Life In 19x19

Recently I discovered that I like shows like "Lost" or "Walking Dead", shows where someone or a group is thrown out of normal life and need to survive, kind of "Lord of the Flies" stuff that shows how people do without any government in existential circumstances. Are there any other shows in that direction (past, present)?

I enjoyed the new Battlestar Gallactica series which follows the struggle for survival of the remaining humans after most are wipped out (set in space).

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:P ... ion_series

Then read about individual shows at imdb.com

If you are young, you might like the teen-age soap The Tribe (from New Zealand), which my wife was hooked on for some 260 episodes, or for more SF/Fantasy action Falling Skies (I believe still on TNT--I enjoyed the first season) in addition to Battlestar. If your taste runs toward non-alien shows along the lines of the SF-classic Canticle for Leibowitz, you might like Jeremiah or Jericho, though both series ended rather abruptly. And the miniseries The Stand, based on the book by Stephen King.

Matching Lost is difficult, though. For quirkiness, maybe take a look at The Prisoner, Carnivale, and Twin Peaks (a David Lynch series with a musical score that lulls me to sleep, but if you're into surrealism you might enjoy it for a sort of dated campiness).

Pippen wrote:Recently I discovered that I like shows like "Lost" or "Walking Dead", shows where someone or a group is thrown out of normal life and need to survive, kind of "Lord of the Flies" stuff that shows how people do without any government in existential circumstances. Are there any other shows in that direction (past, present)?

Well, this happens every time the Doctor changes companions in Doctor Who (of course, the companion *usually* doesn't need to take care of its own life that much.) But hey, it's a classic

Also check out
The Fugitive ( 1963 )
The Prisoner ( 1967, already mentioned )
The Time Tunnel ( 1966 )
The Killing ( 2011, U.S. version )
The Andromeda Strain ( 1971 )
Invasion of the Body Snatchers ( 1978 version )

Pippen wrote:stuff that shows how people do without any government in existential circumstances

Many of the suggestions don't seem to have anything to do with this premise.

Maybe "Battle Royale" would be somewhat related to the premise. (Not sure whether the book or the movie is better, because I haven't read the book, but the movie has cute Japanese schoolgirls slaughter each other to classical music. Works for me(tm))

As a side note:

Ed Lee wrote:Andromeda Strain

One of the worst novels I ever read.

leichtloeslich wrote:One of the worst novels I ever read.

I didn't read the book; what did you think of the movie ?

leichtloeslich wrote:

Pippen wrote:stuff that shows how people do without any government in existential circumstances

Many of the suggestions don't seem to have anything to do with this premise

After the fall (or apparent fall) of organized government: The Tribe, Falling Skies, Jeremiah, Jericho. Even Battlestar Galactica fits this in as much as all but a few scattered survivors and a handful of ships remain after the cyclons (machines) rebel. (Personally, I found the botox, fish-eyed look of one of the lead actors creepy.)

Lost has some of that post-apocalypse vibe, though the existence of an external organization and its mystical elements makes it rather original, if not unique.

If you enjoy manga, there are several series that I know of with that genre.

Biomeat: Nectar is one of my favorites.

leichtloeslich wrote:

Pippen wrote:stuff that shows how people do without any government in existential circumstances

Many of the suggestions don't seem to have anything to do with this premise.

Maybe "Battle Royale" would be somewhat related to the premise. (Not sure whether the book or the movie is better, because I haven't read the book, but the movie has cute Japanese schoolgirls slaughter each other to classical music. Works for me(tm))

As a side note:

Ed Lee wrote:Andromeda Strain

One of the worst novels I ever read.

I kind of liked it, in a blockbuster-ish kind of way. Like "hey, I'm a scientist and I'll go my way up a well while automated cannons shoot anesthesics!"

Ed Lee wrote:what did you think of the movie ?

I didn't even know there was a movie-adaptation before reading your post.

RBerenguel wrote:I kind of liked it, in a blockbuster-ish kind of way. Like "hey, I'm a scientist and I'll go my way up a well while automated cannons shoot anesthesics!"

Yes, the non-sensical action sequences hinging on major plot-holes were entertaining to read, while at the same time I couldn't stop shaking my head.

Spoiler-alert:

What about the classic "Lost in Space"????? Talk about life out of the ordinary trying to survive and get back home to earth... Warning the violence may be too much for people who have only viewed Walking Dead.

It's really frustrating. Why not make a show where people get lost on an island without supernatural effects or people to survive after 90% of the people just disappeared? I think the inter-human problems could be drawn even better/deeper. Look at Star Trek - the original told the best stories, also in part because there was no Special Effects to impress and to distract.

Pippen wrote:It's really frustrating. Why not make a show where people get lost on an island without supernatural effects or people to survive after 90% of the people just disappeared? I think the inter-human problems could be drawn even better/deeper. Look at Star Trek - the original told the best stories, also in part because there was no Special Effects to impress and to distract.

Gilligan's Island

See Here on Gilligan's Island for social archetypes http://www.fightthebias.com/Resources/Humor/island.htm

And see here for Seven Deadly Sins archetypes http://www.gilligansisle.com/sins.html

Pippen wrote:It's really frustrating. Why not make a show where people get lost on an island without supernatural effects or people to survive after 90% of the people just disappeared? I think the inter-human problems could be drawn even better/deeper. Look at Star Trek - the original told the best stories, also in part because there was no Special Effects to impress and to distract.

The is the natural regression of the storyline in the media:
- In the old days, the most efficient way to make something people like watching was to have a good story.
- The interim period - just put in more explosions.
- These days - special effects rule!

The same can be said for general deterioration in acting.