Top sci fi tv shows of all time: now discussing YOUR LIST

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: I remember an episode where a leprechaun takes control of the ship, or the captain, or something. Every other episode seemed to involve Admiral Nelson and Captain Crane (the two leads) fighting each other (because one was being controlled by leprechauns or something)... I guess it was cheaper that way. Definitely a series based on science-fact.

The Six-Million Dollar Man: My favourite show as a kid, its titles are absolutely iconic, perhaps in the top 5 of all time.

 

27. 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'

A fantastic show about a high school student with a bad reputation who has a destiny to kill vampires meandering about her town of Sunnydale. Buffy Summers is played by Sarah Michelle Gellar (front) in a kick-butt role as the tough, but attractive, vampire slayer. She battled vampires from 1997-2003.

I'm not about to challenge the greatness of Buffy, but is this sci fi? I don't like it when video rental stores lump the sci fi and the horror together, and I like it even less when lists of sci fi tv series do it.

 

Good point, I don't think it's scifi.

Only saw sporadic episodes.

 

Buffy kind of bounced among sci-fi, horror, and fantasy. Despite its title, I'd call it fantasy more than horror or sci-fi.

But if nothing else, the Frankenbro in Season 2 and the Initiative in Season 4 give Buffy some sci-fi, though not science fiction (for those who make the distinction), cred.

 

Funny you should voice that complaint as Entertainment Weekly's Popwatch blog just had an article about how Buffy didn't deserve to be #2 on "25 Women who Shook Sci-Fi" for that very reason.

Personally while I agree that Buffy is mainly supernatural, there were some elements of sci-fi in it: Adam, The Initiative's futuristic weapons, the Buffybot etc.

 

I watched the 1st season of Buffy on DVD last year for the first time but I just couldn't get into it (although a friend reckons it really kicks off from the 2nd season onwards). Just wasn't my thing I guess.

 

That was my thought too. I've never actually seen Buffy, but my understand is that Buffy is more horror-fantasy than sci fi.

 

26. 'Stargate Atlantis'

"Stargate Atlantis" is a spinoff of Sci-Fi Channel's original "Stargate SG-1" series. When a Stargate portal is found in the ancients' city of Atlantis (beneath Antarctica) a team is formed to explore it. As they use the Stargate to travel to the Pegasus Galaxy, they encounter an evil enemy called The Wraith, who threatens human existence.

Welcome to the 21st century! Who would have thought that gimmicky "Stargate" would spawn such a franchise, which reminds me of a scene from that movie. Dr. Daniel Jackson corrects a hieroglyph translation from "door to heavens" to "Stargate". As someone who has translated professionally, that makes me grit my teeth a bit. Is "stargate" really a better translation? How can you tell? "door to heaven" seems like a perfectly acceptable translation for "stargate" since "paraphrasing" is just a translation of "translating something into its own language" anyway. But I digress.

 

I've heard that this is good, but I haven't seen it.

 

"Atlantis" is definitely a very very good scifi show. I'm currently watching the fourth season. It's parent show, "SG-1" is superior, but there are few shows that can match the quality of storytelling that SG-1 produced.

Who knew that a cheesy semi-B movie like "Stargate" would spawn one of the most successful television science fiction franchises EVER.

It's amazing what just a little tweaking of the concept produced.

 

25. 'The Jetsons'

"The Jetsons" is a classic sci-fi show, complete with space cars and a robotic maid. The show lasted from 1962-1988.

First, was this show really better than "Futurama"? Second, did it really last "from 1962-1988? The answer to both questions is "no". The show was produced from 1962-1963, then it lived on with the same ******* 24 episodes in endless rotation for years and years. In the mid 80s, the show was relaunched for syndication. In addition, there was a Jetsons movie in 1990, some tv specials, and now we have a planned live-action Jetsons movie. If you're like me, you will be thinking of nothing else until that one comes out.

 

Absolutely. I didn't know there were as many as 24 episodes, because I seem to see the same one each time I'm browsing on TV.

 

I live in constant hope that someone will come to their senses and kill the live action version before it even starts. Putting this show on the list of the best Sci-Fi shows is like putting The Flintstones on the list of the best Historical shows; superficially, somewhat true, but seriously now.

 

I'm still waiting for the flying cars the Jetsons promised us.

 

How a number of these shows were placed ahead of Futurama is beyond me, especially The Jetsons. I'd put Futurama in the top 3 of this list. The only thing these shows have in common is that they are both animation. In terms of laughs, heart or sci-fi, Futurama is so far beyond The Jetsons its hard to believe the makers of this list watched both series.

 

It's certainly not better than "Futurama"

 

Ditto everybody on The Jetsons vs Futurama.

The Jetsons were harmless fun, but even my 7-year-old self recognised it was 'The Flintstones ... IN SPACE!' Maybe there's an argument for them setting a standard or something but it shouldn't be this high.

 

24. 'Wonder Woman'

"Wonder Woman" captures the number 24 spot on our list. Wonder Woman, played by the lovely Lynda Carter, is a believable super heroine who fought the evil Nazis during World War II. After the war, she returned to her island of women. However, during the last season, she re-emerges 30 years later when Major Steve Trevor's son, Steve Trevor Jr., enlists her to battle evil once again. OK, the writers did a poor job in trying to transport her into the modern day, but the show was good enough to cut them some slack.

There's no question: Lynda Carter really was lovely. As for the show: plenty good fun. Also interesting was her husband Robert Altman's involvement with the infamous BCCI scandal and subsequent trial and acquittal for banking/securities fraud.

 

Haven't seen this one, bar pictures.

 

I know we've moved on, but even if the Jetsons did set some kind of standard, it was an awfully stupid one, wasn't it?

 

23. 'Tales from the Crypt'

This great HBO show lasted from 1989 to 1996 and featured scary stories, mostly based on comics from the 1950s. The show was hosted by the gruesome, and funny, Crypt Keeper.

I count two episodes out of seven seasons that marginally qualify as science fiction. Otherwise, great show. R rated tv horror is da bomb.

 

Yeah, I was giong to say that this show is really horror, not sci-fi. Occasionally brilliant; occasionally silly; occasionally cliched and predictable. But really, why quibble with a show dedicated to continuing, in its own off beat way, the anthology premise of The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The show wasn't as consistent as either of those, I don't think (though certainly both of those shows also had weak episodes), but at its best, you could taste the influence.

 

22. 'Andromeda'

"Andromeda" was the brainchild of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry. It's the story of Captain Dylan Hunt (played by Kevin Sorbo) who is on a mission to rebuild the All-Systems Commonwealth 300 years after it fell apart. It's not the best of Roddenberry, but it's pretty good.

I watched the first season and then unfortunately never found time to watch it thereafter, but it was consistently entertaining and worthwhile simply for being not Star Trek. And you have to be impressed with Sorbo's career. How many people have had back to back successful tv series? He does sword and sorcery fantasy AND sci fi!