The 100 Greatest Sci-Fi & Fantasy TV Shows

Science fiction has been a regular fixture on television since the early days of the medium itself. In the US, kid-orientated space shows like Captain Video and his Video Rangers (1949-1955) and Space Patrol (1950) swiftly amassed a cult following, while Britain was treated to the altogether more grown-up The Quatermass Experiment in 1953.

By the 1960s, science fiction was big business. The shows varied both in tone and content, from The Twilight Zone to Star Trek and from Doctor Who to The Prisoner, but all dealt with our fascination with what lies beyond the limits of known human existence. It’s a trend that continues today, with genre television now an integral part of the schedules…

And so Total Sci-Fi brings you the 100 greatest sci-fi TV shows ever to grace our screens. As always, we need to lay our rules down first. We’ve included horror and fantasy as well as sci-fi, because the three genres are so closely linked. We’ve only included ‘live-action’ shows, as animated SF shows warrant their own separate list – and we’ve taken this to include Gerry Anderson’s Supermarionation adventures, as they’re technically the live manipulation of puppets rather than animation!

As always, you can let us know what we missed (and what you think we should have left off!) at the bottom of the article…

1) Doctor Who (1963-present)

It had to be, didn’t it? No other sci-fi show combines the breadth of storytelling with such consistency of tone and character. Like the best anthology shows it can take you to any time and any place from week to week, yet like the best continuing dramas it has at its heart a dependable, recognisable hero. The Doctor’s face may change but his archetypal qualities of bravery, decency and fair play remain. For nearly 50 years, we have seen his universe through the eyes of his everyday travelling companions, encountering alien races so enduring that the modern show does not shy away from them, but celebrates them anew. Silurians, Sontarans and Cybermen threaten and thrill children now as much as they did in the 1970s, while the Daleks and the TARDIS are such a part of our cultural landscape that they can be found in dictionaries around the world. The format is so flexible, yet always so distinctly Doctor Who, that it is sure to run for another 50 years.

2) Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-69)

Despite running for a mere three seasons, the original Star Trek is a truly iconic show. Not only did it spawn a franchise that still thrives to this day, but it underlined the possibilities of the science fiction genre on television. Crucially, it’s a show that never forgot to be entertaining, with plenty of fighting, kissing and humour amid the barely concealed subtext of tolerance and open-mindedness.

3) The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)

You are travelling through another dimension… From the eerie, atonal theme tune to the surprising, oft-imitated stories, The Twilight Zone was the greatest SF anthology show. The Rod Serling-created series mixed adaptations of classic stories by SF masters with smart, often satirical new stories, and episodes were penned by such familiar genre names as Richard Matheson, Harlan Ellison and Ray Bradbury. Choice episodes include ‘Nightmare at 20,000 Feet’, where William Shatner’s nervous flyer spots a monster on the wing of the plane, and the wonderful plastic surgery-themed nightmare, ‘The Eye of the Beholder’.

4) The X-Files (1993-2002)

At the heart of the highly influential ‘90s show was the always-engaging believer/sceptic dynamic between FBI agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson). Episodes alternated between exceptionally well-made monster-of-the-week tales and an overarching alien abduction story, and there were a few terrific comic episodes for good measure. Eventually, it all became too complicated and the final two series saw the introduction of two new leads, but for the first few seasons, The X-Files was perfect fantasy television.

5) The Prisoner (1967-68)

A nutty mix of ‘60s counterculture, tortuous Kafka-esque logic, spy-thriller and black comedy, The Prisoner is a true one-off (as proved by the AMC remake). The unsettling atmosphere is quite unlike anything before or since (even now, who can fail to be creeped out every time the Rover balloon bobs into view?), and the sight of one man - whoever he is - challenging authority and refusing to conform is as compelling and relevant as it was 40 years ago.

6) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

After an abortive movie version ruined by studio meddling, Joss Whedon finally got the chance to bring his vision to the screen with this groundbreaking genre show. In his vampire-slaying heroine, Whedon subverted the horror cliché of the teenage damsel-in-distress, creating a pop-culture icon in the process. The last two seasons dipped slightly in quality as Whedon shifted his attention to other projects, but even then, innovations like a musical episode helped inspire subsequent shows to push the boundaries.

7) Battlestar Galactica (2004-09)

Ron Moore reworked the original lighthearted space opera into a fascinating, serious drama that attracted plenty of viewers who “don’t do sci-fi”. Top-notch effects, a cast of evolving, multi-faceted characters, and storylines that were stuffed with shocks and intriguing moral dilemmas… Put simply, it was frakkin’ great!

8) The Quatermass Experiment (1953)

This Nigel Kneale serial spawned iconic British SF character Professor Bernard Quatermass (played here by Reginald Tate), emptied streets (so the legend goes) and led to questions in Parliament. More than 50 per cent of the television audience (about four million viewers in the mid-1950s) watched the exploits of the British Rocket Group and were caught up on the terrible fate of infected astronaut Victor Carroon (Duncan Lamont).

9) Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

Few could have thought the adventures of a bald Frenchman and his pasty-faced android chum would run for twice as long as the original adventures of Kirk and Spock, but that’s exactly what TNG achieved, reinventing Star Trek for the 1980s and beyond. The pioneer spirit of the original series gave way to more reflective adventures, better suited to a post-Cold War world, and the voyages of Picard and co. triggered an 18-year run of new Star Trek on our screens, albeit with diminishing returns.

10) Babylon 5 (1993-98)

Babylon 5 has to be one of the most complex and ambitious SF shows ever made. J. Michael Straczynski conceived a truly epic story about life aboard a United Nations-esque international space station in the 23rd century, skillfully weaving in complex intergalactic politics with deep moral and philosophical questions. It was followed by short-lived spin-off Crusade and a series of increasingly cash-strapped TV movies.

11) The Avengers (1961-69)
Like the James Bond movies and The Man From UNCLE, The Avengers is never explicitly sci-fi, but its flamboyant fantasy world of diabolical masterminds and unflappably suave spies warmed up the Cold War with the white heat of cutting-edge technology. From the lost first series episode ‘Dragonsfield’, set in a nuclear research lab, to the very last episode, ‘Bizarre!’, where Steed and Tara jet off in a rocket, the show’s light touch with sci-fi concepts and settings has never been surpassed for sheer fun.

12) Thunderbirds (1965-66)
The pervasive cultural impact of Thunderbirds makes it all the more remarkable that there were only 32 episodes screened across one 15-month period back in the mid-1960s. Regular repeat runs have exposed several generations to this exciting, technically innovative puppet show from Gerry Anderson and collaborators. Thunderbirds provides thrills and spills, disasters and vehicles, all within positive, rescue-based stories and with a family unit at its heart. Its simple charms still appeal to kids and big-kids-at-heart.

13) The Outer Limits (1963-65)
Though obviously indebted to The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits soon became a classic anthology show in its own right. The opening sequence – “There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture!” – is unforgettable, and the two seasons included such classic episodes as ‘Demon with a Glass Hand’ (a glass-handed man is tracked by aliens) and the Harlan Ellison-scripted ‘A Feasibility Study’ (aliens capture city-dwellers to judge their suitability as slaves). The ‘90s incarnation wasn’t bad either.

14) Batman: The Series (1966-69)
Fun and every bit as valid as the ‘serious’ takes on the mythology, this show, like Star Trek, only survived for three seasons. Good clean fun for kids and a hilarious parody for adults, we can only hope that rights issues are soon resolved and the show gets the Blu-ray DVD release it truly deserves.

15) Supernatural (2005-present)
Set in the seedy motels and no-hope towns of backwoods America, Supernatural brings horror to the everyday. Sam and Dean Winchester hunt everything from spirits and demons to Lucifer himself in Eric Kripke’s series, a masterful blend of The X-Files, Buffy and Neil Gaiman. Visceral horror, a knowing use of mythology and funny, quotable scripts combine to create one of the most underrated shows around. The meta episodes, where the show explores its fandom itself, are a particular highlight.

16) Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007)
Derived from the 1994 blockbuster movie, Stargate SG-1 carved its own, often lighthearted way through the science fiction landscape of the early 21st century (and led to two spin-offs, Stargate: Atlantis and Stargate Universe). A consistent, developing cosmology and a range of diverse and engaging characters contributed to the show’s longevity, as did an engaged fanbase. Despite occasional repetition in storylines, Stargate SG-1 avoided stagnation through change and innovation within a winning formula.

17) Quantum Leap (1989-1993)
Much as we love the convoluted SF shenanigans of Babylon 5 and Lost, there’s something equally appealing about a more straightforward show like Quantum Leap. The premise is simple but brilliant (Sam jumps into the body of a different character each week and must solve a problem of some kind before he can ‘leap’ again), and the dynamic between Scott Bakula’s nice guy hero and the cigar-chomping hologram Al (Dean Stockwell) is hugely endearing. Oh, and how anyone forget that theme tune?

18) V (1983-85)
Reptilian aliens, known as the “Visitors”, disguise themselves in human form in Kenneth Johnson’s influential mini-series (followed by a sequel mini-series, full series and more recently a remake). A creepy and ambitious twist on the alien invasion concept that also worked as a smart allegory to the rise of Nazism, V holds up remarkably well today. Few people who saw it originally could forget the aliens’ penchant for snacking on rodents.

19) Battlestar Galactica (1979-1980)
It would be a real pity if the successful re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica were to eclipse the original. Ambitious and intelligent while never forgetting to entertain, it boasted a killer score and a sense of grandeur that TV just didn’t normally show. Derivative of Star Wars? Sure. But it did sci-fi epic on the small screen first and, in a very different way, is just as essential as the remake. Followed by the best-forgotten Galactica 1980.

20) Dark Shadows (1966-1971)

Before True Blood and The Vampire Diaries there was Dark Shadows! The popular late ‘60s series cleverly updated the daytime soap formula by combining it with conventions of gothic horror. However, it wasn’t until episode 207 (out of more than 1000!) that one of the most fondly remembered characters was introduced – the brooding bloodsucker Barnabas Collins, played by Jonathan Frid. Other episodes featured ghosts, time travel and various monsters. Tim Burton is currently preparing a movie remake with (who else?) Johnny Depp as Barnabas.

21) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-99)
They didn’t put ‘Deep’ in the title for nothing. Pushed towards broader story arcs by Babylon 5, DS9 hit its stride in season three, the year Star Trek: Voyager began. Freed from continuing the legacy of The Next Generation, DS9 ran with the possibilities of one main location, while Janeway and co. checked out strange new worlds. The resulting rich characterisation and political intrigue paved the way for the reimagined BSG and broadened the Trek universe more than any of its stablemates.

22) Sapphire & Steel (1979-1982)
No one who saw Sapphire & Steel as a child is likely to forget it. Conceived in the late ‘70s as ITV’s answer to Doctor Who, it had all the strangeness of its rival show, but none of the childlike whimsy. Instead, its tales of time gone wrong are shot through with a chilly sense of impending doom quite capable of unnerving an adult. It wasn’t cheap, either, and stars David McCallum and Joanna Lumley add an air of creepy class to the whole affair.

23) The Stone Tape (1972)
Stone Tape theory is the idea that buildings and places can serve as a recording medium, retaining an imprint of events and replaying them as ‘ghosts’. Nigel ‘Quatermass’ Kneale’s final play for the BBC wasn’t named after this theory, though – rather the theory takes its name from the highly influential play. A classic Christmas ghost story spliced with ultramodern science, The Stone Tape reverberates with atmosphere for 90 chilling minutes, while its use of sound is one of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s finest moments.

24) Angel (1999-2004)
One of those rare beasts, a spin-off that was almost as good as the original, Angel saw the titular vampire-with-a-soul join forces with the bitchy Cordelia and others to battle the forces of darkness in the City of Angels. Like its hero, Angel was at home in the darkness, with much-loved characters regularly killed off and Angel often choosing an ambiguous moral path. Without Angel there’d never have been Edward Cullen – but we can’t blame him for that!

25) Farscape (1999-2004)
Rockne S. O’Bannon’s series, which charts the adventures of an astronaut (Ben Browder) who ends up aboard a living spaceship crewed by escaped prisoners, soon gained a loyal and hugely passionate fanbase. Little wonder: the characters were strong and interesting (Claudia Black’s Aeryn Sun became especially popular), the scripts were smart and witty, and there was great prosthetic work from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. It was cancelled after just four seasons, much to the dismay of fans, but came back for the mini-series The Peacekeeper Wars, as well as a series of comic books.

26) The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1981)
This six-episode BBC series perfectly captured the madcap spirit of Douglas Adams’ radio show and books. The show brought all of Adams’ hilarious highlights to life (Vogon poetry! Marvin the paranoid android! The meaning of life!) without losing any of the story’s sense of strangeness. At the centre of the action lay a great rapport between the permanently indignant Arthur Dent (Simon Jones) and Betelgeusian researcher Ford Prefect (David Dixon). You also got a wonderful theme tune and some great effects work (well, aside from Zaphod Beeblebrox’s rubbish second head – but even that was kinda charming!).

27) Firefly (2002-03)
A sci-fi Western – not the most promising pitch, but in Joss (Buffy) Whedon’s hands, Firefly rose above the hokey premise. With shades of Blake’s 7 and Star Wars, the series follows scoundrel Mal Reynolds and his crew as they struggle to evade the Alliance. Whedon’s dialogue always kept things interesting, but not enough for the network, who pulled the plug after a lot of interference. A movie, Serenity, brought the story to a satisfactory and epic conclusion.

28) Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-75)
Spun off from two highly successful early 1970s TV movies, the offbeat and unusual Kolchak: The Night Stalker series only lasted one season but went on to inspire such 1990s creations as The X-Files and Men in Black. The secret to Kolchak’s success is the humour that star Darren McGavin brings to the role of down-at-heel investigative reporter Carl Kolchak: his lightness of touch makes even the most ridiculous monster or supernatural situation accessible to the viewer.

29) Red Dwarf (1988-2009)
SF-comedy is a difficult genre to pull off successfully (just look at Hyperdrive), but Red Dwarf managed to do it very well indeed. It’s impossible not to warm to the mismatched, dysfunctional crew of the titular spacecraft (slobby Lister, anally retentive Rimmer, vain Cat, neurotic android Kryten), while the laughs are balanced by some smeggingly inventive sci-fi plots.

30) True Blood (2008-present)

Based on Charlaine Harris’s popular Southern Vampire Mysteries, True Blood is one of the hottest US shows of the moment. Its position on HBO has meant it can (and does) crank up the sex-and-violence, and the simmering chemistry, witty script and polished direction make it the steamiest vampire drama in town.

31) Lost (2004-10)
With its stunning locations, poster-friendly characters and off-the-wall plot threads, Lost always feels like the missing link between Twin Peaks and US soap operas. It’s one of the few dramas where it’s difficult to predict exactly what will happen next – polar bears! Time Travel! Assassins! Hatches! – and the show only improves as it moves further into all-out SF territory. The finale, when it arrived, inevitably divided opinion.

32) Blake’s 7 (1978-1981)
A group of convicts on the run from the corrupt Federation in a stolen spaceship were the anti-heroes of Terry Nation’s classic series. A show where the protagonists are as likely to fight each other as the enemy, Blake’s 7’s influence has been huge. The effects and locations didn’t always live up to the writing, but the series remained interesting, right up to its brave, dark ending. Paul Darrow’s Avon and Jacqueline Pearce’s Servalan remain two of the sci-fi’s great will-they won’t-they couples.

33) Salem’s Lot (1979)
Based on Stephen King’s novel, Tobe Hooper’s mini-series about vampires in a New England town is exceptionally well made. The visuals are stylish, the make-up still looks effective now, and James Mason and Reggie Nalder give deeply unsettling performances. It was also released in an edited-down version (though with added violence) in European cinemas.

34) Space 1999 (1975-79)
With its scientifically shaky premise (a freak nuclear explosion blows the Moon out of Earth’s orbit!), high melodrama and impossibly funky opening theme, Space: 1999 is clearly a product of the time it was produced. Yet, dated as it may be, there are few science fiction series that dealt with the strange mystery of space in such a convincing way, and the special effects hold up well to this day.

35) Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001)
A spin-off from Hercules, villainous Xena became a heroine with her own comedy sidekicks. At its best in the comedy or self-referential episodes (‘The Xena Scrolls’, ‘Déjà Vu All Over Again’) and in its teasing the audience as to the exact nature of Xena and Gabrielle’s relationship, later seasons became a little too serious and it lost its lightness of touch. This fantasy romp paved the way for many late-1990s TV heroines, from Buffy to Alias’s Sydney Bristow.

36) Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967-68)
This is the ‘dark’ Gerry Anderson series, with more ‘life-like’ puppets and more grown-up, dramatic situations and characters. It suffered as it followed the phenomenally successful Thunderbirds. Hero Captain Scarlet starts out as a Mysteron stooge, resurrected by the Martian terrorists as their indestructible agent on Earth. Freed from their influence, Scarlet and Spectrum battle Captain Black who enacts the Mysterons’ reign of terror on Earth. 2005’s CG reboot, New Captain Scarlet, is also worth checking out.

37) World on a Wire (1973)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s mini-series about alternate realities is a strange, prescient drama that leaves us questioning our own existence. Fassbinder presents a compelling near-future that mashes together modernist architecture, sterile boardrooms and retro flourishes (check out the Weimar-era cabaret), and the drama is part political analogy, part paranoid SF thriller. It was based on the novel Simulacron 1 by Daniel F. Galouye - also the basis for Josef Rusnak’s The Thirteenth Floor.

38) Lost in Space (1965-68)
A space-set spin on Swiss Family Robinson, Irwin Allen’s popular ‘60s series saw the Robinsons, along with the villainous Dr. Zachary Smith and a robot, engaged in adventures on a hostile alien planet. The show’s initial quasi-serious space adventures gradually became more comic and juvenile as episodes focused on the nefarious exploits of Smith, but for colourful, campy fun, Lost in Space has rarely been bettered. Remade as an awful movie in 1998.

39) The Year of the Sex Olympics (1968)
If this title stands out in this list today, imagine seeing it in the listings in 1968. A brilliantly prescient indictment of a world where the newfound freedoms of the 1960s have been perverted to placate the masses rather than liberate them, Nigel Kneale’s standalone play presents a society in thrall to reality TV, where audiences are desensitized to violence and cruelty. Starring the wonderful Leonard Rossiter, it is a warning against Big Brother and The X-Factor more than 30 years before either was invented.

40) Adventures of Superman (1951-58)

“Monday nights are thrilling nights on Channel 7, with famed Superman and his unequalled feats of daring bringing to TV viewers entertainment of the highest order!” So wrote one critic when the first season of Adventures of Superman, starring George Reeves, finally hit the airwaves on 19 September 1952 – well over a year after production had been completed. The quote sums up the appeal of the Man of Steel’s first TV outings, and it remains one of the most enduring superhero shows ever made.

41) Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1981)
A spectacular disco-era romp that was as fun as it was naff, Buck Rogers saw Gil Gerard take on the title role as the hero thawed out after centuries in space. Early attempts at pathos – Rogers visiting his parents’ graves for example – were quickly sidestepped in favour of all- action storylines and a change of premise in the show’s second and final season.

42) The Incredible Hulk (1977-1982)
Proof that you can veer wildly away from the source material, yet still have a popular show. Much of the success of this long-running series is down to Bill Bixby’s sensitive portrayal of David Banner. Naturally, kids loved the wish-fulfilment side of the show in which the bullied Banner would invariably Hulk-out in times of duress, but few could watch the end titles, with its ‘Lonely Man’ theme song, without shedding a sneaky tear.

43) The Six Million Dollar Man (1974-78)
Based on a much darker book, Cyborg by Martin Caidan, this show launched Lee Majors’ Colonel Steve Austin as a hero to millions and spawned just as many playground imitators copying his slow-motion bionic run. An all-action show, it jumped the shark horribly in an episode featuring a bionic Sasquatch, but it did spawn one of the greatest action toys of all time in the red-tracksuited Steve Austin doll.

44) A for Andromeda/The Andromeda Breakthrough (1961-62)
Sadly, only one episode remains of the original ‘60s BBC show thanks to the channel’s policy at the time of junking their archive material. Thankfully though, its smart sequel The Andromeda Breakthrough has survived. The plot centres on a group of scientists who receive an alien message that gives instructions to make a supercomputer, which then creates new life. There were two remakes: an Italian series in 1972 and a cold, distinctive 2006 UK TV movie.

45) Stingray (1964-65)
In contrast to the more serious Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet, Stingray is (like Fireball XL-5) good silly fun. “Anything can happen in the next half hour!” went the introduction, although each episode was pretty much the same: the crew of submarine Stingray, led by Captain Troy Tempest, encounter two (it was always two) denizens of an undersea kingdom and chase a sub modelled after a big fish. Stingray was Anderson’s first colour puppet series and is still incredibly appealing in its simplicity.

46) Space: Above and Beyond (1995-96)
Created by the writing team behind some of the classic episodes of The X-Files, Space: Above and Beyond served as a pre-cursor to the militaristic style and dark feel of Battlestar Galactica’s reimagining a few years later. Though the setting was futuristic, the show was high on realism, with harsh lighting and no make-up, and the show’s influences were as diverse as Joe Haldeman, Norman Mailer, The Iliad and The X-Files. Despite garnering nominations for two Emmys and one Saturn Award, this highly intelligent slice of SF ran for just a year.

47) Life On Mars (2006-07)
Is he mad, in a coma or back in time? That was the central question as modern DCI Sam Tyler (John Simm) found himself back in 1973 – complete with the era’s very different policing practices. The result was a clever mix of cop drama, sci-fi mystery and fish-out-of-water comedy, but the show’s ace-in-the-pack was Phil Glenister’s Gene Hunt, who has to be one of the most memorable characters in recent TV history.

48) Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969-1970)
Unlike most ITC series, the world of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) was not a glamorous one. The dingy London settings in which the pair plied their trade as low-rent private eyes contrasted perfectly with the show's supernatural slant (another oddity for ITC), and now seem far more romantic than the back-lot exotica of The Champions or The Saint. The always enjoyable show was never commissioned for a second series, so it didn't have time to outstay its welcome.

49) Smallville (2001-present)
The story of Superman’s early years is often glossed over – we get about five minutes of it in the 1978 movie ¬– but thankfully the balance is redressed by 10 seasons’ worth of Smallville. Occasionally silly, it’s a show that works thanks to fan-pleasing observation of comic book continuity and an effective chemistry between its cast.

50) Doomwatch (1970-72)

Influential thriller series in which a team investigated scientific threats, including ecological and technological dangers. At a time of fast-moving scientific development, Doomwatch (sometimes controversially) popularised the serious scrutiny of scientists and their work. Genetics, chemicals, drugs, toxic waste, treatment of animals and subliminal messaging were all tackled. Not afraid to kill characters (Robert Powell was an early victim), Doomwatch was adult drama for those who’d outgrown Doctor Who.

51) Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-97)
Playing up the dynamic between Clark Kent and his fellow Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, this mid-1990s series initially emphasised character above super-heroics and comic-book villainy. Later seasons reinstated the comic-book bad guys, while building on the charms of Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. A solid hit, drawing an average of 15 million viewers for its third season, Lois and Clark made Superman more mainstream-friendly.

52) Threads (1984)
Mick Jackson’s one-off TV drama is a bleak, brilliant and unforgettable documentary-style account of the effect of a nuclear attack on Britain. Other realistic nuclear war-themed films worth checking out are the downbeat animation When the Wind Blows (1985), Peter Watkins’ The War Game (1965) and the US TV movie The Day After (1983).

53) The Time Tunnel (1966-67)
Irwin Allen’s 1960s SF show boasted a simple, irresistible concept: two American doctors end up bouncing around through time via the jazzy time machine of the title, often landing at major moments in history. Characterisation was never Allen’s strong point, but the proto-Sliders ideas and iconic opening credit sequence are great.

54) Survivors (1975-77)
A pandemic wipes out modern society as we know it, leaving a small group of people facing life in a desolate Britain in Terry Nation’s downbeat and thought-provoking ‘70s drama. When the show started going in directions he didn’t like, Nation departed and penned a Survivors novel – which became the basis for Adrian Hodges’ not-bad 2008 reinvention.

55) The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007-present)
That a Doctor Who companion from the 1970s could be revived for her own spin-off series in 2007 is testament to the power and reach of the parent show. That SJA has now run for four series is entirely down to the distinct brand of fantastical stories it has chosen to tell, more fairytale than hard sci-fi, and full of good old-fashioned pantomime bad guys, ever thwarted by a bunch of plucky yet surprisingly likeable kids. Intelligent and fun, just like children’s telly should be.

56) Knight Rider (1982-86)
The first and best of the ‘80s fad for crimefighters in futuristic vehicles (others include Street Hawk, Blue Thunder, Airwolf and the Highwayman), Knight Rider saw former cop Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff, before he became a joke) taking down villains with the aid of unflappable, AI-blessed car, KITT. Great, much-sampled theme tune, great concept, great fun. Don’t bother with the 2008 update (no one else did).

57) Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995-99)
Plundering legends and myths, in Hercules Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert launched the best comic-book-like TV show not based on a comic-book. Launched after five TV movies had proven the concept, Hercules went on to create its own comic-action, cod-ancient-Greek universe and made a cult star of Kevin Sorbo. Amid the regular formulaic action were format-breaking silly episodes, and an adventurous approach by writers and actors to television’s possibilities.

58) The 4400 (2004-07)
The 4400 was based around a high-concept idea, but had enough sub-plots and new characters to keep each season feeling fresh. Indeed, taken as a whole, this superpower-themed show was better than Heroes, and the show boasted top quality special effects and skilful storytelling.

59) Max Headroom (1987-88)
Set in a dystopian future ruled by TV networks, this SF satire from Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton may only have lasted 14 episodes (plus the original 1985 TV movie), but it was one of the first cyberpunk shows, and its swipes at TV culture are relevant to this day. The titular character, a wisecracking, stuttering AI TV host (played by Matt Frewer), went on to front a music video show as well as popping up in TV ads and Sesame Street.

60) Adam Adamant Lives (1966-67)

Verity Lambert produced this show after launching Doctor Who. Adam Adamant Lives saw a Victorian gent (Gerald Harper) thrust from 1902 into the swinging 1960s, there to pass critical bon mots on the modern world. Recurring villain The Face (Peter Ducrow) frustrated the hero, while Juliet Harmer was on 1960s sexy sidekick duties. Drawn from The Avengers and influential on later shows (not least Jon Pertwee’s Doctor Who), Adam Adamant Lives was a one-year wonder. Well remembered, its influence has outlived its short run.

61) The Invaders (1967-68)
Architect David Vincent (Roy Thinnes) tries to convince everyone that aliens are among us, but no one will listen. The fools! Though slightly repetitive, The Invaders has a wonderfully paranoid premise and Thinnes makes for an unusual, serious hero. A clear influence on The X-Files, Thinnes even popped up in a few episodes of Chris Carter’s show.

62) Wonder Woman (1975-79)
Elevating high camp to an art form, the adventures of Diana, Amazon Princess captured the hearts of lusty boys and gay men while giving girls a hero of their own. Perfectly cast with Lynda Carter filling the satin tights, it’s a show that is arguably best remembered for its hysterical, overblown theme song more than its dense plotting.

63) Monkey (aka: Monkey Magic) (1978-1980)
“The nature of Monkey was irrepressible!” With its funky disco theme tune, lovable characters, anarchic plots and hilarious dubbing, Monkey is a ridiculous delight. Based on the 16th Century Chinese novel Journey to the West (also the basis for two Chinese TV series, a 2008 Japanese movie and a Damon Albarn-scored stage show), the late-‘70s tale of Monkey, Pigsy and Tripitaka remains the most magical.

64) The Kingdom (aka: Riget) (1994-97)
Lars Von Trier, the Danish enfant terrible responsible for such controversial titles such as The Idiots and Antichrist, was behind this unsettling and darkly funny eight-part supernatural series set in a Copenhagen hospital. Stephen King later developed the enjoyable American remake Kingdom Hospital, throwing in the welcome addition of a talking anteater.

65) Eerie, Indiana (1991-92)
Intended as a children’s show, the weird town series Eerie, Indiana appealed equally to adults. Benefiting from creative input by Gremlins director Joe Dante, the show followed the adventures of Marshall Teller (Omri Katz) and Simon Holmes (Justin Shenkarow) as they encounter intelligent dogs with plans to take over the world, a militant ATM machine, and monsters that escape from a movie on TV and then discover they’re in a TV show. SF-lite for intelligent kids.

66) Stargate Atlantis (2004-09)
This spin-off from Stargate SG-1 too often relied on situations from the parent show for ideas, but there were still plenty of first-rate thrills and laughs to be had over the course of the five seasons. The series saw the introduction of a new galaxy to explore and some awesome new enemies in the shape of the vampiric The Wraith. It also scored by making David Hewlett’s entertaining, eccentric scientist Rodney McKay one of the key characters.

67) Day of the Triffids (1981)
John Wyndam’s classic tale of carnivorous plants feeding on the blind was turned into this memorable six-part BBC series. The low budget meant characterisation and stark, believable imagery were favoured over elaborate effects, and at the time this was deeply unsettling viewing. The 1962 movie is also worth catching, but avoid the woeful 2009 mini-series.

68) The Tripods (1984-85)
Adapted from John Christopher’s classic trilogy (well, the first two parts, anyway), this ‘80s BBC series is an ambitious teatime drama. Appearances from the title characters are kept to a minimum, but the Tripods are impressively realised when they do emerge, and there’s a real sense that the BBC budget was stretched to capacity by the gangly metallic creatures.

69) Alien Nation (1989-1990)
Alien Nation is one of the few TV spin-offs that was better than the movie that spawned it. The mismatched cop pairing of Gary Graham and Eric Pierpoint may have been the stuff of ancient TV cliché, but the new spin of making one partner a recently-arrived alien refreshed the storytelling potential. Crime took a back seat to explorations of racism and bigotry, as filtered through the aliens’ unique perspective. Followed by five TV movie sequels.

70) UFO (1970-71)

Gerry Anderson’s first live-action series, UFO was an uncomfortable mix of grown-up drama (drugs, divorce, adultery) and puppet-show-style spacecraft and special effects. Hostile aliens attack Earth and the last line of defence is SHADO, an organization with all manner of great vehicles and weapons to counter the alien threat. Adult relationships, often focused on Ed Bishop’s Straker, played as much a role as the alien attackers, giving the series a timeless appeal despite the 1960s style overdose.

71) Mystery and Imagination (1966-70)
This late-1960s TV anthology series of acclaimed gothic tales ran for five seasons across ABC and Thames. It presented unique reworkings of gothic classics such as Frankenstein and Dracula, as well as adaptations of lesser-known works such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Suicide Club, and featured well-known actors in unusual parts, including Ian Holm and Denholm Elliot. A little languid for some contemporary viewers perhaps, but there are fine performances and decent writing here.

72) Tales From the Crypt (1989-1996)
The wisecracking puppet skeleton the Cryptmaster (puppeteered by the late, great Van Snowden) was your host for this ghoulish, EC Comics-inspired anthology series. The mix of chuckles, gore and scares came thick and fast, and the show attracted plenty of A-list stars (from Tom Hanks to Demi Moore) and famous directors (including Robert Zemeckis and Tobe Hooper). Even Arnie directed an episode!

73) Sliders (1995-2000)
Like many other entries on this list – and indeed TV series in general – Sliders was a show that was dragged out past its prime. But for a while this was one of the most fun shows out there. A cross between The Time Tunnel and Quantum Leap, but with a sense of fun all its own, the show saw scientist Quinn Mallory (Stand By Me’s Jerry O’Connell), his pal Wade Wells (Sabrina Lloyd), Professor Arturo (John Rhys-Davies) and singer Rembrandt Brown (Cleavant Derricks) ‘sliding’ into a different alternate universe each week. By the fifth season, most of the central cast had jumped ship and the stories kind of sucked.

74) Torchwood (2006-present)
For the first two seasons, the grown-up Doctor Who spin-off was a fun but flawed beast – there were some great ideas and the dynamic between the team was often great, but the tone was rather erratic. Yet the five-part Children of Earth saw the show mature into a dark, terrifically exciting SF thriller. We’re looking forward to the upcoming Torchwood: The New World…

75) Carnivale (2003-05)
Carnivale was a slow-burning series, but with much to recommend it. The 1930s carny setting made it stand out and provided for a host of unusual characters, while the over-arching supernatural battle between the forces of good and evil allowed for some great traditional storytelling. Shame about the lack of a definitive ending, but perhaps the open-ended mystery suited Carnivale.

76) Ghostwatch (1992)
OK, so it doesn’t quite have the same power when viewed today. But back in 1992 this one-off BBC mockumentary terrified kids and adults alike as reporters investigate reports of a poltergeist in a London home. The BBC was inundated with calls from viewers who believed what they’d seen to be genuine – but sadly the real Michael Parkinson has never been possessed by a ghost. The Paranormal Activity of its day.

77) Being Human (2009-present)
A mix of situation comedy, dark drama and all-out horror, Being Human shouldn’t work – yet somehow it works brilliantly. The premise is best described as “a flatshare with a difference” – the difference being that one flatmate’s a werewolf, one’s a ghost and one’s a vampire. As with all good drama, it works because the characters are always interesting and involving, however outlandish the narrative.

78) Lexx (1997-2002)
Weird and completely off-the-wall, Lexx starred Michael McManus as Kai, an undead, emotionless assassin and Eva Habermann (later Xenia Seeberg) as love slave Zev, and began as a series of TV movies. The crew of organic spaceship Lexx battle a hostile insect race while getting their rocks off and satisfying their other appetites. More European in its approach, Lexx found a firm fanbase, but failed to make much mainstream impact.

79) Dead Set (2009)
Charlie Brooker manages to appeal to two very different audiences – Big Brother fans and zombie junkies – in this funny, frightening five-parter. Brooker shows an intrinsic understanding of both horror and reality TV genres, and keeps things darkly funny without descending into an all-out spoof. Andy Nyman snares the best lines as an obnoxious TV producer – “Robot’s bollock!”

80) Heroes (2006-09)

If Heroes had maintained the quality of its terrific first season, then it would have ranked far higher on this list. The show began as an ingenious reworking of the superhero genre, with likable characters (and, in Sylar, an awesome baddie), an intriguing central mystery and smart, witty dialogue. Sadly, it tailed off in subsequent seasons, though it remained slick and entertaining stuff.

81) American Gothic (1995-96)
This Sam Raimi-produced supernatural drama may have lasted just one season, but that only adds to its cult status. The action centres on the uneasy relationship between charming but evil Sheriff Buck (Gary Cole) and his illegitimate young son Caleb Temple (Lucas Black) in a small South Carolina town. Cole and Black are both terrific, and the show mixed supernatural shenanigans with the simmering, slow-burning atmosphere of the Deep South a good 12 years before True Blood.

82) The Tomorrow People (1973-79)
The Tomorrow People boasted one of the most unforgettable theme tunes and title sequences on television, though the material between the credits didn’t always live up to the billing. Aimed at children, the show was intended as ITV’s mid-1970s rival to Doctor Who. The concept of troubled teens as the vanguard of the next stage of human evolution was tailored to appeal to the young audience, though the drama may seem a tad silly to today’s viewers.

83) Dead Like Me (2003-04)
Brian Fuller’s offbeat black comedy deals with the lives of Seattle-dwelling grim reapers who remove folks’ souls just before they die before escorting them into the afterlife. Cynical, wisecracking (and dead) 18-year-old reaper George makes for an amusing heroine, and the supporting characters (drug-addled Londoner Mason, George’s obsessive-compulsive boss Delores) are even better. As with Fuller’s later colourful comedy Pushing Daisies, the quirky tone isn’t to everyone’s tastes, but this is a distinct, warm and often very funny show.

84) Dark Angel (2000-02)
With James Cameron backing it and Jessica Alba in front of the camera, Dark Angel was guaranteed an initial audience. Set in a world of genetic enhancement and corporate experimentation, the show follows the exploits of Max (Alba) as she tries to uncover her past and confronts the Manticore corporation. It was a stylish show, killed by over-complicated storylines and plummeting ratings.

85) Hammer House of Horror (1980)
This hit-and-miss (but more often hit) anthology series abandoned tales of Frankenstein and Dracula in favour of more contemporary stories. Standout episodes include ‘Rude Awakening’, in which Denholm Elliot suffers from increasingly vivid nightmares, and ‘The Silent Scream’, with Hammer stalwart Peter Cushing menacing a youthful Brian Cox.

86) Dark Skies (1996-97)
Though obviously indebted to The X-Files, Bryce Zabel and Brent V. Friedman’s ‘90s SF series was far from a feeble imitator. The ‘60s setting gives it a pleasingly retro vibe long before Mad Men, and the show effectively mixes in real world events to tell an alternative story about America’s loss of idealism. The crazier, later episodes (which accelerated the plot after cancellation had been confirmed) took the drama in fascinating new directions, but Megan Ward’s endearing Kim was unfortunately sidelined as a result.

87) Land of the Giants (1968-1970)
With a title like that, you know what you’re getting, and sure enough Irwin Allen’s show sees the crew of a spaceship land on planet where everything is TWELVE TIMES AS LARGE AS EARTH! Land of the Giants milks its premise for all its worth, and the trick effects hold up well today (just as well – they weren’t cheap). And it’s all set in the ultra-futuristic year of 1983!

88) Stephen King’s It (1990)
Childhood pals reunite to fight a demonic clown they first faced as kids in this well-regarded TV mini-series. The drama has a rich sense of time and place, while Tim Curry inspired night terrors for an entire generation with his portrayal of Pennywise (“Aw, whassa matter Georgie? Doncha want a balloon?”). Though he’s less scary when he turns into a rubbish stop-motion spider.

89) Eureka (2006-present)
A pleasantly lighthearted, quirky series about the consequences of extreme science and technology, Eureka has thrived due to its likeable characters and amusing situations. The show has used some serious SF ideas to set up crazy situations, and has not been afraid to change (the most recent season used time travel to reset the show). Bright and breezy, Eureka is the antidote to the darkness of shows like Stargate Universe and Battlestar Galactica.

90) Ultraviolet (1998)

Created, written and directed by Joe Ahearne, later to helm some of the best episodes of Christopher Eccleston’s stint on Doctor Who, Ultraviolet’s six instalments star This Life's Jack Davenport as Michael Colefield, a police officer unwittingly dragged into a government-sponsored assault on the undead. Eschewing many of the standard conventions of the genre, Channel 4’s late ‘90s show provided a fresh, contemporary approach to vampire mythology.

91) The Wild Wild West (1965-69)
Travelling aboard their luxuriously-appointed train in the 1870s, Federal Agent James T. West and master of disguise Agent Artemus Gordon combat devastating threats to President Ulysses S. Grant (usually involving some form of 20th Century technology). Ignore the 1999 Will Smith vehicle: the original steampunk show is the one to watch. Where else could you find hybrid boll weevils or inhuman medical experiments and cowboys in the same story?

92) Millennium (1996-99)
After the success of The X-Files, Chris Carter turned his hand to something darker, and Millennium took its cues from Se7en and Manhunter. A typically brilliant, weather-beaten Lance Henriksen plays ex-FBI agent Frank Black, a man who has the ability – or curse – to see through the eyes of serial killers and who works for a shady organisation known as the Millennium Group. The three seasons saw the show go from a gripping but slightly formulaic supernatural investigation drama into a bold, conspiracy-fuelled thriller, and there was always a grubby beauty to the visuals.

93) Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)
It’s less loved than the earlier entries in the franchises (even if it ran for a whopping 172 episodes), but there’s plenty to enjoy about Voyager. The show was a return to exploration of “strange new worlds” in contrast to the serialized drama of DS9, and saw a crew (led by a Trek’s first female captain) stranded in a strange quadrant of the universe cut off from the usual Federation support. The Borg were developed as regular antagonists, fleshing them out, but not always to their benefit. Voyager made SF TV stars of Jeri Ryan and a scene-stealing Robert Picardo.

94) Fringe (2008-present)
It may have begun as a fun but unsurprising twist on the monster-of-the-week formula, but as the narrative arc has developed, Fringe has become one of the most interesting sci-fi shows around. The concepts (especially the alt-universe stuff) are fascinating, the heroes (FBI agent Olivia, genius drop-out Peter and mad scientist Walter) are appealing – let’s just hope the producers realise their aim of taking it to six seasons.

95) Caprica (2009-present)
After a slow start, this noirish Battlestar Galactica prequel soon found its way to become one of the most thought-provoking sci-fi dramas around. After her death in a suicide bombing, an imprint of teenager Zoë Graystone’s psyche is placed by her research scientist father into a prototype Cylon. And we know how that turns out… In its portrayal of the virtual reality ‘New Cap City,’ Caprica has also produced one of the best televisual portrayals of the world of gaming.

96) Forever Knight (1992-96)
The titular character, played by Geraint Wyn Davies, is an 800-year-old vampire who now works as a Toronto-based cop and wants to be human again. Not the most original drama perhaps, but this Canadian series – based on a 1989 TV movie – quickly gained a passionate fanbase thanks to strong characterization and philosophical edge.

97) Wild Palms (1993)
Some interesting names were involved in this six-hour mini-series: Oliver Stone produced and co-scripted; episodes were directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) and Phil Joanou (U2: Rattle and Hum); and the cast included James Belushi, Kim Cattrall and Robert Loggia. The story itself is a complex futuristic mystery about an attorney sucked into a world of VR and politics. Watch out for a cameo by godfather of Cyberpunk William Gibson as himself.

98) Jericho (2006-08)
Doomsday drama Jericho is a thought-provoking examination of a near-future American society turning in on itself. The show’s pick ‘n’ mix of post-9/11 paranoia, modern day Western, espionage thriller and daytime soap lasted just two seasons; the second was scaled back to just seven episodes and ended in a cliffhanger that was never resolved. A shame, because Jericho was an exciting alternative to the likes of Threads and The Day After.

99) Neverwhere (1996)
Neil Gaiman freely admits that the shot-on-video visuals look poor, but his low-key quest fantasy (based on an idea by Lenny Henry!) holds up as an imaginative and sometimes amusing British fantasy. The story sees a city worker introduced to a weird, clan-based subterranean London where there are some strikingly literal interpretations of the Tube map (including Peter Capaldi as the Angel Islington!). Hywel Bennett and Clive Russell steal the show as the assassins-for-hire Croup and Vandemaar, who enjoy nothing better than playing golf with frogs or snacking on rats and birds.

100) Dark Season (1991)

Essentially Russell T Davies’s first crack at Doctor Who, Dark Season is pitch-perfect children’s TV, full of mystery, excitement, humour and horror in roughly equal measure. Marcie is the mini-Doctor: a schoolgirl with question marks felt-penned onto her backpack, while her two companions include a young Kate Winslet as a proto-Rose Tyler. Together, they battle the forces of evil as they converge on their school, and live out the fantasies of every kid who ever loved Doctor Who.

Entries written by Neil Edwards, Simon Hugo, Matt McAllister, Brian J. Robb, Paul Simpson, James Skipp, Jonathan Wilkins