"His Dark Materials" is a TV series based on a trilogy of books by Philip Pullman. It is set in a parallel universe where humans have animal companions called daemons, and the story follows the adventures of a young girl named Lyra who is searching for her missing friend. Along the way, she discovers a sinister plot involving a mysterious substance called "dust," and becomes embroiled in a power struggle between different factions who seek to control it.

Merlin is about a teenage magician who learns his trade from Magister Gaius. It is his discovery of his abilities that the show centers around and viewers find the idea intriguing to see how he learns how to concentrate his new powers for the sake of good. Plenty of humor along the way keeps this program from becoming a documentary and the likeable characters make for fun television. Special effects are in play to make Merlin's talents appear even more fascinating. Merlin becomes a squire to noble Arthur, the crown prince and has more opportunities to put his magic to work. King Uther Pendragon hates magic and has subsequently outlawed it from his kingdom, but his son Arthur is the one Merlin must worry about and keep his magical capabilities a secret or fear execution. An imprisoned dragon tells Merlin he has a destiny to fulfill and that means staying alive at any cost. Talented young Colin Morgan plays Merlin and Bradley James as Prince Arthur head up an extremely talented cast in the magical world of Camelot.

"The Visitors" is a TV series that follows a police officer as he tries to solve strange occurrences in his town. While the plot has potential, the execution is inconsistent. The early episodes are slow and boring, but the show picks up near the end with better episodes. The use of foreshadowing and establishment of elements is done well, but attempts at juvenile humor in the early episodes fall flat. The main character has a character arc, but most of the supporting cast are empty stereotypes with little development. The acting is decent.

"Firefly" TV show lasted only eleven weeks on the Fox network, but it gained enough loyal followers to sell tons of DVDs. Given the strength of after-broadcast sales, writer-director Joss Whedon persuaded Universal Pictures to produce Serenity, a successful motion picture derived and adapted from his so-called "space-western." The "Firefly" television series also has morphed into graphic novels and a role-playing game. Set in 2517, "Firefly" shows the arrival of humans in a new star system aboard the spaceship "Serenity." Its nine-member ensemble cast represents different cultures and social classes coping with pioneer living on the perimeter of their star system. According to Whedon, "Firefly" dramatizes the lives and views of ""nine people looking into the blackness of space and seeing nine different things." In Whedon's view, "nothing will change in the future: technology will advance, but we will still have the same political, moral, and ethical problems as today."

Back in 2006 word was that the popular Dr. Who character, Sarah Jane Smith was going to become a television series in Britain. Formerly a companion of the Doctor, Sarah Jane was first noticed withK-9, the robot dog. There was even a spin off to Dr. Who titled K-9 & Company but it never had much of a chance. Now the Sarah Jane Adventures has become a hit and she even brought along her K-9 companion for a few episodes. Elisabeth Sladen played Sarah Jane Smith until her death from cancer in April of 2011. She also appeared in Sidekick Stories and Dr. Who Greatest Moments. Also appearing on the program are Yasmin Paige playing Maria Jackson, Tommy Knight plays a boy called Luke, and a boy named Clyde Langer who is portrayed by Daniel Anthony. Kelsey Harper, played by Porsha Mayour is a friend of Maria's and Joseph Millson makes an appearance as Maria's father, Alan. Dr. Who fans have often voted Sarah Jane to be their most popular character and companion to the Doctor.

There are five Alphas who are dedicated to investigating and solving crimes, most of which have been perpetrated by other Alphas. The good Alphas work for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, a branch of the Defense Department of the U.S. The basic good guys vs bad guys premise is made more interesting with the characters involved: Dr. Lee Rosen (played by David Strathairn from The Bourne Ultimatum, We Are Marshall), who studies other Alphas in order to stop their destructive tendencies. Gary Bell (played by Ryan Cartwright from TV's Mad Men & Bones) is autistic yet has certain abilities like processing info faster than any computer. Cameron Hicks (Warren Christie from Ties That Bind Us, Malibu Shark Attack) has the power of hyperkinesis which means his brain moves quickly, processing movements so he uses his eyesight to predict trajectory. Malik Yoba (Defying Gravity, That's So Raven) is Bill Harken, FBI agent with superhuman powers. Rachel Pirzad, formerly with the CIA as a linguist, finds she has abilities to heighten each of her five senses to detect things even by their chemical compound. Rachel is played by Azita Ghanizada (Castle, Friends With Benefits). Laura Mennell (Flight 93, Watchmen) plays Nina Theroux, young woman with the ability to mentally "push" or encourage people around her into doing whatever she wishes.