I love science fiction shows most of all because there is so much imagination in them and the idea of endless possibilities. While science fiction is at the top, I do like a few other shows that are under different genres. What stands out for me is brilliant writing, a great cast, and sometimes costume/set designs. It's nice that Ron is a kindred spirit and likes a lot of the shows and watches them with me. These are just some of the shows I watch and love.
1. Doctor Who- I absolutely love and adore Doctor Who and not just the new one. I am talking about the old school BBC episodes that were shown on late night PBS on Saturday nights. I have fond memories of those episodes because I would watch them with my grandmother. We were and still are huge Tom Baker fans. There was even an episode with him that scared the piss out of me when I was a kid, titled The Talons Of Weng-Chiang. The main thing that frightened me was the ventriloquist doll which was made to look very creepy. At 11 years old I had quite an imagination already so when the doll moved all on its own, I was freaked out. I ended up checking under my bed twice for a murderous assassin doll, sleeping with my bedroom light on, and cuddling with two of my grandparents' cats that night. I'm an adult now and the episode still creeps me out a bit, but I still love it.
The new Doctor Who has pleased me especially with great actors like David Tenant and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble. The writing is excellent and I've enjoyed watching it. Tenant and Tate had such a great rapport together as the Doctor Donna team and I loved watching them together. I was a bit hesitant about Matt Smith taking over as the new Doctor, but he proved that he could do it and was brilliant. There are so many great episodes that it's hard to pick a favorite, so I have two. The End Of Time and Vincent And The Doctor are my favorites hands down.
2. Freaks And Geeks- This show not only had great writing, it had a fantastic cast and rocking music. No matter who you were as an adult, there was at least one or two characters you could relate to on the show, because everyone has been there before. It didn't sugarcoat growing up and showed that everyone has gone through that awkward process of puberty, trying to discover who you are, and trying to make sense out of it all. The show had great humor, but it also had a lot of heart, making you care about the characters and showing that everyone has been in those awkward growing up stages. I thought it stunk that the show got cancelled in the typical move of Hollywood always cancels the great shows and leaves all the crap on the air. I was pleasantly surprised a couple of days ago to a Freaks And Geeks marathon on the Independent Film Channel. Did I watch it? You bet and I loved every minute of it.
3. Dead Like Me- Another great show, that got canned by Hollywood. I loved George Lass aka Toilet Seat Girl and her misadventures as a grim reaper. I also loved Mandy Patinkin as Rube. Yes, the show had a dark humor, but it worked because of fantastic character development and great story telling. Ron loved the show as much as I did and watched the Dead Like Me movie with me. Every once in a while I'll catch an episode on the Sci-fi channel and watch it, and it still feels fresh and new. That's how good the show is.
4. Eureka- I joke often that the Sci-fy channel makes extremely crappy movies, but their t.v. shows are awesome. There is more truth in that than anyone knows. I genuinely enjoy Eureka and this current season is no exception. Not only does the show make you think about the endless possibilities that science and technology can do, but there are characters that stand out who you love, like, dislike, and remember. I am definitely enjoying that they have James Callis on the show and that they've given Jo more of a prominent role. The story telling is interesting and it keeps you engaged so you want to know what happens next.
5. Glee - I ADORE Glee. It's just so much fun to watch and the music that gets picked for the episodes is great, because it's songs that I know and love. The cast was well picked. It's quite clear they enjoy doing the show and they have fun playing those characters. It's smart writing, but it's also heartfelt writing without being overbearing. Everyone has a favorite character or singer on the show. Mine is still Mercedes. I get goosebumps every time I hear her sing because her voice is truly beautiful.
6. Warehouse 13- Another show on Sci-Fi that I love. The concept is intriguing and the stories are fantastic. I'm fascinated by the idea of The Regents watching over the world having agents looking for artifacts that have the potential to be dangerous in the wrong hands be it Harriet Tubman's Thimble or Edgar Allen Poe's pen and journal. The characters are well thought out and they have back stories that give them depth that genuinely makes you care about them. It also pokes fun at some of the characters, giving you a laugh and lightening the mood every once so often which is nice.
7. Mad Men- I love the writing, the characters, the costume and set design, and the music for the show. It's a drama, but it's interesting because there is no black and white when it comes to the characters. It's a blend of gray. No character is supremely good or a villain. It shows that each of them has something good about them, but they are flawed and it shows a side of humanity to them. A friend had suggested that I watched the show thinking I would like it a lot. They were right. I haven't stopped watching an episode since.
8. Burn Notice- Mainly I started watching this show for Bruce Campbell because I love the man. After that, I started watching it because it was fun and didn't take itself too seriously. You didn't really have to think about it too much. It was just simple story telling and you didn't need to have watched a previous season to keep up. There's action, humor, and a bit of pretty good story mixed in making for television that is fun to watch.
9. Buffy The Vampire Slayer- I admit, I turned up my nose at the television show at first. To be fair, I got dragged to see the lame ass movie and I wasn't thrilled about it. I still think to this day the only good thing about that movie was Paul Reubens. To my friends who still like that movie, sorry it's just how I feel about it. My friend Scott was the one who convinced me to give it a try, and I was pleasantly surprised. The t.v. show was much different than the film. It was darker, more philosophical, and the humor was not only dark, but smarter. I found I loved the show because Joss Whedon is such an amazing writer, he brought those stories to life. I watch old episodes on the LOGO channel and I still love it. My favorite episode is still the musical, Once More With Feeling.
10. Firefly- Another Joss Whedon masterpiece. I really liked Mal as the captain of the Firefly space ship. The entire cast was great. I loved Kaylee the female mechanic and enjoyed seeing a girl kick ass at being a gear head and knowing how to fix it and fix it well. Of course the show got cancelled, which I thought was completely wrong. In my humble opinion, it was one of the best science fiction shows to be on television and it royally sucked that Fox screwed it over. There was a ray of hope though, with the Firefly movie which was fantastic. It told a great story, tied everything together, and made many fans like myself very happy.
So there you have it, the top ten shows in my list. There are other television shows I like, but these are the ones that stand the test of time with me. These are the shows where I can watch a re-run and still find it enjoyable because it's a great story or it holds a special significance for me. So while there are television shows I like, these are the ones I love because they are not only fantastic, they are timeless.
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