Science Fiction: Greatest TV Shows Part III

[MarkB]

I'll give an honourable mention to a BBC series called Star Cops. It was from the era of classic Doctor Who and Blake's Seven, and its ropey budget shows in practically every shot, but it was way ahead of its time as a hard SF show set in Earth orbit that took orbital physics and spacecraft design every bit as seriously as The Expanse, and while a lot of its concepts seem quaint by modern standards they were pretty forward-looking at the time.

It includes things like an Alexa-style digital assistant in a pocket-sized device, computerised network surveillance to detect terrorist threats through keyword searches, terrorist attacks delivered through hacking of commercial systems, and identification - and misidentification - through DNA traces. All from a series produced in the 1980s.

 

[dragoner]

Space:1999 is good, but for me it is an honorable mention. The reason I didn’t list Stargate is because, believe it or not, I’ve never watched it. I didn’t start when it started, and at this point there are too many series and episodes and I just can’t imagine trying to catch up.

I think 1st season is right up there with some of the best sci-fi. Similar to the suggestion by @MarkB Max Headroom also deserves a mention as well, if just for the hacking incident where: "The video ended with a pair of exposed buttocks being spanked with a flyswatter before normal programming resumed. The culprits were never caught or identified." All of your picks are good though!

 

[Richards]

Yes, the ball seemed more than a a bit out there. But the rest didn't seem in the ball park of Star Trek, or Dark Angel, or Firefly, or even Brisco County to me. If they had communicators or phasers or... then it would have jumped out more to me.

Well, besides Rover, various episodes of The Prisoner involved mind-swapping technology, viewscreens that allowed you to watch people's dreams, and a computer that could "beam" knowledge directly into your head (granting you the equivalent of a college-level course in several minutes).

Johnathan

 

[Ixal]

I liked Space: Above and Beyond, even though it was mostly military porn. It had some Wing Commander vibes.

 

[Tonguez]

Doctor Who (excluding Torchwood)
The Avengers (John Steed version)
Sapphire and Steel
Tomorrow People (Thames Television)
Battlestar Galactica (Original) By Your Command
Man from Atlantis
Blakes 7
Lexx - had no interest when it was first on, but caught a 3am episode one day and got hooked in.
Automan
Knight Rider
Seaquest voyages through Inner Space
Logans Run
Dollhouse
Misfits
Stingray (is Supermarionation animation?)
Person of Interest

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Doctor Who (excluding Torchwood)
The Avengers (John Steed version)
Sapphire and Steel
Tomorrow People (Thames Television)
Battlestar Galactica (Original) By Your Command
Man from Atlantis
Blakes 7
Lexx - had no interest when it was first on, but caught a 3am episode one day and got hooked in.
Automan
Knight Rider
Seaquest voyages through Inner Space
Logans Run
Dollhouse
Misfits
Stingray (is Supermarionation animation?)
Person of Interest

Some comments-
The Avengers ... not a bad choice, not sure I'd include it.
Sapphire & Steel- haven't seen it since it was first airing, so my recollections aren't very good.
BSG Original- Um... some great ideas, but the continual re-use of the same footage for the space battles in every episode began to get annoying.
Dollhouse- Considered it, but it's a little too ... Louie/Cosby for me ... in light of recent revelations. I really enjoyed it when it originally aired.
Person of Interest- D'oh! Should have been in my honorable mentions!


....Automan? Really? Do you want to go into more detail on that one? I am ... confuddled by that choice.

 

[payn]

I enjoyed Lexx but didn't make my greatest list.

 

[MattW]

How can you forget the Gerry Anderson puppets? Thunderbirds was much more convincing than Space: 1999.

Best non-American SF shows (that have not yet been mentioned)
1. Hitchhhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
2. Red Dwarf
3. Survivors (1970's version)
4. Max Headroom
5. Orphan Black
6. Black Mirror
7. Dirk Gently (the British one, starring Steven Mangan)
8. Humans
9. Primeval
10. The Sarah Jane Adventures

 

[Ryujin]

Doctor Who (excluding Torchwood)
The Avengers (John Steed version)
Sapphire and Steel
Tomorrow People (Thames Television)
Battlestar Galactica (Original) By Your Command
Man from Atlantis
Blakes 7
Lexx - had no interest when it was first on, but caught a 3am episode one day and got hooked in.
Automan
Knight Rider
Seaquest voyages through Inner Space
Logans Run
Dollhouse
Misfits
Stingray (is Supermarionation animation?)
Person of Interest

Good to see someone remember "Stingray." I just finished re-re-rewatching the original "Captain Scarlet" and was wondering if I go to "Stingray" or "Thunderbirds" next. amazing how many of the model effects, sound effects, etc. made it into "UFO" and, later, "Space 1999." Captain Blue and Ed Straker, of "UFO", were played by the same actor; Ed Bishop. (The live action "Thunderbirds" movie makes me shudder.)

 

[Maxperson]

My list in no particular order

1. X-files
2. Twilight Zone
3. Dr. Who
4. The Outer Limits
5. Star Trek(TOS, Next Gen and DS9)
6. Battlestar Galactica(Old and New. If you can twofer, so can I.)
7. Knight Rider
8. Stargate SG-1
9. Quantum Leap
10. Babylon 5


I'm throwing the Six Million Dollar man into honorable mentions. I didn't have an ending, but 99 episodes and 6 TV movies makes it stand out. Fringe is going in the honorable mentions, because while it started out great, the last season wasn't very good. Black Mirror also makes the honorable mentions list.