10. Being Human
Being Human
Toby Whithouse’s brilliant drama/comedy is due back for a 3rd season in early 2011, and not a moment to soon. The superb 2nd season aired in Jan, and continued the story of Annie (Ghost), George (Werewolf) and Mitchell (Vampire), as they try to get by living a ‘normal’ life. The series ended on a dramatic high, with Annie getting pulled, literally, through death’s door.
9. Misfits
Misfits
Season 2 has just finished airing, and provides a very British take on the superhero genre. The show follows a group of young offenders who gain superpowers after getting struck by a strange electrical storm, creating the first ‘chav’ superhero team.
8. Fringe
Fringe
Fringe returned with it’s 3rd season, and continues to be one of the more interesting scifi shows on TV at the moment. The wonderfully clever format of setting entire episode of this season in the alternate universe really helped change things up and drive it past the ‘monster of the week’ show it could have turned into.
7. Chuck
Chuck
Ahh, Chuck, how we love thee. We were really lucky this year, as we not only got season 3, but thanks to the Sky buyout of Virgin, we also are in the middle of season 4 on Living. Nerd herder to super-spy Chuck Bartowski, along with fellow spies Sarah (also Chuck’s girlfriend), Colonel John Casey, and best friend (and now also spy), Morgan, all try and track down Chuck’s mother. As with season 3, season 4 has also had some great guest roles, with Linda Hamilton starring as Chuck’s mum, Timothy Dalton chewing up the set as Alexei Volkoff, and even Summer Glau popping up.
6. Sanctuary
Sanctuary
Some love it, some hate it, but we really love Sanctuary here at GeekTown. Interesting, and off the wall scifi starring Stargate’s Amanda Tapping as the 158-year-old Helen Magnus chasing down extraordinarily-powered creatures and people, known as Abnormals. The show has grown stronger and stronger since it’s inception as a web series, and is currently on mid-season break, but due back on Watch in the near future.
5. Big Bang Theory
Big Bang Theory
Big Bang Theory is the only none scifi show on this list, but probably the geekiest. For those that have yet to catch it, Big Bang is kinda like Friends with comic books. It centres around the lives of 2 Caltech geniuses – Sheldon, and his long suffering roommate Leonard, along with their friends and fellow geeks Howard and Rajesh, and the stunning and rather less geeky neighbour Penny. Despite E4’s usual ‘throw a 6 to start’ scheduling policy, Big Bang Theory is one of the few shows they run that’s actually managed to stay reasonably close to the US air dates and is currently airing the 4th season.
4. Doctor Who
Doctor Who
2010 was the year we said hello to a brand new Doctor in the form of Matt Smith. Despite having some very big shoes to fill, Matt has really managed to make the role his own. Although he’s younger than his predecessor, there’s a great air of experience in his portrayal, as well as keeping the energy and wit that David Tennant bought to the role. 2010 also saw Steven Moffat take over from RTD as show runner, and although I don’t think any of the individual episodes have quite lived up to his work during RTD reign (as exec producer he is spinning a lot more plates!), overall he’s going in the right direction. And of course, he did introduce the world to the wonderful Amy Pond. ;) Roll on Easter 2011 and Matt’s 2nd season!
3. Supernatural
Supernatural
2010 saw the 5th season of Supernatural air in the UK, with the conclusion of Eric Kripke’s brilliant 5 year story arc for the Winchester brothers. We’ve had Angels, Demons, Heaven, Hell, and a host of other evil over the years, culminating in a showdown between Lucifer and Arch angel Michael. The season finale could have made a perfectly good conclusion for the whole Supernatural story, but as they got picked up for a 6th season, the Winchester boys will be back on Sky Living in 2011 – and from what i’m hearing, the latest season is ever bit as good as the previous ones!
2. Stargate Universe
Stargate Universe
One word… gutted. A dramatic change in style from SG:1 and SG:Atlantis, SG:U was far more character focused and had a much darker tone than it’s previous incarnations. Unfortunately, that shift was probably also part of it’s downfall. Some of the existing Stargate fans missed the lighter side of Stargate, and non-Stargate fans saw it as ‘Battlestar Galactica Lite’. I really liked SG:U, and I was sad to see it get canned. This also seems to have killed off the entire franchise for the moment, as the Atlantis dvd movie has also been shelved in the wake of SG:U cancellation, and there are no more Stargate related TV shows in production…
1. The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead
Zombies? Check. Respected comic book source? Check. Respected hollywood writer/director? Check. Egg from This Life? Chec… wait, what? The Walking Dead was by far one of the most interesting shows to hit our tv screens in 2010. Adapted from the comic books of the same name, the story follows a small band of refugees who have survived a zombie apocalypse, led by brit actor (although rather convincing playing an American) Andrew Lincoln. The show was developed by Frank Darabont, writer/director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, and really focused on the characters, rather than just being a zombie gore-fest (although there is some of that in there too). Season 1 was only 6 episodes long, but due to the fantastic critical and commercial success, the 2nd season has been extended to 13 episodes. Season 2 of The Walking Dead won’t air in the US until October 2011, so I suspect the very earliest we’ll get it in the UK is November 2011.
