10 Most Underrated 2000s Sci-Fi TV Shows

The 2000s were great years for fans of most genres, but sci-fi lovers had the most fun, especially on the small screen. After the ‘90s gave us shows like Babylon 5, Stargate SG-1, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and The X-Files, the following decade got even better with shows like Lost, Firefly, Fringe, and The 4400. During this period, the genre morphed into a more mature version of itself, presenting complex characters, leaning towards realism, and exploring more social and philosophical issues.

Thanks to the slight advancement, science fiction became mainstream. Shows Lost and Fringe consistently topped the ratings charts, and so did a few other critically acclaimed shows. However, these few popular shows shouldn’t get all the praise for making science fiction palatable to wider audiences. Several other small-screen projects deserve to be lauded for their creative plots and wonderful production values all around.

10

‘Cleopatra 2525’ (2000 – 2001)

Created by R.J. Stewart and Robert G. Tapert (best known for Xenia: Warrior Princess), Cleopatra 2525 takes us to the year 2525, when humans have been forced to live underground because robotic overlords have taken over the world. An exotic dancer named Cleopatra (Jennifer Sky), who had been cryogenically frozen 500 years earlier, wakes up, shouts “This cannot keep on happening!” and teams up with other resistance fighters.

Beatdowns of the Future

Jennifer Sky is by turns bellicose and cool in the role of Cleopatra, a rebel who thinks nothing of unloading an endless hailstorm of special edition bullets but who nurses an odd fondness for her enigmatic associate, portrayed with stone-faced rigor by Gina Torres. With his trademark in-your-face action and fluid, fast-paced theatrics, Robert G. Tapert stacks one cinema-like scene on top of the other. But it’s the usual genre treats that make this gem an absolute must-see for sci-fi fans. From a Javis-like AI-system to gauntlet guns, there’s a lot to leave you beaming with glee.

9

‘Special Unit 2’ (2001)

Special Unit 2

Release Date

April 11, 2001

Network

UPN

Directors

John T. Kretchmer, Oscar L. Costo, David Straiton, James Ward Byrkit, Michael Lange, Paul Abascal, Rod Hardy

Writers

Joel Surnow, Dan E. Fesman, Evan Katz, Jack Bernstein, James Krieg, Martin Weiss, Paul Bernbaum, Scott Nimerfro, Harry Victor, Darin Moiselle, William Schmidt, Josh Lobis, Sara Israel

Cast

• Alexondra Lee

  Detective Kate Benson

• Jack Coleman

  George Armstrong

• Michael Landes

  Detective Nicholas O’Malley

Special Unit 2 plays out like many popular cop shows, except the members of the secret Chicago police division deal with sci-fi and fantasy-related villains that live secretly among humans. Labeled “Links,” the creatures consist of aliens and mythological beings. Some are peaceful, while others keep breaking rules, forcing SU2 to act.

Hunting Unusual Lawbreakers

This is the kind of show that ought to have built a sizable cult following over the years, yet it somehow hasn’t. Beyond the clever script, the quirky sci-fi gem boasts inspired casting. Further boosted by a marvelous soundtrack from Mark Morgan (from the Fallout video games), Special Unit 2 is every bit entertaining. It strays from its sci-fi borders from time to time, but genre fans are unlikely to mind.

8

‘Invasion’ (2005 – 2006)

Invasion

Release Date

2005 – 2005

Network

ABC

Directors

Thomas Schlamme, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Bill Eagles, Bryan Spicer, Eric Laneuville, Ernest R. Dickerson, Fred Toye, Harry Winer, J. Miller Tobin, Michael Dinner, Michael Nankin, Rod Holcomb

Writers

Shaun Cassidy, Juan Carlos Coto, Becky Hartman Edwards, Julie Siege, Michael Berns, Reed Steiner

Cast

• Barry Wiggins

  General Turner

• Bob Morrisey

  Lawrence Burley

• Eddie Cibrian

  Russell Varon

Inspired by Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Invasion presents a scenario where amphibious aliens take over a tiny Florida town and start cloning human bodies. The onus thus falls on Sheriff Tom Underlay (William Fichtner) and park ranger Russell Varon (Eddie Cibrian) to restore normalcy. Will they be able to do that?

Double Disaster

A wonderful homage to the ‘70s movie starring Donald Sutherland, this mindbending saga is notable for two reasons: William Fichtner’s incredible performance and the cinematography. Fichtner shows us what he could do in Prison Break, and in this show, he shoots for the Emmys, though he misses. You’ll love how the camera captures Florida’s destruction. And despite the fact that things are terrible, the show is peppered with witty lines and directed with astounding flair.

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7

‘Night Visions’ (2001)

Night Visions

Release Date

2001 – 2001

Network

FOX

Directors

Jefery Levy, Yves Simoneau, Tobe Hooper, Thomas J. Wright, Joe Dante, Keith Gordon, Ernest R. Dickerson, Ian Toynton, JoBeth Williams, Brian Dennehy, Michael W. Watkins, Nick Gomez, Paul Shapiro, Philip Sgriccia, Po-Chih Leong, Bryan Spicer

Writers

Jim Leonard

Hosted by veteran punk and metal singer Henry Rollins, Night Visions is a Twilight Zone imitation for modern times. Each episode features two standalone stories covering bizarre scenarios, with the strangest of twists. The tales dance between the paranormal and the scientific.

Clever and Spooky

Night Visions was created by Dan Angel and Billy Brown, who both had experience in the anthology space, having worked on John Carpenter’s Body Bags. How could they ever top The Twilight Zone? Well, by making things scarier. The Fox production is more terrifying than most sci-fi-horror hybrids, so look under the bed and close your windows before you press play. And Rollins sure does his best to channel his inner Rod Sterling. Prepare for twists!

6

‘Odyssey 5’ (2002)

Odyssey 5

Release Date

2002 – 2003

Network

Showtime

Directors

Stephen Williams, Peter Weller, David Carson, David Straiton, George Mendeluk, Ken Girotti, Randall Zisk, Bryan Spicer, Milan Cheylov

Stream

In Odyssey 5, a space crew witness Earth’s distraction while they are on their shuttle. All seems lost until an inorganic being known as the Seeker approaches them and offers to send them back in time to prevent the destruction. However, only their consciousnesses can go back because full-body time travel is impossible.

Reversing Disasters

This sterling show poses some thorny questions: like, what exactly can cause Earth to disintegrate? And is time travel actually possible scientifically? Here, Peter Weller, in the lead role, isn’t as robotic as he was while playing RoboCop. He conveys Chuck Taggart’s frantic nature and sense of authority beautifully. Other cast members offer good support, so get ready for a unique time-travel adventure.

5

‘The Others’ (2000)

The Others

Release Date

2000 – 1999

Network

NBC

Directors

Mick Garris, Thomas J. Wright, Brian Trenchard-Smith, Bryan Spicer, Jake Paltrow, Sanford Bookstaver, Tom McLoughlin

Writers

James Wong, Glen Morgan, Daniel Arkin

Cast

• Julianne Nicholson

  Marian Kitt

• Missy Crider

  Ellen Polaski

In The Others, we are first introduced to Marian Kitt (Julianne Nicholson), a college student who has visions of paranormal phenomena. She soon learns that there are others like her, so she teams up with them. Together, they dig deeper into strange happenings and learn about the scientific underpinnings that are making it all happen.

Gifted Characters, Created by Gifted Minds

Julianne Nicholson, the likable star of Masters of Sex, is perfectly cast as the student who pieces all of it together. Does she ever free herself from her unique gift? To say more would reveal too much of the show’s clever, perspective-shifting plots, which were mainly crafted by Glen Morgan and James Wong from The X-Files. There’s plenty of absurdity, so hold your jaw.

4

‘Surface’ (2005 – 2006)

Surface (2005)

Release Date

September 19, 2005

Network

NBC

Directors

Jeffrey Reiner, Aaron Lipstadt, Bill Eagles, Brad Anderson, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Jean de Segonzac, Jeff Woolnough, John Behring, Marita Grabiak, Rick Wallace, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan

Writers

Jay Beattie, Dan Dworkin, Chip Johannessen, Darcy Meyers, Jason Cahill

Cast

• Jay R. Ferguson

  Rich Connelly

• Carter Jenkins

  Miles Barnett

Surface revolves around four characters: Dr. Laura Daughtery (Lake Bell), a marine biologist who is targeted by an evil organization after encountering strange creatures while doing deep-sea research; Richard Connelly (Jay R. Ferguson), a fisherman whose brother was taken by the creatures; Miles Barnett (Carter Jenkins), who is raising one of the infant sea creatures, and Davis Lee (Ian Anthony Dale), an agent working for the shadowy organization.

Who Messed with the Water?

Marine life conservation is a topic that doesn’t get explored enough on television, and neither are the implications of genetic engineering, and expansions in biotechnology. Thankfully, Surface sails in such waters. As expected for shows like this, the twists come in thick and fast, and none of them feels forced. The performances are more standard than outstanding, allowing the viewer to focus on the plot.

3

‘Threshold’ (2005 – 2006)

Threshold concerns the titular government task force, which springs into action after members of a U.S. naval vessel have a deadly encounter with a UFO. Threshold soon discovers that the aliens plan to rewrite the DNA of the entire human race using a special audio signal. Will the task force members be able to stop them?

An A-show from an A-team

Produced by Brannon Braga (Star Trek), David S. Goyer (Blade), and David Heyman (Harry Potter), Threshold never got the same following as those other works, but should have. The show gets dark but is never heavy-handed, and all the cast members are luminous. You won’t find groundbreaking alien concepts here, but the familiar stuff is served with love. Two decades after its initial release, the small-screen sci-fi project remains. It is a brilliant, thought-provoking discovery that should have lasted longer.

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2

‘The Middleman’ (2008)

Life sucks for Wendy Watson (Natalie Morales) in The Middleman until she is offered an unusual job opportunity. The Middleman, a freelance fixer who deals with aliens, mad scientists, and other sci-fi-related problems, wants her as his associate because she has a photographic memory. The show thus focuses on Wendy’s training, then her adventures on the job.

Endless Pop Culture References

This comical, pounding tale features performances every bit as volatile as the non-stop action. Matt Keeslar and Natalie Morales both soar, especially in their first on-screen encounter. Other cast members are on-hand as well, providing the necessary backup. Beyond that, cinephiles will have a blast because of the numerous pop culture references. A memorable scene involves a murderous ape whacking mobsters while dishing out quotes from The Godfather. Marvelous!

1

‘The Lost Room’ (2006)

The Lost Room

Release Date

December 11, 2006

Network

SyFy

Directors

Craig R. Baxley

Cast

• Chris Bauer

  Lou Destefano

• Harriet Sansom Harris

  Margaret Milne

Stream

The Lost Room centers on Room 10 of the Sands Motel, shown to possess weird abilities. When Detective Joe Miller (Peter Krause) finds out that his young daughter, Anna, has been caught up in the room’s strange activities, he starts investigating. His search yields more than he can handle.

Sci-fi Blended with Other Genres

In this mind-bending show, co-writers Christopher Leone and Laura Harkcom update the noir tale with relevant social commentary and supernatural flavoring. Above all, this is a sci-fi show that often digs deep to explain what look like simple scenarios. Peter Krause is lovably focused as the ever-optimistic lawman, and Elle Fanning’s performance as his daughter adds a welcome note of tenderness. Scholarly dialogue completes a winning miniseries. Feel free to enter this room.

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