The Greatest Sci Fi/Fantasy TV Shows: Considering the case for the sci fi and fantasy television shows that should be counted among the greatest of all time.
What Is It?
This series consists of three separate serials that aired in Britain in the 1950s (plus a final serial in 1979), all of which focus on Professor Quatermass and his investigations into alien life that has come into contact with Earth.
Aired: The Quatermass Experiment – 1953, 6 Episodes; Quatermass II – 1955, 6 Episodes; Quatermass and the Pit – 1958-59, 6 Episodes; Quatermass – 1979, 4 Episodes
Starring: Reginald Tate, John Robinson, André Morell, John Mills
Created By: Nigel Kneale
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Argument to Count It as One of the Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows:
While sci fi television in the United States in the 1950s was dominated by “kiddie space operas” like Captain Video and His Video Rangers and Space Patrol, early genre entries in Britain were aimed at an older audience. In the 1940s, the BBC offered an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine as well as Karel Čapek’s play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), and then in 1953, Professor Quatermass made his first appearance on television in the six-part serial The Quatermass Experiment. That proved popular with audiences and led to two more serials in the 1950s, Quatermass II (1955) and Quatermass and the Pit (1959). There would later be a final serial in 1979 titled simply Quatermass.
The early installments offered a serious approach to science fiction on television, working from the science of the time and also adding in some horror elements. And while these shows did not get much exposure in the United States, they had a notable impact on the genre, proving that it was not just for kids, and they would have a strong influence on British sci fi TV shows that followed. They were made on a shoestring budget, as expected from the BBC, but they provided solid genre entries for the time that still have credibility today.
Quatermass paved the way forward, and shows in the U.S. like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and Star Trek carried on with delivering more intelligent and mature science fiction entries. It is unclear if the British series had much direct influence on those and others in the States (more likely the movie versions that followed), but it did at least set a precedent for what genre TV could accomplish. And even though the early serials can be slow and rough around the edges, they certainly should be recognized among the best of sci fi television.
Argument Against:
While the Quatermass serials from the 1950s were notable early sci fi TV entries, they have not stood the test of time. They did take a serious approach to the genre, but they are laboriously slow and plodding, and the special effects can be comical at times. And even though each serial ran for only six thirty-minute episodes, they can be quite tedious to watch (for the second and third serial at least; only two episodes have survived from the first). Even the later appearance of Quatermass in 1979 does not stand up very well, as it delivers a rather disappointing ending to the franchise. The character is important, especially for British television, but the shows have mostly faded, and many American viewers have never even seen them. They have historical importance, but they fall short of counting among the genre greats.
Johnny Jay’s Take:
I watched the adventures of Professor Quatermass before I ever knew he originated on the television screen, and at least one of the films with him in the lead had a very notable influence on me. Hammer’s Quatermass and the Pit (aka Five Million Years to Earth) came out in 1967 and has since been considered a sci fi classic. And that was a favorite of mine that I believe still holds up today, despite a few less-than-stellar SFX scenes. I also saw the other two movie versions—The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) and Quatermass 2 (1957)—but the third film in the series was the one that really stuck with me.
And when I finally did get around to watching the original serials that inspired those films, I realized what a magnificent example of early sci fi TV they represented. Sure, they are slow and tedious and the special effects don’t hold up, but the story for each is excellent. The performances were top-rate as well (which is where British TV always makes up for its lack of budget), and I wish I had encountered them much earlier. Modern audiences will have some trouble sitting through each of the serials, but if you give them enough leeway, you can certainly appreciate what they accomplished. Quatermass proved early on that the genre could be taken seriously, and these serials certainly count among the all-time sci fi TV greats.
Where Can You Watch It?
Quatermass and the Pit–the best of the three 1950s serials–is streaming on the free, ad-supported services Darkroom and Fawesome. The first two serials in this franchise are not available on any streaming services at the moment, and unfortunately only two episodes still exist from The Quatermass Experiment. That one was also remade as a TV movie in 2005 with David Tennant involved (though not as Quatermass), which you can watch on BritBox. And note that I do not believe the version of Quatermass and the Pit streaming on Darkroom and Fawesome is the recent remastered version put out by the BBC. That appears to only be available in Britain at the moment. The 1979 Quatermass serial is also not currently available for streaming.
Do you consider Quatermass to be one of the greatest sci fi TV shows of all time or has it not stood the test of time? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments below.
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