TV Genre- Science Fiction Ever

TV Genre- Science Fiction

Ever since the advent of television as the new technology in the mid-20th century, it has shaped popular culture and strongly influenced and revolutionized the way society think about its future and further development. Indeed, 'predicting' the course that human society will take in the next years to come has been an emergent theme that is mirrored and depicted in different ways through television.

A TV genre that best reflects society's need to know and shape the future of humanity is science fiction. This genre is defined as a "literary fantasy involving the imagined impact of science on society" (Princeton University, 2010). Science fiction as a TV genre did not lose its appeal to audiences, as it has proven itself, time and again and through different kinds of programs and shows, it constantly brings with the mystery of the unknown and the appeal of knowing the future -- at least, from the perspective of the show or program.

In this discussion of the science fiction genre in TV, three popular TV shows in three different periods are analyzed based on their depiction of scifi and its role or effects to society. The Twilight Zone, Quantum Leap and the X-Files are considered top-rating and among the most popular scifi shows in the 1960s, 1980s and 1990s (to 2000), respectively. This analysis discussion posits that these scifi shows reflected society's attitude towards technological progress and development of the period, and to a certain degree, documents the level of scientific and technological progress and capabilities of human society of that time.

This mirroring of society's attitude towards technological progress and development is apparent in the focus of these scifi TV shows. Specific examples of these can be found in the following examples (episodes) of each scifi program mentioned: The Twilight Zone's "It's a Good Life," depicting the life of the child Anthony, who terrorized his town armed with his mental powers and terrible imagination; Quantum Leap's "Disco Inferno," which showed the main character Sam assuming the role of another man through his quantum leaps, and was reminded that he had a brother who died in the Vietnam War; and the X-Files' "Soft Light," which illustrates how deathly the consequences of a discovery in physics can be, both for the scientist, its unwitting victims, and even the government.