Syfy's 1990s Space Opera Is A Cult Classic, And It Deserves A Modern Remake

A cult classic Syfy series from the 1990s deserves a modern remake soon. The Syfy channel is trudging along these days, though not at nearly the same rate as they were back in the 2010s, during its heyday. The channel was available long before then, though, launching in 1992, always devoted to science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

Syfy has many memorable original TV shows that vary from schlock to truly gripping science fiction fare. Many of their shows were acquired from other networks and given new life on the channel, including Stargate SG-1, Farscape, Andromeda, and other shows now considered classics of the genre.

Another acquired series was Lexx, the little-talked-about science fiction series that originally premiered on Citytv as four made-for-TV movies, then changed to a season format beginning with season 2. The series follows the mismatched crew of an organic spacecraft called Lexx.

The Lexx crew travels through multiple universes, exploring strange planets and worlds along the way. The series is set hundreds of years after mankind was nearly destroyed by the Insect Civilization, which was also almost annihilated in the fight. Afterward, the remnants of humanity were enslaved by the enigmatic cult leader, His Shadow.

Lexx‘s story unfolds over nearly six thousand years, with huge time jumps explained by the crew undergoing cryostasis. Brian Downey, Eva Habermann, Xenia Seeberg, Michael McManus, Jeffrey Hirshfield, and Tom Gallant star as the crew of Lexx. The show has a strong cult following, and it could be the perfect time for a remake.

Lexx Could Work Using The Same Comedic Tone As The Orville And Star Trek: Lower Decks

Lexx is different tonally from a lot of the science fiction shows of the era. While it’s not the first production to look at science fiction through a comedic and absurdist angle, the show has a tight grip on the genre and seems to have had an eye on where it was going rather than where it had been.

Maybe as a Canadian-German co-production, the creative team had an outsider’s look at the genre, which was dominated by British and American TV shows. This holistic view of what these shows were attempting to do gives Lexx a well-rounded, complete understanding of the genre, resulting in ample opportunities for parody but also for legitimate science fiction storytelling.

The show can be compared to the likes of The Orville or Star Trek: Lower Decks, series that are fully at home in their science fiction settings but are also constantly making jokes about those settings and shows. It had fun with the same conceits it would take seriously, making for an often weird, always engaging series.

There’s little scientific accuracy or logic in the show, and Lexx is gleeful in how it completely ignores basic physics problems, only explaining to help it get to the next story point. Lexx also looks different than other sci-fi shows, with a distinctly organic production design compared to the sleek look of shows like Star Trek.

Lexx Wasn’t Appreciated Enough When It First Aired

Lexx was not appreciated enough in its time, though to be fair, it wasn’t the easiest show to find. It was a Canadian-German co-production that originally aired on Canadian TV. Even when it was ported over to Syfy, it was stuck in a lineup that included Farscape, Stargate SG-1, and Black Scorpion.

Even now, the series has only one rated season on Rotten Tomatoes, and that’s season 1 with a 50% score. The comedy, sex, and violence of the show turned many viewers off at the time, but in retrospect, Lexx was hinting at the direction TV would take 20 years later.