TV is full of shows set in their own universes, worlds different from our own (sometimes slightly, sometimes drastically) that open up new avenues for storytellers to explore. It can be a lot of fun to ponder what it would be like to live in a particular universe, to explore that different world, but would it be a positive or negative experience? Here is a list of which TV universes you would and would not want to live in.
Would Want to Live In
Pros: You get to earn a degree, however slowly, and live out your favorite movie moments through the constant homages structuring your life. Plus, paintball!
Cons: Chang.
Pros: You get to do magic, which seems to be lots of fun, incredibly convenient (at least come spring cleaning), and seems to have very few down sides. Plus you get to live longer.
Cons: Better not get a crush on a mortal. You can’t tell mortals about magic and if you end up marrying one, your (magical) kids won’t be able to see them, lest they turn into a ball of wax or somesuch.
Pros: You get to explore distant planets and meet alien races, play with some awesome tech, and get some definitive answers about at least some religion.
Cons: The Earth does tend to be under attack an awful lot.
Pros: You get to travel around in space and time with no fear of disease and no language barriers in the coolest spaceship ever (Sorry, Moya!).
Cons: The Daleks. The Master. The Cybermen. The Sixth Doctor’s wardrobe. Lots of cons here.
Pros: You get to meet lots of colorful characters all while quipping and quoting to your heart’s content. If you’re a Middleman in Training, you also get a crash course with Sensei Ping, which has to come in handy from time to time.
Cons: Constant threat of alien, robot, or zombie fish attack. They are dispatched relatively easily though.
Pros: You get to experience the future, physically surf the internet, and can hang out with pretty much anyone famous’ head in a jar.
Cons: All your friends and family are dead, so you better find new ones.
Pros: You get to hang out with super geniuses all the time and get in on the betas for all the nifty new tech. Plus apparently their dry cleaner can get out anything.
Cons: All of that new tech tends to go awry from time to time.
Pros: Everything is brightly colored with a strong retro flair, fantastic singers burst into song on occasion, and really great pie is right around the corner. Also, Jim Dale narrates your life.
Cons: As long as you’re not Ned or Chuck, you’re pretty much in the clear.
Pros: You always sound intelligent, no matter what you’re discussing, you can multitask like crazy, and the president and all of the main elected officials in the country are brilliant and got into politics for the right reasons.
Cons: You’re in serious danger of catching will-they-won’t-they-itis.
Pros: You get to live in a mostly utopic future where war, famine, and disease are eradicated on Earth and you get to work on the best ship in the fleet for the best boss, Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Plus, there’s the holodeck, in case you want to chill with Da Vinci.
Cons: Well, the Borg aren’t fun. Plus, beware exploding consoles.
Would Not Want to Live In
Cons: You have to deal with hyperemotional family, friends, and neighbors, mysterious goings on in the woods, and the ever-looming threat of possession by Bob.
Pros: Easy access to delicious cherry pie and a damn fine cup of coffee.
Cons: Strangers are constantly trying to break your mind and brainwash you for their own mysterious purposes and if you wander too far down the beach, you’ll get attacked by Rover.
Pros: The sea air is supposed to be good for ones’ health.
Cons: All of humanity is dead and you’re stuck with Lister forever.
Pros: You do get to hang out with Kryten and Cat, plus you get to find out who the man on the grassy knoll was.
Cons: You live in Bon Temps. You’re under constant threat of supernatural attack, be it possession, glamouring, or hillbilly werepanthers.
Pros: There might be perks, if you manage to befriend a vampire/werewolf without getting drawn into supernatural politics. They’d be uber helpful next time you had to move.
Cons: Reavers. There’s also a harsh income gap and if you live on one of the outer planets, your life probably sucks. The Alliance aren’t fun either. Mostly though, it’s the you’re-lucky-if-they-kill-you-quick reavers.
Pros: Wide range of diverse cultures and some of the central planets are cool, so if you live there, it might not be as bad.
Cons: If the monster of the week doesn’t get ya, the alien invasion/conspiracy will.
Pros: If you’re in on the conspiracy, you might be okay?
Cons: Someone with the right tech can erase your personality, implant their own, and take over your body if you answer your phone at the wrong time.
Pros: … The Dollhouses appear to have comfortable furniture?
Cons: Demon possession. Monster attacks. The Apocalypse. And that’s just if you’re a bystander. If you’re in the fight, you’re due for a hard, short, painful life.
Pros: You might get to meet Death? He’s pretty cool.
Cons: Zombie Apocalypse.
Pros: At least you get to be outside? Which takes us to…
Cons: Near annihilation of your race, constant threat of Cylon attack, possibility that you’re a Cylon and don’t know it, plus you’re stuck in a rundown metal box for the forseeable future with nothing outside to look at but the cold vastness of space.
Pros: If you make it to the finale, you do get to see Earth. Course, it’s a tech-less Earth, so have fun with that childbirth/disease thing when the time comes.
Honorable Mentions: Pro- The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Mr. Ed, My Favorite Martian and The Venture Bros. Con- Fringe, Gilligan’s Island, LOST, and V.
What are your favorites? Which ones did I miss? Post your thoughts in the comments!
Kate Kulzick
Follow me on Twitter @theteleverse to see what I’m watching and to tell me what you’d like SoS TV to cover.