The Top 50 Sci-Fi TV Series of All Time?!?

[eldritchhobbit]

I thought I'd make it without commenting on this, but I simply cannot let it pass.

The Boston Globe has compiled a list of "The Top 50 Sci-Fi Shows of All Time."

I was pleasantly suprised to see several often-overlooked series make the list (Nowhere Man and Science Fiction Theater, for example), and frustrated that others were not represented (VR.5, The Time Tunnel, The Incredible Hulk, Millennium, and The Pretender, to name a few). I was baffled by the inclusion of others, and I strongly disagreed with the ordering, especially among the top ten picks. My first impression was that the writers valued sizzle over substance, and their focus was far too contemporary and trendy.

And then it hit me.

I realized what was missing. Not ranked lower than I would like, but absolutely ignored. No mention of Deep Space Nine? No Blake's 7? No The Prisoner? I repeat for emphasis: no The Prisoner?

This isn't a question of personal taste, it's a question of genre history. Without Blake's 7, there is no Firefly. Without The Prisoner, there's no Babylon 5, no X-Files. These series are cornerstones. This is not a topic for debate.

Perhaps I should be forgiving, and just assume the entire staff of The Boston Globe is on crack. But as someone who has seen at least one episode of every single series on this list save one, I feel I've paid enough genre dues to complain -- or at least mock the people who rank Sliders in the top ten but fail to mention Farscape at all.

I cannot take it seriously, but here it is.


50. 'Earth - Final Conflict'
49. 'The Wild Wild West'
48. '3rd Rock From The Sun'
47. 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'
46. 'That Was Then'
45. 'The Greatest American Hero'
44. 'Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'
43. 'Nowhere Man'
42. 'Science Fiction Theatre'
41. 'Futurama'
40. 'The Thunderbirds'
39. 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'
38. 'Batman'
37. 'Space 1999'
36. 'The Bionic Woman'
35. 'Battlestar Galactica' (Original)
34. 'The Avengers'
33. 'Lost In Space'
32. 'My Favorite Martian'
31. 'Alien Nation'
30. 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'
29. 'The Six Million Dollar Man'
28. 'Adventures of Superman'
27. 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'
26. 'Stargate Atlantis'
25. 'The Jetsons'
24. 'Wonder Woman'
23. 'Tales from the Crypt'
22. 'Andromeda'
21. 'Quantum Leap'
20. 'The Hitchhiker'
19. 'Dark Angel'
18. 'V'
17. 'Firefly'
16. 'Flash Gordon'
15. 'Logan's Run'
14. 'Star Trek Voyager'
13. 'The Outer Limits'
12. 'Xena: Warrior Princess'
11. 'Lost'
10. 'Sliders'
9. 'Mystery Science Theater 3000'
8. 'Dr. Who'
7. 'The Twilight Zone'
6. 'Stargate SG-1'
5. 'Babylon 5'
4. 'The X-Files'
3. 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'
2. 'Battlestar Galactica' (New)
1. 'Star Trek' (Original)


Share the geekfest of righteous indignation! :) Because it's fun.


"We are an impossibility in an impossible universe."
-Ray Bradbury

Comments

[beledibabe.livejournal.com]

Cracky McCrackheads! Good lord, are these guys crazy?

No Prisoner? Wonder Woman ahead of Buffy?

Total crack.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

LOL! Well said. I'm glad I'm not the only one amazed by the lunacy.

[theladyrose.livejournal.com]

Good God-my opinion of the Boston Globe has actually managed to sink even lower!

(My journalism instructor at Harvard worked at the rival newspaper, the Boston Herald. Perhaps I'm just a little biased, but still :P)

AND no Prisoner?! Well, last time I checked, Boston did lead the nation in marijuana use...

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Roflol! That puts it in perspective. As for bias, what's the saying - no brag, just fact? ;)

[blktauna.livejournal.com]

Children writing who have never seen the Prisoner and think Wonder Woman is camp. Where's Clutch Cargo, Captain Midnight and UFO? No Time Tunnel? No Blake? No Quatermass? No Jonny Quest? No Red Dwarf??? Hello??? Crack.

And the completely unworthy on the list...

sorry Firefly is so not worthy, nor MST3K, nor Lois and Clark, nor Dark Angel, nor Atlantis, nor Andromeda... Nor Voyager and I used to like it, before the last season.

New Cattlecar Galactica? at all... And above The Twilight Zone? Pardon?
My eyes are bleeding from the horror.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

New Cattlecar Galactica? at all... And above The Twilight Zone? Pardon?
My eyes are bleeding from the horror.

LOL! I feel so vindicated. :) Yeah, what you said!

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

I see MFU made the list at 39. Altho it's always nice to get some recognition for our woefully overlooked show, it doesn't belong on this list. Sam Rolfe, if he were alive today, would protest himself.

And certainly not if The Prisoner isn't there. (No Blake's 7 either ---do they have something against British shows?)

And Deep Space Nine? Farscape? Arggghhh.

So I agree, it's a dumb list.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Yep, yep, yep. I couldn't agree more. By the mainstream definition, so much is missing, and yet they seemed to stretch the definition out of shape to include things that don't really fit. Argh!

[agentxpndble.livejournal.com]

I like a good bit of indignation as much as the next gal, but I just don't even read these things... Most are built from an internet poll or message board voting/nomination system. And while it *looks* like they told us why these shows are so great, all they really seem to have in the write-ups are descriptions of the shows - not opinions about their impact or importance or value. Tell me why you included these and it would mean something - maybe I'd forgive the excluded if the included had intelligent reasons for being there.

I can't even come up with a list of my own (there are so many levels of importance), how are non-involved journalists supposed to?

Man, I love that icon...

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

You're quite right about most of these being silly. But after I was sent this again and again, I had to have a cathartic moment. ;) Love your icon, too!

[semielliptical]

Even though I was a real ST:Voyager fan for a time, I find it unbelieveable that it's #14 and DS9 isn't on the list at all. Did anyone who compiled this list watch both of those shows?

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

I'm right with you. I loved Voyager, but still... I'm wondering about the writers, too! There are certainly a number of things they didn't watch, that's for sure!

[terrylj.livejournal.com]

It's just with this post that I even realized who the person was in your icon--but before reading it, honestly! I'm so used to not knowing who the new and "cool" icon people are, that I haven't even been paying attention.

I've never seen "The Prisoner", but B5 is one of my favorites. And Blake's 7 is one of my all-time favorites.

ST:TNG above Babylon 5? That's just wrong. And any Battlestar Galactica above B5, or above Dr. Who? Wrong again.

And why are My Favorite Martian and 3rd Rock even on this list?

(Apologies for the inconsistent formatting, I'm lazy tonight and typing with one eye on the weather channel.)

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

It's just with this post that I even realized who the person was in your icon--but before reading it, honestly! I'm so used to not knowing who the new and "cool" icon people are, that I haven't even been paying attention.

LOL! To my way of thinking, some characters are just permanently cool.

I've never seen "The Prisoner"

If you'll forgive the self-promotion, here's a review. It's simply a brilliant series.

but B5 is one of my favorites. And Blake's 7 is one of my all-time favorites. ST:TNG above Babylon 5? That's just wrong. And any Battlestar Galactica above B5, or above Dr. Who? Wrong again.

To all you've said, I can only say YESYESYES! We're definitely on the same wavelength!

[fungus-files.livejournal.com]

hahhah! sliders. see, that sank the list for me right there. I watched it a few times and every time kept thinking "when are they bringing back time tunnel?"

but if I'm going to dredge up some high dudgeon, it would be agreeing that red dwarf should be there somewhere and so should ultraviolet. but these are both UK shows and the list is perhaps a tad US-centric.

and don't tell me that the wild, wild west they list is the will smith movie?!

[fungus-files.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about this offline too. *g*

what about the ray harryhausen films with the benchmark stop-animation?? clash of the titans for one. maybe the list is more SF than fantasy/myth. hmmm...

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Good point! For the purposes of this list, did he do any television work? I honestly can't remember. He certainly was a cinema pioneer.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

I watched it a few times and every time kept thinking "when are they bringing back time tunnel?"

Heehee! I feel so vindicated. :)

but these are both UK shows and the list is perhaps a tad US-centric

Unforgivably so. Good calls - Blake's 7 and The Prisoner should be on the list as well. And what about Sapphire and Steele?

And don't tell me that the wild, wild west they list is the will smith movie?!

That film was just one of a long line of cheesy, poorly conceived remakes of classic TV series. The original show ran from 1965 to 1969 and stared Robert Conrad and Ross Martin.

[melissagay.livejournal.com]

What, no "Tomorrow People???" Honestly.

Yes, these people clearly don't have any sense of the British TV shows.

I'm pleased to be reminded of "Greatest American Hero," though.

Is "Highlander" not considered sci-fi? Perhaps my definition of sci-fi is too broad...

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Yes! So many of the shows they missed were British. Weird, isn't it? I think their definition is too broad - Highlander seems mainstream to me. And it should be on the list! Grrr. ;)

[white-gull.livejournal.com]

Awww, I used to watch Deep Space Nine, and I liked it a lot...that's not fair for them.

But I did notice that one show I watch as well made it pretty far:
Stargate SG-1, number six isn't bad for them, considering they seem to be fading a little. I have never seen Babylon 5 or Battlestar Galactica. I did see both Star Trek's, though, and liked them.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

They seem to have focused more on recent shows, for some reason. Not to knock Stargate, but I agree it seems to be fading a little, and I'd say the jury's still out on its ultimate impact on the genre. And I miss DS9!

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Well, I can't complain too much; Star Trek-TOS is first and my five top favorites all made it into the top thirteen...though not in the order I'd have picked. I agree, though. The Prisoner should have definitely been mentioned. And Man from UNCLE? I liked the show but I never thought of it as scifi.

But what got me was, why is Tales from the Crypt included but not Thriller or One Step Beyond?

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

And Man from UNCLE? I liked the show but I never thought of it as scifi.
But what got me was, why is Tales from the Crypt included but not Thriller or One Step Beyond?

Excellent point - the criteria for the list seem mysterious at best. I agree fully with Trek: TOS in first place, but after that, things get a bit dodgy. ;)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

They are trying to hang out with the cool kids, but are betraying their deep lack of cool.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Perfect, perfect explanation. Thanks for cutting to the heart of the matter.

[galadhir.livejournal.com]

It is kind of mad that The Prisoner isn't there. I can understand Sapphire and Steel, and Red Dwarf not being represented - they were both far too quirky and probably unknown outside the UK, but dammit, if the Twilight Zone is there then The Prisoner certainly should be.

Sheesh.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Well, they should be known outside the UK! And Blake's 7 certainly is, and it didn't get a mention, either. You said it: it is kind of mad!

[marm.livejournal.com]

Okay. All top X of Y lists are BS, but this has a much bigger BS factor that usual. Voyager is on the list but DS9 isn't? Only in the Gamma Quadrent.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

All top X of Y lists are BS, but this has a much bigger BS factor that usual.

Well said! Exactly my thoughts indeed.

Only in the Gamma Quadrant... LOL! :)

[alicambs.livejournal.com]

It's very different from what a UK list would be, and I've seen enough in SFX to know that! Dr Who always wins for a start. *g*

Well Stargate SG-1 got in the top 10, and so it should since it's still going strong in its Ninth Season, as did The X-Files and Babylon 5. Yeah! No complaints there, but I have to agree about The Prisoner!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

It's very different from what a UK list would be, and I've seen enough in SFX to know that! Dr Who always wins for a start. *g*

LOL!

[parisntripfan.livejournal.com]

One thing I would love to know is how did they decide what is the best? Who decided it? How did they decide that something was Sci-fi? Because there were a number of shows that I thought to myself (how is that sci-fi) Not that is not a good show, or it was not worthy of inclusion on the list, but how is it sci-fi? (UNCLE and GAH are the two that jumped out at me right away)

And I agree I am annoyed that some of the better shows did not make the list...DS9 and Enterprise for a start... Even if you didn't think Enterprise was the best Trek, it was certainly better then GAH or Buck Rogers...

VR.5

[raginglily.livejournal.com]

I thought I was the only one that remembered this show. I wish it would have been on Fox for longer.

Re: VR.5

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Amen to that! It really was ahead of its time, wasn't it? I loved it.

[a-blue-moon-cat.livejournal.com]

WTF were these people thinking? Well, probably they weren't. :( And besides, let's remember that this is just an opinion, and you know what they say about those. *grins*

Having read everyone else's comments on this, I too noted that the list was USA-centric, but I guess that's to be expected. Frankly, if it wasn't for the 9th Doctor, I almost doubt that DW would have shown up on the list at all.

I question this list because I separate out SF and fantasy.

Also, are they referring to the newer TW series, or the one from the 60s? I love MST3K, but it doesn't belong, since it's not a straight-forward SF show, just a parody/satire/whatever. :) I loved Sliders, but it should have never been ranked that high! If Xena, then Hercules, too, must be listed. There would not have been Xena without Herc.

I adore Lost, but again I'm not sure it belongs on the list. Voyager and no DS9?! Argh! At least QL got a mention, but the stories themselves were just basic dramas, with the SF framing device of time travel and holographic help, so again, it might only partially fit. Jetsons, but no original Johnny Quest--again, so totally wrong.

BtVS and no Angel--that's not right, either. :) And the ranking for Buffy is way too low, IMHO. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and 6M Man should not be listed at all.

And yes, where is Blake's Seven, The Prisoner, Sapphire and Steel, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Red Dwarf, UFO (instead the inferior Space:1959, as we called it, got a mention--and they used the UFO sets!)? At least The Avengers got a listing.

If one mentions The Man from Uncle, surely Mission: Impossible should have been on the list. And if TWWW is there, where is Legend and Brisco County, Jr.?

And what of The Time Tunnel (no Sliders without TTT) or Dark Shadows (horror/sf/fantasy)? And no Highlander?

I just don't get this list. At all.

Am surfing over to the link and checking it out.