Lexx is probably best described as soap opera, but its absurd dimensions basically transcend genre. The crew are thrown together by chance and launched on a tour of the two universes, full of pulpy sex and violence. The production was a joint production between Canadian and German broadcasters, bringing even more kinky weirdness into play. I just can't say enough about how much this show is a campy feast for the senses.
It is a key piece of the strain of science fiction that subverts Star Trek's cultural monopoly on modern science fiction television. Lexx is in many ways the successor to Red Dwarf, just a lot more exploitative and adventury, with an actual universe for them to explore. Dropping some of the more exploitative aspects and bringing it further in line with traditional space opera, and you get a forerunner to Farscape.
The first season is four episodes long, and has its high points. The first episode showcases one of the funniest perversions of law I've ever seen (a key theme in the series--"Lexx" is from the Latin for "law"). The rest of the season is a bit more forgettable, with episode four the only one having plot significance, but they are all fun, featuring, in order, Tim Curry, Rutger Hauer, and Malcolm MacDowell.
The second season is, I believe, one of the single greatest bits of scifi they've ever put on television. Every episode is strange and different, unrestrained and glorious. It is low budget, but absolutely fearless in pursuing imagination and id. The best episodes are early in the season, too: Terminal, Lyekka, Laff Trak.
The third season may be one of the most ambitious things they've attempted in scifi, pulling in theological and fantasy elements (something that usually drives me apeshit crazy in scifi) in a truly clever way. The fourth season brings them to our modern Earth... which, of course, is fun and stupid. I must collect these shows, too.
Anyway, give Lexx a look on Hulu if you haven't seen it. And rewatch it if you have. I'm hoping this appearance on Hulu means that they are contemplating another DVD release, and are gauging support. What has been put out on DVD in the past is ... hard to come by.
Also on the subject of Canadian crap television, I've been watching Starhunter 2300 on Netflix. There are bits of Lexx peeking out around the edges--probably just the result of a shallow talent pool, picking up this project that came after Lexx finished--but they've gone in a very different direction. I think they are trying to pull of a more-serious, more-moody version of Cowboy Bebop, complete with an instrumental remix of Peter Gabriel's Darkness for theme music.
Despite the off-putting cover image, this isn't all horrible. The writing falls down in what should be the best moments of the show, but that's the biggest complaint. It is like a lot of television in needing a few episodes to find its spacelegs. So far, I am finding it to be very watchable crap.
I really need alike button for this, i don't have much to say about Lexx, other than it's fantastic, so yeah, *like button*.
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