Time Travel TV Show Madness!
Okay, so things here at MG have been getting pretty hot and heavy lately, thinking about Scott Bakula and that Pretender dude (:swoon:). And, naturally, talk started turning to shows dealing with time travel. Some debating occurred as we all picked our favorites, the ones that dabbled in the space-time-continuum the best, then Ryan came up with the best idea ever: Time Travel TV Show Madness!
(Feel free to click that beautiful piece of bracket to get a bigger version.)
Anyway, it’s really simple. Each in a series of posts will detail a single round of head-to-head bouts featuring great sci-fi programming in a multitude of genres. The genres/categories are:
Science & Time Travel
Aliens & Time Travel
Super Heroes & Time Travel
Miscellaneous
Now, while time travel may not be a series-long staple of every show present, these shows have been carefully selected because, at some point at least, they have dealt with this sci-fi twist in a wholly unique/refreshing/lame way that could not be ignored.
Who will be crowned best of the best and win the Multi-dimensional Championship? Stay tuned, and make sure to weigh-in with your comments below.
ROUND ONE: SWEET 16
SUPER HERO TIME TRAVEL BRACKET (Ryan)
Heroes v. Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
I know, I know….”They’re real, and they’re spectacular!” But Terri Hatcher’s tits can’t save Lois and Clark in this battle-royal. Sure, Superman is the shit. But I have a few issues here. It was only a couple episodes that dealt with the subject of time travel. And while the episodes were “creative” by giving H.G. Wells a cameo appearance, they were sub-par at best. My main issue here is that Clarky-poo didn’t even use his own super powers to travel back in time (like when Superman reversed the rotation of the planet). He had to hitch a ride on H.G’s homemade time machine, and that is just lame.
Then we get to Heroes. And while the second season was absolutely terrible, Hiro (the time traveling hero) is single-handedly bringing back the luster. Hiro is the mild mannered time-traveling superhero that you can’t help but like. And unlike Clark, he doesn’t need H.G. to bring him back in time. He can bend time space.
That is sweet. Winner: Heroes
Smallville v. X-men: The Animated Series
Sorry young Clark, you lose too. The reason is pretty simple. I grew up watching X-men: The Animated Series every Saturday morning at 11 A.M. It was amazing. And when Cable, the time traveling mutant, started to make cameo appearances, I got wood. Watch your ass Apocalypse…you’re gonna get jacked! Now I have nothing against Smallville. There are a ton of hot little pseudo-celebrities with not much on. But that is about the extent of my interest. Tom Welling kinda sucks, and to see Superman as a forlorned teen is pretty eff-ing annoying. Seriously dude, you can fly. Stop crying and shut the f*ck up.
Winner: X-Men
ALIENS AND TIME TRAVEL BRACKET (Ryan)
Doctor Who v. Stargate SG-1
Doctor Who? Seriously, what/who is Doctor Who? After a little research I found that Doctor Who is a time traveling alien, the basis of an English TV series titled the same. Look, I have nothing against the English. Shit, I have an English Grandma and a family Castle in Scotland. But when it comes the genre of TV shows dealing with time travel, America has that market cornered. And when it comes to American TV shows dealing with aliens and time travel, Stargate SG-1 is the shit. Richard Dean Anderson. Need I say anymore? Well if I have to…SG-1 is a spin-off of the Stargate movie which was released in 1994. The premise of the show deals with worm-hole creating “star-gates” which bend space time to instantaneously propel you across the universe. And if this isn’t enough time travel for you, well there’s more. The show has had a number of sub-plots dealing with traveling to ancient Egypt. Long story short, SG-1 was revolutionary, and paved the way for other Sci-fi shows making it mainstream.
Winner: Stargate SG-1
The 4400 v. Star Trek
Jesus. Really?
Winner: Star Trek
SCIENCE AND TIME TRAVEL (Rob)
Quantum Leap v. Sliders
QL is probably one of my favorite shows of all time. Sam Becket, a super-genius, gets stuck in his own time machine, hopelessly and helplessly leaping through time as he attempts to right the wrongs of history. Honestly, I can’t think of another show that seamlessly blends together time travel and adventure. This is the show that all other sci-fi shows should aspire to be. Now, Sliders…I used to like this show, for a hot minute, until I realized it’s basically a Quantum Leap rip-off. Four people get stranded through a genius’ wormhole (see?), hopelessly and helplessly leaping through time (see?) - although they also pierce different dimensions as well. As far as time travel shows, it just wasn’t there for me. It’s a decent show, with a decent premise, and decent acting, but this is not a show that can withstand the onslaught of pressure and time. Decent effort, but just not quite there.
Winner: Quantum Leap
Seven Days v. The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr.
Yeah, so Seven Days blows, actually. I saw maybe two episodes…maybe…and all I know is that there are some time travel elements, but they can only go back in time seven days (what?)…I mean…what kind of time travel show is this? I mean, the idea of time travel shows in general is that they always break the tenets of time travel — always rewriting — and while the science may not be plausible, (hopefully) the show is good enough to catch your attention and get you hooked. So…why not go all the way guys? Seven days? That’s like getting a big softy just when you need a…well…stiffy. Lame. Overall, The Adventures of Briscoe County Junior was a campy, fantastically fresh show. Only part of this show dealt with time travel (magic orbs or something), and while I can’t recall episodes in their entirety, I do think that they pulled out of the proverbial “honey pot” just a bit too soon. The whole concept for the show was tremendous, the acting talent was there, and hell…an Old West dramedy with magical elements? Unfortunately, they just couldn’t keep it together and I think the added sci-fi edge was just too much. Thus, the implosion of the series toward the end. However, it still blows Seven Days away.
Winner: Briscoe
MISCELLANEOUS (Rob)
Lost v. Land of the Lost
I can honestly say there hasn’t been a show that has handled the idea of time travel as elegantly as Lost, and there probably never will be. It upped the ante, to so speak, on how sci-fi can cross over to mainstream. I mean, watch this and tell me you aren’t moved!
Cry, robots, cry!
Yeah. I have nothing else to say. Desmond (really the island) is stuck in time, and he fights through all manner of trials and tribulations to get to his one true love. :swoon:
Plus I love Sawyer…shirtless.
Now, Land of the Lost is a different story. Both of these shows deal with “mysteries”, where Lost deals with, almost exclusively, what the island really is, and LotL deals with how this stupid family gets transported back in time to a weird, prehistoric age with talking apes and lizards. Actually, scratch that. LotL does NOT deal with how or why they traveled back…to the best of my knowledge. It was a campy show, entertaining at times, but truly overlooked the time travel element. The intro states, “[They] were on a routine expedition” then got swept up by some big earthquake, and “found themselves in the land of the lost.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve never adventured with my family, and I don’t plan on starting now. I find this premise to be weak, at best.
Winner: Lost
X-Files v. Simpsons
This will be short. I think Simpsons is highly overrated these days. I’ll watch it if it’s on, but I do not recall time travel in this show. It might have been present in one episode, but since the hundreds of episodes sort of bleed together in my head, as they should, lacking any originality these days, but I just can’t recall it. X-files wins by default.
Winner: X-Files
Next week: The ELITE 8 face off.
Holy smokes! I was CERTAIN the above was written by Matt because I know he has the time. Now I know that you too, Robbie, have WAY TOO MUCH time available. It’s ok though, because I like spending my time reading this stuff!
Sliders is not a time travel show. They travel to parallel dimensions. People often mistake it as a time travel show but after you really get into the series it clearly isn’t. However there are few instances where they do go to different times with the law of Straight Relativistic Time Dilation where the earth rotates at a different rate on it’s axis. But as the prof points out in “The Guardian” it isn’t time travel. For the record though Quantum Leap is probably the best time travel show IMO.