No more Firefly - what next?

[Elodan]

I'd have to add to the recommendations for

Farscape
Stargate SG-1
B5 (first 4 seasons)

Plus
Smallville
Batman: TAS
Witch Hunter Robin (anime)

 

[Arnwyn]

but I currently consider the show to be utterly inferior to Whedon's creations.

See, and I think Alias blows Buffy and Angel out of the water two ways from Sunday. But not Firefly. Definitely not Firefly.

However, I'll recommend some stuff anyways:
- Stargate SG-1
- Smallville

Love these to pieces.

 

[RaceBannon42]

I'd like to second the recommendation of DS9 IMO its easliy the best of the Star Trek series, by a long margin. It has better character development, especially in the recurring supporting characters .

 

[jester47]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here. The ones that have been mentioned are good. Later Eps of Smallville are really good. But I would like to point out a sleeper that caught me by surprise. For about 6 months, I was living with two girls and another guy in a shared house. And the girls were really into this show. At first I was thinking "another chick show..." Then one day I was in a conversation with them when the show came on. They politely asked if we could finish talking when the show was over. I said sure. So I watched an ep. Things I was impressed with:

the situations - stuff you don't see on normal TV... well kinda... it was like the writers would take the mundane and dive so far into it that it came out weird. Sort of the mirror image to Science Fiction, weirdness through the known rather than the unknown.

the dialogue - while not realistic, it was amasingly clever. Very call and response-ish. But with emotion. there was a constant sas to it.

this was not a "weird episode" either. It was like this every week. this was a show that jumped the shark at day 1. And makes a point to jump the shark regularly and often. It might as well be called "jump the shark." Pure genius.

Well developed characters - if not stereotypical. In a sort of Alice in Wonderland sort of way.

I absolutely fell in love with (well, I wont buy it, but...) The Gilmore Girls when they added Sebastian Bach from Skid Row as a burnt out metal head regular to the shows emo-inspired teen band. At that point I was like "Don't fire your writers, EVER."

Sue me for liking a chick show and posting about it here. But its a really well done program.

Aaron.

 

[Mapleaxe]

My recommendations:
Sci-Fi/Fantasy--Farscape, DS9, B5, X-Files through season 6 or so, Buffy, Angel, Millenium (seasons 2-3, after they started getting more metaphysical and less serial-killer-of-the-week)

animated--Simpons, Futurama, Family Guy, the Critic

non-scifi/fantasy--Homicide:Life on the Streets (just a wonderfully engrossing cop show), Coupling (the original british version is funny as hell), Manchild (not for everyone, but I really liked it; funny, but not exactly "ha-ha" funny)

not sure if I should recommend (loved these shows but I haven't seen them in so long that I might be looking at them with rose-colored glasses)--Twin Peaks, Doctor Who

When will they get to DVD--Blake's 7, American Gothic, The Invisible Man

 

[Henry]

ANOTHER vote for Dead Like me.

PREMISE: 18-year-old girl, with tons of promise but a college drop-out, is killed because "It's her time to go." She gets inducted into the working afterlife - she and four other people are Grim Reapers, the ones who go around taking souls when it's a person's time to die. She goes from having no purpose in life to having the biggest purpose the universe can give her.

Starring Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin(Alien Nation and a whole heck of a lot of stuff), and Jasmine Guy(Different World and heck of a lot of other stuff). Ellen Muth is an amazing actress, IMO, and plays a dead sarcastic Gen Y'er beautifully. Over the first season, she learns WHY the afterlife works like it does, how hard Reapers have it, and how to deal with her family since she is near them but can never tell them who she is. Funny show, suddenly turning morbid or poignant when you least expect it, and always giving an excellent view into the characters and why they are who they are.

My wife and I watched season 1 through Netflix on DVD, and it was so good it ALMOST made us subscribe to Showtime when they announced season Two. In the end we couldn't see paying for a year when all we want is one show, so We'll just sadly wait another year for the next round of DVD's...

WARNING: NOT a family show. Strong language throughout, very mature (notice I didn't say "adult") themes. In my opinion, rated "PG-13" to "R" on the MPAA scale.

-----------------

Show Two:
Coupling

Not that American - made crap. The BBC version is short (only 7 or 8 episodes a season) but is funny as heck. In a way I'm glad the American conversion failed, because there's NO WAY they could have converted that show without watering it down for censors. You wouldn't get away with some of the terms used or the partial "exposure", because they wouldn't get past censors on network TV, least not in prime time.

WARNING: DEFINITELY not a family show, but it puts "Friends" to shame as an urban comedy about relationships. In my opinion Rated "R" on the MPAA scale.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Let me chime in with Babylon 5. The first half-season is so-so. But once it gears up, it stays up. (No sick pun intended.)

I've watched the entire series multiple times, and it still hangs together. From halfway through Season One to the end of Season Four is one of the best sci-fi stories ever told on TV. Season Five, while not quite up to par, is still great television.

Be warned, however, that B5 is more or less a single story. Sure, there are some standalone episodes, but by the time you reach Season Three, they're few and far between. It's basically a TV novel.

And G'kar? One of the best character development arcs in the history of cinema, I kid you not.

Yes, Yes, Yes!!!

G'Kar is just an amazing character. Him and Londo were enough to base a great series around by themselves.

 

[RaceBannon42]

Did you are watch another short lived series on fox called ....The Tick
I know not many people did, But I found it HIlarious. I believe Ben Edlund who was the creator of The Tick was a producer of Firefly unless I'm getting names confused.

 

[John Crichton]

So, in a futile attempt to fill the Firefly-sized hole in my life, I've been ordering other TV series from Netflix. Alias came up as a recommended pick, and seemed to have a decent premise. Then I watched the first few episodes and just... well, it's disappointing. I've been so spoiled by off-beat TV that I had forgotten how flat and dull mainstream programming is. Nothing against Alias fans, but I currently consider the show to be utterly inferior to Whedon's creations.

So, I'm curious - what other shows come highly recommended? I'd rather not waste dozens of hours trying to find a series that works for me, so let me know what shows you're passionate about (and are available on DVD).

Just a note: I've gone through everything available for Family Guy, Simpsons, Futurama, Angel and Buffy thus far. Now start recommending!

I'll agree with most of what has been said so far and throw in my two cents.

First off, it's too bad that you didn't like Alias. It's one of the most consistantly entertaining shows on TV, IMO. Even the bad episodes are very watchable. Different strokes and all that I guess.

I have to recommend Farscape. The first ep is really good but the next 6 eps are kinda slow but still entertaining. From there on out it hits stride and doesn't stop. Truly a visionary show.

I'll also second Sports Night.

And it's not sci-fi/fantasy but The Sopranos must be watched by anyone who considers themselves a fan of quality TV. I'm convinced that it is an American classic and will be remembered long into the future.

And, oh yeah, watch Firefly again. First with the commentaries and special features and then without.

 

[The Other Librarian]

I saw this series as a kid in England, and although I was too young to really understand it, I remember it really weirded me out, and scared the crap out of me. I would love to see it again, just to see if it's anything like I remember.

I will chime in with a very hard to find series but one I feel worth the hunt. It is only on PAL I think, though. It's a series the BBC ran back in 79-82 called "Sapphire and Steel." If you want quirkiness, it has it and I loved it to death. I have a friend who has them all on vhs from a friend in London. It stars Joanna Lumley (yes the woman from AbFab but when she was young and hot) and David McCallum (yes the guy from "the man from U.N.C.L.E.").

If you find it, check it out.