Fringe
Fringe is easily the best show on network television right now. What began as an average, case-of-the-week science fiction investigative show quickly evolved into one of the richest, best written, and most rewarding series available. It has never received large ratings, likely due to the fact that many people are wary of sci-fi in general, believing themselves to be above it or having been burned by too many low quality attempts in the genre. After the third season, Fringe gave up any pretence of attempting to attract new viewers. It took its already dense mythology and committed to it so vigorously that the series became impenetrable to anyone not already well versed. The fifth and final season takes this a step further by jumping the series ahead to the year 2036 and offering very little explanation.
Stay, Skip, or Give it 4: Fringe is definitely worth a Stay. If you’ve never watched it and are a fan of science fiction or intelligent TV at all, you really owe it to yourself to view this from the beginning.
Star Wars: Clone Wars
Much like Fringe, this is another series that had a very rough start. It was introduced to the world by hastily cutting together the first three episodes and releasing them to theatres as a film. While the CG animation is fantastic for TV, it can’t even come close to standing up to what audiences have come to expect from films by Pixar and the like. Many of the initial episodes to air on TV the first season were overly kid friendly, causing the series to suffer from a kind of Jar-Jar syndrome. That changed with the Ryloth trilogy at the end of the season. The show finally found a way to tell stories that were mature and compelling for adults, while still entertaining for younger viewers. Since then, it has only continued to improve. While some fans may argue with the changes being made to the expanded universe to suit the shows needs, it is difficult to argue that it fails on a creative level. This season begins with an instalment focused on the return of Darth Maul. Though it doesn’t necessarily improve unto past episodes, it is an entertaining half hour.
Stay, Skip, or Give it 4: If you are a fan of Star Wars, you should really be watching this series, so it gets a Stay. It’s true to the saga in tone (even if it occasionally overwrites established canon) and is a great show in its own right.
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