Occasionally when I'm bored, I start wandering the web looking for lists. Lists of things to like. Lists of things to hate. Lists of things to lament. Lists of things to applaud. Of late, I've been seeking out lists that help me counteract my negativity about all this "reality" I'm being asked to consume on TV. One recent list praises five television shows whose runs were cut short because the masses simply weren't bright enough to catch on. (Bionic Woman does not fall into this category.)

I expected the list to be an homage to one-hit wonders of the television world. Instead, I found a couple of one-and-done examples of sheer brilliance, but also a few shows that got more than one shot at gaining an audience. For example, I agree that Arrested Development was brilliant, but it did get a three-season run. That's a far cry from a 12-episode complete series DVD box set. So I came up with my own list of TV shows that the throngs missed out on, thus depriving the rest of us of the opportunity to see these story lines play out over more than a single season.

1. My So-Called Life

In my opinion, this was the best teen drama ever to grace the airwaves. There was no shrinking away from so-called adult issues. Those of us who did catch on to this show got a chance to watch Claire Danes develop her craft while her character, Angela Chase, and friends dealt with teenage romance, alcohol abuse, homosexuality and midterms. Oh, and despite the series' all-too-brief 19-episode run, Time magazine found a spot for MSCL on its list of the 100 best television shows of all time. … continue reading

Sometimes a list is so close to the hearts of AfterEllen.com readers that all a blogger has to do is tell you about it and sit back to watch the fun. So, I was tickled to find this list in the Los Angeles Times of the "Women of Whedon." The Times asked Joss Whedon to name his five favorite female creations. I was less tickled once I perused the list, however, thanks to at least one dreadful omission. (Get ready to be indignant.) Where's Willow?

While your ruffled feathers relax a bit, let's look at the women he did name. I certainly can't quarrel with the first. … continue reading

On Thursday of last week, when international space station commander Peggy Whitson welcomed space shuttle Discovery commander Pamela Melroy on board, the meeting marked the first time ever that two female commanders have hooked up (no, not like that) in space. That's a happy addition to the timeline of women's accomplishments in space.

Sometimes I think I'm the only one who still gets excited about nonfictional shuttle launches. It's amazing to me that the same culture that paid George Lucas to crank out his craptastic Star Wars prequels treats the space program like the nerd in high school who liked math and carried around Isaac Asimov novels. (You know, ignore it most of the time, but when it's having a bad day, tape a “kick me” sign to its back and watch it careen down the hall.)

But I get the fascination with space stories. I grew up with E.T. (which is 25 years old this year!), spent one summer in the '80s watching Space Camp until I wore out the tape, and yes, I, too, forked over the money for tickets to those Star Wars prequels, though that was mostly for Natalie Portman. And I do believe we should celebrate women in space-type entertainment, because they encourage us to dream of possibilities outside of our own experience. Here are a few of my favorites. … continue reading

After learning of the Sci Fi Channel's Firefly marathon yesterday, I decided I could think of no better way to spend a Friday than by reminding myself how much I like Joss Whedon and the characters he creates.

So I spent the day reacquainting myself with Firefly. The only wrench in this system came when all the episodes had aiered. I was left wanting more. I simply cannot get enough of quirky mechanic Kaylee, cool-as-ice-but-vulnerable consort Inara, weird and wacky River, or tough-as-nails and second-in-command Zoe. And, yeah, the boys aren't bad either.

What I want, ultimately, is a sequel to Serenity, Whedon's big-screen wrap-up to the TV series. Seems Mr. Whedon is not against the idea. Talk of a sequel has been ongoing since the movie was released. And while such talk has cooled, it's never really disappeared entirely. We sci-fi fans don't tend to let go easily. With the new and improved DVD edition scheduled for release in the not-too-distant future, the sequel talk has resurfaced. Comments made by Joss in the newest round of chatter indicate that getting all of his actors back together for such a sequel might prove difficult, based on their current workload. Now, I consider myself a TV-phile, but I can't recall seeing his troops in any starring roles lately. So I decided to check in to see what they've all been up to. … continue reading

Stay home tomorrow, or at least set your TiVo: The Sci Fi Channel is doing an all-day Firefly marathon, starting at 8:00 a.m. (do space cowboys even wake up that early?).

Meanwhile, Jackie Hoffman stops by Late Night With Conan O'Brien tonight. You might know Jackie as the piqued, pregnant friend in Kissing Jessica Stein. Or maybe you caught her side-splitting performance in the original Broadway run of Hairspray. Or maybe you've seen one of her uproarious cabaret shows, complete with Shamu impressions. Here she is with the costar of her recent show Jackie With a Z — yes, that's a uterus, if you couldn't tell.

If her name doesn't ring a bell, you're missing a lot. Hoffman is a rubber-faced, risk-it-all madwoman. She's currently one of the "biggest laugh getters" (the other is Mary Testa) in Xanadu, the stage version of the 1980 Olivia Newton-John movie. … continue reading

There's an interesting list over on DoubleVixen.com showcasing positive female TV characters. The list includes Buffy Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Liz Lemon from 30 Rock, George Lass from Dead Like Me, Zoe Washburne from Firefly and Rose Tyler from Dr. Who.

Looking at this compilation suggests several things. First, it suggests that the number of positive female characters on the telly is even lower than I thought. I know that the number of strong, intelligent women I see staring back at me from the TV screen is woefully inadequate. However, I didn't think it was so bad that we could only find five such examples, especially since three of them come from shows we can only see on DVD or in rerun land. Second, it suggests that Joss Whedon knows how to write wonderful women. Both Buffy and Firefly provided more than one example of a positive female character. Clearly this guy needs to write more TV shows. … continue reading

Today TV Guide has unveiled its Top 30 Cult Shows Ever in one of the barest, most minimal lists to be seen on the internet lately. There's just a list! No pictures, no clicking through to count down to No. 1, only a lone photo of Skeet Ulrich as Jake Green in the improbably renewed Jericho. Don't worry: I'm here to pretty up the list for you — and to make it more lesbolicious as well. Here are the dykey highlights from the list:

25. Firefly — Joss Whedon's short-lived TV series featured bisexual courtesan Inara Serra (Morena Baccarin) in addition to the awesome Gina Torres as the ass-kicking Zoe Washburne and Summer Glau as the mysterious and slightly spooky River Tam. … continue reading