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?
On September 13, 1999, the Moon gets torn out of Earth’s orbit when a nuclear waste dump on the surface erupts in a massive explosion, sending the inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha on a journey through the stars. They encounter alien civilizations and cosmic phenomena as they seek a way back or a planet that can become their new home.
Aired: 1975-77, ITV (Syndicated in the U.S.), 2 Seasons Totaling 48 Episodes
Starring: Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Barry Morse, Catherine Schell, Nick Tate, Prentis Hancock, Zienia Merton, Anton Phillips
Created By: Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson
Argument to Count It as One of the Greatest Sci Fi/Fantasy TV Shows:
Space: 1999 started out as a big deal when it first arrived, largely for its sizeable production budget (for the time) and the notable actors leading its cast (Martin Landau and Barbara Bain came over from Mission: Impossible and Barry Morse was well known from his stint on The Fugitive). But its reputation since then has been tarnished, which seems unfair because of what it accomplished at the time it aired. This show delivered a major science fiction entry to the Prime Time schedule—two years before Star Wars revived the genre in the eyes of the entertainment industry—and some affiliates even preempted network programming to air episodes of the syndicated series.
It is true that its science was questionable, but the fact is that even the Star Trek shows could be specious on that front at times, so it hardly seems fair to hold that so heavily against Space: 1999. And apart from that, the series had a definite vibe to it as it explored the plight of humans traveling through a rather hostile universe. This was not the “brighter future” of Trek that they faced, but a cosmic setting that presented many challenges and dangers. The show worked horror in with its sci fi and definitely pushed its characters to their limits as they struggled with charting a treacherous path through space.
It also offered many interesting alien species along with some good universe-building throughout its run. Heck, the crew of Moonbase Alpha even paid a visit to God in one of the first season’s most mind-blowing episodes (“The Black Sun”), and it delivered plenty more in the way of cosmic themes across its two seasons. And it accomplished all this at a time when television execs had a rather standoffish attitude toward the genre, especially shows like this one that were not considered Prime Time friendly. Space: 1999 certainly made its mark when it first premiered, and it is still recognized as a notable genre entry today, so it does deserve to be ranked among the all-time greats. (You can read more about the show at Cult-SciFi.com.)
Argument Against:
Not only should Space: 1999 not be counted as an all-time great among sci fi TV shows, it is more appropriately ranked among the all-time worst. As is commonly noted, the science of the show is ludicrous, with the Moon traveling from star to star on a weekly basis, and it just happens to get caught in the orbit of an Earth-like planet on a frequent basis. Then, after a convoluted and at times long-winded attempt at telling a story, Luna sails back off into space to assure that a new episode is coming the next week. Throw in the bad acting and poor directing along with all the ridiculous monsters the show pummeled the audience with (particularly in the second season), and you have a pretty bad sci fi TV series. Some will argue that the first season still holds up, but the attempts at profundity fall well short, exposing the sloppy writing that so often weighed the show down. Yes, the special effects were good, but that is not enough to justify ranking it among the all-time greats, and this one is best left back in the decade it came from.
Johnny Jay’s Take:
Full confession: When Space: 1999 originally aired, I considered it the greatest sci fi TV show of all time. Greater than Star Trek, though I still had a healthy respect for that one, and I would staunchly defend it against any of its naysayers. Of course, I was younger at that time, and a few years have passed since then (okay, a lot of years), but I still have a soft spot for this series, especially the first season. It was definitely channeling 2001: A Space Odyssey (with Moonbase Alpha acting as a near replica of the one from that film), and it ventured into areas rarely seen on television at that time. The special effects were unbelievable for a mid-’70s TV entry, and the stories delved into all sorts of cosmic profundity. The second season was certainly a disappointment—derailed by the notorious Fred Freiberger—though at the time I still liked it and kept tuning in each week.
Looking back on the show, it is certainly a quaint genre entry for its era, and it at least went all-in on its sci fi (if not science) instead of delivering a procedural with a twist or a comedy sprinkled with genre elements or a quasi-superhero show, all of which were much more the norm for Prime Time genre programming at the time. But while some of the first-season episodes still hold up, it is hard to truly take this one seriously. The science is laughably bad, even though it tried to be a serious show. The acting is wooden and the directing is stilted (common for Gerry Anderson productions), and while the art direction and special effects were first-rate, those are not enough to hold up the show against its many flaws.
I don’t know that I would accept this as one of the worst sci fi TV shows, but at the same time, I would not argue too heavily against that. It was a notable genre entry for its day, but it just does not hold up well to the test of time. For the pro argument above, I heavily channeled John Kenneth Muir who has written extensively about Space: 1999 and has encyclopediac knowledge of sci fi, fantasy, and horror, and I am sure he would rank it as an all-time great. But even though I still have a fond memories of this one from when it originally aired, I definitely feel like it falls short when compared to the greatest the genre has to offer.
Where Can You Watch It?
The entire series has been released on DVD and Blu-ray, and it is also available on VOD. It is widely available on several of the major streaming services like Amazon’s Prime Video, Disney+, and Peacok. You can also find it on several of the free streaming servise (if you don’t mind the ads) like The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, and Shout! Factory TV.
Do you consider Space: 1999 to be one of the greatest sci fi/fantasy TV shows of all time or would you put it on the other end of the scale? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments below.
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