Plot Synopsis- Ally McBeal is a lawyer at a Boston law firm dedicated to having fun, which includes a uni-sex bathroom and nightclub, The Martini. When not trying the unusual cases her law firm seems to attract, Ally searches for love and navigates the troubled waters of modern ethical questions. Ally and her coworkers are rather quirky people. Some are neurotic; others are just plain mean. Yet all of them feel in some way they are misfits and strive to discover their individuality and humanity.

Review- Ally McBeal is an amusing series because it shows us with wit, sometimes sarcasm and always honesty how uncomfortable and inappropriate our lives really are. Although individual episodes are quite enjoyable on their own, dealing effectively with tricky issues, the continuing evolution of the characters' relationships is also interesting. The series was plagued by an ever-rotating cast and some questionable plot developments in the final season, but on the whole Ally McBeal was a fun and bittersweet look into the heart of everyone who's ever wondered what life and love are really all about.

Plot Synopsis- The picture-perfect community of Trinity, South Carolina, with its Norman Rockwell exterior, harbors deep secrets. Sheriff Lucas Buck (Gary Cole) is a man with a reputation; he can solve any problem--for a price. Lucas has an obsession with power and his son, young Caleb Temple. Lucas wants Caleb to be just like him, but the boy's cousin Gale Emory, who is caught in a web of love and hate with Lucas, and Caleb's murdered half-sister Merlyn, who appears to him as a guardian angel/ghost, try to counter Buck's influence. The lives of countless townsfolk, all of whom have in some way been touched by the mysterious Sheriff Buck, are also caught up with the young boy's fate.

Review- A unique bland of mystery, horror, danger and humor, American Gothic explored superstition, the paranormal, the after-life, and the ambiguous nature of good and evil. The talented cast and the picturesque and spooky backdrop of the Old South helped bring the show's magical and frightening tales to life. The series' storyline developed with each episode and, unlike so many other prematurely cancelled shows, American Gothic received a satisfying send-off in its final installment.

Plot Synopsis- What would our world be like if an alien species arrived tomorrow? From the mind of Gene Roddenberry, Earth: Final Conflict is the story of Earth in the early 21^st Century after the arrival of the Taelons, or Companions. The Companions have brought humanity advanced technology and helped solve many of the world's problems. To most people the Taelons seem like enlightened, beneficent beings, even messengers from God. But others have seen the Taelons' darker side and fight to discover their secrets and ensure the future of humanity.

Review- During its first season, I praised this fascinating and unique show whole-heartedly. The characters, storylines and mysterious five-year arc generated a potential that sadly was never realized. After the death of lead character William Boone (played excellently by Kevin Kilner) at the close of season one, the series lost its emotional and narrative core, descending into a series of derivative sci-fi stories with a cast of characters in constant flux and little meaningful continuity. The final season radically broke with the previous seasons, and most fans of the show consider it almost unwatchable. Earth: Final Conflict is a prime example of a series that could have been so much more.

Plot Synopsis- Two hundred year hence, Earth is a barren, polluted wasteland and humanity has been forced to live in orbiting space stations. The current generation of children suffers from the Syndrome, a condition causing atrophied bodies and early death. Many fear the human race is doomed, but one woman, Devon Adair, believes the Syndrome may be cured by life in a natural environment. Adair leads an advance expedition to an inhabitable Earth-like world, followed closely by a colony vessel with families onboard. But Adair's ship crashes upon arrival and the team discovers that this world, contrary to what they had been told by the stations' Council, is inhabited by an intelligent species called the Terrians, who live in a psychic link with their planet and communicate through dreams. The planet is also home to dangerous animals, the clever and greedy Grendlers, and human prisoners secretly placed there by the Council. The Terrians cure Devon's son Uly of the Syndrome by mixing his DNA with their own, and the colonists begin their journey across the globe with a renewed sense of hope, attempting to reach the colony site before the other vessel arrives.

Review- The ongoing quest of the characters, all of whom were distinctive and well developed, was presented in serial form, each episode building on the previous ones. The show's setting, an alien world effectively brought to life through the use of various natural environments and beautiful vistas, underscored the important theme of “the journey.” Distinguishing itself from Star Trek, Earth 2 showed us humans exploring a new world and, in the process, their own changing ideas about home, family, and what it really means to be alive.

Plot Synopsis- Astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) is thrust through a wormhole to a distant part of the universe and into the midst of a prisoner revolt. Crichton takes refuge aboard Moya, the living Leviathan prison ship once controlled by the Gestapo-like Peacekeepers. Crichton and his ex-prisoner shipmates travel the Uncharted Territories, trying to escape from dangerous pursuers and build new lives. Crichton soon finds himself adrift in a vast sea of conspiracies, cosmic secrets and political machinations as he and the crew of Moya form powerful bonds of friendship and shared tragedy.

Review- Farscape was an innovative program boasting a talented cast (including two wonderfully articulate puppets), fascinating special effects, and solid writing, The series' grand, almost operatic, style mixed social commentary, action, and interpersonal drama with emotional depth rare for science fiction and television in general. The fantastic world of Farscape rewarded its viewers with great satisfaction as its tragic but exciting story unfolded. Sadly the Scifi Channel cancelled the series after its fourth season. The series was briefly revisited in a highly satisfying finale in the four-hour mini-series Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars.

Plot Synopsis- In the turbulent South of the late 1950s, Forest Bedford (Sam Waterston), a successful white lawyer, is forced to raise his children Nathan, Francine, and John-Morgan alone after his wife suffers a mental breakdown. Lily Harper (Regina Taylor), an impoverished black woman also raising her daughter Adeleine alone, works as a housekeeper for the Bedfords. Against the backdrop of the struggle for racial equality and the social restructuring of the South, each family faces its own set of challenges. As time goes by the Bedfords and Harpers begin to know and respect each other, and eventually to depend on one another.

Review- I'll Fly Away was a finely crafted show with important stories to tell and characters convincing because of their genuine emotions. The series was both touching and controversial, examining prejudice of all kinds and trying to find the common core of humanity in each individual. Unfortunately, as with many thoughtful series, I'll Fly Away didn't last long. PBS filmed a TV-movie to wrap up the series main storyline after it was cancelled by NBC, proving that I'll Fly Away had not been forgotten, and hopefully never will be.

Plot Synopsis- The Lexx, a living insectoid spacecraft and the most powerful weapon in the Two Universes, is stolen from His Divine Shadow by four misfits—cowardly ex-heretic Stanley Tweedle, half-lizard love slave Xev, undead divine assassin Kai and crazed robot head 790—disrupting His Divine Shadow’s plan to exterminate humanity. The crew of the Lexx escapes in search of a place to call home, and along the way experiences adventures and dangers both bizarre and sensual.

Plot Synopsis- Young Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) is truly trapped in the middle -- the middle of puberty, the social ladder, and his chaotic family. When Malcolm isn't taking classes in the gifted program at school, he can be found trying to survive the rough terrain of a crazy household. Malcolm has three brothers: Francis (Christopher Kennedy Masterson), the bad boy who escaped from military school to live in Alaska; Reese (Justin Berfield), the school bully who's not exactly the brightest crayon in the box; and Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan), an imaginative and alarmingly clever boy at the mercy of his older brothers. Running the home, in a manner of speaking, are Malcolm's vapid, nostalgia-bound father Hal (Bryan Cranston) and his overbearing but wise, control freak mother Lois (Jane Kaczmarek).

Review- This series has been called a live-action Simpsons, and that description is strangely accurate. Mixing social commentary and sidesplitting comedy, Malcolm brings its viewers into a weird world that is unnervingly real. Malcolm in the Middle has a great ensemble cast and wonderful writers. Each episode is filled with unbelievable comedic feats and thoughtful, well-developed storylines. The series is a great release from doldrums of the everyday, though that is exactly what the series parodies so well. Malcolm in the Middle is a hilarious trip into the center of chaos.

Plot Synopsis- Onboard the Satellite of Love, astronaut Mike Nelson and his robot pals Tom Servo and Crow must suffer the wrath of Pearl, a diabolical woman aspiring to conquer the world, which she and her henchmen Bobo the Gorilla and The Observer (or Brain Guy), never seem to accomplish. To torture Mike and take out her frustrations, Pearl forces him to watch bad B-movies, which he and his robot pals trash with wild abandon.

Review- Mystery Science Theater 3000 brings B-movie bashing to it's highest level yet. Leaving aside the gratifyingly campy premise, MST3K is unique among snide movie-killers. Instead of waiting for the commercial break, Mike and the robots talk within the movie's dialogue! Commenting in real-time like sports announcers, they give us the low-down on the ultimate in motion picture faux-pas. From the terrible Japanese sci-fi chiller Prince of Space, to the erotically ridiculous Danger, Diabolic!, to the crappy Finnish Christmas-wannabe Jack Frost, there isn't a bad movie ever made that these guys can't turn into a tirade of sarcastic, snide blather. The laughs are non-stop. Anyone who loves to make fun of movies that really deserve it will find MST3K exactly to their taste.

Plot Synopsis- In the 22^nd through 24^th Centuries, humans have become an integral part of the interstellar community and have joined other species in the Untied Federation of Planets. The exploratory/defense arm of the Federation, Starfleet, sends out ships and maintains outposts to explore space, preserve peace and "boldly go where no one has gone before."

Review- For over 35 years, Star Trek has touched the imagination of millions around the world. Creator Gene Roddenberry's vision of a positive future for humanity has been one of the most enduring phenomena in sci-fi history. But Star Trek and its spin-off series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Enterprise, as well as nine motion pictures, have become more than just television programs for those who see its unique power.Star Trek has been a stepping stone to the stars and beyond, inspiring countless people to explore the universe and themselves. Knowledge is the ideal of Star Trek, and the huge amount of data collected from the show's many incarnations serves as a metaphor for just about anything you can think of. In recent years, some have criticized Star Trek for losing itself in media hype, and I do find the latest series Enterprise rather banal. But the fans' imaginations are what make Star Trek great and they still believe in a universe full of wonders to explore.

Plot Synopsis- Strangers with Candy is a twisted parody of the classic and typically moralistic after school specials and follows the misadventures of Jerri Blank (Amy Sedaris), a 47 year-old teenage runaway, high school dropout, user, abuser and two-time loser who's picking up right where she left off 32 year ago. The Blank household includes Jerri's stepmother Sara (Deborah Rush), a former beauty queen, and her asinine half-brother Derrick (Larc Spies). At Flatpoint High, Jerri's education is left to English teacher Chuck Noblet (Stephen Colbert), who'd rather be doing something else, Geoffrey Jellineck (Paul Dinello), the self-absorbed art teacher, and Principal Onyx Blackman (Greg Holliman), who's main concern is racking up trophies. When facing sex, drugs, peer pressure, and a family who just doesn't understand her, no matter how hard Jerri tries, she "still does the wrong things. Only now [she's] doing them for the right reasons."

Review- Strangers with Candy has a cynical and sarcastic take on life, which is hilarious and even endearing at times. With a mix of pedantic, meaningless politically correct rhetoric and sometimes shockingly blatant words and actions, Jerri Blank gets to the heart of serious issues, yet completely misses the lessons she's supposed to learn. But it's always fun to watch her trying to "become the thing she never knew she wanted to be"! Also check out the 2005 film adaptation of the series, which is almost as funny as the series.

Plot Synopsis- The X-Files is the story of two FBI agents who investigate the paranormal. Agent Fox Mulder is not the classic hero, rather a quiet, melancholic dreamer whose past haunts him. He believes that when he was twelve, his sister was abducted by aliens and he has been on a quest to find the truth ever since. His partner, Dana Scully, is a doctor who believes in the finality of science. Everything can be explained in terms of natural laws; thus for her there are no mysteries. Together these two very different people seek answers to terrifying and intriguing questions about the so-called paranormal, hoping that "the truth is out there." Amid personal trials and revelations, Mulder and Scully attempt to unravel a powerful conspiracy about the existence of alien life at the highest levels of the government.

Review- The X-Files taps into modern paranoia and the desire for mystery in a world that seems mundane. The relationship between Mulder and Scully is one of the most successful aspects of The X-Files. They are forced to trust each other because in their world, they cannot trust anyone else. Through shared experiences, each discovers the strength in the other until they are the closest of friends. The show's use of darkness and danger augments the highly emotional struggles of the vast array of characters that became a part of The X-Files "mythology" over nine years. Unfortunately, when star David Duchovny decided not to appear as a regular after the seventh season, the series declined, lacking focus, character development, continuity, and original, interesting stories. The series finale attempted to bring closure to the "mythology," but failed to deliver on the truly grand scope and poignant stories of the characters alluded to in the early years of the show.