever made. The aliens petrified me - those eyes, that green liquid...
- CreatorKenneth JohnsonScott PetersStarsElizabeth MitchellMorris ChestnutJoel GretschAn extraterrestrial race arrives on Earth with seemingly good intentions, only to slowly reveal their true machinations the more ingrained into society they become.See below. Both versions of V are, I think, very fine.
- StarsJane BadlerMichael DurrellFaye GrantA seemingly peaceful alien race, arrives at earth and asks for help to ensure their own planets survival. However, the visitors agenda turns out be much darker.See above.
- CreatorChris CarterStarsDavid DuchovnyGillian AndersonMitch PileggiTwo F.B.I. Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.Archetypal stuff, so why am I bothering to comment? Nice to know it was inspired in part by Kolchak (see above).
- StarsJack DavenportSusannah HarkerIdris ElbaThe six-episode series, first aired in 1998, stars Jack Davenport as Detective Sergeant Michael Colefield, who discovers a secret government vampire-hunting unit while investigating the disappearance of his partner.Vampirism meets police drama meets modern science. A brain-stunning concoction....
- StarsJeremy WilkinRosemary NicolsDenis QuilleyPersonnel Officer Drew Heriot returns to England after working in Australia to discover his brother behaving oddly, to the distress of his sister-in-law Anne. Investigating together they discover that a disembodied alien force is using high frequency signals to brainwash people - including Drew's brother - into committing subversive acts, as a prelude to a full-scale invasion. Together, Drew and Anne battle to stop the acts of sabotage while trying to alert the authorities to the danger...A forgotten minor masterpiece of British sci-fi chills.
- CreatorJane EspensonD. Brent MoteStarsEddie McClintockJoanne KellySaul RubinekPete and Myka, U.S Secret Service agents, are deployed in South Dakota's Warehouse 13 with a new assignment from an authority above and outside the government.Mostly a more light-hearted X-Files, albeit with some darker episodes. Saul Rubinek as cantankerous but lovable Artie makes the show.
- CreatorJacqueline DavisRoger MarshallStarsAnouska HempelAnton RodgersJohn Rhys-DaviesA police Detective Inspector teams up with an astrologer to solve various crimes.Underrated and under-appreciated. Each episode is a highly polished gem.