Saintel Daily’s List of Our Favorite Science Fiction Shows (Part 1)

I have started enjoying science fiction more over the last couple of years by expanding my supply of TV shows, books and movies.  In the beginning, I was absolutely sure that I wouldn’t love science fiction, but I’m slowly changing my mind.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t love every TV show or book that I read, but I’ve certainly come around to loving the genre in general. 

All that said, science fiction still isn’t getting the attention that it deserves.  Fantasy, on the other hand, is killing it with shows like Game of Thrones.  Many science fiction shows have tried their shot at glory, only to be shot down and canceled in their prime.  Or before they really had the chance to take off.  In this post, we are going to explore the shows that were canceled too soon, and some that are still kicking and probably shouldn’t be.

Dollhouse

Dollhouse began as a show about some really attractive people, and if I’m being honest the first couple of episodes aren’t great.  If you were able to stick it out long enough, you would have found a smart, funny and interesting show about the nature of one’s self.  If you’re philosophical in any way, you would be pushed to understand if we, as humans, are made up exclusively of our bodies, our minds, or even both.  While the show didn’t give us any answers, it certainly raised questions that were incredibly fascinating. Dollhouse did get a second season to tie up some of the loose ends, but this show should have gone on to be something incredible for several years afterward.

The 4400

If you never saw 4400, then you aren’t alone, and that’s part of the problem.  What was the show about?  There’s a beam of light, and suddenly, 4400 people are in the Cascade Range foothills near Mount Rainier, Washington.  They’ve all been missing from different eras – some as far back as 1946, but the crazy part is that no one has aged a day and now they’re developing superpowers.  This show started as a “mystery of the week”, and quickly became a deep-routed conspiracy and character-driven show, which only got better in season four.  It was canceled before a lot of the more interesting plot points could work themselves out.  There were some post-show novels that were published, but they didn’t necessarily address these plot points, and they also left us hanging. 

The 100

Now, this show is one that should be canceled.  It started as an interesting post-apocalyptic, young adult show, complete with characters and a rapid-fire intense plot.  It then turned into a far-stretching story.  Since the first season, we have seen evil computers, secret societies and conspiracies, horrible crash landings, and also dragging out the plot lines.  This show has generally gotten so big, that it’s turned into a bit of a monster, and its time for it to go.

The Last Man on Earth

This show is definitely fun, quirky, adorable, but it has gone on for far too long.  This show was great when Will Forte was the titular character, being able to do all the things that you would do if you’re the last person on Earth.  And it’s ok that a few characters have turned up, but since then there have been some pretty insane plot twists, which, if I’m being honest are kind of weird. All that said, this show has run its course and should definitely come to an end.