Stargate Sg-1

Author: Brad Wright And Jonathan Glassner

Long-running series often find themselves trapped in going over old territory. This is especially true of genre series, that often explore their world in the first few seasons, and then peter out as they limp along. Stargate SG-1, which ran for ten seasons, used it's concept so well, and instead of moving from villain to villain, monster to monster, it explored a few major enemies thoroughly, and gave a deep understanding of the battles between them, while still introducing new elements all along the way. SG-1 starts a year after the film left off, with the trans-dimensional portal, the Stargate, held in Cheyenne Mountain, and used by military teams to investigate the galaxy in the search for allies and weapons initially to battle the Goa'uld, a race of snake-people who inhabit humans. The series follows the team's adventures, but also as they uncover the secrets of the universe, and of unknown human history. The storytelling is great, and they go into many different areas, and many of the stories tied to the Earth are just as out there as those set in the far-off. Why it's on the list: An incredibly rich, long-running series that just keeps on delivering.