As a teenager, I was introduced to, and loved watching, The X-Files. Sunday appointment viewing and when it jumped to the big screen, it was one of only two movies I made a point to see opening day.
Then David Duchovny quit and the Agent Mulder disappeared and Robert Patrick joined and became the new Agent Scully and the old Agent Scully turned into the new Agent Mulder and it sucked and then The X-Files went away for good.
Then I was introduced to Fringe. It hit the same sweet spot that The X-files had.
But now that Fringe is getting closer to death, I need a replacement.
So what’s it take for a show to hit that same geeky place in my heart? I think these are the elements:
- Suspenseful science fiction
- Set on present day planet Earth
- Normal people investigating some grand unknown (black oil of The X-files or the other dimension of Fringe)
- But not too much focus on “mythology” over “monster of the week” episodes
- Focus on a few key relationships (Mulder and Scully. Peter and Olivia. Dr. Bishop and Peter.)
- Great dialog with deadpan humor
A couple weeks ago I put the question to fellow Fringe and X-file lover Jordan Running on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/bergus/status/18820933749837824
He came up with a couple:
http://twitter.com/#!/swirlee/status/18825547899469824
I also asked on Aardvark and got a few suggestions:
- The Lost Room
- Lost
- Carnivale
- Surface
- Primeval
- The Adventures of Sarah Jane
- The Middleman
And here’s my thought: Torchwood. Let’s see if it hits my necessary elements:
- Suspenseful science fiction ✔
- Set on present day planet Earth ✔
- Normal people investigating some grand unknown ✔ except Captain Jack Harkness
- But not too much focus on “mythology” over “monster of the week” episodes ✔
- Focus on a few key relationships ✔ only a few more characters
- Great dialog with deadpan humor ✔
Am I missing some important elements? Are there other heirs to The X-Files throne?
UPDATE:
Another suggestion
http://twitter.com/#!/stephdavidson/status/20972747546959872