Most of the time we League members talk books, but every so often we slip across into other media, and that’s what I’d like to do today. Today, I want to talk TV.
Oh, sci-fi TV. You have such a long history of breaking my heart.
Remember SeaQuest DSV? I do! For a start, my high school years were spent in love with Jonathan Brandis, but I loved the near-future world the series created, seeing what had changed and what was different. I loved that the series traced big, bold plots, and intense human stories as well.* And then they cancelled it.
And what about Earth 2? I’m in love with stories about new settlers on unknown planets, and always have been – Earth 2 had everything I wanted and more, from unknown terrain to planetary mysteries, to a great and varied cast of characters with their own, very different, motivations. Cancelled.
I’m barely even ready to talk about Firefly yet, even though it’s been a while. Joss Whedon. Enough said, really. Space, Nathan Fillion, snappy dialogue, smart plots, mystery, heart-in-mouth tension and laugh-out-loud comedy. I can’t bring myself to say it—but you all know what happened.
Most recently, I dipped my toe in the water again with Terra Nova, and I went back in time 85 million years, watching humanity attempt to rebuild, and deal with an invasion from the future. So many mysteries laid out – mysteries I’ll never see answered, because season two isn’t coming. Wah!
The world’s attention has turned to fantasy and Game of Thrones rules the airwaves – and that’s fine with me. I’ve been reading the series for years, and it’s great to share something I’ve enjoyed with a wide audience.
In time, though, the next awesome SF TV show will come around, and broken heart or not, I’ll be waiting! In the meantime, I’m marathoning Battlestar Galactica – I know that one makes it to the end!
What’s your favourite SF TV? Anything you’d love to have seen last longer?
* Please note, all show descriptions may be coloured by the author's rose-tinted glasses and a considerable dose of nostalgia. If it turns out the shows of my childhood weren't quite what I remember, then ignorance is bliss, right?
* Please note, all show descriptions may be coloured by the author's rose-tinted glasses and a considerable dose of nostalgia. If it turns out the shows of my childhood weren't quite what I remember, then ignorance is bliss, right?
