Science Fiction

Firefly is an American science fiction series that follows the adventures of Captain Malcolm Reynolds and the crew and passengers of the Serenity, a firefly-class starship that undertakes any task that helps make captain and crew enough money to scrape by. Their various dealings bring the inhabitants of Serenity into contact with a number of crooked characters and difficult situations.

The series was created by Joss Whedon for FOX and he also took on the role of Executive Producer alongside Tim Minear. It premiered in the USA and Canada on 20 September 2002, but was cancelled after eleven of the fourteen episodes had aired.

The failure of the show was blamed on both the low audience share and the fact that FOX ran a number of episodes out of sequence, including scrapping the original pilot and running it as the season finale instead.

Primeval is a British science fiction series about a team of scientists who study the appearance of time portals - known as anomalies - which are allowing dinosaurs to pass through into present-day London.

In May 2009 it was confirmed that Warner Brothers have bought the rights to make a Primeval movie, which will move the action from the UK (where the series is currently based) to the United States.

Torchwood is best known as a spin-off series of Doctor Who featuring the character Captain Jack Harkness as the leader of a group of alien investigators. The Torchwood Institute is a fictional organisation which was first seen in an episode of Doctor Who - it was founded by Queen Victoria in order to monitor alien threats to the British Empire.

The Torchwood television series is based on the Cardiff branch of Torchwood, which is headed up by Jack Harkness. The series was created by Russell T Davies and stars John Barrowman and Eve Myles.

The Cardiff team monitor the rift which exists in the city, and which allows alien life to seep through to Earth. The rift was first mentioned in Doctor Who, when the TARDIS stopped there briefly to refuel.

Fringe is a TV series that launched in 2008 and follows an odd team comprising an FBI agent, a mentally questionable scientist and his estranged son. The basic concept behind Fringe is similar to The X Files, with a team of investigators looking into unexplained phenomena, with the concept of a global experiment known as 'the pattern'. On 5th May 2009 it was extended for a second season by US TV network Fox.

Main Characters

Special Agent Olivia Dunham - (played by Anna Torv) Dunham is an FBI special agent recruited by Phillip Broyles to the Fringe division when her partner is almost killed by a flesh-disolving compound.

Peter Bishop - (played by Joshua Jackson) is the son of scientist Walter Jackson. Dunham initially uses Peter to establish contact with his father, but spotting his potential recommends him for her Fringe team.

Dr. Walter Bishop - (played by John Noble) Recently released from a mental institution to assist Dunham on her Fringe team, Dr Bishop is a former government scientist who was involved in Fringe science experiments, but appears to be also slightly unstable.

Doctor Who is a science fiction TV series about a time traveler known as The Doctor and his adventures through time and space in a ship known as the TARDIS. The Doctor is of a race known as Time Lords from a planet called Gallifrey. He is known for travelling with a companion (usually female) and outsmarting a variety of adversaries, such as Daleks, Cybermen and other rogue alien races.