10 ground breaking science fiction, mystery and fantasy TV shows

There are many brilliant shows out there, especially in times of Netflix and other streaming services. But for shows like "The Expanse" and "Altered Carbon" to be successful and the engaging shows they are (Regardless of their early cancellation they captured the audience.), there had to be some predecessors. Some shows, who broke ground and changed what we expect from TV forever.

The following list is not a ranking, as every single show has brought something new and special to their respective genres or in some case even created new genres.

Doctor Who

When Doctor Who premiered in 1963 nobody imagined that the story about an alien traveler, who can regenerate would still be going strong in 2020. In 1966 the lead actor William Hartnell decided to leave the show due to health issues, in what could have been the death blow to the show. Instead the Timelord's regeneration was born, which made this show a legend and once more proves that creative writing will beat mere effects any time! Doctor Who doesn't live of its special effects or action scenes but of its creativity and witty dialogues, the best example being the regeneration, which is a stroke of genius, that even enables the show to cross even gender barriers. No other show manages to fix issues in a story so brilliantly. 

Another example for this is that the chameleon circuit of the Tardis is broken. This helped the production to avoid having to rebuilt a new Tardis for each episode. The dialogues tend to be funny and lighthearted with a dark undertone, when the context requires it. The show also is also very inclusive with LGBT characters appearing on a regular basis. 

Game of Thrones

These first two shows are as opposed as possible. Game of Thrones is THE fantasy show without a doubt and apart from the last few episodes almost perfect. Again this was mainly to its brilliant source material of G.R.R. Martins novels "A Song of Fire & Ice", as evidenced by the fact that once the show makers had to start doing their own story the quality diminished.

The complexity of the characters, the production value and twists are unparalleled.  In the shocking finale of season one we all learned that anything could happen, when the lead character was killed off. Game of Thrones brought television to a new level. The battle scenes are of such a high quality that they can be easily compared to the battle of blockbusters like Lord of the Rings. Game of Thrones made television so sexy that we started to see more and more A-listers in series and nowadays nobody is surprised to see an academy award winner doing 15 episodes of a tv show. 

X-Files

This show is without a doubt the mother of all mystery shows. Its simplicity was partly what made it so genius. Two FBI agents investigate mysterious events, while one tries to debunk them and the other believes in them. No large cast, fancy sets or big action scenes, just simple simple detective work was what the show offered. The concept was so simple that it was even advertised as being based on real FBI cases at first. 

Just like with Doctor Who a dilemma (Gillian Anderson needing to be away from the show for a few episodes in season 2 due to giving birth to her daughter) resulted to be a blessing in disguise. Scully's absence was explained by having her abducted by aliens, which in term gave birth to the shows main mythology. The show had such a strong story arc that it even survived the departure of its leading man, since this departure was also embedded well with in the mythology it worked in a satisfactory way. Again the writers avoided a common mistake, which is replacing a departed character with a similar character. Instead they gave Scully, who due to her experiences had become a believer, a sceptic down to earth new partner. Hence the roles within the team were reorganized. 

X-files was one of the first shows to depart from the classic "Monster of the Week" routine and used a major story arc concept, in combination with stand alone episodes.

Twin Peaks

Just like the X-files, Twin Peaks is a show of the 90ies. While it was at first glance your average crime show, it was so much more if you look closely. It started with wonderfully quirky characters (Who could forget log lady?) and ended in a place of pure evil. 

David Lynch and Mark Frost created more than a show they created a work of art, especially with season three that was made 25 years later. It is visually stunning and the acting, in particular by Kyle MacLachlan, is superb. 

If you want to know more about the show, check out my detailed review: 

https://calindratem.blogspot.com/2020/01/twin-peaks-review-25-years-later_18.html

Star Trek and spin offs

If there was a ranking in this list, Star Trek would have been on top for sure. No other science fiction show has redefined the genre for tv like this. It had women in leading positions (Especially in "The Cage" where the first officer was a woman), racial diversity just 2 years after the Civil Rights act and the first interracial kiss. The show was groundbreaking and its follow up shows continue to be so, with Star Trek Discovery having introduced the first non binary Science Fiction character with Adira. 

It also was among the first science fiction shows to tackle topics like mental health issues, racism and imperialism. Star Trek gave a positive outlook to future, which can be considered almost utopian. A future, when humanity has overcome hunger, war and greed. 

Another important aspect of Star Trek is the technology. Similar to Jules Verne it has been almost prophetical when it comes to technology. Things like facetime, touch screens and digital voice assistants were in Star Trek many years before the became a reality. 

Stargate

This show was based on a rather successful blockbuster and with a few tweaks the writers turned it into a viable tv concept, which resulted in two spin off shows. The show managed to last 10 seasons, which back then was a record for a science fiction show. What set the show apart was that is flawless managed to switch between Science Fiction and Fantasy. It managed to melt both genres in an organic way. This amalgamation was emphasized in the lead characters. While the character of Teal'c was deeply spiritual, Sam Carter was a cool scientist. Stargate's mythology regarding the Ancients is combined with classical Science Fiction elements such a space travel. 

Battlestar Galactica (reboot)

It is no secret that I am not a fan of this whole reboot fashion, but I have to say I am a huge fan of this show, among other things because it is so different from the original show, that in my opinion this hardly counts as a reboot. Just like the entry before this show manages to create an amalgamation between Science Fiction and Fantasy. Another thing the sets Battlestar Galactica apart is that while being set during a war it doesn't really take sides. While the Cylons are considered the antagonists, the world of Battlestar Galactica is never black or white. Evidenced, when the Galactica encounters the Pegasus and we learn about their war crimes. 

Religion plays a major point in Battlestar Galactica, which is creates a contrast to the science fiction elements. 

Finally it added complicated interpersonal relationships to the mix and the result was a space opera during a time of war, with a fantastic component. Battlestar Galactica was a science fiction, mystery, soap opera and war series in one. 

Babylon 5 

In terms of story telling and major story arc Bablyon 5 is simply a master piece. It is almost mind-blowing, when the audience comes to realize that something mentioned in passing 3 seasons earlier ends up explaining a major plot point. J. Michael Straczynski proves that a well planned plot is key to great writing. Unfortunately a lot of television shows create holes in their own mythologies because that reconsider half way through the story. In that sense Babylon 5 unique. 

Their are also two technical things, which made this show groundbreaking. The first one is the almost exclusive use of computer animation long before is became the standard and it was also the first show to be produced in 16:9 format. 

Twillight Zone

Although it wasn't the first anthology series of its kind (Tales of Tomorrow and Science Fiction Theater were already produced in the fifties) it certainly took the concept to a new level. It not only entertained but also included a sort of moral comment on social issues such a racism. Because it was science fiction and fantasy show it was not under as much scrutiny from the censors as other shows. 

It is though that that is has set a new standard for anthology shows. Without Twillight Zone there wouldn't have been Outer Limits, Amazing Stories or Black Mirror. 

Do you agree with this assessment? What shows were also ground breaking and redefined television in their genre? Leave your opinion in the comments.