Firefly Reconsidered: Why Firefly Isn't "Hall of Fame" Great

[payn]

Nah. The practical effects and makeup weren't always perfect, but the alien puppetry remains fantastic, and even the dated CGI still holds up really well for the space scenes. I don't see how anyone can seriously call the writing or the acting on Farscape bad unless they never watched past the first half of the first season. Once the show found its feet, both were stellar: the cast had chemistry and the show had an emotional core that I have never seen the likes of anywhere else.

The final episode is some of the worst acting. It was like watching a local LARP.

 

[Zardnaar]

In twitter just now, two back to back memes are of SG1 and TNG, also interesting is how many extras they share between the shows. Best might need some sort of metric, except they were popular, that is for sure.

It wasn't just those shows but multiple shows. The Canadian productions shared a lot of cast.

I would argue it predated SG1 as well. Obviously Trek was first out the gate but I recently did a rewatch of the Highlander TV show and a few familiar faces popped up.

It continued through to around 2010. Anything with Amanda Tapping and filmed in Canada with a Sci Fi vibe.

Continuum, Sanctuary, Warehouse 13 etc.

 

[dragoner]

It wasn't just those shows but multiple shows. The Canadian productions shared a lot of cast.

I would argue it predated SG1 as well. Obviously Trek was first out the gate but I recently did a rewatch of the Highlander TV show and a few familiar faces popped up.

It continued through to around 2010. Anything with Amanda Tapping and filmed in Canada with a Sci Fi vibe.

Continuum, Sanctuary, Warehouse 13 etc.

Showtime stuff also, where outer limits was, and SG1 started; SG1 caused a stir over nudity in the pilot. Highlander was the same with the cast, and probably some of the last were Metal Hurlant Chronicles. Lexa Doig was on SG1, except meeting Michael Shanks, on Andromeda and marrying him.

Sci-fi seems to come in two waves, a flood of low budget, like the above, and fewer except more high profile like the Mandalorean, Picard, and ST Disco.

 

[Zardnaar]

Showtime stuff also, where outer limits was, and SG1 started; SG1 caused a stir over nudity in the pilot. Highlander was the same with the cast, and probably some of the last were Metal Hurlant Chronicles. Lexa Doig was on SG1, except meeting Michael Shanks, on Andromeda and marrying him.

Sci-fi seems to come in two waves, a flood of low budget, like the above, and fewer except more high profile like the Mandalorean, Picard, and ST Disco.

I think there was a golden age roughly 95-2005 or so. Or 93 to a similar date.

 

[dragoner]

I think there was a golden age roughly 95-2005 or so. Or 93 to a similar date.

Zombies are probably the reason for the slow down in the last ten years, even though there has always been some sci-fi going on: Love, Death, and Robots; Black Mirror, West World, and so on. The Expanse had people from Defiance, and the CW type shows. I would not be surprised that if there were polls for #1 sci-fi right now, Mando, and the Expanse could very well be 1 & 2.

 

[Zardnaar]

Zombies are probably the reason for the slow down in the last ten years, even though there has always been some sci-fi going on: Love, Death, and Robots; Black Mirror, West World, and so on. The Expanse had people from Defiance, and the CW type shows. I would not be surprised that if there were polls for #1 sci-fi right now, Mando, and the Expanse could very well be 1 & 2.

Those two the only ones worth watching atm IMHO.

Sci Fi channel went off the rails years ago with reality TV.

 

[Grendel_Khan]

That dog wont hunt. I dont deny that Farscape was innovative and truly felt alien which most sci-fi shows dont, but its full of bad effects, bad writing, and bad acting. Very inconsistent episode to episode too. Swap Farscape in the thread title and edit the cancelled too soon section and it fits this thread perfectly.

Apparently I’m a huge snob, since I agree completely, but I also couldn’t handle more than an episode of some of the stuff mentioned in this thread (Warehouse 13, Defiance, etc.).

Not great for me, to be honest. Like I wish I was into the massive amount of superhero stuff on now, but no matter how hard I try the CW shows just seem so smirky and low-rent to me. Not saying everything has to be prestige-style wiring and production, but sometimes I imagine a similar approach in a different genre, Like if the new Perry Mason had been all awful CGI cars and exteriors and the worst lighting you’ve ever seen. The way SGU was shot was a huge step up from SG-1 and other SF shows of its time (not to mention most SyFy and all CW shows since). But I don’t think that kind of filmmaking really matters to a lot of genre fans. Not saying that as a slam. It’s just how it is.

 

[payn]

Apparently I’m a huge snob, since I agree completely, but I also couldn’t handle more than an episode of some of the stuff mentioned in this thread (Warehouse 13, Defiance, etc.).

I dont think its snobbish at all. I LOVE Farscape, but I can objectively step back and admit its bad in a lot of ways. Defiance had a lot of potential, but the writing was all over the place.

I think Farscape and Defiance are more serial, and thus slightly more interesting than the barrage of monster of the week series like Warehouse 13 and Eureka. I never got into them so I cant speak to their quality or lack of.

Not great for me, to be honest. Like I wish I was into the massive amount of superhero stuff on now, but no matter how hard I try the CW shows just seem so smirky and low-rent to me. Not saying everything has to be prestige-style wiring and production, but sometimes I imagine a similar approach in a different genre, Like if the new Perry Mason had been all awful CGI cars and exteriors and the worst lighting you’ve ever seen. The way SGU was shot was a huge step up from SG-1 and other SF shows of its time (not to mention most SyFy and all CW shows since). But I don’t think that kind of filmmaking really matters to a lot of genre fans. Not saying that as a slam. It’s just how it is.

There are tiers of showmaking for sure. There are reasons you only hear about many of these new supers shows in little corners of the internets. They cater to specific audiences. Like Sci-FI, folks put up with it and learn to love it despite the quality because they are just glad to be getting the shows to begin with.

 

[Umbran]

It wasn't bad, Warehouse 13 was there and pretty good too

I really wanted to love Warehouse 13. "High Weirdness of the week," quippy dialog, and Saul Rubinek? What could possible be bad?

Latimer is what. I just could not get past Agent Latimer's misogyny and inappropriate sexual behavior. His partner literally punches him in the face for it in an early episode, but ha ha, it's all a joke and he doesn't stop. Like, every 10 minutes he says something inappropriate. Relentless manchild is not a good look.

...the Next Generation, it's great, though I know people today who have recently watched it and wondered why it is so highly rated.

So many people forget that history matters. It is so highly rated because it was groundbreaking at the time it was made.

 

[Umbran]

It was good for mindless tv watching, light fare, not much in expectations to be more than what they were, I liked them.

Eureka has a few facets that make it stand out:
Rejection of cynicism as a guiding principle - contrasting with the grimdark popular in the early 2000s - Battlestar Galactica was the big sci-fi TV hit of the time.
Law enforcement that almost never draws a weapon, and leads with de-escalation.
Positive role models of male friendship, in which men of remarkably different backgrounds enjoy each other's company and give each other emotional support.
Plots that resolve by having people talk to each other like mature adults.
Uber-nerd characters that grow into people who actually understand their fellow humans.