OK, so we love our Star Treks and our Twilight
Zones and our Losts (I think it's ok to call it sci-fi), but what about the worst science fiction
shows of all-time? Let the arguments begin...
My picks after the jump...
- Far Out Space Nuts: Gilligan in space, with the production values of your local cable station. And about as funny as leprosy. Even as a kid I said to myself, "wow, this stupid...I wonder if Bugs Bunny is on right now?"
- Cleopatra 2525: I think this was something about an exotic dancer who's frozen and thawed in the future and helps two other females save the planet? It was one of those shows that seemed to just saturate in its own instant kitsch and "we're so bad we're good!" But the show was horribly acted, had mindnumbing plots, and the sets were laughable.
- Battlestar Galactica (original): I was so excited about this show when I heard about it, but even as a 14 year old sci-fi geek, I couldn't get into it. The special effects just looked cheesy to me, the Ceylons were about as scary as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, and the stories didn't hook me at all. Plus it had a kid and some goofy Muppet as a pet.
- Mann and Machine: Sure, Yancy Butler in a bathing suit was great, but other than that. It was about a rebel cop (his name was Mann) who was teamed with a female partner who was a robot (she was the Machine). Her name was Eve, so I think they should have just named him Adam and called the show...oh, never mind.
- Electra Woman and Dyna Girl: Yeah, I know, it was for kids, and there's some kitsch value, but...what a bad show. This starred Days Of Our Lives veteran Deidre Hall and was part of the Krofft Supershow, along with Dr. Shrinker, Wonderbug and The Lost Saucer.
Oh, The Lost Saucer! That was awful too. Jim Nabors and Ruth Buzzi on a spaceship. Yikes.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
11-01-2005 @ 11:34AM
rod taylor said...
HOW IN THE WORLD COULD YOU PUT STAR TREK ON THIS LIST
STAR TREK OPEN THE DOOR FOR SCI-FI.
NEW IDEALS FOR SCI-FI SHOWS AND MOVIES LIKE STAR WARS...ALIENS..E.T AND TV SHOWS THAT WE ALL LOVE!!!
AROUND THE WORLD. STAR TREK IS SCI-FI AND ONLY A TRUE SCI-FI FAN KNOWS THIS!!!!!!
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11-08-2005 @ 1:20PM
Brent said...
I disagree with the listing of Cleopatra 2525. I watched that series, and let me tell ya, it was pretty darned interesting and entertaining, especially as we learned more about the baileys and the revelation at the end. It kind of reminded me of the Matrix in the sense of having machines in control of the surface of the Earth and humans living underground. The finale episode was pretty sweet, it left you wanting more! It was canceled before its time IMO.
I also disagree with the listing of the original BSG.
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11-09-2005 @ 4:50AM
3D Master said...
I disagree with Battlestar Galactica. It's one of the best shows ever. Now Space 1999, THAT is a horrible series. All the way to the top, baby.
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11-22-2005 @ 4:44AM
Clay said...
I have to agree w/ Manimal and add
Automan & the Nick Hammond Spider-Man.
BSG 1980 was bad but not the original.
I have to negate the C2525 based on Sky's hotness alone.
The kid shows are for kids. Cant bash those. Plus the hotness of Dyna-Girl!
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11-22-2005 @ 9:38AM
tully said...
'A Man Called Slone'. Not truly sci-fi, but enough sci-fi elements to be included with some of these others I've seen.
I loved it when I was younger, but man...baaaaaaad.
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4-17-2006 @ 9:57PM
Mike said...
BG No, BG1980 Yes! BG-Reimaged DEFINATELY YES!!
Lost In Space comes to mind and Space 1999 too.
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12-19-2006 @ 5:56PM
Jeff - Australia said...
CLEOPATRA 2525 shouldn't be on this list! There was a whole lot more going on than many people realise at first glance. You wouldn't bother with a Rubik's Cube if you could get it first go, would you?! It was completely tongue in cheek and was great escapist fun and a lot of the best bits weren't immediately obvious. It wasn't meant to be taken seriously at all. Besides, Jennifer Sky has the cutest dimples... even now. She's on Myspace!
You want a crappy series to pick on - GEMINI MAN! barf!
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10-27-2005 @ 1:49PM
elf said...
Don't forget Holmes and Yoyo! It certainly preceeded Mann and Machine as far as pairing a human cop with a robot partner. It was intended to be a comedy, though apparently nobody was laughing.
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10-27-2005 @ 1:50PM
Emily said...
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. What a stinker.
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10-27-2005 @ 2:08PM
Andrew said...
I dont think any of these ever made it to the UK. If they did i missed them... shame. (Or perhaps just lucky)
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10-27-2005 @ 2:11PM
big d said...
Galactica 1980
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10-27-2005 @ 2:21PM
The Jeremy said...
ElectraWoman is sometimes shown on TV Land. I caught an episode or two last year. Made me laugh.
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10-27-2005 @ 2:31PM
Joe Taylor Jr. said...
What, no "Homeboys in Outer Space?"
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10-27-2005 @ 2:31PM
R-Bro said...
Man, I don't know how old I was at the time (9 or 10, maybe?), but I used to *love* The Lost Saucer. And I had a bigtime crush on DynaGirl.
My personal worst sci-fi series? Star Trek Enterprise. Completely and utterly ruined Trek canon and just plain sucked to boot.
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10-27-2005 @ 2:33PM
TheMatt said...
I think you forgot the best worst show ever, AUTOMAN:
http://www.chuckwagner.com/automan.html
Cursor ruled.
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10-31-2005 @ 4:58PM
Seth Brundle said...
First, yeah it was a kids show so why are you categorizing it as sci-fi?!!? Would you consider 'Saved By The Bell' a bad sitcom? Target audience matters. There is plenty of bad sci-fi that you dont need to pick from kids shows!
But whats more - this was a *great* kid's show. I loved it, so did everyone I knew. It was way ahead of its time, with powerful hero chicks in tight costumes. Sure, seems cheesy now because it's so dated, but at the time it was fresh and fun.
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10-27-2005 @ 2:39PM
elf said...
Wait one big fat second here. Can anyone seriopusly argue that "Lost in Space" does not deserveone of the top two or three spots on the list?
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10-27-2005 @ 2:40PM
Seth Brundle said...
First, yeah it was a kids show so why are you categorizing it as sci-fi?!!? Would you consider 'Saved By The Bell' a bad sitcom? Target audience matters. There is plenty of bad sci-fi that you dont need to pick from kids shows!
But whats more - this was a *great* kid's show. I loved it, so did everyone I knew. It was way ahead of its time, with powerful hero chicks in tight costumes. Sure, seems cheesy now because it's so dated, but at the time it was fresh and fun.
Reply
10-28-2005 @ 4:08PM
jeff stiefer said...
hey! i will not stand for Automan bashing! Thats show ruled!!
ok, i guess it was kinda cheezy, but i used to love when he would go traring around a corner in the Automan car and his human buddy would get thrown against the window.
good times, good times...
jeffro
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10-27-2005 @ 3:28PM
Measure said...
Look, my cultural history only goes back the the 80's, when I got old enough to watch TV. So I don't know about all those old shows, but I can think of a couple of really bad Sci-fi I've seen in the last 20 years.
Sliders - Especially the sci-fi network version
Seaquest - I never watched this much because of the talking dolphin, but I'm told they eventually dealt with great science fiction topics like underwater wormholes???
Earth 2 - Tried to get into this one. Remember it being astoundingly horrible.
I'd also put any Star Trek series except ST:TNG and ST:DS9 on the list. And I'm probably being too kind to those two shows, but I was a fan.
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