The Best of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television

The Science Fiction and Fantasy genre has had a place on the small screen since the earliest days of television. Captain Video first hit the airwaves in America in 1949 and the genre has been a fixture on the tube since. During this time, Science Fiction and Fantasy television shows have helped expand the medium and push it into new directions beyond the boundaries of the more standard network fare.

Before focusing on the best examples of this genre, though, let’s consider my definition of Science Fiction and Fantasy. I choose to go with a rather broad definition which also includes series that would fall under the Horror and Supernatural genres. In Britain, programs with these elements are referred to as “telefantasy” which I would say provides a suitable moniker for the genre. Some may prefer a broader definition, some may prefer a more narrow definition one, but I am sticking with what I have for now. However, I am limiting my definition to programs that have Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and/or Supernatural elements as part of their core premise. So by this definition, shows such as Boris Karloff’s Thriller would be considered because, even though it was primarily a Suspense show, Horror and Supernatural elements were core to its premise as well. I did not consider shows such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents because, while it may have ventured into the supernatural from time to time, it was primarily a thriller/suspense series.

Now you may ask how I count a television series as being among the "best"? Should I look at quality, significance, popularity, and/or length of run? Well, these are all factors to take into consideration. But how well do each of these help in determining the best of the genre?

Length of run is probably the poorest determining factor. Should I exclude the excellent Firefly just because the network executives made the ill-advised decision to axe it after half a season? Should I exclude The Prisoner because it only totaled seventeen episodes? And do I include Wonder Woman because it somehow survived through three seasons? So for me, length of run has little if any impact on what I am defining as the best.

Popularity is not a huge determining factor for me either. Back to the Wonder Woman example above. While it was popular during its initial run, it hardly represents the pinnacle of Science Fiction and Fantasy television (but it does make it to another list on this site). And while the Star Trek franchise also enjoyed wide popularity, the quality of the various incarnations did not always match the reputation.

So that leaves quality and the show's significance to the television landscape and the culture as my primary determining factors for inclusion in this list. When determining quality, I am primarily focusing on the writing and production values. There were plenty of programs done on a minuscule budget that still managed to provide excellent entertainment (i.e., The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and most British Sci Fi television). And the impact of a show has to be weighed as well. Programs that blazed new trails and changed our thinking about the medium of television and those that made a significant impact on our culture deserve a place on this list.

So basically, I am looking for the trailblazers of the genre. The shows that stood out and took risks. The shows that went beyond the ordinary in quality and concept and influenced the direction of television and the perspective of viewers. Many of the shows that I have on my list are iconic, but some flew under the radar and may have found only a small audience. Still, I feel that each series on the list demonstrates the potential of the medium when hitting on all cylinders.

I am going to admit to a bit of a cop-out because I am going to present the list chronologically instead of a "Top 25" or "Top 50" list. This is because I just can't quite decide the order after the first half dozen or so. And I do not want to focus on what show is better than another so much as which programs truly represent the height of the genre. Also, doing it this way, I am more comfortable mentioning some minor entries such as The Land of the Lost which actually had a notable impact on the genre. I will include a Top 10 list, though, because such a list is more easily digestible (and it’s easier to argue with, and everybody loves to argue with “best of” lists). But for the main list, I will rely on chronological order and I will break it by decade.

I should also make a mention about some shows missing from the list which probably deserve a place on the list. Even though I have viewed a vast number of Science Fiction and Fantasy television programs, I still have not seen them all. Or some I watched so long ago that I cannot remember them well enough to make a decision about their inclusion. Blake’s 7 is one that I never saw enough of to form an opinion. I caught an episode or two on its initial PBS run, yet I hardly remember what I saw. And Dark Shadows is one that is too much of a distant memory to place a judgment on its quality. I loved it as a child but I have not seen an episode in over twenty years. I am continuing to seek out shows such as these on DVD so that I can determine if they belong on the list as well. Therefore, I reserve the right to change the list as I work my way through some of the older series and as new shows make it to the tube that deserve inclusion.

Lastly, this list is just the opinion of one person, though it is a person who has years of Science Fiction and Fantasy viewing under his belt. Plenty of readers will disagree with my list and insist that this show or that show should be included or excluded. And I invite your opinions and would like to see your lists as well. At some point, I may include a poll based on your feedback. In the meantime, enjoy my inventory of the best and feel free to chime in with your own opinions.

-John J. Joex

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1950's – For Kids Only

The first Science Fiction television program on American television, Captain Video and his Video Rangers, debuted on the Dumont network in 1949 and remained on the tube until 1955. This show pretty much set the tone for early Science Fiction TVas kiddie fare. Shows such as Captain Video, Space Patrol, and Tom Corbett relied on simple plots wrapped up with a kid-friendly moral of the day. However, there were a few exceptions to the kiddie space operas during this decade which helped lay the groundwork for the anthology format at which the genre would later excel. Examples of these were 1949's Lights Out and 1955's Science Fiction Theater. In addition, 1959’s Men into Space made a stab at telling realistic stories of our initial exploration of the solar system based on the technical knowledge of the time. Apart from these, you had to travel across the Atlantic to catch the British Quatermass serials, which provided well written stories concerning human contact with alien life. During the 1950’s, the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre was just starting to find its way on this nascent medium. But within a decade it would explode and help bring television to new heights.

Entries for the 1950's:
Quatermass and the Pit


Honorable Mention for the 1950's: Science Fiction Theater (1955), Men into Space (1959)

Quatermass (1953)

The Quatermass serials represented a landmark in television in that they were the first serialized programs of the genre aimed primarily at a more mature audience. Like the United States, British Science Fiction programming was mostly geared toward children (with the exception of adaptations of literary works such as R.U.R and The Time Machine). This changed with Quatermass whose creator, Nigel Kneale, set out to produce a program that would combine sophisticated story-telling with a strong emphasis on science. Three separate six-part Quartermass serials aired during the 1950’s and I include them together as a single series because of the link provided by the main character and the consistent themes and quality. Each serial centers on the rocket expert Professor Quatermass and the nascent space exploration project he heads which makes contact with various alien life forms. The pacing for the serials can be a bit slow at times (a common complaint of British shows), but this provides only a minimal distraction. The third serial, Quatermass and the Pit (1958), is especially engaging and quite terrifying as humanity confronts an alien legacy that reveals the source for much superstition as well as suggests the roots to our violent nature (later remade on the big screen as the equally creepy Five Million Years to Earth).

I had previously heard that neither the first or second serials, Quatermass Experiment (1953) nor Quatermass 2 (1955), had survived intact because they were broadcast live and no archival recording existed. However, I discovered that a PAL format DVD was available with the complete Quatermass 2 and Quatermass and the Pit serials along with the first two episodes of the first serial. A live remake of the first serial based on the original scripts aired on BBC in 2005 (with a pre-Doctor Who David Tennant in a supporting role). If you have never seen the early Quatermass serials (most Americans missed out on this one), I would recommend tracking down the PAL DVD (available from Amazon.com UK and it will play on most computer DVD ROM players).


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1960's – The Golden Age

While the 1950's are considered the Golden Age for television, it took another decade for the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre to come into its Golden Age. It was during this decade that Science Fiction and Fantasy programming graduated from the kiddie-fare of the 1950’s and began to attract a more mature audience. Creators such as Rod Serling and Gene Roddenberry realized that they could use the genre to address controversial issues in a format more palatable to audiences and network executives. And with this the medium took bold steps forward with programs that challenged viewers with good story-telling and gripping drama that often tackled moral and social issues. Unfortunately, shows of this type within the genre would mostly fade from the television landscape a decade later and would not flourish again until the 1990's.

The 1960’s also represented an early boom for Science Fiction and Fantasy television shows. The number of programs within the genre more than doubled from the prior decade. The viewers had a wide variety of both dramas and comedies to choose from that included science fiction, fantasy, supernatural, and/or horror elements. The quality of series may have varied widely but at least the audience had a range of choices. You can argue about the merit of such shows as Batman or I Dream of Jeannie, but at least they were entertaining and had a significant impact on the medium of television. And the fact is that the quality of output from the 1960's would not be matched again for three more decades.

Entries for the 1960's:
The Twilight Zone
The Outer Limits
Doctor Who
Star Trek
The Prisoner


1960's Honorable Mention: Thriller (1960), Jonny Quest (1964)


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The Twilight Zone (1959)

This show represents what science fiction television can be when a good creative team is left unhindered. Though it may seem somewhat cheesy by today's standards, the fact is that Rod Serling and the creative forces that he assembled pushed the medium to its limits within the constraints provided them throughout The Twilight Zone’s five year run. Unlike modern day science fiction, the creative talent rarely relied on special effects (because they had no budget to work from). Instead, they used their production shortcomings to their advantage to create settings that often felt sparse and claustrophobic and leant an air of creepiness to the show. In addition, they relied on strong writing that built suspense by focusing on the more terrifying side of human nature. The stories resonate with the viewer and are truly horrifying because they make us confront our own inner fears and demons. And instead of just telling mundane scary stories, they often used fantasy elements to create allegories and well-crafted morality plays that tackled social issues. The Twilight Zone demonstrated that lavish budgets are not necessary for a good Science Fiction and Fantasy television show (or any genre for that matter). All that is needed is a creative team dedicated to telling good, meaningful stories.

Note: While this series debuted in 1959, I am counting it in the 60’s because most of its episodes aired during that decade.


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The Outer Limits (1963)

Some might consider this an ersatz Twilight Zone, but the fact is that this show also played a pivotal role in defining the genre. The show was an hour in length vs. the Zone's half hour and network execs insisted that each episode contain a monster. These factors alone could have doomed the show, but the creative talent transcended these constraints as well as the minimal budget and created a landmark television program. They utilized the monster-of-the-week format to its fullest to create well written allegories that explored our darkest fears and inner demons. Since The Outer Limits relied more heavily on special effects than The Twilight Zone, it is somewhat less accessible to the modern day audience weaned on super-sleek CGI effects. However, if you can look past the cheesy monster costumes and cardboard props, you can see the true genius of the show and the extent of its accomplishments.


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Doctor Who (1963)

This is one of those love it or hate it shows, but you have to acknowledge its iconic status for Science Fiction and Fantasy television. It is the longest running program in the world for the genre and it is currently experiencing a successful revival. In its original 20+ year run, the ambitions of the writers often far exceeded the bounds of its minimal budget. But the show managed to rise above this, largely on the strength of the actors who portrayed the Doctor across his seven incarnations during the series’ first run. And the changing face of the series’ central character allowed the show to re-invent itself on a regular basis. True, the show had its share of mundane and even bad stories (no way for a show running 20+ years to avoid that), but it soared at times as well (most notably during Tom Baker’s seven year stint as the Doctor). Those raised in the era of CGI special effects as well as those born on this side of the Atlantic may be quick to dismiss the series. But the fact is that Doctor Who often excelled, driven by the actors who portrayed the title character, its myriad of supporting characters and villains, and its often exceptional writing.

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