Best Sci Fi Currently On Television?

A few months ago a friend recommended Farscape, and I started watching. The first season was flat, but the current season is absolutely amazing. So I started watching Lexx just because I had hope in TV sci fi. (I blame Voyager) I'll run a poll on this later, but I'd like to just throw this out: what is the best sci fi on TV? What do people like? Why? I like Farscape because the plot this season has been really interesting (and I even dig the device where the split the main char so they could have silly episodes interspersed with serious ones) and Lexx... well Lexx is just seriously bizarre: I love the wacky humor and terrible B effects. (thanks to everyone in Germany that recommended it. Wow! You werent kidding). Are there any other nuggets of joy out there that I'm missing? The scary thing is that the Sci-Fi channel has finally edged out Comedy Central and Cartoon Network on my Tivo for disk space.

Re:Farscape. No... lexx. No...

[Rogerborg]

• I love sci fi, but Farscape just looks like the Muppet Show. I can't take it seriously enough to give it a chance

I made that mistake too. I prejudged Farscape based on the trailers and the first episode (shown on a mainstream BBC channel) and point blank refused to watch the damn puppet show.

What a mistake that turned out to be. Like CmdrTaco, I only "discovered" it in season 2 after much persuasion, and it's a real treat, and the best antidote to Voyager that I've yet seen ("Spare me the techno babble, gadget girl.").

Seems to me that the savings on FX have all been spent on the actors and the writing. Farcape is an absolute joy, beautifully written, flawlessly acted, consistent, wry and very knowing. Also, the cast seem to have real chemistry and are obviously having a hoot filming it. The protagonist, Crighton, has taken to calling a couple of other characters "Pip" and "Sparky". That's not a cute scriptism, it's what the actor, Ben Browder, started calling them, and it sounded so natural that they decided to just roll with it. That shows a level of confidence and non-control freakery on a par with Stargate.

Do yourself a favour, grit your teeth, ignore the muppets, and sit through an episode. Unlike B5, it's easy to pick up in the middle, and you might be pleasantly surprised.

I love Sci FI, but...

[Faizdog]

The unfortunate problem with Sci Fi is that rarely anyone besides us "geeks and/or nerds" seem to like it. If I'm sitting around with a buncha friends, and we are channel surfing, if I see a cool show like say Star Trek TNG (in my opinion the best Star Trek), they won't even consider watching it.

There is some sort of stigma attached with Sci Fi that mainstream people just don't seem to like it. Sure there are exceptions (most prominent one being X-Files when it was good), but many people just don't want anything to do with Sci Fi.

That being said, I really love Sci Fi. Some of my favs are Star Trek, and old stuff like Quantum Leap, that rocked. Maybe that's why I'm actually looking forward to the new Star Trek with Scott Bakula. It's got a really interesting premise, and if they can just do it right, it has the potential to be awesome.

Best Sci-Fi

[Fixer]

I haven't seen television since Feburary, but last I checked, they had re-runs of Babylon-5 on. I'd say, in order, Babylon-5, Farscape, original Star Trek re-runs and StarGate SG-1 are the best scifi on American televsion today.

Interzone -- Best Sci Fci Currently on Television

[GGardner]

Right now, a copy of Interzone magazine ( http://www.sfsite.com/interzone ) is sitting atop my television, making it far and away the best SF on my television.

Most SF fans know that many of the most interesting genre movies are derived from short stories (i.e Blade Runner, The Minority Report, even A.I.). What a lot of people don't know is that these short stories often first appeared in SF magazines. Magazines such as Interzone, Asimov's, and F&SF aren't in good financial health right now, even though they are the nursery for a lot of SF writers.

A yearly subscription to most of these costs less than on month's cable bill, but gives a lot more entertainment, and helps to ensure the future of SF writers.

End of pledge break -- now back to our regularly scheduled Microsoft bashing

I can explain it...

[uptownguy]

There is some sort of stigma attached with Sci Fi that mainstream people just don't seem to like it. Sure there are exceptions (most prominent one being X-Files when it was good), but many people just don't want anything to do with Sci Fi.

Did you read what you just wrote? "Sure there are exceptions like X files when it was good" Its not like the US is a hotbed of high culture, but even mainstream viewers have some taste and, frankly, most Sci Fi sucks!

"...well, it was nice to see another installment in the Star Trek universe, but Voyager's writing sucked..."
"...Dr. Who was ahead of its time, but, gee, the special effects were painful to watch..."
"...Sliders was a great idea, but each new universe was riddled with logical holes..."
"...Lexx... well... Lexx..."

The unfortunate problem with Sci Fi is that rarely anyone besides us "geeks and/or nerds" seem to like it.

The problem (IMHO) with most SciFi is that it is almost never well executed.. Geeks seem have the intelligence to see past the (rather substantial sometimes) flaws and keep watching, but most people are honest enough to just keep channel surfing.

Geeks, for whatever reason, get off on preferring intelligent crap over stylish crap. They would rather see a TV show with the latest uber-gadget/newest buzzwords in physics/hot chicks with the biggest breasts who never seem to have to wear a standard uniform...

But, its not like mainstream people hate SciFi... mainstream people are embarassed to watch bad SciFi, that's all...

Some SciFi...

[Falsch Freiheit]

• Farscape; already mentioned by CmdrTaco, but this one is probably the best out there right now; and the muppets are done quite well.
  
• Lexx; sucks, but seems to have improved a bit this season
  
• Outer Limits; SciFi carries this, but it used to also show on CBS and Showtime. I think SciFi's run is ending. Individual 1-hour long stories that aren't connected. (okay, sometimes they're connected, and references to other episodes sometimes pop up) Quite good, sort of a "Twilight Zone" feel.
  
• Earth: Final Conflict; been watching this on our local FOX affiliate. Quite good, actually. SciFi is starting a run of this from the beginning on Monday; I'll be watching, as I missed the beginning of the series.
  
• Andromeda; this and EFC above are both based on ideas from Gene Roddenberry. Think "300 years after the Federation from Star Trek has fallen", except with enough things changed that it doesn't quite look like Star Trek and with a single ship that survived from that era (trapped next to a black hole) and her crew trying to rebuild the "Commonwealth". If only it didn't involve Kevin Sorbo...
  
• Exposure; on SciFi, it's just independent short films; some are *very* well done.
  
• Stargate SG-1; also playing on my local FOX affiliate, but originally from Showtime (new episodes are on Showtime, year later or so they end up on FOX); haven't been new episodes this summer, but this show is surprisingly good. *Far* better than the movie it's based on, except the special effects budget is smaller. Looking at the Showtime listing, they're still doing new ones, so I fully expect to see new-to-me ones on FOX starting again in the fall.
  
• The Chronicle; just started on SciFi on Saturday nights; basic premise is they're the National Enquirer and all the stories (Zombie Maggots from Outer Space eat dog-girl's brain!) are real. Worth programming the VCR for; not worth staying home on Saturday night for.
  

In fact, there's so much SciFi on TV these days that I can't keep up. There's also a "Witchblade" show on TNT (more Fantasy than SciFi) that's not bad. "Now and Again" is starting on SciFi on Monday; cancelled show from one of the major networks that I never saw, but I'm sure I'll check out a few episodes.

Re:Red Dwarf

[Anonymous Coward]

Red Dwarf went downhill as soon as Kochanski appeared, IMHO. The early series of Red Dwarf were fantastic and it also didn't help that one of the two show's creators left.

They're making a Red Dwarf movie in case you didn't know, but it had better be well written, unlike the last few series...

Re:Sarcasm?

[cookiej]

Geeze. Get over Kevin Sorbo, OK?

I find Andromeda to be absolutely fascinating. Sure they're derivative, but so? Let's talk about ST:TOS eposide "Balance of Terror" -- can you say "every sub/destroyer movie made?"

I enjoy the show. I enjoy the characters on Andromeda. The effects grate on me terribly (Mainframe did a better job on "Roughnecks" for God's sake!) but I can live with it. I think the Nietzscheans are a fascinating sub-species. I can do without the Magog but for a first season, it seems to be getting it's legs. Anyone remember the giant jellfish dog that was "Encounter At Farpoint?" Even TNG took a season and a half to get good.

It's a cool concept. If they decide to make things progress as they did in B5, it might be great. I look forward each week to that show -- really the only one I don't miss.

Re:West Wing

[dsplat]

My VCR current records Farscape, Andromeda, Witchblade, and West Wing. As I have said in other comments, I really like good characters. The characters on West Wing are some of the best I've ever seen. At their high points, all of the best SF series hit the intensity and wit that these guys hit nearly every week.

I don't watch or read much fiction other than SF. There's so much good SF, and so little time. But there are exceptions. ER and West Wing jump to mind immediately. I wouldn't call, West Wing SF, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.