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| These lists are always fun to put together, but I'll just go ahead and point out the title first... these are my Favorites. I don't claim they are the best, in any respect... not writing, not cinematography, not plot sequencing, not characterization, not special effects... they're just my favorite Science Fictions.
Criteria
I define "Science Fiction" as hearkening back to Shelley (The Female). In any sense, a Science Fiction series must be centered around Technology... and at some point, that Technology goes Wrong. Though there are some grey areas around the edges of the genre, which frankly make it more interesting, I do say a show must have something other than modern-Earth era technology to make it a Science Fiction show. For the purposes of this list, that is going to disqualify a number of the "Drug Content" works that spiral out of Philip K. Dick and Harlan Ellison stories, and also the "Magic and Magical Realism" effects that pervaded the 90s, and are still popular (Buffy, Lost Girl, Sanctuary, etc.). I have also chosen to omit any and all Star Trek series. Frankly, they're too much of a thing to even bother analyzing, lest we offend all Trekkies everywhere.
Oh, and why 18, you ask? Well 17 is my favorite number, and this is one more.
So there.
Without further ado, onto the List!
18. Primeval
Primeval is the first of a few BBC gems on this list, and it is a cross between a Dinosaur Show and a Monster-of-the-Week thriller. The merry gang is in charge of locating and containing monsters that slip through Rifts in time to the modern era... this including the show's namesake and logo-inspiring Dinosaurs, as well as future monsters that are sure to startle Ms. Weaver. If this show has one downside, it is killing off key cast members, and feel free to stop watching when 50% of the original cast has been decimated. Thankfully, the ever lovely Hannah Spearitt has so far escaped unmunched. Well, at least not by a dinosaur.
17. Andromeda
Marketed, and largely successful, due to the use of the Roddenberry name, this shows stems from some sketches posthumously found in that writer's den. Most avid Trekkies suggest that what became Andromeda were actually early sketches for Star Trek : Voyager. Regardless of the inspiration, Andromeda stands well on its own as a show with a lot of potential, and a number of interesting trends. This one falls between a "Political Problem of the Week... with a Fight on the Side" and a more typical "Space Exploration Show", but it does both genres more than adequately. The colour of the universe does seem a bit off at times, as things happen with no explanation other than "There is no explanation", which is just shoddy writing. Still, I enjoyed Andromeda, and it does feature the sexiest ship in Science Fiction.
16. Tripping the Rift
Ah, Canadians. And Canadian Comics. The first comedy show to appear on this list, Tripping the Rift is unapologetically just out for laughs, and often of the cheapest kind. Proving that no genre is too elite for flatulence jokes, boobsy females, and ultraviolence of the type that would make a certain Alex grimace, Tripping the Rift goes for broke every episode. The bad guys? Evil clowns. The Good Guys? A perverted tentecle monster, his sex robot with a feminist complex, the ugliest character ever drawn as a pilot, and a gay robot housekeeper. Shenanigans abound. A lot of people have an issue with Tripping the Rift because the animation is very odd, almost hard to look at, at least the first few times. Still, give it a couple episodes, and you're sure to find some laughs. Did I mention there are evil clowns?
15. Shangri-La
For starters, yes I have read Lost Horizon. No, this is not Hilton. Frankly, I'm pretty certain the writers of this show have never read Hilton, and that's okay. Shangri-La is a neo-political post-apocalyptic look at the Miyazaki Heroine gone rogue, and winning a lot less with kindness and a lot more with a giant boomerang. There's missiles, killer tank plants, a ruined (and still running) Akihabara, and a conspiracy wrapped in an enigma, surrounded by mystery and shrouded in secrecy. Well, and it is anime, so there's some fanservice too. Shangri-La inspects everything from the human natural instinct to select companionship by proximity, the tendency of societies to become complacent merely by strong (not "good") leadership, and the allure of the occult on the minds of the able and the bored. This one has a few points that got a bit too gory for me, but overall, it is a show that requires one to take a few breaths after watching, and walk away from the television for awhile. Startling to the say the least, possibly prescient to say the most, Shangri-La is very believable... and quite scarily so.
14. Babylon 5
B5 is one of the best examples of writing I've ever seen... the writers sat down and plotted out five full seasons before they filmed anything, and it shows. It also showcases some stellar acting performances, including one of the creepiest sometimes-villains in the history of television, Walter Koenig's Bester. The whole concept of a "A War in Space" is probably best shown in this show, and we really do follow a war. There is no ragtag band of misfits, and there is no inferior species victory. What Babylon 5 does so well, that so many other shows just cannot, is interweave plotlines without ever creating disbelief in the viewer. We really could see a war in space playing out as this one did, and we'd believe it. There's no magical win button, a la The Last Starfighter, nor is there a miracle cure to be found for any problems, a la Star Trek. Different species disagree, and that take that grievance to their graves (quite often). I think one of the easy detractions from B5 is one of its greatest strengths, and that is the lack of "Feel Good" moments to the show. We are quite often left with a half dozen episodes in a row where the cast has no real triumphs. Again though, I will point to the cast as the best reason to watch. Jerry Doyle, Stephen Furst, Andreas Katsulas, and Peter Jurasik are all outstanding, and we love rascals Jason Carter and Richard Biggs even with their difficulties.
13. Farscape
Claudia Black is pretty. Really, really pretty. Oh, talk about the show? Well there are some aliens, and a living ship, and an astronaut from Earth with some buff arms. And Claudia Black, who is REALLY pretty. The genius of Farscape lies in the genre blending. While some shows are comedies, with the occasional serious moment, and some shows are dramas, with the occasional comedic moment, Farscape walks the line so tightly it defies description. You can watch three seasons of this show and not know what to expect when you start the next episode. Its strong points include an out-of-control military society known as the Peacekeepers, an intelligent plant and excommunicated frog king as cast members, and a bevy of references to classic cinema thrown amidst a rough and tumble galaxy quest, all with the oldest of storylines... the journey home. In reality, I have a hard time not seeing that old blind Greek weaving his story of 21 years on the Mediterranean every time I watch this one, but that could just be the classic literary background talking. Some people complain about Farscape failing to meet it's potential, but I would counter that they are trying to holistically analyze a show that is strongest on an episode-by-episode basis. Pop some corn, crack a soda, and watch the 45 minute block. Just the one. ANY one. All on its own, it's good.
12. Cowboy Bebop
For starters, Cowboy Bebop showcases the single best soundtrack of any television show, ever. That may not be the largest praise a show can hear, but it is something worth noting. After the amazing score, Bebop delivers an action-centric show about space bounty hunters, set in a future where Earth is the trash planet of the universe, the cold moons of Jupiter play host to male-only mining colonies, and sinful luxury liners house delicious debauchery for those who can pay. Our crew of gold-and-jazz loving space goers falls somewhere between your typical pirate scalawag crew, and your more prototypical Star Trek bridge crew. An eccentric hacker, a former cop, a genius dog, a free loving gypsy woman, and of course the hero with the dark past. If there is any detraction from Bebop, it is that you basically have a 5 episode show that stretches out for 24 episodes. The other 19 episodes aren't bad, persay, but they also aren't amazingly good, nor are they necessary to the storytelling. Just some typical, by-the-week bounty hunts, more in the psycho-of-the-week format you'd expect from Showtime than anything that makes sense in the genre. Still, Bebop is an exceptional show, and does deserve some props for being the single largest reason behind the anime explosion in the United States. Before Adult Swim picked this one up, anime in the United States was a few little girls and loliperverts watching Sailor Moon, and some nostalgic old-timers claiming Speed Racer was a good show. After? Anime is a billion+ dollar industry, rapidly growing, and showing no signs of slowing down.
11. Stargate SG-1
No one really knew what to expect from a show that tapped Macguyver to head up a Space Exploration show based on a Kurt Russel film that was only a mediocre box office success. Now, Stargate is a nine digit multimedia francise, with multiple profitable spinoffs, merchandising options out the window, and a series of stars that have taken success to other platforms, and done spectacularly. For me personally, the greatness of Stargate is the Space Exploration show blended with all the themes a Science Fiction show can tackle. Forbidden and lost love, duty versus conscience, technology and evolution, gods and demons, and most importantly, the diabolical machinations of the very human minds that make up our world. On an episode-by-episode basis, Stargate is very easy to watch. There is nothing too unusual or striking in the world construction, and the characters are forward and fan-friendly. Almost everything gets resolved in the 45 minute arc, and we are happily left to ooh and ahh until next week, when the SG-1 team does it all over again. The biggest detraction from this show may be that its original plotlines and multi-episode story-arcs are some of the weakest parts of the show. When the writers are drawing from established mythos, or redoing popular science fiction conceits (hello, body-switching episode), the show is fabulous. When they are orchestrating an original scene or series, the believability of the show drops off as the writers tend to feel the need to explain everything to the audience three or four times, thus killing the necessary pacing. Still, I quite enjoyed SG-1, at least the first five or so seasons.
10. Red Dwarf
It's cold outside, there's no kind of atmosphere, I'm all alone, more or less!
Goldfish shoals, nibbling at my toes, fun, fun fun! In the sun, sun, sun!
Nah, that didn't make sense to me either. Still, it is catchy, addictive, and you find yourself repeating the lines three weeks later, with a giant grin, to a group of friends nodding politely and trying to find a way to change the topic of conversation. Really, that's what we have with Red Dwarf. Niche comedy, strange humour, absolutely unbelievable stories, and a "Well you really had to have been there" type of show. Those who sit there and watch Red Dwarf find it absolutely hilarious. Those who catch bits and pieces of episodes from the other room, or read the synopsis and judge from that, can't believe the rest of us spend our time with this show. Red Dwarf is about a couple of fellows on a mining vessel that headed out to space. Then most everybody got disintegrated, and the ship kept flying. For a million years or so. When the main character emerges from cold stasis, that's what we've got... a ship, a million years in the who-knows-where of the galaxy, and one human left alive. Thankfully he'll need some friends, so the kind computer conjures up a hologram to keep him company... his most hated companion from the days of old, of course. Add in a smooth-talking, snazzy-dressing, jazz-loving organism that evolved from a cat left onboard the ship, and a robot that is just too nice and too smart for his own good, and you have Red Dwarf. Well, that's the first episode. You can stop this one after about episode 36, which is the end of season six (remind me why the British can't make more than six episodes of a show in a year?), but until then, enjoy the ride. The crew of the ship certainly doesn't, and there's more than enough schadenfreude to go around. Mixed with some good old slapstick, terrible puns, and strange aliens, of course.
9. GITS : Stand Alone Complex
Ghost In the Shell, or GITS, is one of two things that make up the genre "Cyberpunk". The other is Neuromancer, by William Gibson. I highly recommend both. There's a lot of problems with Cyberpunk as a genre, and most who attempt it fail miserably (I certainly did, in one of the very first shorts I ever authored). GITS succeeds, and has been wildly successful in all markets it has reached. GITS puts a team of special government agents on the trail of cyber criminals, who often make a very real impact on the world not populated entirely by 1s and 0s. Stand Alone Complex is the season where the overarcing storyline is about the chase for a cyberterrorist known as the Laughing Man... if only it were just so simple. Wrapped up in the mix are cyborgs, government agents with their own agendas, robots rapidly gaining autonomous intelligence, a mixture of civilian and military priorities, and Kusanagi Motoko, the most badass woman to ever be pixellated. Conspiracy is the name of the game, and every plot has a twist or seven. This is one of the few shows that even experts have a hard time predicting, and yet it still does a fantastic job of staying believable. Stand Alone Complex features everything from boxing to babies, and never loses the pace of a show with a multi-mile range sniper as a minor team member. The only question about GITS is that the show is not instantly accessible to a large audience portion is... if you don't know what an IP address is, this one may be hard to watch. Still, well worth it, and certainly a prescient show. We'll be seeing many more attempts at this sort of series in the future, and we'll have to see if any measure up to the high standard of Ghost in the Shell, Stand Alone Complex.
8. The X-Files
How does one summate the X-Files? Well, there's weird stuff. It happens. But maybe not. And maybe there's an explanation for it all. A good, scientific, explanation. But maybe not. Oh yea, and it may all be a conspiracy, or we may all be dreaming. But maybe not. X-Files doesn't fit cleanly into any box. Crazy things happen every episode, but sometimes they are explained away, and sometimes they aren't. Sometimes the good guys win, and sometimes the bad guys get away. Sometimes there are no bad guys, and often, there are no good guys. Do we trust our government? Do we trust our partners? Do we even trust our own eyes? The best part of the X-Files is the lunchtime debates it spawns, because the show asks so many questions, and answers so few. X-Files also showcases the best sexual tension written since Dai-Yu and Bao-Yu failed to hook up about 500 years ago. This show does die terribly when David Duchovney leaves... but hey, if I had Tea Leoni at home, I'd leave too.
7. Neon Genesis : Evangelion
NGE is generation-defining the anime genre, and had no small impact upon the larger genre of Science Fiction. This may be the first show to thread together conspiracy, psychological, metaphysical, and teenage elements into a show with giant robots. And truth be told, the only thing that detracts have on Evangelion is to say "Hey, that's a show with giant robots, how stupid is that." That's a bit like saying "Mozart wrote a concerto for an Oboe. HAH. AN OBOE? Can you believe that guy? Forget it." NGE is where a lot of anime fans say "Okay, I was hooked. Before, I liked anime. After, I'm a fan." The show has spawned countless spinoffs and imitations, as well as a merchandising campaign that estimates well over the 100 million dollar mark. Did we mention that it was also one of the few anime actually written directly for the screen, instead of first being a book? NGE makes almost all who watch it question at least something in their own life, and that's the kind of transcendence you don't get from many works... heck, I didn't get it from Milton. It is a bit hard to tell where the show about teenage love and giant robots leaves off, and the psychological thriller and social statement kicks in, but that may be what is best about NGE... we can think and think and think about it, and we still have to kick back and watch it again. I suggest watching the 24 original episodes, skipping 25 and 26, and watching the End of Evangelion movie.
6. Dr. Who
The best thing to come out of Britain since Kate Winslet... wait, Dr. Who is way older than the Lady Kate. Okay, the best thing to come out of Britain since Monty Python... wait, Dr. Who was before that too, you say? Father Tom? As Time Goes By? Black Adder? WHEN DID THIS THING START? Truth be told, Dr. Who dates back to the 50s, and you are welcome to read Cold War all over those early episodes, but this show really kicked back with a passion in the 2000's revival. Dr. Who is going strong on several continents at the moment, and still manages to ignite those same awe-struck faces in its viewers that the original series did so many years ago. What you have is a time-traveler, a lonely universe, a non-violent method of problem solving, a seasonal companion in the form of a very pretty lady, and oh yes, a lot of running. A lot of first time viewers see Dr. Who as a horror show... somebody gets chopped, diced, munched, sliced, or disemboweled in the first few minutes (often with a very well-lunged scream and a camera close-up of the poor deceased's face), and then we roll title credits. 50 minutes later, Dr. Who has saved the day, defeated the big bad through the power of friendship and science and crafty punning, and we're off to unknown galaxies until next week. There is that, we can't deny, but there is an incredible variety to the show, as well as an unapologetic lack of happy endings. This is the Odyssey, only Ithaca has sunk beneath the waves, and Ulysses knows it. This is Robin Hood, only all the peasants are dead and there is no one left but John, and John is King. This is Pompeii, from the Oracle's point of view, and Washington DC, from the clerk's view. And aside from all that, the show is just plain FUN. You'd be hard pressed to find a person who doesn't enjoy an episode or two of Dr. Who, and it is one of the science fiction fan's champion banner shows... it stands up and goes "See, this stuff is for everyone! Okay, maybe you won't all collect the TARDIS cookie jar, but watch! Enjoy! All of Britain does, and you can too!"
5. FLCL
FLCL, Furi Kuri, Fooly Cooly, "That show where the robots beat up things with guitars", and any number of other names, is the apex of crazy experimental anime. The basic theory here says "Well, if it isn't awesome, we'll cut it out", and then they went and ran with that concept. That's not a unique idea, but FLCL may be the only time it has ever worked out. This show caps at just six episodes, and has a total runtime right under two hours. Still, there's so much happening that you can watch it a couple dozen times and still pick up new things on each viewing. And really, that may be what I like most about FLCL... it is just fun to watch, and fun to watch over and over and over. I'm not one of those people who rewatches movies, or keeps shows on tivo for months to view again and again. And when I find I run into FLCL on television, I'll almost always stop for at least 10 minutes, even though I've seen the thing a dozen times. Characterization is greater than plotline in this one, but what you have of plot is a series of supernatural, space-pirate inspired events caused by a faceless megacorporation and their evil plot to brainwash all species, everywhere, tied in with the subtle story of growing up and admitting it, along with the first love and first heartbreak. FLCL is the pinnacle of things happening... almost every frame has four or five different jokes, and all levels of comedy are well represented. Even the trailers at the end of each episode are well-done, as well as the completely unique soundtrack from sensation Jpop band "The Pillows". There are as many lovers of FLCL as there are people who have seen the show... and really, almost each fan has a unique reason why they love it. If that isn't a great show, I don't know what is.
4. Futurama
Remember how I said at the top this will be a list of my favorite shows, and not a list of the best shows? Well here is Futurama, clocking in at number 4. Groenig will always make more money off The Simpsons, but Futurama is the far superior show, and the tops of comedic Science Fiction. A pizza delivery boy from the year 2000, frustrated with his blase life with no future, ends up frozen in stasis until the year 3000, where he is woken up, released, and assigned a career. As a delivery boy. There's a lobster doctor who doesn't understand human anatomy, a mad scientist well into his dotage, and the series's favorite character, a thieving, lying, cheating, lazy robot made exclusively for the purposes of bending things. On a per-episode basis, Futurama is an easy watch, and quite funny, as well as having decent rewatch value. On a larger series basis, we see years and years of work and almost no low quality episodes. There's something funny every week, and a large number of funny things that are repeated, to the point where they are funny again, and then dealt away before they grow stale. Futurama has never taken the easy way out and underdone an episode... the parody episodes are fleshed and funny, the action episodes are fully drawn and animated throughout, and the original episodes function well on both storyline and comedic levels. All together, you have a show that has been funny for many years, and will be funny for many years to come. Well, if it doesn't get cancelled. Again.
3. Kokaku no Regios
A dystopic post-apocalyptic world populated by giant filth monsters, mobile cities propelled by fairie power, fighting forces designed to gain resource control and defend against beast attacks, and controlling governments with their own agendas, not to mention parallel dimensions sending search parties out looking for who-knows-what, and not caring who they hurt in the process... that's Kokaku no Regios. At least, that is part of Kokaku no Regios, we're just scratching the surface of this one. If I had to pick a favorite anime, I'd be hard pressed to choose between this one and Lupin III. Honestly, if this one ever gets renewed, as it should, it will easily become my favorite. There's so much to love about Regios, and so much potential to the show. If anything, the complaint with the show is that the measly 24 episode run doesn't come close to satisfying the fan's need for Regios. We want more Alsheyra, more Felli, more big bugs, more bounty hunters, more redheads in medieval peasant skirts, and definitely more Layfon Alseif. This show ends and we don't even know who our main character's primary love interest is. There are dozens of interesting characters that don't even get named! So what's the ultimate takeaway from Regios? Well, it's the fastest 24 episodes you will ever watch, and then you can join the rest of us in screaming for another 24. Or 48. Or 200.
2. Firefly
Really, the only complaint people have with Firefly is that there isn't any more Firefly. And that's a pretty good place for a show to be. This is oft-referenced as the worst cancellation in television history, and given the cult following and the tens of millions of dollars of dvd sales, the fans may be right. Often referred to as "Cowboys and Indians in Space", there's a lot to this, and really the fifteen episodes we have just barely scratch the surface. Whedon struck gold with the script, the styling, the casting, and his tendency to place quick quips on all his characters makes Firefly simply immortal. I really believe this is a show we'll be talking about a hundred years from now, and I give it less than a decade before we see a reboot of this series in some form or another. Whether or not they can resign Whedon may be a dealbreaker, but any Firefly reboot would instantly attract a massive fanbase, and it will be tried. My favorite part of this series are the women. There's a kickass ex-military tender-loving wife, a hooker with an empowerment complex, an insane dancer with a massive intellect, and Jewel Staite as everyone's favorite innocent-yet-perverted mechanic. It is hard not to love Firefly, but I will also point to the first episode as something entirely different altogether, and that is one of the top 5 greatest single episodes of television ever shown. I may have to put together a list of those next...
1. Eureka
Science Fiction is, at its core, about Technology-Gone-Awry. And nothing does that better than Eureka. A very friendly show, easily watchable, but quite unique in its execution, Eureka is one of the most charming worlds ever created, and something I enjoyed every week for years. The only downside to this show was the eventual exit of the absolutely gorgeous Ed Quinn, who made ladies swoon and men jealous, and was one of the best villainous good guys ever to grace the screen. Still, Eureka has found plenty of antagonists since then, and the rest of the cast has fleshed out to somewhat cover the gaping hole he left in the show. I love Eureka, and so has everyone I have shared the show with. Eureka is about a small town in the Pacific Northwest filled with genius scientists with unlimited budgets to just invent whatever comes to their fancy, and the ex-US Marshal who is tasked with keeping them from blowing up themselves... and possibly the world. Throw in a rebellious teenage daughter, a passive aggressive AI house, a trigger happy deputy, and dash of conspiracy, and more explosions than you'd think a television show can budget, and you have Eureka. It touches physics, biology, astronomy, psychology, and the hearts of all who take the time to explore this dangerous little slice of paradise. There may not be a soul alive who wouldn't benefit from watching some Eureka, and I can't help smiling every time I watch it myself.
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| Bayern is in the Final, and the Final is in the Allianz.
Munich, Munich, Munich!
I predict Robben, Gomez, and Ribery all with goals in the Final, and Bayern a 4-1 victor over Chelsea. Drogba is a beast, he'll get one in.
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| As much as we are a movie-culture, as a writer, I have to say I find the best stories in television. Don't get me wrong, the silver screen is nice (if you can ignore the sticky floor, the hormonal teenagers, the rate at which your wallet is emptying, and the fact that "Killer Slime Monster 17" is playing on nine screens, and Dusten Hoffman's new movie is only one one). But television series have the one thing a movie can't offer, and it is something that writers find incredibly sexy... the space to tell a story.
There is something to be said for the 1 hour 45 minute flick. Truth be told, a vast number of novels, and tv-shows, are overwritten and could use as much pruning as our annually-abandoned perennials. But sometimes, we run across a show that makes use of all its space to tell a story, and still leaves us wanting more. Fawlty Towers ended at 12 episodes, and could easily have been renewed for another 12 years if the notoroius Python had been so inclined. Firefly, the largest cult-following show to come out of the 2000's, ran 12 live episodes, and 3 more DVD-only ones, and I can easily found a few hundred places on the internet devoted solely to bringing about its revival. Well, there are few hundred places that want to bring back The Facts of Life, so perhaps that isn't a good example... but truth be told, I admire the television medium because it allows for writers to develop characters, and then let them change. That is a one-trick pony in a movie. We establish a protagonist, we have a major change in that character, and then we roll credits. Don't get me wrong, that is sometimes considered storytelling at its most elegant... when I teach the concept, that's some of the very first instruction I give to beginners. But those deep stories, that span years of television, where our starting cast is similar to the ending cast only in actor names... those are the stories I cherish the most.
And that brings us to Sherlock, BBC's top rated drama about well... the only Sherlock worth mentioning. Conan Doyle's character is brought to life by a Bernard Britishsomethingorother, and he is fantastic. Watson is portrayed by Martin Freeman, whom US audiences may know as Arthur Dent in the movie version of Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or as a perennial cameo on Simon Pegg and Nick Frost productions (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz). I'll get the obvious out of the way first. Both actors are stunning. I am a giant fan of Downy Jr's portrayal of Holmes in the first movie, and while I haven't as yet seen the second, I expect great things. Judd Law as Watson was also terrific, and my biggest concern going into Sherlock : BBC was that the characters could not live up to my rather high expectations comes from those two actors.
I was wrong.
The BBC's Holmes and Watson very quickly surpass the Guy Watson film version, and the bar was set rather high. Though the BBCers are expected to have a little bit of a leg up because their accents are genuine (and therefore not accents, but I digress), we wouldn't expect a TV budge to compete with a Big 6 studio, in casting or in creation.
Again, I am very happy to have my expectations proved incorrect.
In the actual characterization, Holmes is more akin to Hugh Laurie's early seasons as Gregory House than the Robert Downy Jr. character, and Freeman's Watson resonates more like a the more famous Freeman's portrayal of Lucius Fox than as a neighbor to other famous Watsons of the past. Both characters are more proactive than their early portrayals, in what we consider the "Classic" Holmes and Watson, but the show is also noticeably less action-oriented than its Warner Brothers counterpart. What we come together with is some Marx-level repartee combined with Hitchcockian suspense and thrice-folded mystery plot structure, a la The Sting... or more recently, Leverage. That's quite a remarkable pedigree, and I have no compunction about putting the BBC's Sherlock in league with those legendary names. This is a show, that if it wishes, and its busy cast can find time, could tack on a dozen years with no problems.
Before I conclude, I must mention that the most probable genius behind the series is Mark Gatiss, who both acts and writes. BBCophiles will know him as a writer for Doctor Who, and while we see that obvious influence, it seems he is coming into his own with his work on Sherlock. His character, the seldom portrayed Mycroft Holmes, pieces the show together as good glue characters should, and moves plot along as good transition characters should, but most importantly adds an extra element of attitude to the show that keeps the Sherlock character from dominating every scene, as has been the downfalls of Sherlocks past. Perhaps more importantly, if we speculate to the future, the Mycroft portrayal also lends us a waft of conspiracy like the Smoking Man did for the X-Files for so many years. There is much to be had here, and only time to see it all play out.
The current IMDB page has Sherlock rated at 9.1/10. If this show is only 9.1 out of 10, I'm not sure how a show could possibly earn those last percentage points. Make a point to pick this up. It is worth every minute. Yes, of course, there are bits that don't quite fit, the occasional overdramatic villain, and some awfully convenient coincidences. But its television. There is also a large amount of space, and we're just scratching the surface of Sherlock's potential.
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| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2rNQsHol7w&feature=related
That was neat enough I had to share it. Very cute!
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| Sometimes I wonder if my whole life will be my Three Years on a Rock.
Still, happy new years. Would like to celebrate with somebody... seems like a good time for stargazing or trinket shopping or walking beneath trees.
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