1. What’s your least favorite episode of your favorite television program?
“Babylon 5”, is one of my all time favorite TV shows ever. But just like any other show it did have a few dog episodes. The one that I don’t like is an episode called “Grey 17 is Missing”. It is about a big monster that lives an area of the space station called “down below” . Robert Englund, most well known for playing Freddy Kruger on the “Nightmare on Elm Street” movies played an eccentric leader with a small band of followers. I like Englund’s performance on the old TV series “V” that ran from 1983 to 1984.
Babylon 5 is available for purchase from Amazon or streams for free on Comet TV and STIRR.
2. Across its series run, in what way did a favorite television program get worse?
“Babylon 5” ran for five seasons and completed most of its pre-planned story arc. However the show was almost going to be cancelled during the fourth season. As a result a bunch of episodes that would close out the story was squeezed into Season 4 making it a blockbuster season. However after they got a 5th season, the writers and producers had to come up with additional content to finish the story out. The middle third of the 5th season spent too much time on a sub-arc dealing with rouge telepaths that were held up at the station. Don’t get me wrong, “Babylon 5” was still a great series. It is just that the 5th season was weaker than the previous 3 seasons (2 - 4) and matters were not helped when one of the key actors left the series at the end of the fourth year.
“The X Files” which I loved got worse from Season 7 onward. Cast changes and the storyline got tired. By the first end of the series in year 9, I wasn’t watching it very much.
3. Among television programs you like very much, which ended far too soon?
FIREFLY… It was one of the greatest space adventures that was cancelled way too soon! Ugh!!!! The show ran for only 13 episodes. They released a movie called “Serenity” to wrap up loose ends. That was OK.
4. Among television programs you like very much, which dragged on for too long?
The X Files - see #2 above
5. What are some lines of dialogue you love from a favorite television program?
The exchange of dialogue between Mr. Morden and Centauri attaché Vir Kotto when Morden asks him “What do you want”? Babylon 5 fans love this exchange and later to see Vir’s wish come true.
6. My Bonus List: Top 10 TV Shows (Changes from time to time) - Yes I mostly like science fiction.
- Babylon 5
- Breaking Bad
- Star Trek The Next Generation
- The X Files
- Firefly
- Fringe
- Tales From the Loop
- Battlestar Galactica (re-imagined)
- Star Trek (classic)
- Star Trek Deep Space 9