Sci-Fi TV: My Picks

One of my regular news haunts, Sci-Fi Wire, has posted a rundown of the surprisingly great variety of sci-fi and fantasy shows available this year and the possibilities of their renewal. You can find the post by clicking here.

Among my faves already guaranteed a return engagement are The Big Bang Theory (newsflash: Evil Wil Wheaton will be back this spring to taunt Sheldon Cooper a second time!), Saving Grace (Holly Hunter is hotter than any 50 year-old has any right to be), and True Blood (still have yet to see its second season).

Dollhouse was kind of a tough watch for me, as it was a lot more episodic at the beginning than most of Joss Wheadon's series, and far more complex. But I always mourn the loss of a series that challenges the sensibilities of its audience, and while I won't greatly miss the show, I'm really hoping that Wheadon's next project (rumored to be heading for the FX network) will give him much more control and less network interference.

Chuck, Heroes, 24, and Big Bang Theory make Monday Ubergeek Night here at the Dooley household, though 24 this season has paced a lot slower than in previous years. We're hoping things will just explode this Monday when Dana Walsh deals with her ex, Kevin, and his partner in crime and we get a glimpse of her true nature. looks like there's a good chance this may be 24's final TV season before Jack Bauer gives us his worst day ever on the big screen.

Fringe started off as another tough watch for me, but with things really ramping up with the alternate dimension, I'm so on board. Has there ever been a better mad scientist than Walter Bishop, played by the magnificent John Noble? He can leave me astonished at the utter evil nature of his past experiments, and yet drive me to tears as he deals with the situations he's helped create.

The Human Target is getting better with each passing episode (I very much appreciate the opening title sequence resembling a modern-day graphic novel), and anything that keeps the great Jackie Earle Haley on screen gets my undivided attention.

Medium is one strange show, and in a good way. It depicts a really tightknit family whose matron just happens to have psychic powers, and yet it also has some of the most gruesome murders I've ever seen on TV outside of a typical CSI episode. Still, NBC's loss has certainly been CBS' gain, and it's doing very well on Friday nights.

Smallville... why don't they just call it Metropolis? We rarely ever go back to Clark's hometown outside of brief returns to the Kent farm or the Talon (and with Chloe now firmly esconced in the Watchtower, not even that). But we're slowly getting to Clark's letting go of the "Blur" in favor of the blue-and-red ensemble, especially with his discovery of a whole passel of legendary super-heroes in costume still muckin' about ("Absolute Justice" made me squeal like a little girl). The good news is that the scripts are getting much better episode to episode, and if they avoid botching the season finale (last year's Clark/Doomsday battle was beyond horrible), this could be the best run of the series ever.

Another big favorite of ours is Cartoon Network's Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which is just a long-time comic book fan's wet dream. I hate that we won't see new episodes until the end of March, and that they're making me wait for the first full-blown appearance of Captain Marvel, Dr. Sivana, and Black Adam. Holy Moley!

As for the return of Doctor Who this spring and the possible return this year of Torchwood? 'Nuff said.

So chime in, folks! What's been among your favorites this year?