Andromeda

Andromeda was based on material developed by the late Gene Roddenberry -- who created the original Star Trek series -- and was produced by his widow, Majel Roddenberry (who played Nurse Christine Chapel on that series and has had roles on every other Star Trek series). It hews closely to the conventions of other space opera shows and will be comforting and familiar to anyone who's ever seen one of the many similar TV series, from Farscape to any of the Star Trek shows.

But this series lacks the spark that made Star Trek so much fun. The politics sometimes seem overly confusing, and some of the characters are thinly developed, with personalities based almost entirely on their affiliations with the Commonwealth, the Nietzscheans, or one of the show's many other political factions. Andromeda also has trouble deciding whether it wants to take itself seriously. In some scenes, the characters earnestly discuss the social and political implications of their actions, struggling to make the right choice, but they also engage in lighthearted banter, often at odd moments -- such as in the middle of a swordfight to the death or when discussing a deadly disease.