Streaming Sci Fi TV: Tracking down sci fi and fantasy shows of interest available on the streaming services. Note that these shows can be pulled from the services at any time with little notice.
What Is It?
This 1970 British-produced television series from Gerry Anderson (best known for his Supermarionation shows like Thunderbirds as well as the cult sci fi series Space: 1999) brought us a covert war between a secret organization known as SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization) and an alien race from a dying planet. The show focuses on how this conflict impacts the lives of SHADO officers as well as others who become involved.
Aired: 1970-71, Syndicated, 1 Season Totaling 26 Episodes
Starring: Ed Bishop, Michael Billington, Gabrielle Drake, George Sewell
Created By: Gerry and Sylvia Anderson
Why Watch It?
Some may consider it a campy relic of its time because the look and feel of the show has not dated very well. But if you can get past the cheesy (though good for their time) special effects, outlandish costumes, laughable 70’s music, corny dialogue, and exceptionally wooden acting, you will find that this show is actually a decent little sci fi sleeper. Instead of following a formulaic alien-encounter-of-the-week approach, UFO actually delved into the implications of its interstellar conflict and showed the consequences of the war. It delivered moral quandaries and downbeat endings–not a typical thing for ’70s television–that helped it transcend its visual campiness. Not every episode was a classic, but the show had more than its fair share of good stories over its short run and is definitely worth checking out. (You can read more about the series at Cult-SciFi.com).
Where Is It Streaming?
This one tends to jump around from service to service, and most recently it has landed at SHOUT!TV. There are ads during the episodes, but this service tends to not be too bad with those. This is definitely a good way to sample the series if you have never seen it or if it has been a while since revisiting it. It has also been released on Blu-ray (DVD is out of print), and it is available to purchase VOD from providers like Amazon.com.
Stream or Purchase VOD
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