Even though we are now almost to the end of the year and several months from the end of the Spring TV season, I am finally wrapping up my top lists from last year. Here is the final post...the top Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror TV Shows.
A quick observation...All 9 of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror shows on my list were renewed this year! That's a big change from the last couple of years. In 2011, 5 of 9 shows were NOT RENEWED and in 2012, 3 of 8. Of the four shows renewed in 2011, one ended in 2012 (Sanctuary), and the other three are on this list. One thing to be said is that genre shows like these tend to have difficulty getting and retaining high raitings. Of course the change in technology (DVRs, streaming, downloading) has made it easier to get into shows like this while watching on one's own time.
Defiance was heavily marketed on SyFy before the series premiered.
It became the first tv show released alongside an MMO (Mass Multiplatyer Online) game that would run parallel with the events of the show. Defiance takes place on Earth, but many years after aliens arrived and mutated the Earth by terraforming it. The town of Defiance is formerly St. Louis, with the Gateway Arch being a prominent image of the show. The series feels a lot like Firefly to me…and before you get mad at me fellow Browncoats, hear me out. I mean it's also like a sci-fi western, not that it's similar in quality. In fact, I haven't really decided yet if I like Defiance that much. It definitely has potential, and the first season ended fairly well. Only time (read: season two) will tell.
Falling Skiesis a summer sci-fi show on TNT that I honestly continue to forget about. Then summer comes along and there it is again. The idea of it initially interested me, but then I was late to watch it. I did catch up and watch the first two seasons, and they are pretty good. There are certainly alien shows I have liked more, but they do a decent job. I actually first mentioned the show in my Summer 2011 TV Preview before the show premiered. Falling Skies takes place after an alien invasion and a particular group of survivors originating in the Boston area. In the last two seasons they have battled the aliens and worked their way south looking for other survivors they can link up with. Recently they have begun to learn more about the aliens, including finding out many of the aliens are actually slaves and would like to rebel against their leaders. The new season (which already aired…I know I'm behind) will deal with the main characters trying to decide if they want to work with some of the aliens or not.
I originally thought Once Upon a Time built itself around a concept that could not last as a TV show. A fairy tale land was cursed by an evil queen and the people of that land were sent to our world (Storybrooke, ME) with new lives and not knowing who they really were. At the end of the first season, the curse was lifted and everyone knew who they really were (and wanted to return to their original home). This past season dealt with the aftermath as well as the power struggle between Rumplestiltskin, Regina and Cora. It was difficult to pick sides with so many characters walking the fence, including those three characters as well as Hook, Snow, Charming and Emma. With all of that happening, they even managed to throw in other major storylines. These included a couple trying to expose the town to the real world, everyone finding out Henry's father is Rumplestiltskin's son and concluding on learning of the evil Peter Pan who has kidnapped Henry and brought him to Neverland. The show managed to change course from season one to season two, and they look to do it again into the third season…and it's exciting.
mostly the overall story. There is a lot of mystery in Haven. It starts with the Troubles and why only the people of Haven seem to have them. Then there's Audrey Parker, who is in some sort of loop in which she returns to Haven every so many years (without aging) as a different person to help stop the Troubles and protect the people with them. There are of course many interesting things I can say about the show, but most of all I am officially hooked and look forward to watching season four.
American Horror Story decided to be an anthology series, with each season being a stand alone story with different characters. It has turned out to be a great process. With a reocurring cast of actors in different roles and a different theme, AHS has proven to be a quality show. The second season takes place in an asylum where some strange things are ocurring. The first season mainly just had ghosts, but season two definitely stepped things up. There is a serial killer, a doctor who performs experiments on the patients and may or may not be a Nazi in hiding, the presence of Satan possessing people, conspiracies, twists and oh yeah...aliens! The season was solid from beginning to end. AHS was renewed and will bring forth a new theme for their third season...a coven of witches.
This was sort of a dark season (or half season) for Warehouse 13. The season began in the aftermath of the previous season, with Steve, Mrs. Frederick and H.G. all dead. In typical Warehouse fashion, the rest of the team tracked down an artifact that could reset time to a certain point. Artie was able to get to it and turn back the clock to just before the disaster of the previous season finale, but there would be consequences. Throughout the season Artie, being the only one who knew what had happened, dealt with a darkness that no one else could help him with. At the end of the season, an evil Artie released an artifact that could cause doom to the world. Oh, and between all of this darkness there were the typically fun single-episode cases that the show does so well.
Season three was by far the most unique season thus far for Being Human. The season began several months after the end of season two, which is the amount of time in which Aiden was buried alive. After finally escaping, he must catch up on the going ons of his roommates just as we the viewers are. Josh killed his maker which removed his werewolf curse and became human again. He then helped Sally find a way to bring herself back from the dead with the help of a witch. So Aiden returned to two human roommates (and Josh's girlfriend Nora who is still a werewolf). Eventually by the end of the season, Sally and Josh found their way back to the monsters they previously were.
The Walking Dead followed an up and down season two with a very exciting season three. We were introduced to Woodbury, a town of survivors who have made a safe haven for themselves thanks to the questionable efforts of their leader, The Governor. The people of Woodbury and our main heroes at the prison eventually cross paths and it only means death and destruction for many people. Darryl's brother Merle returned for the first time since the beginning of the series and though he mainly was his normal evil self, he [very] slowly began to redeem himself as the season went on. Besides the new characters at Woodbury, the show also introduced a very interesting character in Michon who I am happy to say survived the season (unlike many other characters).
I feel like I say this every year, but "What a season!" Game of Thrones continues to get better as the show goes on. Of course credit must be given to George R. R. Martin for writing such a great book series (I imagine since I haven't read the books). There are many different storylines going on, yet it's easy to feel invested in all of them. The three major storylines are the war between the Starks and Lannisters, Daenerys Targaryen continuing to build a ferocious army in hopes of taking the Iron Throne and the trouble from the North slowly moving south. There are many dynamic things going on within these storylines with many great characters. Though these three things are very independent, one can't help but to imagine how ridiculous (in a good way for the viewer) things are going to get when the storylines eventually overlap.