TV-Series Reviews

[Lunarion]

Post your TV-Series Reviews in this thread.

Please keep it spoiler free.

If wanting to talk about the ending\spoilers etc.
Please use the Spoiler code Tag box.

 

[Lunarion]

Eureka (2006–2012) 1080p

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796264/

Storyline:
A U.S. Marshall becomes the sheriff of a remote cozy little Northwestern town of Eureka where the best minds in the US have secretly been tucked away to build futuristic inventions for the government which often go disastrously wrong.

Rating 10\10.
A highly recommended series for Kids and Adults alike.
5 Great Seasons.

 

[Lunarion]

Seaquest DSV (1993-1995) 1080p

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106126/

In the early 21st century, mankind has colonized the oceans. The United Earth Oceans Organization enlists Captain Nathan Bridger and the submarine seaQuest DSV to keep the peace and explore the last frontier on Earth.

A Classic Series That Still Holds Up Well.
3 good seasons it's one of a kind rating 10\10.

 

[Lunarion]

Mysterious Ways (2000-2002)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0247119/

Declan Dunn is an anthropology professor who believes in miracles and other wonders. When he hears of a miraculous thing he goes out to find out if it's an actual miracle. Peggy Fowler is his friend, a psychiatrist who tries to make sure he's grounded.

2 Seasons very good series.
Sadly not out in 720p or better.
Only out in xvid dvdrip quality 480p to my knowledge.

 

[Lunarion]

Legend.of.the.Seeker.2008-2010.1080p

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844653/

2 Excellent Season this series is unique one of a kind rating 10\10 Highly recommended.

 

[Merlin]

Malcolm In The Middle
TV Series 2000–2006 TV-PG

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212671/

Pilot episode posted here:

https://merlinwz.com/index.php?threads/malcolm-in-the-middle-s01e01-pilot-1080p-dsnp-web-dl-ddp5-1-h-264-flux.2928864/

We watched this show when it first aired. Never missed an episode. 10/10

 

[Lunarion]

Mega Top Quality Successes Series most have probably seen if not better give them a go if this Category is of interests.

Game of Thrones (2011–2019) 1080p

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/

The Expanse (2015–2022 ) 1080p

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3230854/

 

[carl.d]

Babylon 5 (1993 - 1998)

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0105946/episodes/?season=1

Always a sci-fi fan so I hooked into Babylon 5 as soon as it began in the early 90s. Immediately I was interested in how it was both darker and DEEPER than Star Trek TNG. And I was intrigued how many of Season 1's episodes were planting the "seeds" of a huge mystery that I sensed was not going to be resolved soon or easily.

Then in Season 2, the seeds started to blossom. Wow, was I hooked! Every week I wanted to see what more the main characters discovered and how each of them were changing as people from what they were learning. Yes -- true character evolution! (The character Londo's evolution, by Season 5, is almost Shakespearean in scope and depth).

For new viewers, I have the following advice: (1) this was the 1st TV show to use CGI for all of its space effects -- no models -- so cut it some slack 'cause the software was nascent back then; (2) Season 1 is rocky with both wooden acting and over-the-top acting I found distracting, and uneven story-telling but LOTS of info you need to appreciate the following seasons. Hang in there because things go into high gear in Season 2 and then Season 3 blows the roof off. It is no wonder how most sci-fi TV today utilizes the serialized story-telling Babylon 5 pioneered. It is effective!

One last piece of advice: I've seen suggestions to watch the pilot movie "The Gathering" and the prequel movie "In the Beginning" before starting Season 1. My recommendation is (1) don't bother with The Gathering (it only offers a little toward the main story while lacking character continuity with the series) and (2) DO NOT watch In the Beginning until the end of Season 4 -- it is a huge spoiler for several Season 1 through 3 story lines.

How to watch Babylon 5 in chronological order

• In The Beginning* (film, year: 2245-48)
• Babylon 5: The Gathering (year 2257)
• Babylon 5: Seasons 1-4 (year: 2258-61)
• Thirdspace (film, year: 2261)
• Babylon 5: Season 5 (year: 2262)
• The River of Souls (film, year: 2263)
• The Legend of the Rangers (film, year: 2265)

 

[Lunarion]

great post Carl good list
Babylon 5 (1993 - 1998)
an epic masterpiece from J. Michael Straczynski AKA JMS quality from start to finish particularity when it was made.
it still hold up well was lucky got the Amazon 1080p copy's around 2021 and watched it start to finish around that time
1080p Blu-ray has recently come out as well.

here is a small change to the watch order
In The Beginning* (film, year: 2245-48) should not be watched first save that to after The Legend of the Rangers (film, year: 2265)
otherwise it will give spoilers and ruin the mystery of the original series some events take place in 2245-48 but is told from an emperor in the year 2278 so will be severe spoilers and ruin the mystery and build up and also shows characters we are not yet familiar with.
particularly important to first time viewers.

also missing from the list is

Babylon.5.The.Lost.Tales.2007.720p (this got 2 story's Story 1 Elizabeth Lochley is Commander of B5 an could be watched before legend of the rangers Story 2 with Sheridan that story i seem to remember took place after Crusade season 1 as more spoilers\conclusion to the events that took place in Call To Arms and the crusade series)

Babylon.5.A.Call.To.Arms.1999 a superb film and pilot to the
Babylon 5 Crusade Season 1 series sadly due to severe problems with the network interfering and JMS the series creator did not get along this went badly with severe script story problems due to studio demanding changes and JMS refused and changed what he had to only to get the series out and series canceled before it actually finished the story. for example the Studio refused to use the film as pilot episode as originally intended so JMS made a new pilot episode and studio did not like that either and a 3rd pilot episode was made so
for a series that just ran for 13 episodes 2 of those episodes are pilot episodes despite we had a pilot movie. that was perfect
personally i liked the series despite the problems be warned if you watch it you will notice severe problems like one episode they got a shield and next episode they don't know what they are dealing with at all then they discover how to make the shield then they discover what it is info they needed before figuring how to make the shield and to actually have the shield and use it.
then they suddenly wear new uniforms then back to old outfits then episode when they make a big deal out of having to get new uniforms then back to the old ones again etc.

then there was a new anime film dealing with some time jumps and alternate realities etc flashback to the original series and events
that did happen and did not happen.....Elizabeth Lochley is Commander of B5 when this movie main story timeline takes place.
Babylon.5.The.Road.Home.2023.1080p.BluRay.x264-REFRACTiON

here is the complete list contains spoilers only missing from this timeline is Babylon.5.The.Road.Home.2023

Spoiler: Spoiler timeline events

Babylon 5 TV seasons and films 1993–2007

In order of series chronology:
2245–48 • In the Beginning (1st film)*
2256 • Babylon 5 station commissioned
2257 • The Gathering (Pilot)
2258 • Signs and Portents (Season 1)
2259 • The Coming of Shadows (Season 2)
2260 • Point of No Return (Season 3)
2261 • No Surrender, No Retreat (Season 4)**
2261 • Thirdspace (2nd film)***
2262 • The Wheel of Fire (Season 5)†
2263 • The River of Souls (3rd film)
2265 • The Legend of the Rangers (5th film)
2266 • A Call to Arms (4th film)
2267 • Crusade (spin-off series)
2271 • The Lost Tales: Voices in the Dark
2278 • In the Beginning (1st film)*
2281 • Babylon 5 station decommissioned

* The framing story is set in 2278, and includes spoilers relating to seasons 1–4.
** The final episode of the season includes scenes of future events up to 3262 and beyond.
*** The story is set between the two wars in season 4.
† The final episode of series is set in 2281.

 

[Merlin]

We watched some of season 1 but the show was disappointing for us. This was the time when several StarTrek iterations were on air. STOS, STTAS, STNG, STDS9, STE, STV not to mention the Movies or Roddenberry’s Earth, The Final Conflict. Babylon5 was a contender but paled in comparison to the StarTrek Universe. I May have to reconsider B5 after these reviews. Thanks to both of you Carl and Lunarion.

 

[Lunarion]

when Babylon 5 started around 1993 and i watched it for the first time
yes it started a little slow with Sinclair the Diplomatic Commander and the Gathering movie\pilot episode
but it was also laying a good foundation when we got to season 2 and Sheridan Arrives it changes into an action show.
i did appreciate season 1 a lot more on the second watch years later.

Star.Trek.Deep.Space.Nine (1993–1999) STDS9
was a very good show i only saw this years later for the first time around 2020 good old dvd xvid rips
as it's not out in 1080 at least not last time i checked.
this was the show that was Babylon 5 main competition at the time
benefited from a know universe vs Babylon 5 had to start from scratch thanks to the
success of Deep.Space.Nine Cable Network WB who green lighted Babylon 5 was desperate for a success and gave JMS
the budget and go ahead to do what he wanted with Babylon 5 for the 5 intended seasons without interference
hence why it became great vs Crusade that had problems from day 1 on the set.

Star.Trek.Enterprise.S01-04.1080p.BluRay (STE)
was ok back in the day.

Star Trek The Next Generation (TNG)
watched maybe 40 episodes on tv back in the day but never liked the series so called it quits on this.
to me Babylon 5 was superior in every way.

Andromeda (2000-2005) if they had made some changes this would have been great
but sadly the way it was never went anywhere. would have liked to put this on my good Sci-fi list but sadly i can not
however i am glad to have seen it start to finish.
for 2000-2005 not too bad of a series.

Earth: Final Conflict
i have not seen or known about.
added it to my collection and may give it try one day...

 

[Lunarion]

Fringe (2008–2013) 1080p

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1119644/

Modern X-Files and a very unique series one of the best ones out there.

 

[Lunarion]

Dark Matter (2015-2017) 1080p

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4159076/

one of my modern Sci-fi Favorites
sadly series ended on a cliffhanger
but it was a very good series still worth the watch a good ride cut short.
for a limited time and first time in years syfy channel had 3 winners
they dropped the ball on this one not finishing it and sold the mega winner The Expanse to Amazon
they did keep and brought to the finish line Killjoys (2015–2019) also a good series


Killjoys (2015–2019)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3952222/

 

[Merlin]

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106179/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

We watched this starting Sept 10 1993 and never missed a single episode or theater release.

The X-Files had it all. Great cast, great writing, great character development and some good special effects considering the time it was produced and it still holds up to this day.

There are so many stand out episodes it is hard to list them. But favorites are:

The Pilot episode S01 E01
Jose Chung's From Outer Space S03 E20
The Triangle S06 E03
Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose S03 E04
How The Ghosts Stole Christmas S06 E06

To name only a handful of the dozens of favorites.

Fringe reminded me of X-Files in a good way. It was another series we watched beginning to end.

X-Files is a must see in my opinion.

 

[carl.d]

Blake 7 ( 2 January 1978 –
21 December 1981)

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0076987/

Blake's 7 is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four 13-episode series were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first series, produced by David Maloney (series 1–3) and Vere Lorrimer (series 4), and the script editor throughout its run was Chris Boucher, who wrote nine of its episodes. The main character for the first two series was Roj Blake, played by Gareth Thomas.

Blake's 7, which was broadcast in 25 other countries, had a low budget but featured many tropes of space opera, such as spaceships, robots, galactic empires and aliens. Critical responses have been varied; some reviewers praised the programme for its dystopian themes, strong characterisation, ambiguous morality and pessimistic tone, as well as displaying an "enormous sense of fun", but others have criticised its production values, dialogue, and accused it of lacking originality.

A limited range of Blake's 7 merchandise was issued, and books, magazines and annuals published. The BBC released music and sound effects from the series, and several companies made Blake's 7 toys and models. Four video compilations were released between 1985 and 1990, and the entire programme was released in videocassette format starting 1991 and re-released during 1997, and as four DVD boxed sets between 2003 and 2006. The BBC produced two audio dramas during 1998 and 1999 that feature original cast members and broadcast by Radio 4. Although proposals for live-action and animated remakes have not been realised, Blake's 7 has been revived with two series of audio dramas, a comedic short film, and a series of fan-made audio plays involving the original cast.

 

[carl.d]

Sapphire & Steel (TV Series 1979–1982)

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0078682/

Sapphire & Steel is a British television supernatural sci-fi/fantasy series starring Joanna Lumley as Sapphire and David McCallum as Steel. Produced by ATV, it ran from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network. The series was created by Peter J. Hammond who conceived the programme under the working title The Time Menders,[1] after a stay in an allegedly haunted castle. Hammond also wrote all the stories except for the fifth, which was co-written by Don Houghton and Anthony Read.

The opening credits include the narration that "All irregularities will be handled by the forces controlling each dimension. Transuranic heavy elements may not be used where there is life. Medium atomic weights are available: Gold, Lead, Copper, Jet, Diamond, Radium, Sapphire, Silver and Steel. Sapphire and Steel have been assigned." In the sixth and final assignment, Lead was replaced with Mercury in the opening credits.

The programme centres on a pair of interdimensional operatives, the eponymous Sapphire and Steel. Very little is revealed about their purposes or backgrounds in the course of the series but they appear to be engaged in guarding the continuing flow of time. They are two of a number of elements that assume human form and are sent to investigate strange events; others include Lead (Val Pringle), who takes the aspect of a jovial, friendly giant, and Silver (David Collings), a technician who can melt metals in his hands.

In the series, it is explained that Time is like a progressing corridor that surrounds everything, but there are weak spots where Time – implied to be a malignant force – can break into the present and take things. There are also creatures from the beginnings and ends of time that roam the corridor looking for the same weak spots to break through.

These breaks are most often triggered by the presence of something old in a modern situation, for example a traditional nursery rhyme, an old photograph, or a house decorated with antiques. Holding onto something of the past opposes progress and allows 'Time' to break into the present – the more old things present, the easier it is for this to occur (such as is seen in episode 1 where the two-century-old house is full of clocks and other antiques in which a traditional nursery rhyme has been read hundreds of times as a bedtime story). When this breaking-in of 'Time' occurs, Investigators will be sent to assess the situation and then, if intervention is warranted, Operators are assigned to deal with the problem by a mysterious unseen authority, to be assisted by Specialists if necessary.

Each adventure usually starts with Sapphire and Steel simply showing up, seemingly out of nowhere, although sometimes they are already present when the story begins. They will then investigate and mingle with various humans, although it is nearly always the location the humans are in which is of the most interest: an old house which dates back to the 18th century, an abandoned railway station, a modern-day motorway petrol station, and so on. The stories are generally quite cryptic, raising more questions than answers, and have an eerie air to them, being as much ghost stories as they are science fiction. The ambiguous nature of the programme extends to its main characters. While Sapphire is portrayed as more affable and "human" than the no-nonsense, grim Steel, it is clear that their prime concern is to deal with the break in Time, sometimes over the safety of the humans caught in the incidents they investigate. The general tone of the series is however forward-looking; that old things are dangerous, and that the past should be left behind or an evil force will be able to enter through those old things. In this situation, progress and newness are portrayed as the protecting force against 'Time'.

 

[carl.d]

Tales of the Unexpected (TV Series 1979–1988)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075592/

Tales of the Unexpected (Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected) is a British television series that aired between 1979 and 1988. Each episode told a story, often with sinister and wryly comedic undertones, with an unexpected twist ending. Every episode of series one, twelve episodes of series two, two episodes of series three, two episodes of series four, and one episode of series nine were based on short stories by Roald Dahl collected in the books Tales of the Unexpected, Kiss Kiss, and Someone Like You.



The series was made by Anglia Television for ITV with interior scenes recorded at their Norwich studios, whilst location filming mainly occurred across East Anglia. The theme music for the series was written by composer Ron Grainer. The dancer in the opening titles was Karen Standley

The series originally adapted various stories from Roald Dahl's anthology books. Despite being produced on a low budget, the series attracted notable guest stars, including Susan George, Siân Phillips, José Ferrer, Joseph Cotten, Janet Leigh, John Gielgud, John Mills, Wendy Hiller, Denholm Elliott, Katy Jurado, Hilary Tindall, Joan Collins, Rod Taylor, Ian Holm, Brian Blessed, Siobhán McKenna, Brad Dourif, Michael Gambon, Cyril Cusack, Julie Harris, Michael Hordern, Derek Jacobi, Anna Neagle, Elaine Stritch, Andrew Ray, Harry H. Corbett, Zoë Wanamaker, Charles Dance, Michael Ontkean, Peter Sallis, Toyah Willcox and Timothy West.


Dahl introduced most of his own stories himself, giving short monologues explaining what inspired him to write them. Unlike other horror anthologies such as The Twilight Zone, Tales of the Unexpected features few supernatural, science-fiction, or fantasy elements and instead takes place in entirely realistic settings (exceptions include the series-one episode "William and Mary", the series-two episode "Royal Jelly", and the series-four episode "The Sound Machine").

Although many of Dahl's stories are left open to the reader's interpretation, the television series usually provided a generally accepted conclusion. This is exemplified in the story "The Landlady", the written version of which only hints at character Billy's fate, while the televised adaptation has a more resolved conclusion.

Later episodes were set in different locations outside the United Kingdom, with many being made in the United States.

The second series featured four episodes from other writers. The title reflected this change when it became Tales of the Unexpected – Introduced by Roald Dahl – Dahl ceased providing introductions for episodes after the programme had reached series three. The series-three episode "Parson's Pleasure" was the final regular episode to feature an on-screen introduction by Dahl, although he did return to provide introductions to the series-eight episodes "In the Cards" and "Nothing Short of Highway Robbery" and gave a brief voice-over introduction to the series-four episode "Shatterproof". The third and fourth series featured two episodes apiece adapted from Dahl stories, and a fifth, titled "The Surgeon", featured in the final series in 1988.

 

[carl.d]

The Invisible Man (TV Series 1975–1976)​

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072515/episodes/?season=1&ref_=tt_eps_sn_1

The Invisible Man, the second television series with this title, debuted in the US in 1975 on NBC and starred David McCallum as the scientist Daniel Westin and Melinda Fee as his wife, Dr. Kate Westin. The series was created by Harve Bennett. A pilot TV movie initially aired in May 1975 and was followed by a 12-episode series later that year. A TV tie-in novel based on the script of the pilot episode was written by Michael Jahn and published by Fawcett Gold Medal in 1975.


Inspired by the original 1897 novel by H.G. Wells, the pilot film depicts Daniel Westin working for a company called the Klae Corporation, which is doing experiments in teleportation. He discovers the side effect of his work is the ability to turn objects invisible, and tries to find medical applications for his invention. He discovers that objects that are made invisible reappear after a few hours, and on living test animals the collars they wear re-appear before the living cells themselves. Obsessed by his invention, Westin decides to become invisible himself, in part to prove that a human can survive the process, and also to test a serum he has developed to reverse the invisibility.

He reveals the process to his boss, Walter Carlson (Jackie Cooper), who is initially unimpressed by what he sees as millions spent on a nuclear disintegrator, but he becomes more interested when he realises that the pen Westin disintegrated is actually still there ("Do you know what you've got here?" "An invisible pen..." "Cute. No, invisible armies..."). He wants to back the project for military purposes, and in the course of the argument it is revealed that the Pentagon has provided the funding for Westin's research; in effect the military already own the process. Westin tries to destroy his invention by sneaking into the lab after hours and deleting his research. In order to make his escape he becomes invisible for a second time, before triggering an overload and destroying the apparatus. But it appears that after all the process is unstable, and he becomes only briefly visible before turning permanently invisible; he cannot return to his visible state any longer, and the serum is ineffective. He goes to his friend, Dr. Nick Maggio (Henry Darrow), a skilled plastic surgeon who creates a disguise for him in the form of a face mask and a pair of gloves using a special material called Dermaplex that has the same properties as human skin, which enable Westin to appear in public. The Dermaplex side effect is that Westin has to remove the mask from time to time because, as Dr. Maggio states, "The beard will be your enemy, and the itch will drive you crazy."

By the conclusion of the pilot, the process' lack of stability renders it effectively useless for commercial or military applications, and the Klae Corporation is persuaded to re-employ him in his research capacity despite his condition, and thus the series begins from this point. Westin seeks to perfect his work and at the same time find a cure — a means of restoring his visibility.

 

[Merlin]

Sapphire & Steel (TV Series 1979–1982)

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0078682/

Sapphire & Steel is a British television supernatural sci-fi/fantasy series starring Joanna Lumley as Sapphire and David McCallum as Steel. Produced by ATV, it ran from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network. The series was created by Peter J. Hammond who conceived the programme under the working title The Time Menders,[1] after a stay in an allegedly haunted castle. Hammond also wrote all the stories except for the fifth, which was co-written by Don Houghton and Anthony Read.

The opening credits include the narration that "All irregularities will be handled by the forces controlling each dimension. Transuranic heavy elements may not be used where there is life. Medium atomic weights are available: Gold, Lead, Copper, Jet, Diamond, Radium, Sapphire, Silver and Steel. Sapphire and Steel have been assigned." In the sixth and final assignment, Lead was replaced with Mercury in the opening credits.

The programme centres on a pair of interdimensional operatives, the eponymous Sapphire and Steel. Very little is revealed about their purposes or backgrounds in the course of the series but they appear to be engaged in guarding the continuing flow of time. They are two of a number of elements that assume human form and are sent to investigate strange events; others include Lead (Val Pringle), who takes the aspect of a jovial, friendly giant, and Silver (David Collings), a technician who can melt metals in his hands.

In the series, it is explained that Time is like a progressing corridor that surrounds everything, but there are weak spots where Time – implied to be a malignant force – can break into the present and take things. There are also creatures from the beginnings and ends of time that roam the corridor looking for the same weak spots to break through.

These breaks are most often triggered by the presence of something old in a modern situation, for example a traditional nursery rhyme, an old photograph, or a house decorated with antiques. Holding onto something of the past opposes progress and allows 'Time' to break into the present – the more old things present, the easier it is for this to occur (such as is seen in episode 1 where the two-century-old house is full of clocks and other antiques in which a traditional nursery rhyme has been read hundreds of times as a bedtime story). When this breaking-in of 'Time' occurs, Investigators will be sent to assess the situation and then, if intervention is warranted, Operators are assigned to deal with the problem by a mysterious unseen authority, to be assisted by Specialists if necessary.

Each adventure usually starts with Sapphire and Steel simply showing up, seemingly out of nowhere, although sometimes they are already present when the story begins. They will then investigate and mingle with various humans, although it is nearly always the location the humans are in which is of the most interest: an old house which dates back to the 18th century, an abandoned railway station, a modern-day motorway petrol station, and so on. The stories are generally quite cryptic, raising more questions than answers, and have an eerie air to them, being as much ghost stories as they are science fiction. The ambiguous nature of the programme extends to its main characters. While Sapphire is portrayed as more affable and "human" than the no-nonsense, grim Steel, it is clear that their prime concern is to deal with the break in Time, sometimes over the safety of the humans caught in the incidents they investigate. The general tone of the series is however forward-looking; that old things are dangerous, and that the past should be left behind or an evil force will be able to enter through those old things. In this situation, progress and newness are portrayed as the protecting force against 'Time'.

New to me and it sounds interesting. Surprised I never heard of it but not really. I was working 16 hour days back then saving up money .

 

[carl.d]

The Tomorrow People (1973 - 1979)

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0069647/

The Tomorrow People is a British children's science fiction television series created by Roger Price. Produced by Thames Television for the ITV Network, the series first ran from 30 April 1973 to 19 February 1979.

The theme music was composed by Australian music composer, Dudley Simpson, who composed music for two BBC science fiction dramas, Doctor Who (1963) and Blakes 7 (1978).

In 1992, after having much success with running episodes of the original series in America, Nickelodeon requested Price and Thames Television for a new version to be piloted and filmed at Nickelodeon Studios Florida in April 1992, with Price acting as executive producer. This version used the same basic premise as the original series with some changes, and ran until 8 March 1995. A series of audio plays using the original concept and characters (and many of the original series' actors) was produced by Big Finish Productions between 2001 and 2007. In 2013, an American remake of the show premiered on The CW.

(2013 - 2014) 22 episodes