5 Most Unforgettable Sci-Fi TV Shows !
Nick Lewis
May 8, 2012 Lately there’s been a mini explosion of science fiction shows on TV. As a lapsed Sci-Fi Fan, I’m excited to dive into today’s otherworldly entertainment–and get recommendations from you all–but not before highlighting a few classics from back in the day!
(above) ‘Nuff Said.
1. V – This show blew my adolescent mind. All the characters looked like they belonged in a shows my mom would watch, but in my mom’s shows no one ever ate a live rodent! I was crazy about the original mini-series and continued to watch it when it turned into a weekly series. But I didn’t watch the recent reboot. Should I have? Or would it ruin all my nostalgic memories of flesh-wearing alien lizards?
2. Star Trek – I mean, obviously. Where I grew up, old episodes of the original Star Trek were sometimes shown back to back with old episodes of Batman. I know! Best hour ever, right? But sadly, I drifted away from Star Trek over the years. I saw a little Next Generation, but no Deep Space Nine or Voyager or anything else! What have I missed?
3. Alien Nation – Okay, so I liked aliens. I also liked cop shows and The Odd Couple. Check, check, and check. I’m sure this show taught me all sorts of lessons about bigotry and the pros and cons of assimilation for an immigrant community, but at the time I was paying more attention to how cool the aliens looked and giggling whenever they got drunk off sour milk. Because sour milk is gross. And gross things are funny.
4. Quantum Leap – A million other people have talked about how great this show was so I shouldn’t even try. But there was nothing quite as fun as the first few minutes when you’re waiting for Sam to figure out who he is. And it affected people more than the average TV show. Case in point: I have a friend who can, at the drop of a hat and seemingly without reason, recite the monologue that opens the show. Which is a little weird. And a little awesome.
5. Voyagers! – Some of my earliest memories are of sitting too close to my TV, watching this show. As a burgeoning know-it-all myself, I loved the idea of a young boy genius helping to save the world by ensuring historical events happened the way they were supposed to. This show aired when I was around 5, so the memories are a little fuzzy, but I definitely remember the souped-up pocket watch thingy that allowed the characters to time travel. And I remember how sad I was when I found out it wasn’t real.
Life: 1, Childhood Fantasy: 0.
That’s it! Anything between the late 80’s and now is a big empty wasteland for me, and I’m starting to realize how much I must have missed. So, in the interest of filling the empty void in my life, I’m soliciting recommendations from the more sci-fi savvy readers out there.
So where do I start? I’ve got a Netflix account and an empty weekend coming up just waiting to be filled with phasers and motherships and lost colonies. I’m counting on you guys. Help me out! Don’t make me have to go outside and enjoy the weather . . .
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Comments (11)
I was all about Quantum Leap as a kid. Most, if not all of the episodes are on Netflix Streaming. Oh boy,
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My top five would be:
1) Battlestar Galactica (new version)
2) Star Trek
3) The Twilight Zone (original series)
4) The Outer Limits (original series)
5) Max Headroom
Too many runners-up to consider… (X-Files, Fringe, ST:DS9, etc.)
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I would say BSG (the new one) for sure and Firefly, only one season but so, so good (if you’re a Joss fan that is)
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The new Battlestar Galactica is MUST SEE for any sci-fi fan and frankly for any fan of quality television. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is another favorite. It started out a little formulaic for me but by the third season it began this transformation into this serialized adventure science fiction soap opera and I was in love.
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Um, Nick, what about Small Wonder??!!?? How could you leave out Vicki, perhaps the best robot-little sister in a petticoat on TV!
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Okay, clearly I need to see Battlestar Galactica. And I appreciate everyone making a distinction between the new and old one. That feels like an important detail . . .
@Randy — well done on the Max Headroom shout out! I’d completely forgotten about that show so you get extra points for the deep cut. What other, lesser known shows are we forgetting?
@Claudine — I think Small Wonder is its own category of sci-fi sitcom. Maybe we need another list of just those? ALF, Mork & Mindy — there must be others.
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@Nick – many thanks for the kind words. Regarding lesser known sf series, especially ones like Max Headroom that didn’t get a fair shot before being cancelled, I would add Threshold, which featured the amazing Carla Gugino and Peter Dinklage. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460686/). I would also suggest that the second Twilight Zone series offered some very classic episodes, like The Uncle Devil Show. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIMzH9yuywI. Another brilliant ep was I of Newton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSYqqnvP0ac&feature=relmfu.
I never watched Babylon 5. @Brian – I agree with you regarding ST:DS9. I thought the last two seasons were brilliant.
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Love that you have Voyagers on your list. If you want to refresh those old memories, please check out my website.
If you loved the show, then you’ll love all the pics and information. 
I totally wished the omni was real when I first saw this show, and I was already 13. (I watched the repeat airings on the sci-fi channel in the early nineties.) Quantum Leap was fantastic too. A lot of fans believe that it was Voyagers retooled. It was on the same network. 
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These are good. On the lighter side, who knows about MST3K? Spoofing the old black and white sci-fi films of old is hilarious! Went to a MST3K fan convention in Minneapolis a few years ago. 72 hours of old movies and some amazing people watching. Luckily this was at a hotel where the bar never closed!
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