Check this link for a top 100 sci fi shows. The top 25 are:
25. Terminator series
24. Prisoner
23. Cowboy Bebop
22. Space 1999
21. Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy
20. Farscape
19. V
18. Fringe
17. Stargate SG-1
16. Dollhouse
15. The Tick
14. Futurama
13. DS9
12. Twilight Zone
11. Blake's 7
10. Lost
9. BSG reboot
8. Babylon 5
7. X Files
6. Buffy
5. Max Headroom
4. TNG
3. Firefly
2. Doctor Who
1. Star Trek
My take on the top 25: Overall, this is one of the best of these lists I've seen, though none can be perfect. Firefly I think is rated a little high, though it certainly should be in the top 20, perhaps the top 10. Max Headroom I've not seen, but I'm not quite sure it's a top 10 show, at least in influence. I have no interest in Buffy or Lost, but I admit they may be good shows. It's good to see Blake's Seven and Babylon 5 high on the list. Twilight Zone should obviously be higher, as it is one of the most influential genre shows ever. Farscape too, is rated way too low, as is the Prisoner (the Prisoner should have a real shot at the top 5, both in terms of quality and genre influence). The only real problems I had with the picks was the inclusion of the Tick and Space 1999 in the top 25. The latter, in particular, is nowhere near as good as some of the other series on the list. Also problematic for me is Stargate's position, as I simply did not find it to be a quality show. I'd actually rate Andromeda and Enterprise above it. As for Star Trek and Doctor Who winning the top spots, here's my take. I certainly don't think they're the best series ever aired: Firefly, Babylon 5, BSG, Farscape, The Prisoner, and Max Headroom all had better writing. But in terms of genre influence, they are simply indispensable. I think in the future BSG and B5's influence will lead them to be rated higher in such polls (4th and 3rd respectively). However, I think Blake's Seven, arguably more influential than any series on the list save Star Trek, will never receive its due, because fans don't realize how much Firefly, Farscape, Andromeda, and Babylon 5 borrowed from it.
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I would suggest checking out Buffy and Lost. I think BSG started out brilliantly and it lost a lot towards the end. It places high because it is fresh on minds. In a few years it will be lower on the list.
ReplyDeleteYea, I'm not actually a fan of BSG, though I think it's well written. I prefer more the alien space opera, or well written all human shows like Blake's Seven. My problem with the new BSG is that it thinks its trendier than it actually is. The Brits were doing the same thing 30 years ago in "Genesis of the Daleks" and Blake's Seven, and in my opinion, doing it better.
ReplyDeleteI will have to check out Blakes 7, haven't seen it yet. With BSG I wanted space opera not soap opera in space. Pegasus was awesome but it kind of fell off from there.
ReplyDeleteI'm not as much a scifi afficianado as you, but I'm not 100% with that list. Although I loved The Tick animated show and Buffy I wouldn't really put them in the top of scifi. I also dunno if I'd include comedies. I do have to see if I can netflix Blake's 7 and Privilege in particular.
ReplyDeleteI thought the Joss stuff, especially, was ranked a little too highly. Nothing against Firefly, which I would consider a top 10 show, but it's not in the same league as Farscape, Blake's 7, or Babylon 5. I like Joss's stuff, but I sometimes find, like with Firefly, that it's been done before, and better, by someone else.
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