The Top 10 Science Fiction and Fantasy Television Shows of All Time

With a promising season getting ready to start (True Blood premieres on HBO on September 7th with The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Fringe following shortly after), I figure it is as good of a time as any to look back on the best examples of the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre that we have seen up to this point. I have a full survey of the best of the genre at the Axiom's Edge website which includes twenty four shows, but I decided to condense it down to a Top 10 for this forum because such a list is more easily digested and easier to argue with; and everybody loves to argue with "best of" lists.

I have to admit right off the bat that I am cheating a bit on the top two because I consider the top slot to be a tie between Star Trek and Twilight Zone. For these two, I simply cannot say whether one or the other ranks as the best Science Fiction Fantasy series of all time since both had such an enormous impact on the medium and on our culture. And face it, they both were damn good and they still stand up as excellent examples of the genre (and the medium) even today.

The next five I am pretty comfortable with as well. Each of these are landmark series that have truly moved the genre and the medium of television forward. I fully expect Lost to move up on the list once it has completed its run as this series has demonstrated amazing and consistent quality in its first four seasons, and, unless it tanks in its last two, it will deserve a place in the Top 5 (X-Files and The Outer Limits, you are on notice).

The last three slots are less solid in my mind. I admit to going a bit conservative here instead of throwing in a dark horse entry or two. I strongly considered throwing in a series such as Quatermass, Carnivale, or Millenium as candidates for the Top 10, but decided to go with the less controversial choices that I have there now. Who knows? Tomorrow I could wake up and change my mind and decide to post a revised list. For now, though, I am sticking with what I have.

It's all in good fun, though, and my list represents only the opinion of one person, though it is a person who has years of Science Fiction and Fantasy viewing under his belt. Feel free to chime in with your own versions of the list (and I know that you will).

Top 10 List:
1. Star Trek (1966) - Sure, the sfx are cheesy by today's standards, but the writing far outweighs that deficiency. If you don't believe me, just go back and watch only a sampling of seasons one and two. Almost all of those episodes rank among the best of Science Fiction and Fantasy television.

1. Twilight Zone (1959) - This series is a cultural phenomena. Still recognized today by audiences who have no concept of a black and white television (or how to change the channel without a remote for that matter), you only have to watch a few episodes to understand why.

3. The Prisoner (1967) - I have no idea how a show that demonstrated such palpable contempt for establishment and conformity ever managed to find its way to the temple of conformity that is television. But I'm sure glad it did.

4. Babylon 5 (1993) - This series brought an epic star saga to television and breathed new life to Science Fiction and Fantasy television. And it put the brilliant J. Michael Straczynksi on the map.

5. The X-Files (1993) - The Mecca for lovers of alien abduction/government conspiracy stories, this series put Chris Carter on the map and made television scary again.

6. The Outer Limits (1963) - The other 1960's Science Fiction and Fantasy anthology, this series utilized the monster-of-the-week format to create well written allegories that explored our darkest fears and inner demons.

7. Lost (2004) - Presenting multi-layered story-telling of a level of complexity not seen on television since perhaps The Prisoner, this series helped pave the way for the return of the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre to network television (which you may consider a good or bad thing).

8. Firefly (2002) - This Science Fiction epic with Western trappings could have developed into an institution to rival the Star Trek franchise. FOX's unceremonious cancellation of the series could be one of the greatest injustices in the history of television.

9. Farscape (1999) - Star Trek meets Lost in Space with muppets and a generous helping of hallucinogenic drugs heaped on top. Need I say more?

10. Star Trek the Next Generation (1987) - This remake of the 1960's classic boldly went where Science Fiction television had already gone twenty years prior. But it paved the way for the off-network explosion of the genre and told some pretty good stories along the way.