Science Fiction, Fantasy and Other good TV-Shows (1990-Now)

[Laxian of Earth]

Hello Folks

I am currently (after SGU went down the drain, as did some other shows/films) searching for good shows on TV, so i thought we could make a list of science fiction/fantasy (and other, if interesting) shows of the past 20 years (and maybe more if there are real diamonds from earlier).

What i want to see here are:

1. Science Fiction (put everything into this section that fits, but tag it with things like "space", "military" and "utopia" to make it easy to sort out things one might not like)

2. Fantasy (same as above applies, just with other tags like "vampires", "werewolfs" and "magic")

3. Military and Crime shows (things like JAG, NCIS etc. are to be put in this folder with tags again please)

4. Historical (like "The Tudors", "Young Blades" etc. - again "bag and tag" (now: where did i steal that phrase from? ^^) with tags like "middle ages", "ancient rome" etc.)

5. Mystery/Paranormal (things like "The X-Files", "Warehouse 13" etc.)

why do i do this here? - because i think some people might have tastes similar to mine (hell i bet most SG-Fans like at least some of the TV-Shows i watch and have watched in the past)

Another thing: please add the year(s) that the show was on the air, ok and maybe even "grade" it (say 0-10 credits with 10 being best)

Thanks for your help (need my fix, now that SGU went the way of the neanderthal )

greetings LAX
ps: i start of (so that you see what i mean)

1. Science fiction:

- Stargate: SG-1 (military science fiction, seasons 10, 1997-2007, credits (over all): 10)
- Stargate: Atlantis (military science fiction, seasons 5, 2004-2009, credits (over all): 10)
- Stargate: Universe (space-ship science fiction, seasons 2, 2009-2011, credits (over all): 8 (season 2 having 10 and season one being way lower))

pps: note: you may add another genre if you think it might be interesting - but be warned i do not like things like: desperate housewifes, sex and the city, two and a half men, big brother (and other reality crapp) etc. (say: no soap operas and sitcoms (friends for example...))

[Snowman37]

Fantasy
Sanctuary (2008-present) [often referenced as science-fiction, but there's almost no focus on real world or fictional science - it's a straight up fantasy]

Science-Fiction (adventure)
Firefly (2002)
Star Trek (1966-69)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-94)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-99)
Star Trek: Voyager (1995-01)
Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-05)

Science-Fiction (drama)
Jericho (2006-08)
Roswell (1999-02)

Science-Fiction (thriller)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008-09)

[Cold Fuzz]

Babylon 5 is some solid arc-based sci-fi. It's arguably my favorite sci-fi of all time.

For fantasy, I HIGHLY recommend Game of Thrones, the TV series on HBO. I read the book 7 years ago and the series is a very faithful adaptation of the book. Not only that, the acting is absolutely top-notch with each scene making you want more. The dialogue is absolutely brilliant.

Another good fantasy series would be Being Human, both the US and UK versions.

[DigiFluid]

Sci-Fi

• 1963-1989, 2005-Present -- Doctor Who [episodic with underlying arcs]
• 1966-1969 -- Star Trek [episodic]
• 1987-1993 -- Star Trek: The Next Generation [episodic]
• 1993-1998 -- Babylon 5 [arc-driven]
• 1993-1999 -- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine [arc-driven]
• 1997-2002 -- Lexx [arc-driven, quirky, dark, sexy, the anti-Trek]
• 1999 -- Crusade [Babylon 5's unfortunately short-lived spin-off]
• 1999-2003 -- Farscape [arc-driven]
• 1999-2003, 2009-Present -- Futurama [animated, comedy]
• 2002, 2005 -- Firefly
• 2003-2009 -- Battlestar Galactica [arc-driven]
• 2008-Present -- Star Wars: The Clone Wars [CGI animated]

Fantasy

• 2010-Present -- The Walking Dead [zombie apocalypse!!]
• 2011-Present -- Being Human [USA version, vampires/werewolves]
• 2011-Present -- Game of Thrones [its own universe]

Cross-genre/difficult to classify

• 1988-1999, 2009-Present -- Red Dwarf [sci-fi/comedy]
• 1992-1998 -- Batman [The God Damn Bat Man]
• 1993-2002 -- The X-Files [sci-fi/mystery/conspiracy]
• 1994-2004, 2006-2008 -- Space Ghost Coast to Coast [animated comedy, helps to be really high when watching this ]
• 1996-1999 -- Millennium [mystery/sci-fi]
• 2003-2005 -- Carnivale [historical/fantasy/fate of humanity]
• 2003-Present -- Red vs. Blue [machinima, comedy]
• 2006-Present -- Torchwood [mystery/action/sci-fi, spin-off from Doctor Who; season 1 is shaky, 2 is better, 3 was amazing, and 4 premieres in July)
• 2006-Present -- Eureka [quirky mystery/comedy/sci-fi/fantasy]
• 2008-Present -- Fringe [sci-fi/mystery]
• 2009-Present -- Warehouse 13 [quirky mystery/comedy/sci-fi/fantasy]
• 2010-Present -- Spartacus: Blood and Sand [historical/fantasy]

Historical/modern real world

• 1999-2007 -- The Sopranos [HBO, modern mafia]
• 2001 -- Band of Brothers [HBO miniseries, WW2]
• 2002-2008 -- The Wire [HBO, the best TV series ever made. Period.]
• 2004-2006 -- Deadwood [HBO, wild west]
• 2005-2007 -- Rome [HBO, ancient Rome]
• 2008 -- John Adams [HBO miniseries, Revolution-era America]
• 2008 -- Generation Kill [HBO miniseries, 2003 Iraq War]

[Snowman37]

Sci-Fi
1993-1999 -- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine [arc-driven]

This didn't really become arc driven until the fifth season. I watched the show from start to finish. Yes, there are ongoing story arcs, but it's mostly episodic. The first four to five years are pretty episodic mixed with some ongoing storylines. It wasn't until the end of the fifth season that the show really became arc driven. As arc driven as the final two seasons were, they were still mostly episodic aside from the beginning of the sixth season and the show's final ten episodes.

Fantasy
2010-Present -- The Walking Dead [zombie apocalypse!!]

Fantasy? Horror.

Cross-genre/difficult to classify
1993-2002 -- The X-Files [sci-fi/mystery/conspiracy]

The X Files was a paranormal science-fiction drama. It's not hard to classify. It was mostly sci-fi or paranormal, it just depended on which episode you were watching.

Historical/modern real world
2001 -- Band of Brothers [HBO miniseries, WW2]

I'd just put this under miniseries.

[Laxian of Earth]

hey

found some stuff already, but that was to be expected (i totaly forgot about roswell for example) because i am asking the right kind of people for this question

so: keep up the good "work"

greetings LAX
ps: grade the stuff please (not everything is equally good - even if you are just stating your oppinion with grading)
pps: yeah, a game of thrones is not bad...it is good actually (considered reading those books about a year ago - but with other books and stuff coming my way, i just could not get them (might do that now - i love watching things i have read books to (or played games on the computer)....i love seeing how they let the scenes play out on TV (or in case of things like "lord of the rings" in the cinema)...even if they mostly stray away to far from the original or present details wrong (eragon for example) or even worse: leave out key parts (lord of the rings...tom bombadil....also LOTR was surprisingly good anyway (like all three of them...also mostly the third (love the spirit army.....would have had those fight for me till sauron was defeated, then i would have dismissed them....everything else was plain stupid))
i have one complaint though (but that is the fault of the author of the books!):
woman are treated like our ancestors did in the middle ages in europe, meaning they work just like men in the working class (or become whores/courtesans) and they are "ladies" in the upper class which makes them one of three types of "lady" - the backstabbing manipulativ ***** (that will go as far as poisoning her enemies or setting her lover on them), the naive sheltered lady that never had to work etc. and the dutifull housewife that aims to help her husband etc. that is something i hate (hell why should other worlds/universes have made the same misstakes as our ancestors did, keeping women from education and jobs and out of military etc., too?)
call me sexist etc. but i am quite partial to woman at arms (hell nothing more sexy then a good looking woman (who must be competent and intelligent of course) in uniform wielding a sword (or a gun in todays world)

[Cold Fuzz]

Having loved Band of Brothers, I also loved watching The Pacific.

[gotthammer]

I'll just list the stuff that I loved:

Sci-Fi
- Farscape (4 seasons, space opera. funny, weird, dramatic, epic. my favourite sci-fi show )

- Legend of the Galactic Heroes (110 episodes, grand scale space opera anime, politics and dialogue heavy. Fansubs only)

- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2 seasons plus movie, post-cyberpunk anime based on manga, dialogue-heavy. I also recommend reading the manga)

- Firefly (1 season plus movie, space western. great stuff )

- Fringe (umm...good show, awesome cliffhangers )

Fantasy
- BBC's Merlin (I forgot how many seasons. relatively 'light', but has serious moments)

- HBO's Game of Thrones (ongoing. based on book series by George RR Martin. dark, politics and character heavy. Great production values and cast/acting)

Historical/Real world
- HBO's Generation Kill and Band of Brothers (I didn't get into 'Pacific')

- the Tank Overhaul series (History Channel's? I forget)

[Laxian of Earth]

firefly...again (i get that recommended that often....strange (i did watch the movie (serenity) once and i just didn't get into it (couldn't somehow)....)

rest is ok (though i watched most of it already - with the exception of "merlin" and "ghost in the shell" (manga is normally not my style, also i do not really dislike it either))

so again: MORE PLEASE (imagine drunken Homer from the simpsons saying that....there is this episode he did that, after drinking a whole mug of liquor....)

greetings LAX
ps: tank overhaul?...what is that about?

[gotthammer]

re: Firefly
I got into the series via the movie (which I saw first).

re: Ghost in the Shell (manga or anime)
IMHO, if you can get past the art style, it's a pretty good read/show, especially if you're into cyberpunk (or post cyberpunk).

re: Tank Overhaul
It's a documentary series (just 8 eps.) about people overhauling tanks.
Mostly World War 2 vehicles, but also some post-war stuff. It also gives some details/history about the vehicle that's being featured (basic specs, where did it fight, who used it, etc.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_Overhaul

[Laxian of Earth]

hm....well i will try firefly then, even if cowboys in space is absolutely not my thing normally...

so again: MORE xD ^^

greetings LAX

[Snowman37]

The draw of Firefly is that it's a western in space. It's not about cowboys in space, none of the characters are comparable to cowboys really.

[Laxian of Earth]

aha....well maybe i missjudged the show (will no after i get it)

so any more stuff?? (i will add some ideas of my own later....now i should probably go to bed....2 AM....)

greetings LAX

[gotthammer]

so any more stuff??

I'd really recommend giving anime a try (and I don't mean the ones filled w/ screaming, hyperactive 'teens'):

- I've already mentioned Ghost in the Shell (there's the 2 movies: Ghost in the Shell, and GitS: Innocence, both are quite 'dry' and serious. Then there's the GitS: Stand Alone Complex series, followed by the 2nd 'season', GitS: SAC: 2nd Gig, and a movie after both series, GitS: SAC: Solid State Society)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_shell

- Last Exile (it's a bit fantasy and steampunk-ish, but the visuals and designs are, IMHO, great)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_exile

- Starship Operators (I recall liking the story and some aspects of the combat, but the character designs were so-so. I think it used a fair amount of CG, too. The story was quite serious)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Operators

- Now and Then, Here and There (great story and art, I don't know if it falls under sci-fi or fantasy, or both, but it was also quite serious and dark. I also recall the ending being quite depressing...but a good story)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_and...Here_and_There

- Legend of the Galactic Heroes (think of it as: Prussians in space vs. democratic alliance. Of course, it's more complex than that, with lots of politics. Battles are of a grand scale, but the show tends to focus more on the politics and characters, of which there are a lot. Again, this has never been 'officially' translated, so the only option, if you're not fluent in Japanese, is the fansub release)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_...alactic_heroes

- Area 88 (there are 2 versions, an old one and a new one. It's basically about a guy who's a mercenary fighter pilot in a fictional North African or Middle Eastern conflict. I liked both versions. The intro for the newer one was quite, good, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wgkP9rnZzg )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_88

- Desert Punk (ok. this one is on the 'wacky' side of things, but the conclusion was quite interesting. The art is quite good, and I think they portrayed the post-apocalyptic setting quite well. The weapon designs/art, which are of real-world guns, is notably good. No nudity, but the main character is a pervert )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Punk

- Stuff by Studio Ghibli is usually very good:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausica...ind_%28film%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_in_the_Sky
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirited_Away

- Production IG also makes great stuff, like the Ghost in the Shell stuff.
- Jin-roh (an alternate history thingy where, I think, Germany won WW2 and were the ones who nuked Japan. It follows the story of a member of a special police unit that's trying to stop terrorists. it's serious and dark. it also has nice body armor and weapons )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin-roh
- Blood: The Last Vampire (there was also a series, Blood+ and a live-action movie, but I didn't really care much for those. It's set on Okinawa, I think, in the 60s, before or during the Vietnam conflict. The lead is a vampire hunting other vampires. Good story, good art and animation. Again, quite 'dark' and a bit bloody)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood:_The_Last_Vampire

- Akira (cyberpunk-ish anime that's a bit old, but is still very good. I loved the soundtrack for this, too)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_%28film%29

Just think of anime as another visual medium of storytelling. Not all of them are aimed at kids (or are 'perverse').
Some are quite thought-provoking and tell great stories. That and the range of what can be shown is typically greater than on live-action shows (due to budget constraints, normally).
That, and since they can be more 'cheaply made', I think, there's a lot more to choose from?
Looking for a Fantasy setting that's like D&D? There's 'Record of Lodoss War'. Want steampunk w/ some fantasy w/ mecha (w/ nice songs )? There's 'Sakura Taisen/Sakura Wars'.
Want something wacky w/ lots of screaming? Well...there's a lot of that, too (I really don't watch much anime, anymore...as I prefer the more 'serious' stuff, as opposed to what I see on these days).

Also, how about SeaQuest DSV? It was one of my favourites when I was younger. (I think I liked it better than the other sci-fi being shown at the time, namely ST: TNG and ST: DS9)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SeaQuest_DSV

Hmm. That got long. Hope that helps.

[blueray]

ok sure some of these were said:

sci-fi:

Lost: 2004-2010 (very serial, watch in order )
the 4400: 2004-2007 (somewhat serial)
star trek voyager: 1995-2001 (somewhat serial)
dead like me: 2003-2004, movie 2009 (sort of a dark comedy/drama)

fantasy (don't watch that much of it) but:

true blood: 2008-present. (serial and strangly addicting).