07-06-2019, 01:18 AM
Growing up in 1980's Sweden with only two government-owned TV channels it would seem like there wouldn't be a ton of things to spark your imagination as a kid. But as a matter of fact, that couldn't be farther from the truth. I don't know why, but boring old SVT broadcasted a number of good sci-fi shows back in the day which along with the more popular movie franchises like Star Wars and Alien has made me the ageing nerd I am today. Here's a few of them.
DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1981)
This post-apocalyptic drama creeped the hell out of me when I was young. I still vividly remember that knocking sound the Triffids made, as well as that lashing tongue.
CHILDREN OF THE DOG STAR (1984)
I kid you not, the theme melody from this NZ show has been stuck in my head since when I first watched it in 84 or 85. And it blew my mind, the way this girl named Gretchen (that was an odd name for 10-year old me) finds an alien probe in the swamp not far from her house. It was kind of like E.T. but more mysterious and creepy.
CHOCKY (1984)
A really weird science fiction show about a kid with an "imaginary friend" that is actually a being from a different dimension. This story was originally penned
by John Wyndham -- same twisted mind that dreamt up the Triffids.
THE TRIPODS (1984)
This was Hunger Games sci-fi long before that was even a thing. A world that has slipped back into the 19th century after tumultous events.
There were other things as well, like the still-awesome Edge of Darkness (not sci-fi per se, but a very dark techno-thriller) and Sommarens Tolv Månader [The Twelve Months of Summer], a Swedish sci-fi show from the late eighties. We may live in the golden age of television, but I find it interesting to return to some of the better (and lesser known) shows from decades past.
Do you have any old favorites that you've found have stood the test of time and have made a lasting impression on you?
DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1981)
This post-apocalyptic drama creeped the hell out of me when I was young. I still vividly remember that knocking sound the Triffids made, as well as that lashing tongue.
CHILDREN OF THE DOG STAR (1984)
I kid you not, the theme melody from this NZ show has been stuck in my head since when I first watched it in 84 or 85. And it blew my mind, the way this girl named Gretchen (that was an odd name for 10-year old me) finds an alien probe in the swamp not far from her house. It was kind of like E.T. but more mysterious and creepy.
CHOCKY (1984)
A really weird science fiction show about a kid with an "imaginary friend" that is actually a being from a different dimension. This story was originally penned
by John Wyndham -- same twisted mind that dreamt up the Triffids.
THE TRIPODS (1984)
This was Hunger Games sci-fi long before that was even a thing. A world that has slipped back into the 19th century after tumultous events.
There were other things as well, like the still-awesome Edge of Darkness (not sci-fi per se, but a very dark techno-thriller) and Sommarens Tolv Månader [The Twelve Months of Summer], a Swedish sci-fi show from the late eighties. We may live in the golden age of television, but I find it interesting to return to some of the better (and lesser known) shows from decades past.
Do you have any old favorites that you've found have stood the test of time and have made a lasting impression on you?