Babylon 5 is a good one. The CGI space stuff starts out looking horrendous and doesn't get much better. Partly budget (Star Trek looked much better but wasn't as ambitious) and partly too early to benefit from improvements like Battlestar Galactica did.

When it aired where I live, it was always on fairly interchangeably with other shows. At that time it would randomly be something like Star Trek TNG or Quantum Leap or Sliders or something in that time slot, usually stuff you can watch a single episode of without worrying too much what came before - it was pretty much impossible to watch a season in order, and keep track of it (esp. as a kid!).

But Babylon 5s storytelling is MUCH more like the current status quo where you expect to watch all episodes in order. The storylines are epic, political intrigue, save the world stuff, it's extremely well written, but you'd be lost if you didn't watch in order.

If they made it today it would be incredible, highly recommend watching if you never have and you like an epic space opera!

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

B5's season 1 has a lot of the same problems that TNG season 1 does, the overall story hasn't gotten going so it really does feel like an adventure-a-day series, basically it feels like discount store brand Star Trek. That episode where the guy turns into the nazi monster who they defeat by pointing out he isn't PURE!!! enough, that never comes up again, that kind of thing.

At season 2, they got rid of the praying mantis puppet, the special effects and production in general improved, and the show got actually going.

Then the network it was airing on was going to shut down, meaning they rushed to a conclusion in Season 4, and then the show got picked up by another network, several cast members had other commitments because the show was going to end...so the fifth season is a lot of B-plot stuff.

It could be a little hokey sometimes but it's a really solid show, and I think Londo and G'Kar are the best developed characters ever broadcast on TV.

It doesn't really help the standing of B5 that JMS pitched the idea to someone at Paramount, they turned him down, and announced a Star Trek show set on a space station with a number in the title.