Firefly

Battlestar Galactica

You’ve probably heard this series described by many a fan as "the best thing on television." We’ll let you in on a little secret: that’s no exaggeration. Where the hell did this thing come from, and why is it so damn good? The cast and their respective characters, the scripts and the stories they tell, the special effects, everything comes together into one amazing sci-fi extravaganza that will have you by the throat from the word go. Edward James Olmos rules the galaxy, and Tricia Helfer is pretty easy on the eyes as the hottest Cylon this side of the Milky Way.

Quantum Leap

The great thing about a time travel series is it gives you an endless amount of stories to tell, if you play your cards right. Quantum Leap kept its poker face for five seasons, as Scott Bakula took on dozens of different personas in different time periods and tried to make the world a better place as Dean Stockwell looked alternately concerned and confused as the man who set up the gigs. Often silly but almost always clever, Quantum Leap kept audiences coming back week after week, wondering where - and as who - Bakula would find himself.

The X-Files

Before it self-destructed into complete nonsense in its final couple of seasons, The X-Files was the show to watch every week. Even the most casual fans were kind of obsessed by its endless series of conspiracy theories, twists and turns, character revelations (both sudden and drawn-out) and the eerie way creator Chris Carter made it seem like this was all actually happening. The truth is out there, indeed - and we were looking for it just as tenaciously as Mulder and Scully.

Firefly

Joss Whedon’s wildly misunderstood (and extremely short-lived) sci-fi series was actually more of a space western - or grunge opera - than it was something like Star Trek. The tale of the good ship Serenity and its crew might have been too ahead of its time for its own good, or maybe audiences didn’t want anything from Joss that wasn’t Buffy or Angel, but ultimately Firefly had the last laugh as Whedon was somehow able to seduce Universal into letting him turn it into a big, expensive (and quite excellent) theatrical film called Serenity. It’s not too late: hook up your Netflix queue and get on board.

Lost

Make no mistake: Lost is a somewhat sloppy and extremely maddening show; it was apparent about halfway through the second season that the writers had no idea where they were going. However, the series is also as smart as a whip and keeps you tuning in week after week even though you know each episode is going to make you even more frustrated and feeling somewhat betrayed. What is the spell this show has cast? We have no idea, but damn it is a fine piece of work despite its gaping-hole weaknesses.