xkcd

by **Cynwulf** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 6:59 pm UTC

Based on what you like so far, I can recommend Farscape and Babylon 5. They are two of my favorite shows, on par with Firefly. SG-1, especially in the earlier seasons, is good too.

by **meridian** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:05 pm UTC

Supernatural! It's got subject matter similar to Angel and Buffy (alas, not Whedon though), pokes fun at itself, but still is taken seriously.

by **folkhero** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:41 pm UTC

This seems almost too obvious to mention, but Star Trek: The Next Generation. The show definitely had it's ups and downs, but the good episodes, I think, easily make up for the poor ones. I might recommend skipping the first two seasons since it doesn't really get into full stride until the second season.

by **Obby** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 8:03 pm UTC

Gonna toss in another vote for Stargate SG-1. Just look at my avatar! The show starts off slow, but really picks up in season 3 and later. My personal favorite era is seasons 6 and 7 combined (since they're closely related) but, IMO, they should have stopped there. Seasons 8 through 10 went downhill very quickly, despite the production value being very high. I just couldn't get into the Ori as the new enemy on the block.

by **Dissident Love** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 8:48 pm UTC

In before Farscape!

<reads the thread now>

Dammit.

In that case, I would have to cast votes in for Supernatural which totally takes off after the first season, and Lexx, which is like Farscape with porn.

by **ArgonV** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 9:40 pm UTC

Dissident Love wrote:[..] Lexx, which is like Farscape with porn.

Seriously? Farscape was already definitely toeing the line at points...

by **Jesse** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 1:27 pm UTC

meridian wrote:Supernatural! It's got subject matter similar to Angel and Buffy (alas, not Whedon though), pokes fun at itself, but still is taken seriously.

This. It plays Monster of the Week really well and allows the storyline to develop in the background until it takes over. Currently awaiting the latest season to hit the shores of the UK.

by **Zohar** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 1:31 pm UTC

Oh, it's actually a good series? With super-hot leads! I should get myself some of that.

by **SecondTalon** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 3:01 pm UTC

ArgonV wrote:
Dissident Love wrote:[..] Lexx, which is like Farscape with porn.
Seriously? Farscape was already definitely toeing the line at points...

I.. what?

I wouldn't say Lexx is Farscape with porn. There's nudity in it, apparently... I'm watching it on Hulu, and the nudity is edited out of the first two seasons but is intact in the last two... whatever.

Point being that I'm through the first two seasons of it, and so far it's.. Dystopian Comedy. Most of the humor comes in accidentally destroying whatever planet they're in front of that week. Yeah, it's got a lot of sexual components, but it's not porn. Also, there's an immortal zombie with a beehive hairdo and a lethal hookshot.

by **Dissident Love** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 8:32 pm UTC

Apparently I was too facetious for my own good. Yes, ok, it's hardly porn, but she's a sex-slave and the show makes no bones about it. And they blow up more planets than Megas.

by **Persephonethinx** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:03 pm UTC

Oooh The X-Files definitely, especially when it gets good from the 2nd half of the 2nd season on.

by **Izawwlgood** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:14 pm UTC

Persephonethinx wrote:Oooh The X-Files definitely, especially when it gets good from the 2nd half of the 2nd season on.

/smack!
The X-Files went downhill the instant the black ooze made it's debut.

by **Persephonethinx** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:42 pm UTC

Izawwlgood wrote:
Persephonethinx wrote:Oooh The X-Files definitely, especially when it gets good from the 2nd half of the 2nd season on.

/smack!
The X-Files went downhill the instant the black ooze made it's debut.

*shrug* To each his own, I suppose. Personally, I think the writing and characterization got a lot stronger in the early mytharc episodes compared to variable quality of season 1 and grew in seasons 3-5.

Of course,

Spoiler:

by **Izawwlgood** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:53 pm UTC

No way, the X-Files was about weird, one shot stories. Time Travel/Accelerated Aging because you drink salty water in the Bermuda Triangle, Siamese Twin Parasite Circus Freaks, mind wiping by the air force, cryogenically stored scientists telepathically doing research through their mentally handicapped twin brother, dude turning into smart metal...

When they abandoned it all later on in favor of some Russian dude and some black ooze shit and shouted, instead of suggested, that the government was behind it all, it just got boring. "Oh boy, I bet the ooze is going to come get them now! Oh wait, the government did it. Oh look here comes some weirdo secret RFID in Scully's neck! Oh wait, the government did it all. OOZE! Government. GUYS MISSING AN ARM! OOOOOOZE!"
It was like the writers got bored, and just started rattling the curtains at us.

by **NeilFann** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 1:58 pm UTC

I love you guys. Seriously, thanks for the help.

The three contenders that keep cropping up are Stargate SG1, Farscape and Lexx. Out of that, Lexx the most sounds intriging - dystopian comedy with nudity ticks a few of my favourite things. I saw some Farscape way back without getting drawn in but maybe the time will be right next time?

Star Treck - too obvious to mention indeed - TNG was actually my starting point in Sci Fi and I loved DS9 and STV too. Never quite dug the x-files in the same way.

Anyone remember Highlander the TV series? I loved it then, don't know if I'd be disappointed if I saw it again.

How do you reckon I'll get on with Lost?

by **Izawwlgood** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 2:07 pm UTC

Lost is kind of hit or miss. You either like the characters and the fact that 80% of the storyline is DRAMATIC THING ABOUT SOMEBODIES PAST DUHDUNDUNNN!NN!!!!!!1 you just want to know what the fuck is going on and lose your patience quickly.

Cowboy Bebob/Samurai Champloo?

by **Persephonethinx** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 6:59 pm UTC

I can't believe that no one has mentioned The Prestige yet. Anything is automatically made better with Nikola Tesla.

by **Zarq** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 7:18 pm UTC

La Cité des Enfants Perdus (The City of Lost Children) and Delicatessen. Both French, dystopian, steampunk (Cité a lot more than Delicatessen though) movies directed by Mark Caro and Pierre Jeunet. Dominique Pinon is hilarious in both of them.

by **Izawwlgood** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 7:29 pm UTC

roband wrote:Thanks for the suggestions, but Hulk? Seroiously?
That's a bad movie.

Actually, I really enjoyed Hulk. It was filmed in a totally novel way of making the viewer feel as though they were reading a comic book, with alternative panels moving around the screen and very comic book-esque themes in terms of attention diversion, AND, it very accurately portrayed the tragedy of Bruce Banner, the gentle man who is simply pushed, pushed, PUSHED beyond his limits. The Hulk isn't an inherently violent entity, merely a defensive one; this film nailed that by showing a handful of scenes with the Hulk just seeking isolation and demonstrating curiosity.

Also, it's easy to simplify the character as 'Scientist who gets mad and turns into big angry green man with super strength!', but there's a lot of really fantastic character development that's been done exploring what exactly Bruce Banner is angry about. My jaw literally dropped at the scene where;

Spoiler:

also,

Spoiler:

by **Zarq** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 7:31 pm UTC

Are you talking about Hulk (2003, Eric Bana was Bruce Banner) or The Incredible Hulk (2008, Edward Norton was Bruce Banner)?

by **Izawwlgood** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 7:35 pm UTC

Eric Bana's. Ed Nortons Hulk was pretty dull and gratuitious, although it had maybe two moments I enjoyed.

by **You, sir, name?** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 10:33 pm UTC

SexyTalon wrote:
ArgonV wrote:
Dissident Love wrote:[..] Lexx, which is like Farscape with porn.
Seriously? Farscape was already definitely toeing the line at points...
I.. what?

I wouldn't say Lexx is Farscape with porn. There's nudity in it, apparently... I'm watching it on Hulu, and the nudity is edited out of the first two seasons but is intact in the last two... whatever.

Point being that I'm through the first two seasons of it, and so far it's.. Dystopian Comedy. Most of the humor comes in accidentally destroying whatever planet they're in front of that week. Yeah, it's got a lot of sexual components, but it's not porn. Also, there's an immortal zombie with a beehive hairdo and a lethal hookshot.

The first season of Lexx is definitely bordering softcore erotica. The others move away from that. But yeah, Lexx is worth a watch.

NeilFann wrote:Anyone remember Highlander the TV series? I loved it then, don't know if I'd be disappointed if I saw it again.

Highlander is better on TV than it is on DVD. Mostly because the episodes are quite long, and there's relatively little arc stuff going on.

I also second someone's mention of Babylon 5. It's definitely a sci-fi must-watch. It's very well planned, mixes long and short story arcs in one of the more epic ways I've ever seen, there's moral ambiguity, conspiracy, well developed and nuanced characters, and a dynamic universe that changes significantly over the course of the series.

But don't read up on the story, it's got several twists that are best left unspoiled. Also, did I mention it's really good?

by **Zohar** » Thu Dec 09, 2010 6:20 am UTC

Yes, Babylon 5 is awesome. It has bad acting, bad music, horrible effects and... well, probably other bad things. But the story is so great it really makes up for all of that¹.

¹Praise valid for seasons 1-4. Use season 5 at your discretion.

by **folkhero** » Thu Dec 09, 2010 6:38 am UTC

NeilFann wrote:Star Treck - too obvious to mention indeed - TNG was actually my starting point in Sci Fi

I kinda figured. A recommendation that's a bit out of the box (in that it's not science fiction) is Breaking Bad. It has good suspense, good drama, good character study and SCIENCE! For me, the first two or three episodes had me completely sucked in, so it probably won't take long for you to decide if you like it or not. As an added bonus, if you have cable and a DVR, AMC is showing every episode from the beginning super late on Wednesday night (starting with tonight); I think they're showing 2 episodes per week.

by **Nath** » Thu Dec 09, 2010 10:13 am UTC

Zohar wrote:Yes, Babylon 5 is awesome. It has bad acting, bad music, horrible effects and... well, probably other bad things. But the story is so great it really makes up for all of that¹.

¹Praise valid for seasons 1-4. Use season 5 at your discretion.

They said that Babylon 5 was a large-scale science fiction novel on TV. And it lived up to that promise; this might have been the biggest story I've ever seen on TV.

Sadly, as epic sci fi novels go, this particular novel was pretty mediocre. After years of buildup, the actual resolution was like something from an average Star Trek TOS episode.

Haven't seen series 5.

by **roband** » Thu Dec 09, 2010 10:53 am UTC

I think I was referring to the '08 movie

by **brume** » Thu Dec 09, 2010 6:25 pm UTC

If you don't mind going back a bit - Twin Peaks

Northern Exposure

Six Feet Under

by **SecondTalon** » Thu Dec 09, 2010 7:24 pm UTC

Nath wrote:
Zohar wrote:Yes, Babylon 5 is awesome. It has bad acting, bad music, horrible effects and... well, probably other bad things. But the story is so great it really makes up for all of that¹.¹Praise valid for seasons 1-4. Use season 5 at your discretion.
They said that Babylon 5 was a large-scale science fiction novel on TV. And it lived up to that promise; this might have been the biggest story I've ever seen on TV. Sadly, as epic sci fi novels go, this particular novel was pretty mediocre. After years of buildup, the actual resolution was like something from an average Star Trek TOS episode. Haven't seen series 5.

Some of this is due to the network it was airing on going under, and JMS having to chop out a lot of stuff from his plans and reblend the whole thing in order to get the major plot points done in a season. Which is why 4 seems so goddamn crammed and 5 is a little... fluffy. Like the Neil Gaiman episode. Kinda neat, but can be removed without even slightly impacting the rest of the story.

by **the penman** » Fri Dec 10, 2010 4:19 pm UTC

For a nice* subversion of the superhero genre, in an appealingly British fashion: Misfits. Series 1 won't take you long (check 4od's YouTube channel for it), and series 2 is hallfway through just now.

*for differing definitions of "nice", depending on: sex; swearing; gore.

by **dbsmith** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 11:40 pm UTC

The Wire

by **Sprocket** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 3:43 am UTC

Wait, are you anti emotions, or anti teenagers having them? You like Buffy, after all.
I recommend Dexter, but it's got a lot of emotions, but not in a soap opera or straight-up drama type way.
I also recommend HIGHLY Pushing Daisies.

Brume, I love NX, it is the best show EVAR! I don't tend to randomly recommend it to peops, but basically if you like silly, magical realism, philosophy and quirky character fun, you can't do ~~much~~better. I wonder if Joss Wheadon likes Northern Exposure.

Oh also, if you like quirky, bad puns, western and bruce campbell, Brisco County Jr. Yessir.

I was so in love with the X Files, but I wonder if I could even stand watching it now, especially knowing how it ends/goes down hill to unwatchable depths.

by **archeleus** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 4:33 am UTC

Well I don't want to start another thread if I can get some recco's in this thread so here goes.

Watched/watching:

Friends
Heroes
How I Met Your Mother
IT Crowd
Leverage
The Mentalist
Two and a Half Men
BBT
Lost
(a few episodes of) Desperate Housewives

So what do you guys suggest I watch next? I was thinking either Burn Notice or Chuck. So far opinions have been that Burn Notice is great while Chuck can get a bit lame sometimes.

by **Amarantha** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 4:56 am UTC

archeleus wrote:So what do you guys suggest I watch next?

Coupling. It's kind of "Friends-meets-IT-Crowd".

by **NeilFann** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 10:38 am UTC

> Wait, are you anti emotions, or anti teenagers having them?

American high school teens. Like totally. Whatever. Just can't watch them have dramas about who's dating who and having issues and stuff. Certain shows seem to feel the need to include them, probably to capture that key demographic, very much to the show's detriment - I'm looking at you Caprica and 4400.

And I put Buffy on my favourites list. Yes I know. I put it down to the genius of Joss that Buffy was watchable despite the inclusion of said demographic. The characters were wittier and more watchable than the average.

Dexter might by the first non-sci fi that we do simply because EVERYONE tells me that I remind them of Dexter. Want to see what it's all about.....

by **Malice** » Sat Dec 18, 2010 3:13 am UTC

Amarantha wrote:
archeleus wrote:So what do you guys suggest I watch next?
Coupling. It's kind of "Friends-meets-IT-Crowd".

And then Spaced.

by **archeleus** » Sat Dec 18, 2010 2:36 pm UTC

Hmm I kinda watched the Pilot episode of Flash Forward yesterday. Might as well try some more episodes. Will try the recommendations sometime. Thanks.

by **folkhero** » Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:03 am UTC

There is quite a drop off from the pilot. A lot of the series between the pilot and finale feels like filler.

by **lanicita** » Sun Dec 19, 2010 11:42 pm UTC

I just got caught up on Eureka (currently airing in its fourth season). It's kind of formulaic, but it's very amusing and generally interesting sci-fi. It's about a town that houses all the greatest scientists in the US, and they create tons of amazing stuff. Granted, it almost always backfires, or one invention interferes with another and causes a potentially world-destroying catastrophe, but they always save the day.

by **Robstickle** » Sun Dec 19, 2010 11:48 pm UTC

NeilFann wrote:Dexter might by the first non-sci fi that we do simply because EVERYONE tells me that I remind them of Dexter. Want to see what it's all about.....

If we're allowed to recommend non SF stuff then I suggest The Wire.

by **no-genius** » Mon Dec 20, 2010 11:46 pm UTC

Malice wrote:
Amarantha wrote:
archeleus wrote:So what do you guys suggest I watch next?
Coupling. It's kind of "Friends-meets-IT-Crowd".

And then Spaced.

Then Black Books, and Green Wing

Also, second Misfits and Being Human for the OP, and I'll add Pschoville.

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