TV Today: Why is all the scifi so dark and depressing?

[Sonic Doctor]

As for Firefly, Farscape, and Stargate, I'm interested in all three of them, but I have terrible timing with Hulu, seeing as every time I find out they have a series that I want to watch, it's about a week before the rights run out, and I'm not willing to buy boxed sets for shows that I don't know that I'm going to love; a strong suspicion that I'll like them doesn't really justify it for me. Of those three, Stargate is the only one that's still airing in reruns, and considering that it ran for 10 or so years with a continuing plot, I can't really tune into a random rerun and understand it. I had the same problem when I finally watched the movie during season 10, and realized I had been missing a great show for all that time.

As for current sci-fi, that's what I'm really complaining about; I love most of the older stuff

For everyone who is recommending Eureka: is it really that good? I saw a couple of episodes when it was new, and it just didn't click with me. Same thing with Warehouse 13, for that matter. I like lighthearted shows, but lightheartedness in itself isn't enough for me to like it; it also has to have at least some semblance of quality.

Definitely recommend Stargate SG-1.

I checked Hulu still has it until January 31st.

Link to the first episode and the rest:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/62972/stargate-sg-1-children-of-the-gods

Stargate Atlantis was pretty good too.(At least watch SG-1 through season 7 before starting Atlantis.)

I recommend never watching Stargate Universe. It is a pile of crap. They went the direction with it that you hate about how Sci-fi has been going. There are many dark moments to be had in it. It is gritty and emotional. It is so over the top emotional at times that it basically can be called a soap opera, especially since the show focuses more on relationships and love triangles than it does on the actual story that the show is suppose to be about. You are lucky to get 10% show from each episode, the rest will be boo-whooo, she doesn't love me, he's dead, oh wait he's not dead, crap. Oh and I will also add that they started using that gritty, close up most of the time, grainy picture filming crap that Battlestar used.

I wish I had a TARDIS. I would go back in time and find a way to make it so that Stargate Universe was never put into production.

Besides that, I agree with you on Eureka and Warehouse 13. The episodes of them I did watch I liked, but they didn't give me that feeling of: Oh yes! I have to find every episode and watch it beginning to end!

Also, seeing as you love Doctor Who as I do, I recommend two more things:

1.) Find and watch as many episodes/stories of the Old Series of Doctor Who as you can.

2.) For fantasy, you can't go wrong with watching more shows from the BBC, I recommend Merlin. It just finished it's third season. It is a phenomenally good show. It does have it's dark moments at times, but it doesn't keep itself there for long. It has lighthearted and hilarious moments to bring the viewer back.

 

[_Janny_]

I miss X-files. It could be as fun and quirky as SG-1, or as deadly series as it needed to be.

Hear, hear! That's what all sci-fi shows should do, IMO, write serious stories, but don't be afraid to be quirky and funny when the situation allows it. It adds a sort of dynamic element to the show.

Sadly, it doesn't seem to be just Sci-Fi thats having this problem. It seems a lot of programs have slowly lost the fun side of them, but Sci-Fi is the only one that has an obvious turning point in BSG. I think part of it is the whole True Art Is Angsty [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TrueArtIsAngsty] problem.

I have to agree with the whole True Art Is Angsty part. Maybe it's just me, but "dark and depressing" usually means that the show is trying to be intelligent and/or realistic. Because, let's face it, when you think about the distant future, doesn't it look bleak and hopeless? We'll most likely end up mining our planet dry and killing the fauna, then try to move to another planet and start the cycle all over again. At least, that's how I see it.

 

[Cyberjester]

I don't care so much whether a show is "dark," I care whether it's well-made, whether the acting is good and the setting convincing and interesting, whether the tone is appropriate to the subject matter, whether it holds my interest.

People didn't like Battlestar Galactica because it was "dark" so much as because it met these criteria. Its producers actually seemed to take its subject matter seriously, to ask themselves the most obvious what-if question about that setting: what would it be like to be stuck in a tin can fleeing the destruction of the human race by killer robots? They came up with characters and dilemmas that made sense in that context. Unfortunate that the plot went off the rails halfway through, but overall their approach made way more sense than the camp of the original, and audience reaction reflected that.

That mostly made sense and I agree with the majority of the points.

I would say that the reason I stopped watching BSG the remake was because it was dark, but more twisted. I mean, child sex slavery that they don't stop? It's.. Sure, it's real life, but I do like a bit of optimism now and then where I can pretend humans aren't that bad. To that I'd agree with the OP.

I do however like dark dystopian universes, whether in literature or TV. I will be finishing BSG because.. Well the rest of it is out now, they're not likely to get any worse, and it is one of the best space shows I've seen in a while. The ships were more realistic, none of this swinging about like there's an atmosphere, but using small rockets to rotate the ship then blasting full thruster. That's closer to real than an Xwing. They did have sound, but they'd have to have been bold to go for a silent space battle.

Which as I say it makes for much more intense viewing..

Who here is good at editing? I want all of BSG the remake space battles with the effects out. Music is ok, but silent.. That would be cool. 'nerd with new toy noises here'

I can understand dark, but where's the depressing part come in? It's the universe, one big giant fireworks display. It brings about cries of "Oooh" and "Ahhh".

In BSG? It was quite depressing, the themes it covered weren't those I'm comfortable with. On the one hand, I love that, on the other, it totally sucks.

Because space is dark and depressing.

I always found the inky blackness of space strangely comforting...

It is comforting, there's no-one else there. And no humanly perceptible noise. It would be so peaceful.

Although it would be cool to be able to hear stars without a radio telescope.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

If they would do a trilogy around Eisenhorn (which i haven't read) they should also do one with Ravenor.

Totally agree with you there mate. But Eisenhorn first, since the story of Ravenor takes place after the events of the Eisenhorn trilogy.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

Hear, hear! That's what all sci-fi shows should do, IMO, write serious stories, but don't be afraid to be quirky and funny when the situation allows it. It adds a sort of dynamic element to the show.

Hehe, reminds me of this episode where Mulder and Scully are investigating som murders going on in a trailerpark inhabited by a bunch of freakshow preformers, and one of the people they interview say something like:

"Did you know that with the right amount of concentration you can make the testicles retract into your abdomen?"

And Mulder goes: "Im doing that as we speak." XD

EDIT:

Found the quote:

Dr. Blockhead: Did you know that through the protective Chinese practice of Tiea Bu Shan, you can train your testicles to draw up into your abdomen?

Mulder: Oh, I'm doing that as we speak.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

The reason is quite simple. We have slowly come to realize that the idealistic dreams inherent in the happy go lucky sci-fi of days gone past is a fantasy. The hard rules of reality have demonstrated that no matter how far we progress as a species, the same old troubles nip at our heels. Where once we could look up at the stars and imagine the gods themselves we have come to understand that for all it's fire and bluster space is a big and empty place. And should we ever lift ourselves from this planet and travel into the stars, the petty bickering that has plagued us will surely follow.

In five thousand years of recorded history there has been no peace among men. Changing the setting for the story will not alter this.

 

[Hisshiss]

Funny that this comes up today, I just finished watching some movie on Syfy, bunch of college kids go to some jungle, crazy scientist dude takes em camping, shit happens, people get eaten, turns out their lookin for some breed of giant super monkey, more people get eaten, then the movie ends with the scientist gettin dead, and the remaining college students, who by this point are just trying to figure out how to get out of here alive after being literally held hostage by this guy, wander into a cave after 20 minutes of running away from these fuckin things, only to end up in a pitch black room with a night vision camera, guy with camera gets picked off, camera zooms in on last person screaming, roll credits.

I seriously have never seen a movie just end like that xD..could swear the swat team or something was about to come save them since it did have the typical one male one female survivor team left up until literally the last 30 seconds.

 

[Daedalus1942]

It's not alll dark and depressing.
Dollhouse isn't really depressing, neither is Kyle XY.
Neither is stargate Atlantis (i can't comment on universe just yet).
There's some dark ones sure, but there re some lightehearted ones also.
-Tabs<3-

 

[Dr. Paine]

-snip-

Okay, very off topic, but I just watched 'Doomsday' for the first time last night, and now your avatar's making wibble again <_<

On topic: Dark and emo is in right now, that's all I can really say. It's been that way for a little while now, but keep some hope, it'll be out before too long. I honestly can't name a ton of examples, given that the only 'sci-fi' shows I watch are Doctor Who (while it has some very dark moments, that just makes it better, but I love the whole 'love of life and everything in it' mentality) and... well, Phineas and Ferb was listed in the OP, so I guess we can count that. ... used to be into Fringe, but then I got lost for a season and I am not even going to try to get back into it again, and I haven't touched fantasy ever since Eragon came out.

But yeah, the whole dark and depressing thing is just what's popular now, but it's not something that'll last. Hang onto things like Who and Wall-E until it passes by.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

As for Firefly, Farscape, and Stargate, I'm interested in all three of them, but I have terrible timing with Hulu, seeing as every time I find out they have a series that I want to watch, it's about a week before the rights run out, and I'm not willing to buy boxed sets for shows that I don't know that I'm going to love; a strong suspicion that I'll like them doesn't really justify it for me. Of those three, Stargate is the only one that's still airing in reruns, and considering that it ran for 10 or so years with a continuing plot, I can't really tune into a random rerun and understand it. I had the same problem when I finally watched the movie during season 10, and realized I had been missing a great show for all that time.

As for current sci-fi, that's what I'm really complaining about; I love most of the older stuff

For everyone who is recommending Eureka: is it really that good? I saw a couple of episodes when it was new, and it just didn't click with me. Same thing with Warehouse 13, for that matter. I like lighthearted shows, but lightheartedness in itself isn't enough for me to like it; it also has to have at least some semblance of quality.

Definitely recommend Stargate SG-1.

I checked Hulu still has it until January 31st.

Link to the first episode and the rest:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/62972/stargate-sg-1-children-of-the-gods

Stargate Atlantis was pretty good too.(At least watch SG-1 through season 7 before starting Atlantis.)

I recommend never watching Stargate Universe. It is a pile of crap. They went the direction with it that you hate about how Sci-fi has been going. There are many dark moments to be had in it. It is gritty and emotional. It is so over the top emotional at times that it basically can be called a soap opera, especially since the show focuses more on relationships and love triangles than it does on the actual story that the show is suppose to be about. You are lucky to get 10% show from each episode, the rest will be boo-whooo, she doesn't love me, he's dead, oh wait he's not dead, crap. Oh and I will also add that they started using that gritty, close up most of the time, grainy picture filming crap that Battlestar used.

I wish I had a TARDIS. I would go back in time and find a way to make it so that Stargate Universe was never put into production.

Besides that, I agree with you on Eureka and Warehouse 13. The episodes of them I did watch I liked, but they didn't give me that feeling of: Oh yes! I have to find every episode and watch it beginning to end!

Also, seeing as you love Doctor Who as I do, I recommend two more things:

1.) Find and watch as many episodes/stories of the Old Series of Doctor Who as you can.

2.) For fantasy, you can't go wrong with watching more shows from the BBC, I recommend Merlin. It just finished it's third season. It is a phenomenally good show. It does have it's dark moments at times, but it doesn't keep itself there for long. It has lighthearted and hilarious moments to bring the viewer back.

Thanks for the recommendation on SG1, it seems to be exactly the type of show I'm looking for. My roommate and I just watched my DVD of the original film, followed by the pilot of the series on Hulu, and have come to the conclusion that we're going to need to get a hulu plus membership if they renew it for that but not the free version. I'll keep that in mind about the BBC stuff too, especially the older Doctor Who stories. The terrible special effects aren't really off putting to me; actually, my favorite Doctor Who story was a First Doctor story for quite some time.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Thanks for the recommendation on SG1, it seems to be exactly the type of show I'm looking for. My roommate and I just watched my DVD of the original film, followed by the pilot of the series on Hulu, and have come to the conclusion that we're going to need to get a hulu plus membership if they renew it for that but not the free version. I'll keep that in mind about the BBC stuff too, especially the older Doctor Who stories. The terrible special effects aren't really off putting to me; actually, my favorite Doctor Who story was a First Doctor story for quite some time.

Yeah, I have the Doctor Who: The Beginning collection. It contains the pilot story and two of the stories that come after it. I also have the Lost in Time collection that contains the leftovers of parts of lost stories from the First and Second Doctors.

The one I have the most of on DVD from the old series, is the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison.


I've been re-watching SG-1, and I'm thinking about Hulu Plus as well. I'm getting tired of the commercials, any more of them and it will be like watching regular television.

 

[Cowabungaa]

All the Battlestar Galactica hate in this thread makes my fanboy heart weep. One of the very few shows that does social sci-fi and space drama well, and they're bashing it! It has light moments as well you know, and after seeing all seasons a couple of times, I should know. But you know, humanity bordering on extinction, shit what would you expect...

*cries for a bit*

Anyway, honestly I don't know what you're talking about. Yeah there's at least SG:U that tries to step in the succesful footsteps of BSG, and failing at that, but I can't see that much else really. Maybe it's because sci-fi is barely broadcasted here and all.

The subject matter is as dark as it can get, but every now and then, the show takes a moment to show us what the characters are fighting for, how wonderful it is, and how not everything is death and destruction.

Just to quibble: I don't remember BSG being entirely humorless and "death and destruction." Gaius Baltar and his phantom Cylon babe were some of the most consistently spot-on comedy I've ever seen in an SF show. The friendship between Adama and the President provided heart-warming character moments by the bucketful. We got to see Apollo stand up for appropriate civil liberty and curb the (completely understandable) excesses of the military almost every week. The tone was dark but there was all sorts of uplifting content.

Hear hear! Seriously, I have no idea where the OP got it from that BSG is purely negative woe and doom. If anything that show is about hope.