Ritzy
Super Novice
Oh my
, bite your tongue!Do you just want to believe?
Or do you really want to know?
bill.zen
I want to believe
Unlike X-files (top 50) Lone Gunmen is in my top 5 favorite TV shows ever.
The fact that it is set in Maryland does not prejudice my selection at all
How about Millenium?
I saw your alienhub post, I’m a Paracast refugee myself, nice to see ya!
I’ll have to see about the lone gunmen then. One season though?
I’m actually an alien hub refugee, never been on paracast.
Ritzy
Super Novice
It was cancelled due to network politics.
Watch the whole season, the pilot is.. a pilot.
The second episode I was very skeptical, but the character turns out to work really well.
The rest are just awesome.
If you didn’t know Millenium is the other Xriles spin off. It has Lance Erikson
Three seasons (again cancelled), but mostly good (goes downhill but still entertaining).
You’re really not missing anything as far as the Paracast.
Standingstones
Celestial
When I heard that Fox was bringing back the X-Files I went out and purchased the first three seasons. Sorry to say this, but the show looked dated to me and didn’t hold up well. Season 10 & 11 were a mixed bag. I certainly wouldn’t buy them. David Duchovny looked bored and he phoned in quite a few episodes. The final couple of episodes had holes in the plot big enough to drive a semi tractor trailer through.
Better just to remember them fondly from years past.
Better just to remember them fondly from years past.
bill.zen
I want to believe
I think since the first 3 seasons were filmed in the early 90’s they may be a bit outdated by today’s standards. But there’s something I like about those old shows, they seem to interest me more than modern tv. I just can’t seem to find much on tv to interest me these days.
I might watch the first couple of episodes of season 10 and see how it goes. I am really skeptical of show resurrections though, sometimes it’s just better to leave a show as it was instead of ruining it.
Standingstones
Celestial
I think it says a great deal that Gillian Anderson decided to opt out of doing anymore X-Files episodes. She had to see how poor these last two abbreviated seasons went.
bill.zen
I want to believe
Oh absolutely, I was actually going to mention that. Chris Carter seems to think the show can go on without her. Somebody should ask him how that worked out for the show when Duchovny pulled out of season 7 and the ratings went downhill.
Standingstones
Celestial
I think Carter was going use the Scully and Mulder clones from the first series to replace his co-stars. If he thinks people will tune in, he should think twice about that.
There were a few great X-files episodes, strewn among a lot of mediocre ones. The first episode is probably still my favorite one; the story was great and there was just something very charming and refreshing about it. Talitha Cumi was excellent as well. There were probably about a dozen episodes in the first 6 seasons that really entertain.
I don't think that the standard 22-episode seasons are a good idea: better to make 8-10 episodes per season and make them really excellent. Lots of shows are hitting home runs with that model, though the last couple of short seasons of X-files somehow managed to be almost completely awful.
There are some good shows out there - here's a list of ones that I've enjoyed in recent years:
* Westworld (Season 1 was excellent)
* Stranger Things 1 & 2
* Black Mirror (Usually 1-2 real gems in every season, among some modestly interesting episodes)
* Counterpart (a bit slow but lots of neat cloak-and-dagger stuff, and some great performances)
* Sherlock (A bit uneven but frequently charming as hell, largely thanks to Martin Freeman's brilliant performance)
* Dark (a German show with a cool time travel angle - about as good as a show can be without any likable characters)
* Legion - (Season 1 was incredibly refreshing, and beautifully shot, and Season 2 managed to remain interesting)
* The OA (Only 1 season so far - but one of the weirdest things I've ever seen, so of course I enjoyed it)
* The Man in the High Castle (Slow start but a cool premise, and really hit its stride with the 3rd season)
* Ripper Street (Not in the paranormal vein at all, but a great show with great writing and actors, which feels like time travelling to the late 19th Century)
And here are some older shows and guilty pleasures:
* Buffy the Vampyre Slayer (Season 2 was especially excellent - the first three seasons were brilliantly written)
* 12 Monkeys (a fun and campy albeit flawed time-travel story, with an odd endearing quality about it)
* Supernatural (the first five seasons just kept getting better and better, overall, and the Season 5 finale was a masterpiece)
* Black Orphan (Sort of a sci-fi soap opera where all the main characters are played by one actor, Tatiana Maslany, who does a miraculous job)
* The Lost Room (A miniseries that combines the paranormal with a gum-shoe detective kind of storyline, campy but cool and lots of fun)
* True Detective (I've only seen Season 1, but it was brilliant, and I got to sculpt the sacrificial altar for the finale)
* The Fall (Season 1 was probably the scariest thing I've ever seen - it's about a serial killer - amazing work, but the next two seasons were forgettable)
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bill.zen
I want to believe
I think that back in the day the 22 episode season had to be the norm. They needed to fill a 4-5 month season over the winter with week to week episodes before streaming services became the norm. Netflix and HBO changed that. They can produce a great 10 episode season without having to worry about advertising and filler episodes.