TV series
July 15, 2008I’m done watching all Star Trek series now, which means I can draw up my top 3 of my favourite TV series. This list excludes my favourite comedy series, stuff like Frasier, That ’70s Show, Malcolm In The Middle, and so on - this regards more serious series.
- Dead Like Me - No doubt, of course. Best ever, by a long shot, no doubt about it. It’s going to be impossible for anything, or anyone, to top this. I’ve tried Bryan Fuller’s next creation (Pushing Daisies), but apart form the mind-blowing visuals, each episode felt exactly the same as the previous one. Dead Like Me is more than just TV, it’s an eye-opener.
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Best. Character. Development. Ever. The fall of Gul Dukat, Jadzia’s death, Sisko’s struggle between his loyalty to Starfleet and his assignment as Emissary, and so on, and so forth. And of course, the epic war between the Federation and the Dominion… Nothing but brilliance. Even the usual Star Trek filler episodes were awesome - because instead of being ordinary filler, they contributed to all the character development story arches. By far the best of the Star Trek universe, and I felt truly depressed when it was over.
- Jericho - Weird choice, maybe, but I’m in the 2nd halve of the first season, and Jericho is basically a series I’ve been waiting for all my life: the struggle of a small community dealing with a massive apocalyptic disaster. I love how, contrary to Lost, Jericho keeps the excitement going by having shorter sub-plots that only span one, maybe two episodes. This prevents it from having ‘lostities’, where there are lots of episodes that are teeth-grindingly slow. Hint to the Lost writers: introduces one/two episode long sub-plots. This keeps the excitement going. As it stands now, after each episode of Lost, all I can think of is: that’s another 45 minutes of me not getting any closer to unravelling the mystery. Jericho does this a lot better, and I also love the rapid changing of scenes in Jericho, this makes every episode feel like a roller-coaster ride, another thing that keeps the adrenaline pumping. Too bad those networks in the US don’t settle for having a show at the number 2 or 3 spot, rating-wise. Too much good stuff has been cancelled this way in the US.
Take it or leave it.
Film | 
Since you’re obviously a man of taste (DS9), I think I’ll take a look at Dead Like Me.
Comment by Andrew — July 15, 2008 @ 11:37 pm
Have you seen Babylon 5?
It’s worth checking out, it re-invented the story-arc. Plus DS9 “borrowed” a few ideas from them, not to say that DS9 isn’t awesome, which it is. It’s best to watch Babylon 5 from the beginning.
Make it past Season One, and it should be fun.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/17568/babylon-5-midnight-on-the-firing-line
Comment by mikesum32 — July 16, 2008 @ 1:45 am
Oh god, listening to Delan (sp?) prattling on about the universe is unbearable. I say new BSG.
Comment by Andrew — July 16, 2008 @ 2:07 am
I can highly suggest “Firefly” and then the new “Battlestar Galactica”. I think you would enjoy both. My JBQ absolutely loves “Firefly” and the subtle humor. “Babylon 5″ ain’t too bad, but just like DS9, it’s too claustrophobic for my taste.
Comment by Eugenia — July 16, 2008 @ 4:50 am
Thom Thank you for the lovely things you had to say about Jericho. This is my all time favorite show. We are still trying to save the series. If you are interested in more information on how you can help please visit www.savejerichoagain.com there you will find links to other sites and lots of info on the battle that we still wage to bring back this awesome show. We are always looking for new fans and all help is greatly appreciated. Thank you again!!!
Rangerette(Debbie)
Comment by Rangerette — July 16, 2008 @ 7:14 am
I haven’t watched either of your first two shows, but thank you for including Jericho on the list. Jericho is a show that I didn’t expect to like, but it quickly became a favorite for my whole family. Like you, we enjoy the fast-moving plots; we also like the way the plots work together, and the surprises! The multi-dimensional characters and realistic relationships make it even better. Thanks again for writing about Jericho!
Comment by Sam — July 16, 2008 @ 10:23 am
When Battlestar ended the season 4.0 run, I started revisiting DS9 from the beginning. I’m halfway through season two now and gotta say that show has aged really well. I didn’t really think the last two seasons were as good as the first five, but it’s definitely a show that happens maybe once in every 50 years. Great characters, smart plots, tons of story arcs and the best reconstruction story ever.
Dead Like Me, I never really got into and Jericho is cancelled every time it gets really good. Definitely hope to see more of it soon.
Comment by fanshawe — July 16, 2008 @ 10:36 am
I don’t know Dead Like Me, but DS9 I do enjoy. However, I have to say that Jericho is my favorite show of all time. It had me hooked before the first show even aired and held me for many of the reasons that you mentioned. Hopefully, we will hear soon that it will be continued again somewhere. Glad it’s also one of your favorites.
Comment by delana201 — July 16, 2008 @ 3:18 pm
Hey Thom! Don’t give up on Jericho yet . . . we are still working on it. We have heard from the producers that negotiations are in the works to bring Jericho back in some form or other . . . pehaps a movie. Really prefer a series, but something is better than nothing. Just wait until you see the second season. Talk about a rollercoaster! There were only 7 episodes so they condensed the story into only 7 hours. It is non-stop action. You might want to make sure you record it because it is something you have to watch over and over to catch it all - it goes that fast.
I guess you can tell that this is my all time favorite! LOL We have a nice group at this site: www.JerichoNet2.com for all over the world who are working together to get Jericho back. Check it out and see how you can help. Also check out www.savejerichoagain.com that was mentioned above to see the TV commercial that one of the fans made and that the rest of us pooled our money to have aired in the Los Angeles area. Also, check out the blog and you will see the messages from Jericho’s producers, cast and crew. They are an awesome bunch of people. Another reason to love this show.
Anyway, thanks for the kind words for Jericho.
Comment by N2N2 — July 17, 2008 @ 12:22 am
wtf, you’re getting Jericho spam.
And you know my opinion on DLM. To talk in your language: Best. Show. Ever.
Comment by Levi — July 17, 2008 @ 9:13 pm
I was going to come in and suggest Babylon 5, but I see I’m too late. Great series though.
Comment by John S. — July 20, 2008 @ 6:05 pm