Sorry, this is a bit off topic, but while thinking about season three, and how it compared to other shows at the same stage, it just popped in there...

I think we can all agree that B5 is the best sci-fi show ever. But is it the best TV show ever full stop? I remember when I was first watching it on Channel 4 in the 90s, I definately thought so. There was noting else like it on TV.

It wasnt until The West Wing about a year after B5 finished, that mainstream TV took a bit leap in terms of quality. But it could not have been more different. It was still stuck with network tv standards at the time, that each episode has to stand alone. One week we are on the verge of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan, the next week it is forgotten about. Very frustrating for an otherwise excellent show. The next big leap came with a show called 24. It threw the book out of the window. Here you had a high production and action show that was really slick and expensive, but with a whole premise based around the "arc" of that day. 24 was a massive success, and it opened the doors for many high quality shows that relied on telling a sweeping story across many seasons. It was also the best showcase for the need for the DVD box set.

I think its fair to say TV the past few years is far more satisfying that anything the cinema has to offer, not only for the viewer, but for the actors as well, leading to many movie stars crossing over to TV.

But what impact has this had on Sci Fi? Very few decent sci-fi shows have come out since B5. Firefly was stillborn (in my opinion Joss Wheadon killed it with actual cowboys in space, instead of using it as a metaphor). Only one other TV space opera has come close to B5. And that was Battlestar Galactica. Now here was a show that was superior in almost every way. Production, acting, dialogue, effects, was more adult in tone, and knew how to ramp up the drama. It was not until we got to the middle of the third season that something became clear. At the same point in its lifecycle that B5 was giving its best stories, It was starting to show that the Cylons did not, despite the titles, have a plan. They were making it up as they were going along, culminating in that awful finale. Another Scifi/fantasy show, Lost had exactly the same problem. Making shit up as they went along. And it shows. And its insulting to a viewer that has been following for years. So in all of this time. Babylon 5 still stands head an shoulders above the the competition in the sci-fi world. Purely because of the overall writing and plotting was done with intelligence, and respect to the viewer. Changes were made over the 5 years. But most of the changes that were forced worked to the story's advantage.

But it wasnt until a few years ago that I found something that actually surpassed Babylon 5. In fact it blew it out of the water, and it came from somewhere that I usually found tedious and uninteresting. The important thing for me is how it was described... as a televisual novel. Something where arcs built up not only over one saeason, but over 5. Something that showed characters not as good guys and bad guys, but in shades of grey. Something that you could watch several times, each time picking up things that you did not see before. Sounds very familiar... It is of course... The Wire. Something I would recommend to any Babylon 5 fan over any other tv series, simply because of the intelligence of the writing makes this the natural sucessor to Babylon 5.

Its sad that within the genre all we seem to get is garbage these days. But its good to know that there is other drama out there that provides thought provoking stories, and relevant social commentary.

Best TV show will always be subjective, but it is definitely close to unique, the fully planned 5 year arc (possibly the Wire aside) has not been sucessfully attempted since. (Odessey 5 seemed to have something similar going on, but was axed in season 1 so we'll never know) partly I think is it is possibly fear from both writers and networks. A writer who commits to a similar televisual novel faces the very real probability of never seeing his or her story completed, or having it taken over by someone else, or just twisted beyond all recognition by the studio.

For a good while the Season Arc was king. Popularised by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and used by many others including Enterprise and Stargate. Shows like that had a season by season plan and would reference the past, but there was no over-reaching plan (I'd also lump Stargate: Universe into this group but would happily be corrected if it had a realised plan) which is I suppose a more pragmatic view for writers and everyone else.

Our more recent shows, Galactica and Lost are probably the most memorable examples, gave the impression of an over-reaching plan, but as you say Charly, it became apparent that, like the Cylons, they were largely making it up as they went along. Not sure if the Lost writers have come clean yet that what resulted was not the plan, but they were pretty vocal on the arguments they had with the Networks over the show's length. Galactica's writers I think have admitted they pretty much came up with a season at a time, and justa ccepted they may have had to leave it on a cliff hanger.

I'd love to see more televisual novels, but in a SF Boom B5 barely made it, so sadly it's unlikely (Cue the standard reality hates me making definitive statements and a new 5 year planned SF show is announced)

Babylon 5 was exceptional for all the reasons stated.
These are what impress me most.

The actors and crew were a well oiled machine, and it showed.
- On a limited budget even the sets looked good.

Early use of emerging technology can't be overstated.
The use of virtual sets was outstanding - not to mention CGI space battles and the practical way they were executed, no WWII dog fights thank you!
Christopher Franke's use of the internet and his remote studio. He was scoring new music for every episode.

On top of all this and most importantly, the story kept churning. The shift in characters maintained a consent level of intrigue.

So many sci-fi shows with bigger budgets just lost their fizz and soon went flat.

This just in...
Oops

Glad it's just a show.

Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

B5 was, without doubt a great TV show, and was of course revolutionary at the time. I think it’s definitely the best SF show of all time, but looking at the broader spectrum of TV there are one or two shows that surpass it.

Even though it’s very close to my heart, I’ll happily acknowledge that B5 has its flaws. There’s some occasionally awful dialogue, and it has more than its fair share of patchy acting. These are things I’ve come to love over the years, things that used to make me cringe, I now take a lot of pleasure in. There’s a kind of B-Movie artistry to B5. In spite of its limited resources it succeeds at creating its own unique vision. It’s a wonderful example of people pushing the limits with what they’re given. As we all know, it has a bit of a shaky first season and last season, but it does reward patience in droves and spins a marvellous interwoven yarn.

I'd wholeheartedly agree with the The Wire as contender for best TV show ever. It was incredibly consistent from the start and moved at its own pace, eschewing the usual ‘wrap it up in the same episode’ style of cop procedurals. It said ‘to hell with what audiences want’ and did things its own way. I never thought I’d like a cop show, but The Wire transcended genre. Like all good shows the appeal was the well crafted characters and their individual arcs.

I also have a LOT of time for Breaking Bad. It’s all about those character arcs and watching the slow transformations. Like Londo, Walter undergoes quite the transformation as the show progresses. Sure, it’s not over yet, but it’s easily some of the best TV to grace our screens since The Wire. I have a feeling they’ll wrap it up with vigour and real tension (unlike Lost and BSG, which both faltered at the last hurdle).

I feel there’s currently a bit of a drought of good SF on TV. The genre really needs another B5 style shot in the arm, or someone with the same vision and determination as JMS. Most of all it needs a network or a delivery method that will allow creative freedom and time for things to develop. Caprica looked like it could have been great had it been given time, but it was not to be. Man, would I love to see HBO do an SF show.

I think our last best hope for good SF TV may be straight to web productions supported and funded by the fans.