Other sci-fi series as good as Firefly

POSTED BY: KillerK
UPDATED: Sunday, October 3, 2004 18:40
VIEWED: 23709
PAGE 1 of 1

KILLERK

Saturday, August 7, 2004 5:24 PM

I am currently suffering from a medical condition known as PFB (Post-Firefly Blues), which has been bought on by the simple fact that when I first saw Firefly, it was so fantastic that all the previous sci-fi shows I used to like now pale in comparison.

In order to combat this condition, I need some suggestions on Sci-Fi series (either airing now or avaliable on DVD) which are as good as Firefly (a difficult task, I know). Can anyone help me??!

Life is but a dream...

PURPLEBELLY

Saturday, August 7, 2004 5:34 PM

Minear has said that his favourite scifi show was Friends

LITTLEFIREFLY

Saturday, August 7, 2004 5:37 PM

I like "Atlantis" and "Stargate" but FireFly kills them all

Oh, let's see, we killed Simon and River, stole a bunch of med'cin, and now the Captain and Zoe are off springing the others got snatched by the Feds. Oh, here they are now!

SWITCHY

Saturday, August 7, 2004 7:10 PM

I have to agree. I used to enjoy the various Trek incarnations but they just look pale in comparison. I think Firefly managed to combine the best elements of a great number of influences. It brought a character driven drama with a post civil war/pioneering sensibility onto a space ship. It has elements of Trek in it's ability to serve a large cast of characters who rely on each other constantly. The writing was always fantastic and the setting allows for the kind of adventure stories that are not found on TV very often. Did anyone here watch James Garners "Maverick" series? It had much of the same kind of charm if I remember correctly. I was pretty young when they were on in rerun. Not sci-fi I know but I just remembered it.

DAEDALUS5

Saturday, August 7, 2004 7:22 PM

I hear you on thinking, that, previously to watching Firefly, I thought Trek was King.

I now rate Sci-fi as:

1. Firefly (by miles)
2. Babylon 5 (esp s3 & s4)
3. Blakes 7 (Uk show)
4. Trek; DS9, TOS, TNG, VOY
5. The Prisoner (UK show)
6. Battlestar Galactica (the remake, Ron D Moore)
7. Lone Gunmen (DAMN YOU FOX!!!!!!)
8. Earth:Above & Beyond (AGAIN, CANCELLED BY FOX)

OK shoes, that I'll watch should nothing else better be on and that i cannot be arsed to change channel

1. X-Files (early seasons)
2. Crusade
3. Sliders
4. Quantum Leap.

I also love Supergirl, but that's a movie, but I thought it worth mentining as she's hot!

"Damn you Fox for cancelling my favourite show!"

OUTSIDER

Saturday, August 7, 2004 8:41 PM

For me, Firefly is streets ahead of the competition, but a few of my other personal favs include:

Babylon 5 - arguably the best continuing story arc of any series ever. Firefly might have surpassed it, but we'll never know now, will we?

Farscape - a bit of an acquired taste, but well worth suffering through the mediocre first season for the GENIUS second and third seasons.

Red Dwarf - there's another thread around here at the moment discussing this British SF/comedy. But it, too, is well worth getting into. When the Dwarf is funny, it's DAMN funny. Some pretty good SF concepts on occasion, too...

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - the best of all the Treks, simply because it's the least Trek-like. 'Nuff said.

Other than that, I don't think you can go wrong with The X-Files (especially the first four seasons), Buffy and/or Angel (more Whedon genius), or Alias. Those last three are not strictly sci-fi, I know, but they're part of the wider "SF/Fantasy" genre, and that's good enough for me.

Hope that helps. If you're new to any of those shows and decide to check them out, I hope you have as much fun with them as I did!

----------
"Today we were kidnapped by hill folk, never to be seen again. It was the best day ever."

WINTERFELL

Saturday, August 7, 2004 10:19 PM

I agree, though there are other sci fi shows i watch, i have found NONE which even come close to firefly.. it simply is the best there's ever been.

LINDLEY

Saturday, August 7, 2004 10:39 PM

Well, for obvious reasons, the best way to combat post-Firefly blues is to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and Angel, when that comes into play).

Also, there was another short-lived Fox show which enjoyed some of the same characteristics as Firefly; namely, that you *knew* you'd love every episode. That was Wonderfalls (Exec Producer Tim Minear). 13 eps produced, only 4 ever aired. Heck of a lot funnier than most so-called "comedies".

And, if you like Wonderfalls, then Dead Like Me is also worth checking out, because both were envisioned by the same guy (Brian Fuller).

Some other SF which is worth watching (though not as good) includes:

-Stargate SG-1 (Almost always entertaining, but rarely pushes the envelope)
-Stargate Atlantis (Ditto, 4 eps in)
-Babylon 5 (Epic in the story sense, but a bit weak on character)

I've also heard that Farscape is great, but it hasn't yet managed to hook me.

TEMPORALFLUX

Saturday, August 7, 2004 10:44 PM

I would put the first two seasons of Sliders in the Firefly category. Sliders was another show that suffered from the death touch of Fox. We had scenes cut, episodes scrambled and strange scheduling; but the magic still shone through in the first two seasons.

Sliders season one and two just hit DVD this past week; and it's worth the time and money if you love smart science fiction like Firefly.

Tf
temporalflux@hotmail.com
http://www.dimensionofcontinuity.com

KILLERK

Saturday, August 7, 2004 11:02 PM

Thanks to everyone for your replies so far.

Outsider - I certainly agree with you on Babylon 5 (which used to be my fav series), Red Dwarf (although that's more of a sitcom than pure science fiction) and DS9 (best of all the Treks..as it actually had an ongoing storyling).

I will admit that I never really got into Farscape...but I've only seen the first couple of episodes and I'm willing to give it another go.

What about Andromeda? That any good?

Life is but a dream...

EVILNATE

Saturday, August 7, 2004 11:11 PM

Like many others, Firefly spoiled me when it comes to sci-fi television, however, there are a few shows that have escaped.

Star Trek (the orignial) and Deep Space Nine: These two couldn't be further apart in many respects, but to me they have much in comman, namely the fact that they're the two best Trek series.

Cowboy Bebop: I didn't discover this until after I saw Firefly, so the similarities drew me in. It's anime, so it's got those some of those Japanese quirks, but far fewer than most other imports, and it's got the best English dub I've heard. It's a short series (only 26 episodes), but the characters are so good that you eventually forget that what you're watching is animated.

Battlestar Galactica: Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want, but if you look past the show's 70's trappings, robot dogs, and annoying kids, there's actually a decent show that has an epic and continuing storyline that was made over a decade before Babylon 5 and Deep Space Nine made such things popular. The two-part episodes, such as "Lost Planet of the Gods", "The Living Legend", and "War of the Gods" are the highlights. Note: Avoid Galactica 1980 at all costs.

OUTSIDER

Sunday, August 8, 2004 12:41 AM

I must admit that I could never quite into the original Battlestar Galactica. The newer version made just recently however, I thought was pretty cool. A bit self-important in places, maybe, but it showed a helluva lot of potential. It should easily be the best new SF show of the coming season.

Speaking of which, I hope everyone remembers to check out the new mini-series Farscape: Peacekeeper War when it airs. God knows when it'll air over here in Blighty, but hopefully we won't have to wait too long...

Oh, and as for Andromeda? Avoid at all costs. Seriously. We're in real run-for-your-life territory here. Quite the worst show, SF or otherwise, it has ever been my misfortune to witness. The phrase "it's got its head right up its big fat arse" springs to mind.

----------
"Today we were kidnapped by hill folk, never to be seen again. It was the best day ever."

WORDSMITH

Sunday, August 8, 2004 12:56 AM

I think that there may be other shows as good as, but they WILL be different - if they were too "samey" then you'd get fed up pretty fast.

For the record, this is my top five - other than Firefly

(1) Babylon 5 - for the five year arc, the way little details in the first episodes came to culmination seasons later, in short it was what I want a series to be as far as an underlying story direction goes.

(2) Doctor Who - Specifically the Tom Baker era "gothic" shows, and the later ones with Sylvester Mccoy and Sophie Aldred - the first because the stories were good fun to watch, despite cheesy sets and effects, and the second because the stories were to a large extent character-driven as "Ace" was guides from rebellious teenager to a better-balanced adult.

(3) UFO - probably the best series from the Gerry / Sylvia Anderson stable ... original and sometimes surreal, but spent time developing characters again. (Do you see a common thread emerging here?)

(4) Red Dwarf - OK, so it's a SF sitcom / parody in places, but it DID tackled REAL science, and in a way that shows like Trek never will, because they invent a plot device to get round it. Oh, and "Backwards" is great fun to watch in either direction.

(5) The Tomorrow People - a series aimed at teenagers, but covering a lot of ground based on one premise, the evolution of a telepathic "Homo Superior"

Other shows I enjoy(ed):-
Stargate SG-1 (Thank God they didn't keep Kurt Russell as O'Niell - and the casting of a reasonable look-alike of him for the 'Wormhole X-treme' episode was great fun).
MacGyver (Just for the sheer fun of trying to beat the story to working out how he gets out of the mess he's in).
Blake's Seven (patchy quality, but a good idea and several good episodes ... 'Vila' was always my favourite character).
Doomwatch - now out on DVD in the UK - one of the BBC's best SF series.
Space: 1999 - not for the stories, or the characters, but for the Eagle Spaceships - they actually looked like they'd been designed to WORK.

===========
Kryten: Go to 'Red Alert', Sir? You do realise that means CHANGING THE BULB ?

WILDHEAVENFARM

Sunday, August 8, 2004 1:31 AM

Another Fox cancellee, "Space: Above and Beyond".

Mary
Always a beast, never a burden.

LINDLEY

Sunday, August 8, 2004 1:49 AM

Quote:

What about Andromeda? That any good?

I've heard rumors that the first season was pretty good. I used to watch it now and then, but never enough to really get a feel for it.

However, word is that its really hit dirt bottom in the last few years. Worse than EFC did.

Speaking of Earth: Final Conflict----that's something else you might want to take a look at. It isn't anywhere *near* as good as FF, but the first season is solid; and despite some dumbing down, it retains a good-sized core of quality all the way through season 4. (Season 5 is a myth; it didn't happen.) Oddly, only seasons 3-5...I mean, 3-4 have been released on DVD. The rights to seasons 1-2 are held by another company....Fox, if I'm not mistaken.

About Wonderfalls: Its downloadable pretty much in full through Bittorrent. However, DVDs will be available this December.

RHOGEN

Sunday, August 8, 2004 1:56 AM

Babylon 5 (best thing since the glory days of Trek, better in many ways, and notice how relevant some of the main story arcs are today!)

Farscape (stylish and original, very cool!)

Red Dwarf (British sci fi comedy, you'll love it! - just make sure you get at least as far as the third season, where it hits its stride)

Blake's Seven (it's been ages since I watched this, but I remember it being astonishingly good for a low-budget series - the Brits did good on this one)

EMBERS

Sunday, August 8, 2004 2:02 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by KillerK:
I am currently suffering from a medical condition known as PFB (Post-Firefly Blues). Can anyone help me??!

only watching 'Firefly' AGAIN....
but I would also recommend trying Joss' other shows
even tho they aren't sci-fi, they are still better written and more fun that anything else on TV

OUTSIDER

Sunday, August 8, 2004 2:11 PM

One thing I forgot to mention in my earlier posts is the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Like a lot of anime, it can be a bit of a culture shock at first, trying to get to grips with it. But, also like most anime, it's well worth the effort once you do. A damn impressive show - and one that doesn't outstay its welcome, either.

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

"Today we were kidnapped by hill folk, never to be seen again. It was the best day ever."

ECGORDON

Sunday, August 8, 2004 3:13 PM

As far as science fiction series, I agree that Firefly wins hands down. Babylon 5 is the only other one that comes close, with Farscape, original Star Trek and Deep Space 9 following that. All of those are available on dvd, with new full season editions of ST:TOS coming soon. The original mini-series of "V" is also worth a look, but don't bother with the regular weekly series that followed.

There are a few others I could recommend that might be available as downloads, but unfortunately they are not (yet) available on dvd. Some of these are more fantasy related, but still close to the SF genre.

American Gothic
Brimstone
Dark Skies
Nowhere Man
VR5

wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

TETHYS

Sunday, August 8, 2004 4:28 PM

there is none.....but there are some close runners up:

BRIMSTONE!!!!!...another fan here!!!woohoo....lol
love that show *stick up yer arse, Fox*

Babylon 5...sheer weeping badass series

Deep Space Nine:...note the lack of star trek before the title

Farscape:..fan of that show since Day one of that series..

"You replaced Firefly with *barf* Fastlane?!"
Zoe:"Take me Sir. Take me hard" - War Stories

TETHYS

Sunday, August 8, 2004 4:30 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by tethys:

Babylon 5...sheer weeping badass series

oops...supposed to be "sweeping" not "weeping"

oh well

"You replaced Firefly with *barf* Fastlane?!"
Zoe:"Take me Sir. Take me hard" - War Stories

KILLERK

Sunday, August 8, 2004 6:49 PM

In regards to anime such as Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis Evangelion, I had seen both series a couple of years back. One thing that struck me with Firefly was how it was similar in some ways to Cowboy Bebop, except where in Firefly the 'Cowboy' theme dominates, in Bebop, it's the 70s.

I have seen Earth: Final Conflict as well, but only the first series after it finished on Channel 5. At this point, I didn't have cable, so by the time I was able to see the series again, it's third season was drawing to a close on Sky One. Needless to say, too much had happened by that point and I was completly lost.

Judging by the responses, I'll probably end up getting Farscape when I get the cash. Again, thanks to everyone for spending your valuable time in this thread.

Life is but a dream...

TENTHCREWMEMBER

Monday, August 9, 2004 7:12 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:
As far as science fiction series, I agree that Firefly wins hands down. Babylon 5 is the only other one that comes close, with Farscape, original Star Trek and Deep Space 9 following that. All of those are available on dvd, with new full season editions of ST:TOS coming soon. The original mini-series of "V" is also worth a look, but don't bother with the regular weekly series that followed.

Yep, should have stopped with the mini-series on "V". And I agree with ST:DS9 only up until the writers abandoned the whole overarcing plot with the orbs. I still want to know where that was going, gorramn it! And I'd definately throw Battlestar Galactica into the ring...well, up until they actually reached Earth...

Quote:
...Some of these are more fantasy related, but still close to the SF genre.

Nowhere Man

The first time I ever bitched about a show being cancelled was the night I came home, and turned on Nowhere Man...and he was Nowhere. I didn't know it was canned and man was I peeved!

Fortunately I missed Firefly completely in 2002, so I can only sympathise, not having suffered the Nowhere Man fate a second time. :)

Still for parallels to Firefly's "space western", I prefer Trigun...sure it's animated and from Japan, but don't let that stop you. It is after all, the *only* Japanese animation I will watch. I oft muse over how Wolfwood and Book or Jayne and Millie would relate to eachother. And I am sure Vash would try and date all the women, especially River. LOL

Until Firefly, Trigun was the only show that could make me laugh AND gasp in a single episode. Maybe if FOX execs had seen the popularity of Trigun, they could have gotten over their "but why are there horses?" hangup *sigh* and these are the guys who brought Sliders back on the air...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BROWNCOATS! Rise again and promote Firefly/Serenity!
visit: http://the11thhour.home.att.net

CYBERSNARK

Monday, August 9, 2004 3:04 PM

I would recommend Andromeda, but only season one. The cutoff point is where Rev (the "Shepherd Book as a Reaver" alien) leaves, Trance (the kawaii purple Kaylee-clone) turns into teen Xena. Keep track of the writers, when Robert Hewitt Wolf was thrown out, everything went pear-shaped. The original show had a great deal of potential, especially in the "semi-hard" sci-fi that hadn't (and, it turned out, still hasn't) been done on television. Stuff like an AI copying itself into multiple avatars, beyond-visual-range combat, time-dilation with high-acceleration, parasitic reproduction of two different flavours, genetic & social engineering, and the social/psychological effects of same, a million year old empire that was not started by humans, a human lead whose homeworld isn't Earth.

As for animé, I'd recommend you give InuYasha a try. It's not sci-fi, but fantasy (specifically fairy-tale fantasy), with a few twists (moral ambiguity, multifacetted villains, tragic romance, etc). You may love it, you may hate it, but I find it plenty entertaining.

Quote:
Originally posted by tethys:
Quote:
Originally posted by tethys:
Babylon 5...sheer weeping badass series

oops...supposed to be "sweeping" not "weeping"

I dunno, "weeping badass" sounds kinda cool. Good name for a band.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

BLUESUNWORSHIPPER

Monday, August 9, 2004 3:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by evilnate:
Battlestar Galactica: Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want, but if you look past the show's 70's trappings, robot dogs, and annoying kids, there's actually a decent show that has an epic and continuing storyline that was made over a decade before Babylon 5 and Deep Space Nine made such things popular. The two-part episodes, such as "Lost Planet of the Gods", "The Living Legend", and "War of the Gods" are the highlights. Note: Avoid Galactica 1980 at all costs.

...except for "The Return of Starbuck" episode, right? Am I right? RIGHT?!!!

Yeah, I'm right.

- T

TETHYS

Monday, August 9, 2004 4:24 PM

LMAO cyber!!!

"You replaced Firefly with *barf* Fastlane?!"
Zoe:"Take me Sir. Take me hard" - War Stories

NERVOUSPETE

Tuesday, August 10, 2004 10:24 AM

Ultraviolet.

You can buy it at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

It is, genuinely, as good as Firefly. Well, very, very, very, very nearly as good. It's set in modern day London and is about a secret government agency sponsered by the Vatican to study, hunt down and destroy the horrifying conspiracy that is the Code Five infection. Five in latin is V. V is for vampire (though that name is never mentioned). Code Five's are strong, fast, deadly, very intelligent, cunning, organised and virtually indestructible. The only way they can be 'neutralised' is by a carbon bullet or carbon ice-pick to the heart. Or by sunlight. They cannot be seen in mirrors, on cameras or heard on recordings or phones. They also all wear normal clothes, or business suits. They play the market, run businesses, dabble in organised crime and are fascinated by medical research.

So when everyday police detective Michael Colefield finds out his best friend is a Code V, and has to kill him or be killed, he is approached by the agency. He joins them and over six hour long episodes endures the bleak, fearful and paranoid world of vampire hunting. There is something of a story arc, and the last episode is amazing for the revelations and tension. Shame there weren't more, Channel Four! The acting is excellent, as are the effects, production, music (Oh! Especially the eerie understated music!) script, direction, concept, plot. I cannot recommend this series strongly enough. It is emotional, cold and brutal. It's more John LeCarre than Buffy and relies on detective work rather than ass-kicking. (Though I do like Buffy too)

So watch it! All of you! It's the best sci-fi Britain has produced since 'The Prisoner'.

"If you can keep your head whilst others... eurgh! Ack! I've spilt my ink! Ugh! Ink on my trousers! Agh! Ink on my shirt! My only hope! The window! Aieeeeee!" (Falls to death)
- Jonathan Nash

OUTLANDER

Tuesday, August 10, 2004 12:45 PM

The only new Science Fiction series I am going to be watching is the New Battlestar Galactica.

I suppose I should mention The 4400 as being something worth having a look at, I loved the pilot episode, the series I am not so sure about.

My other favourite shows are Dead Like Me and Deadwood.

P.S. If you have never watched Buffy and Angel do your self a favour. Buffy and Angel are what Joss Whedon did before, during and after Firefly.

TEELABROWN

Tuesday, August 10, 2004 1:04 PM

Though it's not quite science fiction, the Twilight Zone. The original ones. I love how they make you think. Seriously. And I can't wait for the New Year's Day Marathon on Sci-Fi.

_____________
"Freedom is the Freedom to say that 2 plus 2 make 4. If that is granted, all else follows"-Winston, 1984
Teela Brown, keeper of the delete key.
"No one reads these things any way."- Bart on Blackboard

KATI

Tuesday, August 10, 2004 1:34 PM

Firefly is outstanding - and I never have been so involved with SF-series, but I loooove Buffy and Angel, I love Ultraviolet too (Jack Davenport - yummy! *g*) - and I can't forget this wonderful "Brisco County Jr."-thingy. A short running series with Bruce Campbell, very funny and with characters who are very likeable.

Time for some thrilling heroics.

TEELABROWN

Tuesday, August 10, 2004 2:47 PM

I remember seeing some of Brisco County Jr. I thought it was cool.

Also, Mystery Science Theater 3000 (abbr. MST3k). If you don't know what this is, it's a guy and two robots who are forced to watch bad B-list movies, and they make fun of them. Very funny.

_____________
"Freedom is the Freedom to say that 2 plus 2 make 4. If that is granted, all else follows"-Winston, 1984
Teela Brown, keeper of the delete key.
"No one reads these things any way."- Bart on Blackboard

LINDLEY

Tuesday, August 10, 2004 3:24 PM

Quote:

P.S. If you have never watched Buffy and Angel do your self a favour. Buffy and Angel are what Joss Whedon did before, during and after Firefly.

Its true. A lot of people look down on B/A; they consider it "teenybop" stuff, and/or juvenile, and at the *least* not worthy of their attention. Even if its on in the same room with them, they'll find something else to do so they won't be "contaminated" by it.

Don't let yourself fall into that trap. Don't any of you. They really are great shows, and while they won't be for everyone......they should at least be given a fair shot.

OUTSIDER

Tuesday, August 10, 2004 7:21 PM

Lindley, my friend, you took the words right out of my mouth.

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

"Today we were kidnapped by hill folk, never to be seen again. It was the best day ever."

LJC

Wednesday, August 11, 2004 8:48 AM

If you have Showtime, Odyssey 5 will begin re-airing on September3rd on Sho Too, and show 3 eps every Friday, including 6 unaired episodes.

It's the brainchild of Manny Coto (who may go down in history as the man who dragged Enterprise up from the depths of the suck and shaped it into something watchable), and stars Peter Weller as an astronaut who, along with 4 otehrs aboard the shuttle Odyssey, witness the Earth's destruction. They are then sent back 5 years to try and prevent it.

The writing is *phenomenal* and the acting is top notch. It's so good, it will eat your brain. I can't say enough about this show, I really can't. The characters are all so well-drawn, and the dialogue is amazingly natural (tho even Coto admits, there's a bit too much of the f-word, thanks to the actors adlibbing at times). Leslie Silva as Sarah, and Chris Gorham as Neil, will literally break your heart, you just feel for them so damn much. And Sebastian Roche is screamingly fabulous as Kurt.

If you'd like to find out more about the show, I've a teeny o5 site here:

http://www.loony-archivist.com/o5

--
Some take the high road. Some take the low road.
And some just go screaming down the highway, dropping flaming bits of wreckage.

PIRATEJENNY

Tuesday, August 17, 2004 7:18 AM

well I'm very picky...

but Deep Space nine is really good..its not like any of the other star Treks..its more like a Space opera..because the storyline continue..much like Fire Fly

I don't have cable so I haven't really scene any of the good scFi stuff thats out

FireFly was like Heaven

but Sliders is a pretty good show..doesn't compare to FF but its good

I could never get into Buffy..but I did like Angel up until the last two seasons..I refused to watch the last season because I felt that the show had teased and strung me along without a decent payoff

GAVIDA

Tuesday, August 17, 2004 8:27 AM

I even have a problem coming up with 5 shows as a follow up to the outstanding first place, Firefly takes in my all time Favourites.... but if I cont in Firefly as the numero uno, then I can get 5 shows, heh:

1) Firefly
(long pause)
2) Farscape
3) Space: Above & Beyond
4) Stargate
5) Sliders

Never really got into the Trekkie's universe I must admit. Sometimes even found it rather boring.
B5 and Andromeda never worked out for me as well.
Tuned into them when there was not much else on TV, but most of the time didn't even stay for a whole episode. (And yes, I tried to get into them, since all my friends always go like "blabla B5 blabla cool)

Keep flying,
Gavida

GROUNDED

Tuesday, August 17, 2004 7:45 PM

Odyssey 5 is classic but if you watch it you're setting yourself up for a brutal letdown when the credits roll on that last ep and you realise it's the mother of all unresolved endings :(

LINDLEY

Tuesday, August 17, 2004 11:58 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Gavida:
I even have a problem coming up with 5 shows as a follow up to the outstanding first place, Firefly takes in my all time Favourites.... but if I cont in Firefly as the numero uno, then I can get 5 shows, heh:

1) Firefly
(long pause)
2) Farscape
3) Space: Above & Beyond
4) Stargate
5) Sliders

Never really got into the Trekkie's universe I must admit. Sometimes even found it rather boring.
B5 and Andromeda never worked out for me as well.
Tuned into them when there was not much else on TV, but most of the time didn't even stay for a whole episode. (And yes, I tried to get into them, since all my friends always go like "blabla B5 blabla cool)

Keep flying,
Gavida

Just FYI, that is *not* the way to watch B5. If you try to watch a random episode, its no surprise you didn't like it.

To really see what B5 is about, it must be watched from the beginning, in sequence. Some parts of season 1 can be skipped, but not much after that.

DROCCULARI

Wednesday, August 18, 2004 3:19 AM

Dark Angel, the show that was canceled to make room for Firefly, was good in season one. It had some nice stuff, taking place in a Third World America several years after the EMP from a terrorist nuclear attack knocked out most of North America's modern technology.
Max, a genetically engineered killing machine who had made a break from the secret project's compound at the age of 12, is now a young woman living in Seattle trying desperately to be normal and to stay under the radar of those still looking for her. I especially liked the multicultural street life of the messenger service where she worked, and the ways she would protect the people there, because they were the closest thing to a family she had.
Unfortunately, the suits "improved" the show for season two by replacing the multicultural street with a dog-boy--Really! They also decreed there would be no-one over thirty in the cast, so John Savage and Nana Visitor where out as the bad guys, and they swapped out human interest for freak-of-the-week stories. In short, they cut the heart out of it. I can't blame them entirely though. Season two started with 9/11, so they backed way off the terrorist induced Third World America theme and went for more comfortable fantasy.

It's not a TV show, but if you're looking for something with virtually the same space western mission statement as Firefly, I highly recommend the novel Santiago, A Myth of the Far Future by Mike Resnick.

GAVIDA

Wednesday, August 18, 2004 7:32 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Lindley:
Just FYI, that is *not* the way to watch B5. If you try to watch a random episode, its no surprise you didn't like it.

To really see what B5 is about, it must be watched from the beginning, in sequence. Some parts of season 1 can be skipped, but not much after that.

I really really tried to get into B5 from Season 1, believe me. But I just can not bring myself to watch it, it is some kind of blockade.

B5 and me probably weren't meant to come together

Keep flying,
Gavida

LINDLEY

Thursday, August 19, 2004 1:58 AM

^Well.....if you decide to give it one more try, the three must-watch eps in season 1 are:

"Signs and Portents"
"Babylon Squared"
"Crysalis".

I'm not saying that nothing else is relevent, because it is, but you could probably get away with only watching those three.

Then, season 2 might be more to your liking. The tone does change somewhat.

Really, though, "Crysalis" shows a hint of things to come, but IMO, the series doesn't really kick off its main arc until "The Coming of Shadows" in season 2. If you can get that far, you might enjoy it more.

Of course, if you can't get that far, its not a good sign for the future anyway.

CYBERSNARK

Thursday, August 19, 2004 4:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DrOcculari:
Unfortunately, the suits "improved" the show for season two by replacing the multicultural street with a dog-boy--Really!

Do not diss Joshua. He rocks. Him and Mole (the cigar-smoking lizard man) are the best things about that season.

And yeah, we lost Herbal, but at least we got to keep Orginal Cindy --the other major lesbian character on TV.

Quote:
They also decreed there would be no-one over thirty in the cast, so John Savage and Nana Visitor where out as the bad guys, and they swapped out human interest for freak-of-the-week stories.

Yet somehow (IMHO, at least), the show stayed good, which is a credit to the writers and actors. I especially like the wrap-up novels (Skin Game and After the Dark).

And they didn't give up the human interest angle, they just changed the medium. The second season was all about racism and bigotry, as typified by the treatment "Dog-boy" received --both from "upstairs people" and fellow transgenics (Alec, we're all looking at you) who happened to be more "beautiful" than he was on the outside.

Despite Normal's unique brand of redneck idiocy, they couldn't have told those stories with Max and Alec as the only transgenics outside.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

BANRIGH

Friday, August 20, 2004 2:34 PM

I have high hopes for the new Battlestar Galactica series. I just watched the new teaser and it seems like they are really delving into the problems of a fleet with limited resources.

http://homepage.mac.com/pepsiboy71/FileSharing7.html

I've thought that BSG has got the same ideas as Firefly. The practical lighting, complete 360 sets (the CIC is pretty cool, though it is not continuous like Serenity), SFX (it also uses ZOIC) and the practical human plots/problems (no alien of the week, cylons don't count we created them)).

RHYMEPHILE

Friday, August 20, 2004 3:13 PM

Everyone can hurl death-laden threats at me but my #1 super favorite ultimate mega top show of all time is The X-Files hands down. I ate, slept, and breathed that show (except the last 2 seasons, blargh) and it was the one time when I watched a TV pilot and declared, "This is my new show."

I also loved loved loved Space: Above and Beyond and not just because it was done by XF vets. It had cool ships, tough space Marines, neato aliens, and a really great cast.

Brisco County Jr. was another short-lived show I loved. Yay for the Brisco mention! There was a continuing arc across the first season with Brisco searching for his father's killers, as well as Bly. I loved the villains, and I loved John Pyper-Ferguson as Pete.

I was never able to get into any other Treks after ST:TNG. I started watching that during the "Best of Both Worlds" Borg two-parter that blew me away, and I was hooked after that. I watched the first seasons of both Voyager and DS9 but didn't continue.

Highlander the TV series is definitely worth a look. Sword battles, history lessons, and (often) great FX scenes during the Quickenings, along with wonderful acting for a syndicated series.

No one mentioned it, but I was also absorbed with Taken on the SciFi Channel. At the time I worked nights so I had to tape it, and I watched it in one huge marathon. It was quite original and different. Amazing that SciFi took a chance with what was obviously a very expensive gamble.

I hope the heydays of syndicated TV come back, because the dreck out there now (like Mutant X, Andromeda, anything with scantily-clad women with spears) is painful. I miss good TV.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All of me is beautiful and valuable, even the ugly, stupid, and disgusting parts.

HIPEOPLE

Sunday, August 22, 2004 4:56 PM

Not a lot of good scifi out there, not as good as firefly...

Babylon 5; It was almost as good as Firefly...the good thing about B5 was it did not have much tecno-jumbo, all the science was pure logic. Plus it was pretty arcy, and JMS is a talented writer.

farscape; I really liked this showe...But some of the aliens were scary looking lol! I never watched enough of it, to like it as much as B5 though...but it was still good

Battlestar Galactica (the remake) I am no fan of the or genial, but I found the remake to be fascinating,

Stargate;; Its a good show, its no Firefly, or B5, but you got to hand it to the writers, its shocking that the series hasn't died yet. There is to much tecno-Trak talk, and it couldn't hurt too add a few more cast members, and create some more conflict between the team

These listed above are about the only sci-fi show s I like/or have ever liked to watch...of course the best scifi series of all time is Firefly

CORNCOBB

Sunday, August 22, 2004 5:48 PM

Okay, here goes. Nothing is as good as Firefly, but the other sci fi shows I've really loved are (in no particular order)
Deep Space Nine
Babalon 5
Red Dwarf
John Doe
Doctor Who
Sliders
X-files (although my fondness of this has dwindled)
I also like Andromeda, Roswell, the other Star Treks and stargate, but i wouldnt list them as a favourites

Branching out into fantasy, there was:
Brimstone (nice to see some other fans)
Buffy
Angel
Ultraviolet (I am so annoyed. I taped all six episodes but my tape with episode 1 on has gone missing)
Witchblade

(i HATE the word 'cancelled' )

"Gorramit Mal... I've forgotten my line."

FIREFLYWILDCARD1

Monday, August 23, 2004 5:45 PM

The only other scifi that I thought came close to Firefly was cancelled by Fox:

Space: Above & Beyond.

*sigh* and they were planning a DVD set for late this year but those plans seem to be cancelled at this point too...grrr.

For anime, I'd recommend Gundam Wing for futuristic sort of scifi.

HASLINGER

Friday, August 27, 2004 2:56 PM

I would suggest finding eps of Space: Above and Beyond

But there are some shows that have flown under the radar

Campy fun: Starship Troopers: Roughnecks
Brisco County Jr. (its bruce campbell)

But my 2nd favorite show next to Firefly has got to be the
ingenious, sarcastic, stab
Gvs.E or as it was renamed Good Vs. Evil.
It was stylized, funny and technically innovative.
Which by the way stared Richard L. Brooks from Law and Order
and is the actor who played Jubel Early in Objects

T

Friday, August 27, 2004 7:00 PM

Well, I was a Deep Space Nine fangirl when I was younger so I have to recommend that. It truly was the best Star Trek.

Gvs.E was funny and it was pretty witty too. Quantum Leap was good when I was a kid and Mystery Science Theater was hilarious. I believe it's coming out on DVD, if it already hasn't.

Buffy and Angel are far beyond teenybopper stuff though. They have intelligent writing and that's not limited to any age.

See, I must be the only person who didn't get into Babylon 5. I tried, even had friends encourage me to keep looking, but I don't know...just never stuck with me.

HASLINGER

Friday, August 27, 2004 9:23 PM

No...T you're not the only one.

I tried but couldn't get into Buffy, Angel, Babylon 5, farscape, or DS9. They all seemed a bit to surreal for me. I think they're great shows just not really my style.

What about Misfits of Science? That was quality 80's sci fi. Not to forget V, Maninmal, and that one ep of Dukes of Hazzard where they saw a UFO.

TMURRIE

Friday, August 27, 2004 11:40 PM

Farscape, Buffy, Angel, Dead like me(i guess that's sci fi), star trek has its moments.

GINOBIFFARONI

Saturday, August 28, 2004 5:00 AM

Harsh Realm

damn you once again Fox

" If I going to get killed for a word....
Then my word is Poon-Tang "

FIREFLYWILDCARD1

Saturday, August 28, 2004 9:02 PM

I didn't like Buffy, Angel, DS9, Babylon 5, Voyager, or many of the others mentioned. And it wasn't so much the show but the type of show.

FRANCO

Tuesday, September 7, 2004 5:48 AM

Well, this is a Firefly site so suffice it to say it was excellent.

1. Farscape- I was seriously hooked. I agree that nthe first season was nsg.

2. SAAB- a short but great series

3. B5- It was an epic series but the casting was just so so.

4. Jerimiah- getting better

5. Lexx- as a scifi comedy at least as good as RD

6. Outer Limits- anthology, some good some bad often too depressing

7. All the Treks- TNG was the best.

8. SG1 and SG Atlantis- The best that's still on the air currently.

Looking forward to the return of Enterprise and the Farscape mini-series.

I expect that Enterprise will tank early this season but there is talk that Michael Straczynski may take over as EP for a new trek series.

Sliders was a great premise but the characters reminded me of Gilligans Island

DIXIEFLATLINE

Monday, September 13, 2004 1:43 AM

Nervouspete, just wanted to thank you for the recommendation of Ultraviolet. Finally got my hands on a good copy (first copy I bought was bad halfway through the second episode, and had to go through much foofaraw to get it exhanged) and watched it all the way through. Cold, creepy, understated, and very very good. Would have been nice if there were more of it, certainly, but Ahearne told the story he wanted to tell and wrapped it up when he was done.

COSMICFUGITIVE

Monday, September 20, 2004 12:26 PM

There aren't many tv shows that come close to the quality of Firefly.

The shows that I love to watch include:

The X-Files - It's the reason that got me hooked on most Sci-fi shows. Mulder is sarcastic, witty and isn't afraid to break the rules in search of the truth. Adam Baldwin is scary in season nine!

Xena: Warrior Princess is closer to the style of Firefly. There's a mix of humour, drama and crazy fight scenes. Xena is sarcastic, smart and protective of her friends. The character relationships are so strong. The chemistry between Xena and 'Ares God of War' is great to watch. Not everything is as clean cut in Xena's mind. She does 'bad' things for the greater good. Some of the bad guys never die too.

Alias should be made illegal. There's nothing wrong with the show (except maybe the last quarter of season three, but that'll get fixed when J.J Abrams comes back for season Four.)
The character relationships are brilliant. The stories and action are crazy. It keeps you guessing until the end. Those cliffhanger endings are annoying but addictive!

Dark Angel was underrated. It was a cool show. Max was a good character. Alec was getting interesting too. He wasn't just a smart alec. Joshua was brilliant.

Stargate SG1 is still cool. It gets better and better. I'm not sure about Atlantis yet.

Buffy are Angel are great too. I thinks that's pretty much it. Are there any other shows out there that haven't been mentioned?

SNIPER

Monday, September 20, 2004 7:14 PM

My personal favorites:

1- Firefly
2- Babylon 5
3- Stargate SG-1
4- Battlestar Galactica (New One)
5- CSI (Not Sci-Fi but Science)

Miniseries-
Taken
Dune
Children of Dune

NEUTRINOLAD

Sunday, September 26, 2004 6:43 AM

I'll pitch in. here are my favorites:

-Blakes 7 - Avon is my kinda rotten. And ORAC is my kinda AI.
-ST:DS9 - try watching the episodes so that they are just "Dukat's Story" or "Jake's Story". Oh, and Worf finally gets to be a real butt-kicking neck-snapping Klingon. W00t!
-ST:TOS - nuff said
- Cowboy Bebop - If you've heard this has similarities to Firefly, it just goes to show that 2 stories can share some chrome and be complettely, utterly original and unlike each other
- The Prisoner - really more of a Kafkaesque fantasy
- Space: Above and Beyond - everything Starship Troopers should have been, and more
- Firefly - yeah yeah, okay. But watch it again, i'm gonna.

And now for the one I can't tell if I love or hate,
- Sliders - only the Tracy Torme episodes. Every week I would see the ad for next week's episode. And I would say, "oh that is just so ridiculous." And then the following week, I'd find myself watching it and thinking, "I'm going to turn this off and erase the tape." And by the time I could think that, I'd be engrossed. But I stopped shortly after Tracy Torme stopped steering it.

NIKNAK

Sunday, September 26, 2004 1:54 PM

Anyone else grow up having TV dinners in front of BBC2 watching all the early evening sci-fi? Anyway, here are my favourites in no particular order:

*) Firefly (of course).

*) Red Dwarf. One of the best comedies ever.

*) The Outer Limits. I probably missed most of the episodes (it was late at night) but all those I saw were excellent. With each episode being separate with new characters they could really explore whatever themes they liked without being restricted by a regular setting and cast.

*) The X-Files. Though I think five series was enough and the excitement wore off after that.

*) Deep Space 9. Best of the newer Star Treks with good story arcs.

*) Quantum Leap. Whenever I watch Enterprise I keep willing Scott Bakula to say "Oh Boy!" just before the opening credits.

*) Sliders. Always interesting, though it wasn't as good when they lost some of the 4 original characters.

*) V. The five part miniseries. Very good.

Many others were entertaining too.

THRAWN

Sunday, September 26, 2004 9:21 PM

I'm definitely going to have to add to the list of Babylon 5 fans. The lead for season 1 was TERRIBLE, but once they got over that, the show was amazing. Until 5th, each season was appreciably better than the one before...better than staying good, B5 kept improving.

Sliders, too, was good (the first two seasons), and I'm a Buffy/Angel fan as well.

I didn't manage to get past the first few Farscape episodes...they just seemed so...dumb. Creative, I suppose, but not intellectual in the slightest. Most of the others in this thread I haven't tried.

JAYNEZTOWN

Saturday, October 2, 2004 8:14 PM

I've said it before and I'll say it again !

THERE IS NO SCI FI AS GOOD AS FIREFLY !!

However, Farscape might rank as a very close second but it isn't as good as Firefly for a number of reasons. Most of the reasons Farscape hasn't done as well, or the reasons the alien world is hard to understand have been brought up by other posters but given time Farscape grows into a wonderful show

Quote:
....haven't seen a whole lot of Farscape. However, from what I have seen, I can say this: Farscape is far more willing to take risks than Stargate. Sometimes it works out great; sometimes it falls flat on its face. But the willingness to risk is there.

.... Farscape world is rather deep, there are many characters and some episodes are complex. A show like Enterprise you can sit down and watch almost any epsiode and you'll understand what's been happening for the past 30 episodes almost immediately , Farscape isn't like this there are lots of sub-plots with the show, characters evolve and change, and there are many many cool aliens and ideas. Farscape starts out pretty regular , but if you have patience to and pay attention to the details it develops into a Fantastic show. It then becomes a gorgeous, mind-blowing series with the best aliens ever shown on TV, but the show requires viewers to pay attention.

Quote:
Farscape, on the other hand... EVERYTHING is overblown and twisted. The start of the show, half the crew of Moya doesn't trust the other half. The characters all have their own problems and angst, and our hero John is literally the runt of the pack to start. The sci-fi cliches that get pulled out are usually stood on end to be a bit zanier, and are used as clubs to beat on our crew, and eventually hammer them together into one hell of a dysfunctional family. The relationships take over the core of the show, really - the sci-fi stuff, their constant on-the-run from enemies, one insane situation after another, all becomes just a backdrop for how these guys start to get along. More importantly, a backdrop for the love story between John and Aeryn, an epic of Herculean and Shakespearean troubles and twists. You can't really miss anything, or you'll miss everything. It gets complicated, it gets messy, and it gets crazy, and then when it gets serious, it gets worse... and that's why the people that love the show, LOVE the show (I happen to be one).

...Yes, the show is an acquired taste...but many Farscape fans (Scapers) are also Browncoats (like me) and the SaveFarscape campaign folks participated in the campaign to save Firefly. Lots of us bought the DVD's, which helped convince the fine folks at Universal to make the BDM. So, you might say that Farscape fans rock just as hard as Browncoats, just at a different party!

I heartily recommend Farscape to Browncoats. Start at the first season, and work your way up, and you'll be fine. You wouldn't want to watch the series out of order and lose interest, would you?

Farscape is a wonderful universe, it can look weird and with all the sub-plots and new creatures it is sometimes hard to understand what is great and where the show is going. However if you pay attention, catch the early episodes and have a little Patience it becomes one of the best shows ever shown on TV.
~ Quote
If you want to watch a sci-fi show with aliens then Farscape is simply the best.

KIRIKOLI

Saturday, October 2, 2004 9:48 PM

There hasn't been and never will be a show as good as Firefly.

*sigh*

Anyway, my second favorite is Stargate SG-1 but that's been mentioned a coupla times, so let me bring up something new. This isn't really sci-fi and not really fantasy, though it has elements of both...does anyone watch The Dead Zone? I think it's very entertaining.

LINDLEY

Saturday, October 2, 2004 10:25 PM

I watched The Dead Zone regularly in season 1, but I've only caught it sporadically since then.

Another show I watch reguarly is Joan of Arcadia. Don't be scared off by the "religion thing"----a lot of atheists have said they enjoy it as well. I'm agnostic, myself.

I've taken a look at the pilot of Dead Like Me, and that strikes me as another good show. Haven't seen enough to confirm, though.

LENNIER

Sunday, October 3, 2004 12:45 AM

I just have to say, although I think Firefly could eventually have been the best show ever made, I think it's ridiculous to claim that the 14 episodes we got can stand up against the entire run of some of the heaviest hitters out there, certainly not either of joss's other shows! (which in some ways, because they had stronger thematic purpose and style experimentation, as well as being THE best *metaphoric* representation of 'real life' and 'stages of maturity' that exists, actually go a lot farther artistically ...though I definitely think Firefly could have surpassed them given time, because its historical metaphors and future/past fusions and 'in the moment' style have huge untapped potential).
I'm not saying that the best episodes of Firefly aren't amoung the best sci-fi episodes ever made, i'm just saying that collectively these 14 episodes do not amount to the best run in tv history.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy shows that I think are incomparably better than Firefly (for now):
Buffy (season 3-7)
Babylon 5 (season 2-5)
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Experimental Serial: Lain
Angel (season 3-5)
and Millennium and Twin Peaks, if you consider their fantasy elements 'large' enough.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy roughly comparable to Firefly:
The Xfiles (season 2-4)
Kino's Journey
The Prisoner
Key: The Metal Idol

good Sci-Fi/Fantasy, but not comparable to Firefly:
Carnivale (!)
Star Trek:TNG (season 2-6)
Star Trek: TOS
Cowboy Bebop
Dune and Children of Dune (miniseries)
Farscape (season 3-4)
Xena (season 3-6)

FLYINFREE

Sunday, October 3, 2004 6:40 PM

Good Sci-Fi/Fantasy:

Babylon 5
Stargate SG-1
Stargate Atlantis
Buffy
Angel
New Battlestar Galactica
Dune & Children of Dune
Star Trek DS9
Smallville

Good Drama:

The Shield
Deadwood
Carnival
Dead Like Me
The West Wing
Wonderfalls
Nip/Tuck
Alias
Las Vegas
Medical Investigation
Dr. Vegas

Good Comedy:

Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Family Guy
Futurama
Rodney
Tripping the Rift
Two and a Half Men
Scrubs

Good Cop Shows:

CSI
CSI: Miami
CSI: New York
Law & Order
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Without a Trace
Crossing Jordan
Hawaii

Good Reality TV:

Doesn't Exist

Good Daytime TV:

Doesn't Exist

"...we're still flyin'."
"That's not much."
"It's enough." Malcolm Reynolds and Simon Tam - Serenity