Axiom's Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy

By John J. Joex

Now that the double-naught decade has ended, you’ve seen plenty of those “best of” lists covering TV shows, movies, books, etc. that came out over past ten years.  But now it’s time for the definitive list of the best Science Fiction and Fantasy shows from the beginning of the 21st century.  This past decade counts in my opinion as the second Golden Age of the genre on television (the first coming in the 60’s) because of the selection and quality of shows available on broadcast networks and on the cable channels.  Following is Part 1 of my list of the Top 10 (in reverse order) along with a first alternate because one of these shows kicked off in 1999, but actually aired most of its episodes in the 00’s.  And watch in the coming weeks as I provide a full series profile for each of these shows.  (Links are to the series page for each entry at TV.com)

1st Alt. Jericho – This post-apocalyptic series gave us an intense, character-driven tale focusing on a small town in Kansas after a nuclear attack has brought the United States to its knees.  At first it teased us with questions about who started the attack, then it turned its attention to how the nation would rebuild itself.  CBS lost faith in the show after its ratings declined (they have had little patience with Science Fiction and Fantasy shows over the past decade) and cancelled it (twice).  The story couldn’t die, though, and lives on in comics these days.  (DVD Availability: Entire Series)

10. Moonlight – One of the better vampire entries on television of late, this one gave us an interesting twist on the sub-genre with a sexy, sleek look to it.  But it also had well-developed characters and started to expand on its mythology just as CBS put a stake in it after a shortened one season run (despite a nation-wide blood drive organized to show support for the show).  (DVD Availability: Entire Series)

9. Pushing Daisies – This whimsical show from the ever-imaginative Bryan Fuller about a man who could bring people back from the dead for sixty seconds brought a dark, adult fairy-tale to Prime Time and gave us one of the most original concepts to make it to the broadcast networks.  Unfortunately it proved too far-out for network television and ABC gave it the axe after two shortened seasons.  Fuller promises to wrap up the storylines in a future graphic novel, though.  (DVD Availability: Entire Series)

8. Jeremiah – Often over-looked, this post-apocalyptic series showed us the world after all the adults had died from a plague and the children they left behind (and who had now reached maturity) started to piece things back together.  Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski brought the series to Showtime and wrote many of the episodes.  And while it did stumble at times, especially during its second season, it still gave us an engaging show that at times approached the quality of B5.  Unfortunately, Showtime axed it after its second season, though Straczynski did manage to provide a conclusion of sorts.  (DVD Availability: Season 1 only.  Season 2 available for online viewing through Netflix.)

7. Eureka – This series about a small town in the Pacific Northwest populated by some of the world’s most brilliant scientists, who manage to regularly cause headaches for the local sheriff, caught audiences by surprise when it debuted in 2006 and it succeeded in making Science Fiction fun again.  Its first two season were its best and it has become somewhat repetitive in subsequent years, but it still manages to deliver some light-hearted fun along with a nice helping of techno-babble. (DVD Availability: Entire Series through prior season)

6. Doctor Who – The infamous Timelord returned to series television in 2004 and the show had something it never enjoyed during its first 25 year run: a budget.  This allowed the writers to take their whimsical ideas to the next level and deliver some fairly raucous (and at times absurd) Science Fiction stories (including a battle against millions of Daleks).  Some may have trouble digesting this very British series, but I felt like it was the perfect 21st century continuation for the beloved character.  (DVD Availability: Entire Series through prior season)

Jericho, Pushing Daisies, and Eureka are available for online viewing.  See out Sci Fi TV Online page for more info.

Next: The Top 5