Five Totally Awesome Things You Missed the First Time Around

4) Andromeda

Stats: Aired for 5 seasons from 2000 to 2005. It aired in syndication for the first four seasons but the last season was picked up by the Sci-fi Channel.

Starring: Kevin Sorbo, Lexa Doig, Lisa Ryder, Keith Hamilton Cobb, Gordon Michael Woolvett, Laura Bertram, Brent Stait, Steve Bacic, Brandy Ledford

Why you might have missed it: It aired in syndication at really awful times.

Summary: Based on Gene Rodenberry’s notes and concepts, this show is about a post-apocalyptic universe where the main government, called The Commonwealth, was betrayed by one if its more powerful members and therefore, falls apart. Three hundred years later, the universe is in tatters, technologies have been lost, and law and order is pretty much non-existent. Enter our hero, Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda Ascendant, who was frozen on the edge of the event horizon of a black hole and loses the three hundred years in the blink of an eye. The crew of the salvage ship, the Eureka Maru, pulls the Andromeda from the black hole for salvage and gets more than they bargained for when they get on board, finding not only the Captain but the AI of the Andromeda ready to fight them off. Dylan then strikes a deal with the salvage crew in an effort to try to unite the Commonwealth under the banner of the Andromeda. Basically, it’s what would happen in Trek if the Federation suddenly went kaput and there was three hundred years of chaos.

Why it is AWESOME: Well, it’s Gene Rodenberry so it is very hard for it not to be awesome. Yeah, it’s a bit “Hercules in Space” because Kevin Sorbo has the acting depth of a teaspoon but the other characters more than make up for it. You have the enigmatic Trance Gemini, the hidden motives of Tyr Anasazi, the genius of Seamus Harper and the BAMF-ness of Rommie, the ship-made-flesh ie the Andromeda’s AI in android form. I also love the ambiguity of the main baddie, The Abyss. The first two seasons are great but then the main writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe was released from production and the writing isn’t the same in the last three seasons. The fifth season is basically a necessary evil. However, it is really worth the watch. It’s fun. There are characters to care about and they do grow and change over the seasons, especially Trance.

How can you see it?: Again, you can order discs from Netflix.

5) The Adventures of Brisco County Jr

Stats: Aired on Fox for One season of 27 episodes from 1993-1994

Starring: BRUCE CAMPBELL, Julius Carry, Christian Clemenson, Kelly Rutherford, John Astin

HOW CAN IT NOT BE AWESOME?

Why you might have missed it: Because Fox sucks.

Summary: The second of the sci-fi westerns on the list, though I guess you could classify this more as Steampunk, stars BRUCE CAMPBELL as loveable and wise-cracking Brisco County Jr. who is the son of a murdered US Marshal. Brisco is hired by Socrates Poole to hunt down a gang of thieves and bad guys, led by the outlaw John Bly. In the beginning, he is at odds with fellow tracker/bounty-hunter Lord Bowler but they strike up an odd friendship and pursue the bad guys together. The sci-fi part comes in the form of fantastic technology that is away ahead of its time that is generally used throughout the show. Also, there is The Orb which is a mystical ball of power that was unearthed in California that has strange properties and does magnificent things (such as allowing Brisco to travel through time in one episode and healing him in another). The show relies heavily on comedy and the awesomeness that is Bruce Campbell. I don’t know why they made him audition five times for the part, but I’m glad they gave it to him because this is how he became available to a more mainstream audience.

Why it is AWESOME: How could a Steampunk Sci-Fi Western starring Bruce Campbell NOT BE AWESOME? My love for this show knows no bounds. Seriously. It is witty and hilarious and odd and just my kind of crack to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

How can you see it?: Unfortunately, it is not streaming on Netflix. This is another one though that I would plunk down the money for the DVD box set. It’s 27 eps of fun and you’ll want to rewatch several of the episodes over again.