Sigh. My Top 10 Fantasy & SF TV Series may be the most fluid of all my top tens.
Many, perhaps most, simply miss the mark for me at the outset. Those that do hit the mark generally fall away quickly or don’t have an enduring quality – or they endure too long, waning until they limp into their final season, and in either case fail to stick the landing. The recent archetypal example, for me as it was for so many others, was Game of Thrones, in which the failure to stick the proverbial landing – or dare I say it, King’s Landing (heh)- in the final season left a bitter taste that filtered back throughout the series or at least its later seasons.
Hence, I tend have a high turnover for shuffling or ranking entries into my special mentions, with so few entries having the consistent or enduring quality to rank in the top ten itself – or remain there.
In fairness to myself, there’s also my separate Top 10 Animated TV Series, in which my entries are somewhat more enduring – and animation by its nature tends to be fantasy or SF. Indeed, all but the top entry in my present top ten are clearly fantasy or SF, and the top entry (Archer) has so many substantial SF elements as to be borderline SF. (One season was outright SF and there’s a reasonable argument for the other seasons as alternate history given their anachronistic timeline and divergence from our own world in which they are nominally set.)
It’s also interesting how much supernatural or SF horror features in my Top 10 Fantasy & SF TV Series – as well as how many superhero comics adaptations. Four of the entries, including the top entry, arguably fall within the horror genre (with significant or substantial horror elements in three or four of the others) – and four entries are adaptations from superhero comics.
(10) WEDNESDAY (2022)
Firstly, I try to reserve tenth place for my wildcard entry – ideally an entry from the last year or so – and Wednesday fits that bill, but it also illustrates the flash in the pan quality that plagues my selection of entries for this top ten.
Even when fantasy or SF TV series start off strong – something which seems increasingly rare – all too often that quality is not enduring (and often quickly so at that) or is somewhat mixed even at the outset.
Wednesday is only one season in so far (with another season incoming) but does have that mixed flash in the pan quality – and the flash is Jenna Ortega as the titular role.
Otherwise, there’s much about this series that shouldn’t have worked and to an extent doesn’t – it’s cheesy soap opera (with some incredibly dodgy CGI) and its Harry Potter-esque premise detracts from the whole premise of the Addams family being the odd ones out – but Ortega’s charismatic deadpan performance makes it work. Well, makes it work enough for me to give it my wildcard tenth place entry for now – fantasy and SF TV can be slim pickings, with nothing since catching my enduring interest.
If nothing else, there was her iconic dance scene that went viral (and I think may have been a part of the promotional teaser material), fitting her character’s personality perfectly while also even borrowing some moves from the child character on the 1960s TV series, showing that Ms Ortega did her research in her own choreography.
RATING: 4 STARS****
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(9) THE SANDMAN (2022)
To be honest, The Sandman is also a wildcard entry, so I’ve extended my wildcard entries from the usual tenth place to also include ninth place. Again, that’s because Sandman is also an entry from the last year or so – amidst slim pickings for fantasy and SF TV series – but also has something of a mixed flash in the pan quality for me.
And that’s ironically because I rank The Sandman comic so highly, so any screen adaptation was bound to leave me with mixed feelings. That remains the case even though the TV series is reasonably faithful to the comic – or at least as reasonably faithful as might be expected in adapting the multi-layered narrative of the comic to the screen.
Therein perhaps lies the horns of the dilemma for this series, striking the balance of faithful adaptation and, well, unfaithful adapation – where the series necessarily had to be adapted differently, particularly because of the different pacing involved or to be accessible to viewers who weren’t familiar with the comics. It was not for nothing that the series was reputed to be unfilmable (although that was probably more a matter of production rather than adaptation previously).
On the whole it did well enough, although not as well as the comic itself within my Top 10 Comics – and I’m unable to judge how well it may have succeeded in being accessible to those who had not read the comic. Actor Tom Sturridge was certainly effective as the titular character, also known as Morpheus or Dream of the Endless, and it shone in its visual effects or design towards “a shimmering, magical, moving masterpiece that defies the odds”.
RATING: 4 STARS****
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(8) BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR (2021)
“I want to set his life on fire”
Well this was weird and probably won’t be to everyone’s taste but sufficiently intriguing until another fantasy or SF series retains my enduring interest to replace it in my top ten. And how I could resist that title? It’s apparently based on a book – by Todd Grimson, although it reminded me of Thomas Ligotti’s My Work is Not Yet Done.
It’s also interesting to see the lead from Alita Battle Angel (Rosa Salazar) in an otherworldly role of an altogether different kind – supernatural horror. Well, she’s not so otherworldly herself, but finds herself in an increasingly otherworldly situation.
Any detailed plot synopsis would spoil too many of the twists, but the basic premise is that aspiring filmmaker Lisa Nova (played by Salazar) is screwed over by 1990s Hollywood producer Lou Burke, so strikes a deal with the friendly neighborhood witch Boro for vengeance. Of course, as events unfold – Boro is not so friendly, more creepy and horrific, as is the price paid by Burke AND Nova, although Nova is not so innocent herself, with her own skeleton in the closet (not least how she managed to film her standout scene).
“The series combines neon-soaked noir with copious doses of body horror and black comedy”. Not to mention zombies – and kittens…
RATING: 4 STARS****
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(7) LEGION (2017-2019: SEASONS 1-3)
I’ve always loved psychedelic head-trippy depictions of magic or mutant mind powers – where reality itself is slippery and not to be trusted.
Legion is something of the black sheep of the Marvel Comics adaptation family, a television series based on the little-known X-Men comics character of the same name, created by Noah Hawley – creator of Fargo, which shows in its similar quirky quality (as well as similarly hitting it out of the park with the acting of its cast, its gorgeous cinematography, its trippy visuals, its use of music and its writing). The obscurity of its titular protagonist works in its favor, as the series stands on its own despite references to outside continuity – and which also allows it to explore the underlying concepts or ramifications of mental powers, which by their very nature, are difficult to condense in cinematic adaptations.
The protagonist David Haller, is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who has struggled with mental illness since his late childhood. When hospitalized, he meets fellow patient and similarly-troubled Sydney Barrett, he’s confronted with an even more disturbing possibility – that the voices he hears and visions he sees are actually real and that there’s more to his schizophrenia than what he believes. Much more – and much worse, including a psychic parasite that’s been living in his head for a long time and wants his body for itself…
The primary battlefield is David’s mind, where memories and perceptions are not to be trusted, although the psychic battles are often fought in visually spectacular fashion. Throw in the battles in physical reality between the covert government Division 3, which seeks to pre-empt any mutant threat to humanity, and Summerland, an equally covert mutant resistance, and you have a series made of pure awesomeness.
After all, I haven’t seen any other series take a cute family dog into a truly ‘oh crap’ moment like this series…
And that’s just the first season. Things become an even more wild ride in the second and final third season
RATING: 4 STARS****
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(6) BLACK MIRROR
(2011 – PRESENT: SEASONS 1-6)
Black Mirror – the cyberpunk Twilight Zone of the twenty-first century!
Okay, that cyberpunk label may be overstating it, but it certainly is a series of dark and satirical twists in the tale of the unanticipated or unintended consequences of technology and social media in modern society – or, in the words of series creator Charlie Brooker, “the way we might be living in 10 minutes’ time if we’re clumsy.”
It is an anthology series with no continuity between episodes – each episode has a different cast, a different setting or even a different reality, so you don’t have to watch them in order. Personally, I’d recommend starting with the later seasons and working your way backwards – particularly as the very first episode doesn’t extrapolate so much on technology or social media and can be a little confronting (although unforgettable – let’s just say you won’t feel about pork the same way again).
As for the premise and title of the series, it’s back to Charlie Brooker:
“If technology is a drug – and it does feel like a drug – then what, precisely, are the side effects? This area – between delight and discomfort – is where Black Mirror, my new drama series, is set. The ‘black mirror’ of the title is the one you’ll find on every wall, on every desk, in the palm of every hand: the cold, shiny screen of a TV, a monitor, a smartphone.”
RATING: 4 STARS****
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(5) THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (2018)
Yes – I include horror in my definition of fantasy (or science fiction, depending on the source of the horror) and I can’t think of another horror series on TV as genuinely scary as The Haunting of Hill House. As the title indicates, it is an adaptation based loosely on the book of the same name by Shirley Jackson.
It is psychological and supernatural horror, working effectively as both. The supernatural horror – the ghosts of the titular haunting and house itself – are certainly chilling, particularly as the director placed ghostly figures in the margins or peripheral angles of scenes (notably involving the stairs). You often didn’t see them, at least directly, but they were still there, squirming in your subconscious mind to unnerve or disturb you. The ghosts that you do see are unnerving enough, from the titular ghost in the very first episode, “Steven Sees a Ghost” – and from there on in, it’s a white-knuckled ride of suspense and creeping fear. And then there’s the psychological horror of a broken family of broken people, not to mention the occasional existential horror of life itself (such as that speech – you know the one, thank you Theo).
The plot revolves around the Crain family – Hugh and Olivia with their five children – moving into Hill House twenty-six years previously, with the parents intending to renovate it for sale, but the House – and its, ah, family – have their own hungry plans. And to paraphrase my poetic musings elsewhere – the Crain family came back from the black abyss, but they did not come all the way back (or all come back), and worse, they brought it back with them (and left part of themselves or their family behind). The story flips between the past and the present, as the family struggles with the aftermath – and that the House is still hungry for those who escaped it.
And then there’s that red room…
The only flaw for me was the ending, which was somewhat divisive for audiences in its tonal shift – although some have speculated a much darker twist in it.
And yes – I’m only counting the first season. As at the date of revising this entry, it has had a second and third season, retooled into an anthology series with the second season as an adaptation of The Turn of the Screw (and other works by Henry James) and the third season as an adaptation of the Fall of the House of Usher (and other works by Edgar Allen Poe). However, they just haven’t had the same magic for me as this first season.
RATING: 4 STARS****
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(4) THE STRAIN
(2014-2017: SEASONS 1-4)
It’s a vampire apocalypse in a box!
A vampire horror series that portrays vampires as the blood-sucking parasitic abominations they are. (Yes – I have fantastic racism against vampires. Stake them all in the sun, I say. Except hot vampire girls, of course. And there’s none of those in this series). In this case, vampirism is spread by the worm-like parasites that crawl from their bodies, one of which was depicted burrowing into an eye in an infamous promotional poster. (It’s reminiscent of the Lovecraftian vampire parasite things in the pulpy Necroscope book series by Brian Lumley).
It’s a welcome relief from the sexy (or worse, sparkly) vampires of True Blood (or worse, Twilight) and most vampires in popular culture these days – the vampires in The Strain are distinctly unsexy vile abominations of extreme body horror. It’s hard to be sexy when your (male) genitalia have atrophied and dropped off, while your excretory organs have fused together into a cloaca. Eww!
The series is the brainchild of Guillermo de Toro (yes, THAT Guillermo de Toro) and Chuck Hogan, based on their novel trilogy of the same name (albeit one originally conceived as a story line for a television series). The series opens with CDC medical staff called to an airliner in which everyone appears to have succumbed to a mysterious viral infection or disease. Or at least, so the authorities surmise – instead, it is worse. Much worse.
Soon, New York finds itself battling for its very existence against an ancient enemy with humanity itself at stake (heh).
RATING: 4 STARS****
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(3) PEACEMAKER (2022)
“I cherish peace with all my heart. I don’t care how many men, women and children I have to kill to get it”
I mean, the opening credits sequence alone would earn a place in my top ten. And Eagly too of course.
Peacemaker was introduced – on screen at least – in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad in 2019 (the good Suicide Squad film, not the bad one), along with his credo for “peace” quoted above.
I wouldn’t have guessed that out of all the characters in that film, Peacemaker would be the one to get his own spin-off TV series, also directed by James Gunn – but it totally works, as Gunn brings his blackly comic signature style from the film to the TV series, with added hair metal flair.
Of course, it helps that the titular anti-hero protagonist is having something of a crisis of faith, not least the whole-heartedness of his credo – notably including guilt and remorse over its casualties, one in particular. And we get to see his traumatic origin, particularly at the hands of his father – played with vile relish by Robert Patrick.
Once again, Peacemaker finds himself being used as a tool – or weapon – by Task Force X, against an invasion by mysterious entities known as Butterflies, prompting Peacemaker to compare it to Operation Starfish in The Suicide Squad.
And it’s not just Peacemaker’s show – the other characters, particularly the other members of Task Force X, bring their A-game as well. My personal favorite is the cheerfully sociopathic Vigilante, although I’m not sure how faithfully his screen incarnation is adapted from the comics
RATING: 4 STARS****
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(2) THE BOYS
(2019 – PRESENT: SEASONS 1-3)
“Diabolical”
Of course, any further quotes from anti-hero Billy Butcher would involve a very explicit language warning.
This series rocked my world with its debut in 2019 – my favorite comics adaptation on TV so far, as well as one of my favorite plays on comics and superhero tropes in general. So much so I was inspired to read the comic by Garth Ennis although the television series has increasingly diverted from the comic.
The series takes place in a world where superheroes exist, such that you prefer they didn’t. On the superhero side, you have the Seven, the world’s leading superhero team – sponsored by the powerful corporation Vought International – and mostly copies of the Justice League, led by its equivalent of Superman (with some Captain America thrown in), Homelander, who more than earns that description of diabolical and invokes the trope Beware the Superman. And on the other side, you have the titular Boys, vigilante cape-busters forced to use their smarts, skills and willingness to fight dirty against their superhero adversaries – led by Billy Butcher, perhaps the series’ most compelling character to rival his primary adversary, Homelander.
RATING: 4 STARS****
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(1) STRANGER THINGS
(2016 – PRESENT: SEASONS 1-4)
I assume this Netflix original series needs little introduction.
And what’s not to love for fantasy and SF fans?
Eleven! The Upside Down! The Demogorgon and Mind Flayer! Steve Harrington’s magnificent hair (and its secret)!
More broadly, 1980’s nostalgia and pop culture references aplenty! Psychokinetic girls (reminiscent of Charlie, not to mention her adversary, the Shop, in one of my favorite Stephen King novels, Firestarter). Extradimensional alien invasion – evoking Alien and Aliens in Seasons 1 and 2 respectively with more than a touch of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, particularly when it evokes The Thing in Season 3. Mysterious government agencies to rival the nastier versions of men in black (with their black helicopters) – so that’s what the Department of Energy does?
And of course there’s all those Dungeons and Dragons references for this fantasy fan – “I’m our Paladin, Will’s our Cleric, Dustin’s our Bard, Lucas is our Ranger, and El’s our Mage”.
To quote Wikipedia, series creators the Duffer brothers “developed the series as a mix of investigative drama alongside supernatural elements with childlike sensibilities, establishing its time frame in the 1980s and creating a homage to pop culture of that decade. Several themes and directorial aspects were inspired and aesthetically informed by the works of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, and Stephen King, among others”. Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980’s, the first season focuses on the investigation into the disappearance of a young boy amid supernatural (or rather paranormal) events centered on the nearby Hawkins National Laboratory – and the second season is even, ah, more upside downier.
On the other hand, I can suspend disbelief in the Demogorgon and Upside Down – but no one ever made it that far in the Dragon’s Lair videogame…
RATING: 4 STARS****
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TV (FANTASY & SF): TOP 10 – TIER LIST
A-TIER (TOP TIER)
(1) STRANGER THINGS (2016 – present). Arguably falling within the SF horror genre
(2) THE BOYS (2019 – present). Superhero comics adaptation
(3) PEACEMAKER (2022). Superhero comics adaptation – arguably significant or substantial SF horror elements
B-TIER (HIGH TIER)
(4) THE STRAIN (2014-2017). It’s a vampire apocalypse in a box! Albeit more Lovecraft (or Lumley) than Dracula. SF horror
(5) THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (2018). Yes – I’m only counting one season. Supernatural horror
(6) BLACK MIRROR (2011 – present). SF – arguably some horror elements
(7) LEGION (2017-2019). Yet another superhero comics adaptation (and one that fell somewhat from its glittering first season, although I enjoyed it through all its seasons). Also on the edge of horror, particularly with its first season
(8) BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR (2021). Another horror entry – weird and probably not to everyone’s taste, but intriguing enough for a place in my top 10
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(9) THE SANDMAN (2022). Fantasy comics adaptation (which I’ll loosely count towards the superhero comics adaptations) – some elements of horror
(10 WEDNESDAY (2022). Fantasy – technically a comics adaptation (albeit not superheroes as such) and also horror elements played for black comedy