From The Simpsons creator Matt Groening comes the animated sci-fi comedy Futurama. Smart and satirical, the show delivers a unique and edgy brand of comedy that's a lot of fun. Season 1 follows a pizza delivery boy named Fry who is accidentally cryogenically frozen on New Year's Eve 2000 and wakes up a thousand years later to a future that he never could have imagined. It's an interesting setup and the show does a good job at world building; creating colorful aliens and strange new technologies for the 31st century. And aside from its great cast of regular characters, some special guest stars stop by; including Leonard Nimoy, Pamela Anderson, and the Beastie Boys. Futurama's first season is wonderfully charming, and brilliantly spoofs the sci-fi genre.
From USA comes the thrilling spy series Burn Notice. In Season 1 CIA spy Michael Westen is burned (cut off and disavowed) and is forced to return home to Miami, where he precedes to try to uncover who burned him and get his job back. But in the meantime, he takes odd jobs helping people with his ex-girlfriend Fiona and retired Navy friend Sam Axe. Starring Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, and Bruce Campbell, the cast is really good and balances the action and comedy especially well. And the writing does an excellent job at using voice over narration; with Michael giving spy tips and explaining the spy trade throughout the episodes. The show also does an impressive job at building an over-arching story for the season while keeping each episode a case-of-the-week, and the actions scenes are incredibly exciting and fun. Additionally, a number of notable guest stars are featured; including David Zayas, Mark Pellegrino, Ray Wise, Lucy Lawless, and Trica Helfer. One of the best shows on television, Burn Notice delivers a remarkable first season and promises to get even better in the next.
From visionary Gene Roddenberry comes the classic science fiction series Star Trek. Season 1 follow the starship Enterprise as it boldly goes where no man has gone before – exploring the galaxy, meeting new alien races, and battling the imperialistic Klingons. Featuring such episodes as “The Enemy Within,” “Dagger of the Mind,” “Balance of Terror,” “Space Seed,” and “The City on the Edge of Forever,” the series really hits the ground running; tackling powerful and provocative social and political issues while also delivering plenty of action and adventure. Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelley, the show has a great cast that has extraordinarily good chemistry together. Also, the costumes, sets designs, and makeup effects hold up remarkable well (for the most part), having a retro ‘60s sci-fi aesthetic; which the remastered editions do an impressive job of sticking to. Season 1 of Star Trek is incredibly strong and lays the foundation for what would become one of the most influential and beloved science fiction franchises.
"Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name..." and Cheers does a great job at creating that friendly, hometown atmosphere. Season 1 follows a young woman named Diane Chambers who takes a job at a Boston bar named Cheers, where she gets to know the colorful clientele, and strikes up a romance with former baseball star/bartender Sam Malone. The casting is outstanding; Ted Danson and Shelley Long have great chemistry, and George Wendt, John Ratzenberger, and Nicholas Colasanto give strong supporting performances. Still, the laugh track can be kind of annoying and some of the ‘80s sitcom humor is out of date. Yet all in all Season 1 of Cheers is hilariously entertaining, and sets a solid foundation for what would become a seminal television series.
