Travelers (2016)

From the creator Brad Wright, who was also heavily involved in the Stargate shows. Brad Wright created a wonderful show, 3 seasons. It is about a group of people who travel from the future to the present to prevent a disastrous future. These “agents” from the future take a body who is about to die. They become that person but of course that person from the future is behind the wheel from that moment on.

He or she needs to take over the life of that person and besides doing the things that person would normally do, these persons belongs to a group of people from the future who are called Travelers.

It is interesting to see the balance between their lives of the people they’ve took over and the task they need to do to prevent a that disastrous future. Lead character is Grant MacLaren (Eric McCormack) and given that Brad Wright is the creator, we see many Stargate actors dropping by.

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Star Trek: Picard (2020)

Granted, Picard’s first two seasons are perhaps not the best, although I did like the first season better than the second season. The third season however, made it all up for me! Perhaps also a tad nostalgia but knowing that this was in the 90’s Trek timeline was a huge plus for me also.

I really loved to see the gang back together again after the movie Nemesis failed in the Box office back 2002. I loved everything about it, the 3^rd season that is, finally a bit of DS9 in Picard with the shapeshifters. If I have to name a downside was that DS9 was mostly absent from Star Trek: Picard.

I would have loved it if Dr. Bashir was Picard’s physician on Earth or something. I have to be honest, if season 3 would have been more like the first two seasons, without the gang, it most likely would not have made the top 10. The Enterprise D was definitely the icing on the cake.

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Resident Alien (2021)

Totally different but Alan Tudyk as the alien Harry Vanderspeigle is just bullseye! No one could have played thus character as well as he can. I am currently rewatching the show and finished the 1^st season, which is perhaps the best but the other two season are also very enjoyable. Not only Tudyk’s character is fun and hilarious, Sheriff Mike Thompson (Corey Reynolds) is also such a fun character, how his mind works is simply hilarious too. Just like his deputy Liv Baker (Elizabeth Bowen), the way she and the sheriff banter is just so much fun.

I can name a few more characters which I really enjoy. Yes it is a bit silly, it does not take itself too seriously, it is not all fun, there is some good drama in it, it makes you think also. The CGI isn’t too bad either, the ship looks kinda cool, interesting recurring characters like Linda Hamilton’s General Eleanor Wright, Terry O’Quinn as the alien hunter. It is also obvious that Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion are (still) best friends as he is the octopus Harry has saved from being eaten. Even the two children in the show, Max (Judah Prehn) and Sahar (Gracelyn Awad Rinke) aren’t annoying, which usually is the case with kids.

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For All Mankind (2019)

Just renewed for a 5^th season already, from the mind of Ronald D. Moore whom we mostly from the various Star Trek shows and the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. (ps. I believe he could bring back the Star Trek we all love so much) It starts with the moon race, not the Americans but the Russians first set foot on the moon.

In later seasons we have time jumps where the Americans and the Russians try to beat each other to the moon, setting up a base there and later on go to Mars. By the time we get to the 90’s, there is a 3^rd party who also wants to go to Mars and remain there in the form of a colony. Every season is one story, so no filler episodes whatsoever. A great cast, fantastic production values, solid CGI and as I said, the storytelling is great.

There is a bit of a downside which is sometimes hard not to notice. Some 35 years pass within the first 4 seasons, but especially the women (men too) do not age in the same way as we do apparently. That is a downside when you use the same characters over a long period of time, other than that, great show.   For All Mankind - HOME

The Mandalorian (2019)

Because of this show, I could introduce my wife to Star Wars! Long time she held it off but when she saw some glimpses of Grogu, she wanted to watch it with me. The Mandalorian and Grogu become bonded to each other, at first forced because lowlife’s wanted to kill recapture / kill Grogu.

I have to admit, my love for this show is definitely in part because of Grogu! I don’t know how they do it, but the little rascal makes you smile every time he walks into your screen, he steals every scene he is in. But besides that, The Mandalorian still is a quality show. He is looking for Grogu’s people but also takes on jobs to pay the bills and to live.

He is a man with a sense of justice, even though he sometimes has to do things he is a bit weary off. Example season one, episode 6, The Prisoner. This is a great example of that. Hopefully the 3^rd season will soon be released on physical media also.

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12 Monkeys (2015)

This show is a masterpiece! Derived from the movie 12 Monkeys with Bruce Willis, this show is in my opinion at least equal to the movie. If you are watching it and you are dead tired, skip it and watch it another time because you’ll get lost if you do. Every episode is so well written and so mind-bending, you really can’t afford skipping or sleeping through an episode.

I absolute love this show, however I was unable to write a rewatch blog for it because it is so complex, I just didn’t know where to begin, despite the fact I was trying to take notes afterwards. I really believe that 12 Monkeys is underrated, everyone who has watched it, loves the hell out of it but I think it is only a small portion of the population, in proportion, that watched and finished the show. I almost guarantee you that many people stopped watching it at some point because it definitely is a complex show.

But if you stick with it, you’ll get rewarded, if you want shallow, don’t watch 12 Monkeys, skip it. If you want to use your mind watching the show, 12 Monkeys definitely is something for you too. 12 Monkeys - HOME

Timeless (2016)

In 2021 I did my first rewatch of the complete series of Timeless and since then I am convinced that this is one of the best shows of the last decade(S)! Time Travel shows usually are shows I have to watch. Just the thought about time travel makes my mind go crazy! This show is just spectacularly good, it has a great cast, compelling stories, an intricate storyline which spans centuries.

From the start we are led to believe that Garcia Flynn is the bad guy, the enemy of our heroes. But as the story evolves, we learn that it is not so black and white, not to diminish the lives that have been lost through the actions of Garcia Flynn and his men. Timeless is just a show you MUST see, I guarantee you will love it, otherwise there definitely is something wrong with you! 😊

Timeless has died twice, yet also two times it was revived! The creators got the chance to give a show some conclusion which is one more reason to start watching it.

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The Orville (2017)

Thé Star Trek of the last decade! Not Picard, not Discovery or even Star Trek: Strange New Worlds does what The Orville does, make 90’s Star Trek relive under a different name. It is no secret that creator Seth MacFarlane is a big Star Trek: The Next Generation fan and he definitely had a better feel of what Star Trek fans want to see than over at CBS & Paramount, that’s for sure. Although the comparison from the start is obvious, still The Orville starts out more a comedy than serious SCI-FI. This does change over time where The Orville becomes more serious without losing its much needed humor. Seth MacFarlane found the right mix between comedy and (somewhat) more serious SCI-FI.

He did a great job because he brought back what a lot of Star Trek fans wanted to see. Season 3 the Orville was rebranded to: The Orville: New Horizons. The CGI was dazzlingly gorgeous to begin with but the stories where a tad more serious, which was okay for me. Of the 10 season 3 episodes I only found one to be slightly weaker (Mortality Paradox), all other 9 episodes I loved. One thing I always have been astonished about is that Seth MacFarlane was able get interesting guest and recurring stars. Think of Charlize Theron; Bruce Boxleitner; Kelly Hu; Robert Picardo; Marina Sirtis; Tony Todd; F Abraham Murray; John Fleck; Jason Alexander; John Billingsly; Patrick Warburton and Liam Neeson, and I could go on forever!

Dark Matter (2015)

Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie are the creators of Dark Matter. Both also were heavily involved in the various Stargate shows. Dark Matter does remind me of Stargate, you will see a few familiar Stargate faces like Torri Higginson, David Hewlett and Mike Dopud. It is about a group of people who wake up on a ship and their memory has been wiped. They are very distrustful towards each other but they have no choice but to work together. Soon it becomes clear that the real personalities of these people, are killers and thieves. My favorite character definitely is one named Three (Anthony Lemke), because he was 3^rd to wake up. He is annoying, aggressive an asshole but beside that, so much fun!

I think Three has grown the most over these 3 seasons. From an egotistically, annoying asshole to a guy you can depend on, for most of the time. The other one is the android of course, she too is so much fun. The group fits perfectly together in a uncomfortable way so to speak, an odd bunch but when it comes to it, for a certain time at least, they have each other’s back. In the first season it seemed like the budget was not that high because we barely saw any space scenes but luckily this changed starting season two. I love this show, already thinking of a rewatch but I’ll try to wait for awhile longer, to give other shows a chance. Unfortunately, Syfy cancelled the show on a cliff-hanger, such a shame! Highly recommended!

The Expanse (2015)

There can only be one! No, it is not a new Highlander TV show, it is obviously the Expanse! This show was a real Hard SCI-FI show, the CGI looked breathtaking, it is one big story, although a season also can be considered as one big story. No filler episode whatsoever, great cast, exciting stories, big ramifications, universal, war, it just was amazing!

I rewatched it in 2022/2023 and I love it even more. Jim Holden (Steven Strait) is the leading man, but he is a anti-hero, he is a hero to many people, also the viewers, but he does not consider himself a hero, he feels he needs to do what he does because it is the right thing to do. I really loved season two and most of season 3, that was my favorite bit of the whole series. Seasons 5 & 6 also are of the same quality as seasons 2 & 3.

It has six seasons, the creators rather see this as a pause than a cancellation or an ending. Let’s hope they are able to breathe new life into it some day. Till then we have 6 season to rewatch every few years and that is no punishment. For me, definitely the best show of the last decade.

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