Best single season SF series

TV history is full of one season and half season SF series. What is the
best ones:

My picks:

Steven L....

"Men into Space" (1959). Realistic depiction of space shuttles to space
stations, space ships constructed in space, etc. It was way ahead of
its time--in 1959, no humans had flown in space yet--which is probably
why it never found an audience.

Major ChrisB...

1. Dark Skies

2. Firefly

3. Surface

I loved Dark Skies...Still do 10 years on....fantastic show...still wish
someone would pick up the concept and try it again...maybe jumping forward a
decade and have John runing Majestic. Conner O'Farrel and Eric Close have
gone on to do quite well for themselves since the show...sadly the lovely
Megan Ward hasn't done quite as well....

AZ Carol B....

What about Salvage I? It was fun.
I did love Strange Luck.

pv+usenet...

I loved every minute of that show. Did it ever make it onto DVD? *

Carol

Rob Jensen...

Uh, any list of best SF series that lasted only one season that
doesn't have Firefly as #1 is just plain wrong.

Brian Thorn...

Eh. I despised "Firefly". Mess of a show, good riddance to it.

Brian Henderson...

Agreed. There are plenty of shows that at least had promise but
Firefly wasn't one of them. It was a mess from the first episode and
never got any better, regardless of what order you show them in.

-- Rob

1) Kolchak Night Stalker - original series good acting, good stories
and a great inspiration for X-Files.

Mac Breck...

Usually great acting (especially by series regulars) and story only
dragged down by the often laughable, guy-in-BAD-costume monsters.

Brian Henderson...

We are talking the early 70s here, what do you expect? Besides, Dr.
Who has been doing laughable, guy-in-BAD-costume monsters for years,
Kolchak has nothing on Dr. Who.

2) Alien Nation - ok I loved this series. I thought it was an
interesting take on police shows but about slavery and prejudice. I
suspect if this show had aired 15 years later it would be a long running
series since lets face it crime shows are hot.

Stan Brown...

As was Gary Graham. :-)

But ... single season? I could have sworn it went on for two or
three, but I see from epguides.com that you're right.

jayembee...

You might be thinking of the plethora of follow-up movies that,
well, followed.

weberm...

Hmm, I was sure there were two seasons as well, followed by several
TV movies...

Major ChrisB...

I think it had one season as a show but a pile of TV movies after wards (or
possibly before)

3) Star Trek:TAS - I know it was a Saturday morning cartoon that lasted
a season but it was for its time rather mature and not kiddish. Some
well written episodes.

Anim8rFSK...

Two seasons. Well, a season and a half.

4) B5: Crusade - It was like B5 meet Star Trek:TOS and had a child. Very
dark single minded exploration of the galaxy for a cure against Earth
human's extinction.

Mac Breck...

At times, it didn't seem single-minded enough, as they were often
sidetracked. However, there could have been 7 more episodes in pursuit
of the cure (from the shadowtech angle if they took place after "Each
Night I Dream of Home").

Brian Henderson...

I really didn't see how they were going to do a long-term story with
the premise. I mean, unless you're going to go Voyager bad, you can
only go on so long with the "we almost had the cure this time!"
stories.

Also it has a very hot doctor.

Brian Thorn...

Didn't care for B5 Season 5 or Crusade.

Mac Breck...

My least favorite character, and I found the thief to be hotter.

If only they'd gotten more into it (the Earthforce Black Projects,
Shadowtech, Technomage connection). Maybe we could have had flashbacks
to what Galen saw in "The Passing of the Technomages," especially what
he saw in late 2260 of the horrific creation of mage tech on Z'ha'dum
("Invoking Darkness" pg. 287 bottom to 290).

Crusade
Brimstone
Wonderfalls
Strange Luck
Threshold

Stan Brown...

I don't think Firefly and Wonderfalls quality as one-season shows --
they were canceled well before they had run a season. (Don't know

jayembee...

(a) In the text of his original article, the O.P. specified "one
season or less".

(b) FIREFLY, at least, ran as long or longer as a full season of
something on most cable networks. Hell, FIREFLY had as many eps
on FOX as MAX HEADROOM -- a *two*-season show -- had on ABC.

about the others.)

copeab...

The OP specifically mentioned half season SF shows.

Anim8rFSK...

Wonderfalls ran like 1/5 of a season. :-)

Rob Jensen...

Wonderfalls filmed 13 episodes, or nearly 60% of a season.

Stan Brown...

Indeed -- but the show *aired* only four episodes.

-- Rob

Thank goodness for DVD -- I've watched each once more than once since
buying the DVDs.

5) Earth-2 - ok like Lost in Space once you think about it the show
makes little sense. But I rather liked the characters and it was mind
candy. I also give kudos to the writers who knowing the series would not
go on for season 2 had a finale showing what happens years after.

Brian Thorn...

This or "Invasion" would be my pick.

6) Name unknown - a Saturday morning live action series about two
janitors who accidently launch an Apollo (?) space ship. The janitor
hits launch when his partner told him lunch. A very silly show that as a
young kid enjoyed. Has it come out on DVD?

Brian Thorn...

"Far Out Space Nuts"

FDR...

It was called Far Out Space Nuts. I haven't seen it since I was a kid, but
somehow the name popped into my head.

7) Battlestar Gallactica original - had no real love for the show but
did like Balzar and pilot episode.

copeab...

This lasted more than one season.

Brian Thorn...

Sort of. "Galactica 1980" had very little in common with the
one-season (1978-79) original, though.

jayembee...

No, it didn't. GALACTICA 1980 was a separate series. There is certainly

copeab...

I'm counting it as one series.

jayembee...

Fine. But since it's not, you shouldn't have "corrected" Troy when
he listed BSG as a single-season series.

copeab...

Actually, I thought there were two seasons of BSG before G1980.

contention among the fans on this point, but Universal certainly thinks
it's a separate series, as its episodes were not included in the
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE COMPLETE SERIES DVD set.

Brian Henderson...

Not really. They changed the name of the show to "Galactica 1980"
after the first season and even though it had the same characters, the
direction of the show changed so drastically that most people consider
it to be a different series (and prefer to forget it entirely).

Brian Thorn...

Started strongly and ended strongly. A few middle episodes were okay,
the rest was dreck.

8) Chris Carter series that took place in a virtual world. Yes Fox put
it on Fridays on Fox and yup DOA. I liked it for the 6/7 episodes shown.
Had potential.

Brian Thorn...

"Harsh Realm", didn't care for it.

9) Surface - maybe in a few years it will rise but for now for single
series shows I have seen this remains at number 9.

copeab...

Firefly
Invasion
Brimstone
Strange Luck

Major ChrisB...

was this the show with the guy who survived a plane crash as a baby and was
now a freelance photographer and woiuld show up at fires and things in time
to take the pictures? I barely remember this but I think it was on here in

E Brown...

There was a touch of "Dirk Gently" to them. Chance was always
sidetracked, but inevitably things were interconnected and he'd
complete his assignment anyway. I found tapes of old episodes about a
year ago - it doesn't hold up well.
Brimstone is what I want on DVD.
epbrown

copeab...

Yes. A reference was also made in one exisode that indicated it was
possibly set in th X-Files universe, although I have no idea if the

jayembee...

Possibly? Chance Harper's brother specifically mentions FBI Special
Agent Fox Mulder as the "go-to guy" if something bad happens to him.

connection would have been kept had it made it past one season.

pv+usenet...

There was just one reference, in what I think was the last show - Chance's
roommate gave him the card of "this FBI agent named Mulder". *

jayembee...

I've no doubt that there would've been a crossover at some point.

Brandon

I barely remember this but I think it was on here in

the UK around the same time as Early Edition (which I watched religiously)
and was a pretty good show.

Threshold

I know there are more - shows I have either forgotten or never seen. .

Pumpkin Escobar...

SIngle season shows, eh? Well, I did like :

1. 'Firefly' is a given

2. 'Space: Above and Beyond'

3. 'Once and Again' with Billy Campbell - was on ABC briefly in 1999

jayembee...

ONCE AND AGAIN (a) wasn't an SF show, (b) ran for three full seasons,
but (c) *was* with Billy Campbell. You're getting it mixed up with
NOW AND AGAIN, which *was* SF, and *did* air only one season, but
which was *not* with Billy Campbell.

SoHillsGuy...

I'm pretty sure this is not what you mean. "Once & Again" with Billy
Campbell (and Sela Ward) was a traditional drama that ran for three
years.

Pumpkin Escobar...

You know, you are right. However, ABC had a show that aired for half a
season on Thursday or Friday night just a few years ago that would jump
back and forth in time. There was an ensemble cast, but I think the
show focused on one young man. 'Life on Mars' reminded be of it, but
this show jumped back and forth between the 1980s and whatever the
present time was. I don't think he changed things like in the
'Butterfly Effect,' it just showed why things turned out like they were.

I keep thinking that it was called 'Time & Again' or 'Once & Again' but
those obviously are not correct titles.

Pumpkin Escobar...

'Now and Again.' Thanks.

Pumpkin Escobar...

Nope, not it.

4. 'Life on Mars' - Yes, another season is due but so far only one has
aired.

5. 'Harsh Realm' - from Chris Carter of 'X-Files' fame

6. The Lone Gunmen' - from Chris Carter of 'X-Files' fame

More will come to mind.

Pumpkin Escobar...

Need to add 'Logan's Run' and 'U.F.O.' to the list.

I know that many young people have disdain for the older SF show because
they are spoiled by Today's wonderful special F/X, but you have to look
beyond the dated looks and at the actual story. Also, you have to
really think about the amount of work that went in to some of the old
F/X...think about the model and camera work needed in a pre-digital age.

Add 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' to the two season list.