![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
julieandrewsI'll say up front that all of these are British. I figure most people reading my lj are familiar with the science fiction and fantasy shows being shown on American TV, whether or not you're watching them. And I'm rather addicted to UKNova. If there's good sf/f shows in other countries, no matter what language, please let me know!
Links go to IMDB.
Young Dracula
A kids show that saw two series, but doesn't look to have gotten a third. It's based on a children's book by Michael Lawrence. The premise is that Dracula, a divorced Dad, has moved to the UK with his two children and servant, Renfield. One child is his son and heir apparent, and the other is his teenager daughter. He treats her like crap, because she's a girl. Yes, it's cheesy, and silly, because it's a show for kids. But it's also awesome. The actor playing Dracula makes me think of a younger, sexier, funner Snape. Keith-Lee Castle. I haven't seen him in anything else, but his record on IMDB points to lots of vampire-related roles.
I'm going to assume you've all heard of The Sarah Jane Adventures. Well, this is better than that.
Being Human
Vampires again. This time a vampire living with a werewolf and a ghost. The TV movie pilot of this was good, and I wasn't the only one looking forward to it being a series. But reports are they screwed up the series by replacing most of the cast and making it 'lighter'. I think we can thank Twilight for that. :P
Merlin
I'm not into Arthurian legends. In fact, I am anti-Arthur. I can't remember if I wrote an anti-Arthur rant here, or merely in my head. I suspect the latter. But this series featured a bunch of actors I knew. A whole lot of them were in Doctor Who, for one thing. So I gave it a shot. Then I gave it another shot. And, so help me, I like it. Premise is that young Merlin's just come to court and he has to keep his magic-use a secret because Arthur's Dear Old Dad hates sorcerers with a murderous passion. And being king, he can get away with the murderous part. But this dragon keeps telling Merlin that saving and helping Arthur is his destiny, even though Arthur is an arrogant jerk most of the time. Merlin makes a really bad servant, and isn't so good at the not-using-magic thing, but somehow he gets away with it. And slashfic writers can go ahead and get ready when this comes to the SciFi Channel.
I've also started watching Survivors, but I'm afraid it doesn't have much to recommend it so far. Plague wipes out humanity. People band together in a post-apocalyptic world. With the usual garbage of creeps and criminals you can't trust and this guy hooking up with that girl. Lots of threatening each other with guns. The only thing that makes it a bit unusual so far is that one of the characters is an 11-year-old boy who's a devout Muslim. You don't meet too many kids on American TV, or in science fiction for that matter, who are devout anything.
But since I can't leave it out altogether. Here's the American shows you should be watching too: House, Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, Boston Legal. Boston Legal isn't science fiction or fantasy, but it's the last season, and it really deserves a shout out.
And for now, that's that. Only that I will close by saying that Sarah Jane isn't giving me the Doctor Who/Torchwood fix I need!
(And did she stop calling it 'sonic lipstick' and take to calling it simply 'the sonic', now, or was that an isolated incident?)
Links go to IMDB.
Young Dracula
A kids show that saw two series, but doesn't look to have gotten a third. It's based on a children's book by Michael Lawrence. The premise is that Dracula, a divorced Dad, has moved to the UK with his two children and servant, Renfield. One child is his son and heir apparent, and the other is his teenager daughter. He treats her like crap, because she's a girl. Yes, it's cheesy, and silly, because it's a show for kids. But it's also awesome. The actor playing Dracula makes me think of a younger, sexier, funner Snape. Keith-Lee Castle. I haven't seen him in anything else, but his record on IMDB points to lots of vampire-related roles.
I'm going to assume you've all heard of The Sarah Jane Adventures. Well, this is better than that.
Being Human
Vampires again. This time a vampire living with a werewolf and a ghost. The TV movie pilot of this was good, and I wasn't the only one looking forward to it being a series. But reports are they screwed up the series by replacing most of the cast and making it 'lighter'. I think we can thank Twilight for that. :P
Merlin
I'm not into Arthurian legends. In fact, I am anti-Arthur. I can't remember if I wrote an anti-Arthur rant here, or merely in my head. I suspect the latter. But this series featured a bunch of actors I knew. A whole lot of them were in Doctor Who, for one thing. So I gave it a shot. Then I gave it another shot. And, so help me, I like it. Premise is that young Merlin's just come to court and he has to keep his magic-use a secret because Arthur's Dear Old Dad hates sorcerers with a murderous passion. And being king, he can get away with the murderous part. But this dragon keeps telling Merlin that saving and helping Arthur is his destiny, even though Arthur is an arrogant jerk most of the time. Merlin makes a really bad servant, and isn't so good at the not-using-magic thing, but somehow he gets away with it. And slashfic writers can go ahead and get ready when this comes to the SciFi Channel.
I've also started watching Survivors, but I'm afraid it doesn't have much to recommend it so far. Plague wipes out humanity. People band together in a post-apocalyptic world. With the usual garbage of creeps and criminals you can't trust and this guy hooking up with that girl. Lots of threatening each other with guns. The only thing that makes it a bit unusual so far is that one of the characters is an 11-year-old boy who's a devout Muslim. You don't meet too many kids on American TV, or in science fiction for that matter, who are devout anything.
But since I can't leave it out altogether. Here's the American shows you should be watching too: House, Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, Boston Legal. Boston Legal isn't science fiction or fantasy, but it's the last season, and it really deserves a shout out.
And for now, that's that. Only that I will close by saying that Sarah Jane isn't giving me the Doctor Who/Torchwood fix I need!
(And did she stop calling it 'sonic lipstick' and take to calling it simply 'the sonic', now, or was that an isolated incident?)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-06 11:00 pm (UTC)Survivors is crap. Watch the original.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-07 03:07 pm (UTC)There's one where a bunch of people are flash-frozen on a train and survive some worldwide calamity, but the name's escaping me at the moment.
I do like that Being Human has the girl from Sugar Rush. I'll give the thing a shot.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-07 04:30 pm (UTC)You're thinking of The Last Train.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-07 02:52 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-07 03:09 pm (UTC)And yet we're stuck with Lost and Heroes spiralling downward at every increasing speed.
And I don't even know what Smallville's doing anymore.
Am I going to have to give Fringe or some SciFi Channel show a chance just to have something to watch that isn't a medical show? :P
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-07 06:28 pm (UTC)Per that agreement there are now 32 episodes left until the end.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-08 03:45 pm (UTC)Aside from Amazing Race and my beloved HGTV, the only American shows I'm following at the moment are Chuck, Pushing Daisies, and Life.