mike_9000

So what happened during the years John Conner grew up and became the leader who would save mankind? Well.... all this did. Influenced not only by his mother but by a (somewhat conflicted) young female terminator programmed to protect him, he grew up.
One of those excellent series which never got the run it deserved.

What if vampires were real? For sure, they wouldn't be soft-focus pretty boys (and girls). They would be nasty parasites. What if a plague of vampires broke out in the modern world - and the they were winning?
This is a well thought out presentation of that scenario, with a real plot and some very engaging characters. Gory and unpleasant things happen to people all of the time but if you don't mind that (or even like it) it's a vampire story that enables you to suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride.

One of those series that you mourn, because it could have developed into something really good, if it had not been cancelled because it failed to win the ratings game.
A child with supernatural powers, which her to find people in need of help and transform their lives for the better is pursued by powerful people who want to use her, and protected by her cynical, but reformed father.
The plot stumbled to halt before it had room to develop - but the series still came to a sufficiently satisfactory conclusion to be worth watching - if you can accept that you only get one season.

The original. The best. CSI featured really ingenious stories which (almost) always made scientific sense as well being absorbing puzzles.
Maybe the writers stretched police procedure more than a little (CSI's do not act as detectives, which the characters do) but this was probably necessary to make the plots work.
Although there was a stand-out performance from the guy who played 'Gruesome Grissom' in the early seasons, the series always depended on a great ensemble cast, and you couldn't help becoming invested in the characters.
Consistently good, intelligent, and great fun.

It's hard to write a review of this incredibly timely show ( a major theme is intrusive surveillance) without giving away a major revelation. Suffice it to say there is a major plot twist after the first season or so that completely changes your perspective.
The characters are brilliantly presented, develop over time, and are often laugh-out-loud funny, in a black, deadpan kind of way.
Finally their is an overarching plot which develops during the show to reach a very satisfactory conclusion. This is a show that left you wanting more - which is always better than spinning things out too far.
There are some stand-out episodes, too. All round superlative - and I don't say that often.

The now standard 'police consultant with extraordinary talent teams up with cop and solves crimes' setup. with a twist - the consultant is a telepath who initially pretends to exceptionally observant..
The series is saved by engaging characters, a parallel plot concerning about the relationship between the telepath and his best friend, and the way in which the telepath gradually comes to trust his new comrades.

In the UK, this series had a cult following - and still does. I've never understood that, and I'm an English SF fan..
It's a story of a groups of misfits (including a charismatic anti-hero) who escape from an oppressive regime, come upon an advanced spaceship which bonds to them, and fight the system under their titular leader.
Some excellent actors did their best with a low budget, shaky scenery, awful special effects (even for the time) and a plot that went nowhere, and an unsatisfactory ending.
This could have been so much better, but suffered badly from an insufficient budget, like the original Dr Who when it was stumbling towards cancellation.

A great British *situation* comedy. OK, it was blessed with great comic actors too, but it was the *situation* created by this family, led by a eternally optimistic, eternally disappointed wheeler-dealer that made created so many comic set-pieces. Anyone who watched the series and is asked for the best moment will name one... and then another... and then another... for ages.

Maybe some of the cultural references might not translate... but the wonderful great writing and acting can transcend that.

A re-imagined Sherlock Holmes for the 21st Century. Recovering from his drug addiction in New York City (the original Holmes made fashionable use of injected cocaine, when bored) he meets a capable, independent woman by the name of Watson who becomes his protégé and partner.

It actually works very well indeed, thanks to excellent performances by the principals - Holmes, Watson and the officers of the NYPD for whom they work as consulting detectives.

There is character development, but the focus is on the 'mystery of the week'. They are all well-constructed and absorbing. not profound, but fun and entertaining.

Alphas were a kind of feasible X-men - mutants with extraordinary abilities that were not so extraordinary that you could suspend disbelief, go along with the assumption, and have some fun. It was well acted with engaging characters whose abilities had impacted their personal lives in interesting ways.

Ultimately, the over-arching plot went wrong - there wasn't any. Near the end, the writers tried to set up our heroes up as part of a 'good' (government controlled) mutant groups fighting a bad (terrorist) mutant group. there was lots of potential for moral ambiguity (something we have learned a lot more about lately) and internal conflict . Unfortunately, the series was cancelled before that plot development had a chance.

Still worth watching, as long as you are content with the fact that it ends unresolved.