Hello.
We're devoting this month's issue to Chris Carter, creator of THE X-FILES and MILLENNIUM, with fan fiction based on both of those series. Enjoy!
Since my reading glasses are still being repaired, I thought I'd squint just enough to give you a quick, opinionated list of the Top 5 genre series from the past TV season.
MILLENNIUM: Unquestionably one of the most underrated shows on television. In Carter's absence, producers Glen Morgan and James Wong ditched the "serial-killer-of-the-week" stories and introduced a much needed "mythology" to the series, examining evil in such a way that truly jolted you and made you think. Lance Henriksen has never had a better opportunity to show off his acting talents. I know his acting style isn't for everybody, but I can't imagine anyone else playing the tragic Frank Black. The tension-filled cliffhanger "The Time is Now" literally left me breathless and in shock.
STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE: Currently it's the best TREK on the block, taking chances and broadening its premise with the Dominion War storyline. Episodes such as "Inquisition" (we learn there's a touch of paranoia within the Federation), "Far Beyond the Stars" (racism is tackled head-on), and "In the Pale Moonlight" (which explores Captain Sisko's morality) are exceptional - powerful, moving, character-driven. Stop comparing it to BABYLON 5 and just watch it on its own merits.
EARTH: FINAL CONFLICT: This impressive science fiction series is STAR TREK's cousin, conceived back in the 70's by Gene Roddenberry. It lives up to the Roddenberry moniker, with aliens that are neither totally good nor totally evil, but ones with three dimensions, and a continuing story arc that draws you in right up until the apparent death of its lead (by now we know Kevin Kilner is out for Season 2).
SLIDERS: Now that this show is on the Sci-Fi Channel, the producers have abandoned the movie rip-off plots that FOX forced on them last season and given the fans a show to cheer about. True, John Rhys-Davies and Sabrina Lloyd are gone, but the plots are incredible and tap ino the enormous potential of the premise - one that postulates parallel realities. "World Killer" and "Slidecage" (which reminded me a great deal of Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream") blew me away and I can't wait to see what's in store next season for the Sliders.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: I've always said that this series takes a believable look at high school. Let's face it, for many of us, high school was a nightmare. By filling it with vampires and other monsters, this show brilliantly enforces that fact. Its second season took some major risks by killing off many of the cast members. The relationship between Buffy and Angel has so many layers (some decidely controversial) that I'm not sure I've figured them all out, but it's definitely entertaining. If you haven't watched this series because of the awful movie it was based on, give it a try. I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I do (would you believe that some weeks it's even better than THE X-FILES?). For a show that appears very "blonde" on the surface, BUFFY has brains.