What do you think the Best SciFi series is (Television)

[tony67]

(No Spoilers please as people may not have seen some of them and may choose to)

So just started Rewatching Babylon 5 recently. I tend to cycle through a list of several sci fi series over and over. I did not know that many people think Babylon 5 ripped a lot off from DS9 - I can see that rewatching it now.

This is the list I rewatch somewhat regularly:
Star Trek (TOS) - through Enterprise. Don't like the modern Star Trek at all - I've tried and give up pretty quickly.
All the Stargate series - even Universe.
FireFly - really not sure I want a Disney reboot
12 Monkeys - you must watch this at least twice to really get it a lot of stuff
Rick and Morty
Red Dwarf
I want to rewatch all the Battlestar Galactica series again but hey are not streaming that I can find.
Space 1999 is pretty good.
Dark - is it sci fi, IDK - I think so - and you have to watch it more than once - it really ties together well the second time. I was a bit concerned at the start of the last season but it worked (don't want to say much as I don't want to spoil it)

(Edit) Added:
Farscape
x-files (?)
Travelers
Dark Matter
The Prisoner (1967) - NOT the remake
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (1979 BBC Series)

This should not be too divisive - so what do you think it the best and watch more than once.
Probably should stick to episodic with the same cast every week - so not something like Twilight Zone for example.
(I'm also looking for something I may have missed that I should watch - no not Dr Who ))

 

[Praying Colonel]

I got interested in rewatching BSG again, but it's not streaming right now and they're not even showing it on SyFy so I'm out of luck for now.

For me it's probably BSG, with DS9 a close 2nd.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I like Foundation, Fringe and Orphan Black

 

[tony67]

I got interested in rewatching BSG again, but it's not streaming right now and they're not even showing it on SyFy so I'm out of luck for now.

For me it's probably BSG, with DS9 a close 2nd.

Yeah its really annoying - even the secondary series like Caprica are not streaming.

I like Foundation, Fringe and Orphan Black

Have not seen any of those, may check out Orphan Black.


Might add X-files as well - but not sure that falls into Sci Fi
Also Travelers was really good IMO and worth a rewatch.

 

[Fely the 1st]

I so love Star Trek TOS, it is old and cheesy and all the „special effects“ are just funny but the charakters are great!
Beam me up, Scotty!

 

[gmi3804]

I liked Severance, on AppleTV+.

 

[BrianL]

(No Spoilers please as people may not have seen some of them and may choose to)

So just started Rewatching Babylon 5 recently. I tend to cycle through a list of several sci fi series over and over. I did not know that many people think Babylon 5 ripped a lot off from DS9 - I can see that rewatching it now.

This is the list I rewatch somewhat regularly:
Star Trek (TOS) - through Enterprise. Don't like the modern Star Trek at all - I've tried and give up pretty quickly.
All the Stargate series - even Universe.
FireFly - really not sure I want a Disney reboot
12 Monkeys - you must watch this at least twice to really get it a lot of stuff
Rick and Morty
Red Dwarf
I want to rewatch all the Battlestar Galactica series again but hey are not streaming that I can find.
Space 1999 is pretty good.
Dark - is it sci fi, IDK - I think so - and you have to watch it more than once - it really ties together well the second time. I was a bit concerned at the start of the last season but it worked (don't want to say much as I don't want to spoil it)


This should not be too divisive - so what do you think it the best and watch more than once.
Probably should stick to episodic with the same cast every week - so not something like Twilight Zone for example.
(I'm also looking for something I may have missed that I should watch - no not Dr Who ))

I agree with you on the current Trek - I just couldn't stand Discovery and have not even had the desire to watch the shows from the same creative group. My favorite Trek is the TOS movie era, though I love TOS, and the TNG era stuff, though not really Voyager. I do think TOS is probably the greatest sci-fi series due to its impact, though I am not sure it is the "best" necessarily. Also, maybe the Twilight Zone (original) is in the mix.

B5 and DS9 started at the same time, within a week of each other. I am not sure what they could have ripped off from the otehr excepting the basic concept, though JMS believes that Paramount did use some of his ideas as he had shopped B5 there before it was picked up elsewhere. It's hard to say exactly, and they both follow very different trajectories over the course of their runs.

 

[tony67]

B5 and DS9 started at the same time, within a week of each other. I am not sure what they could have ripped off from the otehr excepting the basic concept, though JMS believes that Paramount did use some of his ideas as he had shopped B5 there before it was picked up elsewhere. It's hard to say exactly, and they both follow very different trajectories over the course of their runs.

Yeah I guess the DS9 stuff had been shopped around for a long time so there was a lot detailed info out their - sketch books etc...

Similar to the Dune situation if you are familiar with that. There was a very detailed book on the plans for a Dune movie that was being shopped. It seems much was allegedly taken from it for the Alien movie. Their is an interesting Documentary on this if you are a Dune fan.

Its speculation and gives something to the fandoms to argue about I guess.

 

[BrianL]

Yeah I guess the DS9 stuff had been shopped around for a long time so there was a lot detailed info out their - sketch books etc...

Similar to the Dune situation if you are familiar with that. There was a very detailed book on the plans for a Dune movie that was being shopped. It seems much was allegedly taken from it for the Alien movie. Their is an interesting Documentary on this if you are a Dune fan.

Its speculation and gives something to the fandoms to argue about I guess.

Well, I tend to take what JMS says with a grain of salt too. He's a good creator, but tends to be a bit crotchety about stuff. It's very possible that DS9 had been a Trek idea going back a ways. I mena, they've been talking about doing a Starfleet Academy of some kind for like 40 years or so!

 

[ramee]

The Expanse

Loved seasons 1-3, which was originally on SyFy. Amazon picked it up for 4-6.

I was looking for similar things to watch after but couldn’t find BSG, either.

 

[tony67]

The Expanse

Loved seasons 1-3, which was originally on SyFy. Amazon picked it up for 4-6.

I was looking for similar things to watch after but couldn’t find BSG, either.

Yeah that was really well done

that also reminds me - I just finished Farscape for the xth time. That was on SyFi and Hallmark and maybe one other

Also Dark Matter had a similar history I think.

I really like Killjoys from SyFi - but its not streaming.

 

[ramee]

Oh, I just finished season 3 of Upload on Amazon. It’s a bit of a mess but entertaining enough. I like the side characters more than the main ones.

I have Devs on my watchlist because I’ve liked Alex Garland’s work (Sunshine, Annihilation, Ex Machina).

Russian Doll is OK. I would watch more.

Doom Patrol and Legends of Tomorrow( this one is silly and fun) are mostly superhero but have plenty of sci-fi themes.

 

[Scootin'By]

I really liked the new Lost in Space. Came out a few years ago on ... Netflix? It lasted three years and had a pretty good conclusion.

The other one on Netflix I liked, but was not renewed and is fairly graphic, is the live action Cowboy Bepop. I really liked the cast and thought the story played out well. I think watching just the first season is satisfying.

I'll add a Plus+1 for Fringe and FireFly.

 

[ramee]

Yeah that was really well done

that also reminds me - I just finished Farscape for the xth time. That was on SyFi and Hallmark and maybe one other

Also Dark Matter had a similar history I think.

I really like Killjoys from SyFi - but its not streaming.

I’ll have to try some of those. I want the watch the last season of BBC’s Ghosts next. I think it’s on paramount but I’ll look on Dailymotion.

Back to a previous show you mentioned, I had heard Dark was good but it sounds just that, dark and I don’t know if Im really interested in investing in it.

I really liked the new Lost in Space. Came out a few years ago on ... Netflix? It lasted three years and had a pretty good conclusion.

The other one on Netflix I liked, but was not renewed and is fairly graphic, is the live action Cowboy Bepop. I really liked the cast and thought the story played out well. I think watching just the first season is satisfying.

I'll add a Plus+1 for Fringe and FireFly.

I haven’t seen it, but my husband was disappointed Cowboy Bebop was cancelled. After One Piece’s success, maybe they could pick it back up?

 

[tony67]

I really liked the new Lost in Space. Came out a few years ago on ... Netflix? It lasted three years and had a pretty good conclusion.

The other one on Netflix I liked, but was not renewed and is fairly graphic, is the live action Cowboy Bepop. I really liked the cast and thought the story played out well. I think watching just the first season is satisfying.

I'll add a Plus+1 for Fringe and FireFly.

Could not get into the new Lost in Space at all - watched Season one and done - but love the original - at least the first season or so - but even the ridiculous ones were fun.

 

[tony67]

Back to a previous show you mentioned, I had heard Dark was good but it sounds just that, dark and I don’t know if Im really interested in investing in it.

It is really good, but unusual - almost like a David Lynch type of thing IMO.
Its also in German though and they added voice over later I think. I recall watching season 1 in German with subtitles. and rewatching it in English dub later when it became popular.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

Other than Doctor Who I don't watch much Science Fiction television. When I was kid I used to watch The Tomorrow People.

 

[nancipants]

My faves:

Star Wars: Andor
The X-Files
For All Mankind

 

[Moliphino]

Could not get into the new Lost in Space at all - watched Season one and done - but love the original - at least the first season or so - but even the ridiculous ones were fun.

I found the kids and Parker Posey's character way too annoying to keep watching. I couldn't even hang in there for Toby Stephens.

Fringe was great.
Upload is fun and a little darker than I had expected from ads (which is not to say it's super dark, but I thought it was going to be complete fluff).
Counterpart was fantastic.

 

[AaronB]

Cowboy Bebop (original anime), even one of my all time favorite shows regardless of genre.

Eureka, the final season goes a bit off the rails, but still a great show.

Warehouse 13, like it's sister show Eureka, sort of spins out in the last season, but all around a lot of fun.

Firefly, as a big fan of the western movie genre, the esthetic of this show just hit the sweet spot for me.