A few weeks ago, one of the sites I read somewhat regularly posted a link to an even older article on TVJAB. I can’t, for the life of me, remember the referring site… Gun to my head, I’d guess Forever Geek, but I’m far from sure of that. Anyway, the older article counted down the author’s picks for the top ten greatest sci-fi shows. Here’s a link to the article, and a summary of the countdown:
Top Ten: The Greatest Sci-Fi Shows of All Time
10. Babylon 5
9. Firefly
8. Battlestar Galactica
7. Stargate SG-1
6. Quantum Leap
5. Dr. Who
4. Star Trek
3. Lost
2. Heroes
1. Star Trek: The Next Generation
As some of you, at least, could guess, I have some problems with this particularly ranking. The author has included some because of making others possible. Others are on because of how long they were on the air. The rationales for this ordering are, in a word, odd.
Trouble starts right away at #10 and #9. How can a show that, while it was a wonderful start to something, was cut off in the middle of its first season, be ranked ahead of a show that finished it’s five-season story arc? Firefly was a great show. And it’s movie, Serenity, allowed its fanbase to feel a certain sort of closure on a show that Fox badly mistreated. But Babylon 5 actually got a full lease on life. (Though mistreatment by TNT caused some odd plotting choices at the end of season four and throughout season five.) I won’t argue here that Babylon 5 should be in the number one spot, but it should be.
Though it might be replaced by #8 if Battlestar Galactica‘s last season ends as strongly as the show began.
Also, I find it totally bizarre that Heroes, not even having finished its first season as of the composition of this list, occupies the #2 spot, but there is literally no mention of the show that has been doing the “Heroes” plotline for four seasons: The 4400 on USA. (The fourth season had not yet begun airing when the list was composed, so he only had three seasons to look at.) Unlike in Heroes, which seems to be trying to cash in on the success of The X-Men films, The 4400 are not mutants, but people who have been altered by mysterious interests in the future. People were taken and returned with abilities. The hope, apparently, is that this will be sufficient to avert some disaster in the future that is left vague. And there is another group in the future that wants things to stay the same, so they send their own super-powered individual back to wipe out the 4400. The 4400 has a good ensemble cast, some really twitch-inducing characters, and tight scripting. That it predates Heroes argues all the more for its inclusion on this list over it’s good, but younger, half-sibling.
I also like Star Trek (both versions mentioned here), but the rationale for putting TNG in the top spot seems bizarre to me. Because of it’s “massive appeal,” the author claims, “Most of the shows on this list (virtually everyone that started after TNG aired) owes their existence to the massive success of the crew of the Enterprise-D.” That seems to be an explanation for why it is NOT the best show on this list. To appeal to the masses is to, almost by definition, not rock the boat too much, not go out on too many limbs. Don’t get me wrong… This was a good solid show. But I can’t, in good conscience, rank it #1.
Further, I liked Quantum Leap, but is this really sci-fi? Yes, a machine throws his consciousness into different people. The basic premise is sci-fi. But the plotting is… not… so much. I’m torn about its inclusion here.
And now the part where I make people mad. I have not watched enough of Stargate SG-1, Dr. Who, or Lost to know whether they should be included. SG-1, whenever I’ve seen an episode, seemed like a good enough show, but it never grabbed me. It reminded me, perhaps a bit too much, of a Star Trek series, but with stargates instead of starships. I never warmed to it, so I’m not sure about it’s inclusion or final ranking here. As for Dr. Who, all I can do is cry “mea culpa” and hope you don’t all burn me at the stake. I don’t know why I’ve never watched it. I have no good excuse. But Lost? Why is Lost on this list? Is there some sci-fi element I’m missing? From what I’ve seen (and I’ve already admitted it isn’t much), The X-Files had more sci-fi. In fact, this really just occurred to me: why isn’t The X-Files on this list? Talk about mass appeal, while keeping up a mystery that broke some rules. And thinking about late-comers to SG-1, why isn’t Ben Browder’s and Claudia Black’s prior series, Farscape, on this list? It was a far more inventive show than what I’ve seen in the episodes of SG-1 I’ve actually managed to watch.
Okay, I know some of you watch as much, and more if possible, sci-fi. What do you think of these rankings? Or my commentary on them?
Here’s my list, as it stands now:
9. Firefly (I loved it, but it only had 13 episodes.)
8. Heroes (1 season is good. Let’s see where it goes.)
7. Star Trek: The Next Generation (Good, but it wasn’t a risk-taking. It had a built in fan base.)
6. Farscape (Muppets in space! Come on, this was a scary good show.)
5. The 4400 (Superheroes done right on television for the first time.)
4. Star Trek (For it’s time, an amazing show.)
3. The X-Files (Who doesn’t love a good mystery lasting several years?)
2. Battlestar Galactica (The best re-imagining ever.)
1. Babylon 5 (This show demonstrated how to do a five-season story-arc correctly. For me, it redefined how television should be done.)
I feel like I need to leave a spot for shows that I haven’t seen to be included later.
Now… Go ahead. Complain away. 
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I was AGHAST that they left off X-Files, especially since Lost isn’t a sci-fi show any more than Alias, or even Buffy. And, if we get to include those shows as well they both trump Lost.
As much as I am a Firefly devotee, I’m not sure that it was on long enough to make an impact. Ultimately I might include Deep Space 9 instead, which was fantastic before it went into its dotage.
I don’t think Heroes merits a mention at all; it’s just one season of a big concept backed by lazy writing. Maybe in a year or two it’ll qualify. In any event, I agree that 4400 is definitely higher on the list, on the merits of the first two seasons alone.
I’m on the same “mea culpa” boat for Dr. Who; I guess it deserves a spot just for staying power, no?
BSG stands to creep into the #1 spot if they close strongly. I always felt like the pace at the end of B5 left a little to be desired – an entire season of denouement?
I thought about including Buffy on my list. It was a terrific show. But I agreed with your thinking… It’s not really sci-fi. It was a genre show, to be sure, but the genre wasn’t sci-fi.
I did think about DS-9, but I couldn’t bring myself to include three Star Trek shows. Still, I think there is a good argument to be made there.
You’re probably right about Heroes, too, but I had trouble thinking of more shows to include. I put it above Firefly simply for having gotten to finish it’s story arc. And I do think the first season ended strong. It started a bit weakly, as I nearly stopped watching it after the first couple of episodes. But I did think it picked up.
And I agree, too, about the BSG ranking. B5 probably would have had a stronger ending if JMS and crew knew for certain there would be a fifth season. Then the truncated ending to the Shadow War and Earth’s civil war could have been lengthened and developed more fully. I am completely prepared to switch these two if BSG ends strongly. It’s probably good that they are starting this season with the intention of it being the last.
Anyway, thanks for the comments!
Dr Who: I’ve seen some of the “new” (2005?+) Dr. Who and it’s not stupid. Mostly. Cheesy but imaginative, and mostly not-stupid. It may sound like I’m damning with faint praise, but for TV sci-fi I think that’s very good. And though episodic, the show does a nice job of weaving some continuing threads through the series.
“The Doctor”, a character I expected would be very annoying, is actually pretty good. Even given his manic nature he’s refreshingly sane, rational, and genuine for a heroic-adventure TV character. By “genuine” I mean given sufficient and reasonable provocation he panics rather than quips. He strongly prefers talking to fighting, and fairly often uses the run-away-then-think approach, which I find refreshing. (If you want to see The Doctor, and the “Doctor Who,” I expected see the first couple of episodes of the 2nd season.)
The show has also done a better job at avoiding the “Weekly Monster Hunt” feel that X-Files or Buffy often had. Maybe even better than Babylon 5.
It may be hard to compare directly to BSG or B5. In the same way it might be hard to judge between a nicely diverse anthology and a novel. Though, where I to do so, I’d rank the “B” shows as better.
Hmm… even given it’s problems toward the end B5 did a stellar job at maintaining itself. I think the X-Files went downhill quickly past the 2nd or 3rd season. (IIRC). I’ll be surprised if the new Dr. Who makes it as far as B5 without lowering it’s standards quite a bit. (Maybe it being a BBC series will save it from “selling out”.)
I’ll have to look at the 4400. I saw a few episodes and it didn’t impress me, but from what you say I didn’t give it enough of a chance. Same goes for Farscape.
NB: A very enjoyable BBC sci-fi show you may want to look at is “Ultraviolet.” Watched it over a couple nights not long ago. Short series – well under a dozen episodes, IIRC.
Now to the complaining… (You didn’t think I’d forget!?)
//9. Firefly (I loved it, but it only had 13 episodes.)
I wasn’t as taken with the show as many, but I think it was very good.
I’d rank it higher… I’m not willing to hold a show’s shortness against it. (Though if a show “jumps the shark” I will hold that against it.)
//8. Heroes (1 season is good. Let’s see where it goes.)
Ditto. I have some complaints about the show I might get off my chest sometime, but not your comment.
I’d put this in the same genre as Buffy. Buffy was explicit about magic being behind what’s going on. Heroes, IMO, just shot for a “sufficiently advanced rationale.”
//7. Star Trek: The Next Generation (Good, but it wasn’t a risk-taking. //It had a built in fan base.)
I agree with everything but “Good.”
How about “Fair”
“Slightly foxed”?
If, like the author of the article we’re pulling in “meta” points to rank the shows on, I’d ding STtNG for holding back TV sci-fi. It’s one of the reasons too many people think of sci-fi as “Technobabled cliche.”
//6. Farscape (Muppets in space! Come on, this was a scary good //show.)
Oh, I wish it really was muppets in space… don’t tease.
//4. Star Trek (For it’s time, an amazing show.)
I will interpret that as a back-handed blow at the time and agree without reservation.
//3. The X-Files (Who doesn’t love a good mystery lasting several //years?)
As a thriller/intrigue I’d rank this show very high. (‘Cause I like some sci-fi in my thriller.) As sci-fi I’d put it considerably lower, mainly due to it’s attempts to draw-out both it’s over-riding plot and the characterizations. It was getting very thin and stretched. I was beginning to expect a LotR crossover.
//2. Battlestar Galactica (The best re-imagining ever.)
//1. Babylon 5 (This show demonstrated how to do a five-season //story-arc correctly. For me, it redefined how television should be //done.)
No complaints. I think most sci-fi is intrinsically poorly suited to TV. (As compared to books.) But not space opera. I’d be tempted to rank B5 and BSG highly just for showing the public that SO doesn’t have to be like Star Trek.
I understand your point about Heroes. I was willing to include it in this discussion (as opposed to Buffy) simply because they gave the psuedo-science explanation for the powers of its characters. But I’m willing to concede that it’s barely sci-fi, at best.
And I also agree that X-Files lasted too long. Indeed, I think one of the strengths of both B5 and BSG is that they were willing to end the show when the story had been told, instead of trying to milk it for all its worth, and a lot more besides. But those first few seasons were superb.
An excellent sci-fi show, cut short like Firefly, that I would say belongs on the list -above/instead of- SG1 and Heroes is ODYSSEY 5. For a fan of RPGs it was fantastic – the cast were very much PCs. It had numerous components blended together in a tasty concoction including:
1) time-travel
2) save the world stakes
3) paranoia about the government
4) they-walk-among-us uber-paranoia
5) excellent party bickering and divergent goals and methodologies
The series was canceled too early, but it completed an entire series (to include a climactic season finale). Get it from NETFLIX or buy the entire series on DVD.
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