"Lexx" (1997) TV series 1997-2002

Creator:

Paul Donovan

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

18 April 1997 (Canada)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi | Fantasy | Comedy

Tagline:

Sci-Fi with an attitude!

Plot:

A group of desperate fugitives from an interplanetary tyranny find themselves in control of a massively powerful starship.

Plot Keywords:

Crude Humor | Exploding Planet | Giant Insect | Spaceship As Character | Cleavage

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Brian Downey	...	Stanley H. Tweedle / ... (61 episodes, 1996-2002)
Michael McManus	...	Kai / ... (61 episodes, 1996-2002)
Xenia Seeberg	...	Xev Bellringer / ... (55 episodes, 1998-2002)
Jeffrey Hirschfield	...	790 / ... (46 episodes, 1996-2002)
Tom Gallant	...	Lexx / ... (45 episodes, 1996-2002)

Also Known As:

Lexx: The Series
Tales from a Parallel Universe (USA) (first season title)

Runtime:

60 min (65 episodes)

Country:

Canada | Germany | UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Germany:16 (television) | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Salter Street Films International

Trivia:

The chess game between Kai and Price in "The Game" is a move-by-move copy of an actual championship match chess game (La Bourdonnais vs. McDonnell, 1834, 21st game of the first match).

Quotes:

790: [performing a medical analysis of Stanley] There does not appear to be anything wrong with him, aside from being utterly repulsive in every way.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Peyton Doves (2008) (V)

Strange, But Endearing

Most science fiction deals with characters who are altruistic or malevolent, and have stories that are simple, with good guys defending against bad guys. "Lexx" is different, in that it explores the amoral side of humanity not by showing these usually undesirable traits not just in minor characters, but in the main characters, in the crew of the Lexx itself. There is a Dark Man, an unemotional and undead assassin, defender of the crew. But then there are the half-lizard nymphomaniac, the unintelligent "dirty old man" (who somehow became the Captain of the Lexx through an accident), the robot head driven by love-psychosis, and the sentient, organic Lexx itself, a living ship and slave to the Captain who, if unchecked, would be content in destroying or feeding on organic life in the form of other space ships or entire planets.

The questionable desires of the crew are usually left unfulfilled in the episodes, and morality and good win out in the end over immorality and evil, but not before a thorough exploration of self-indulgent natures and evil.

True, the low-budget nature of the series may make it ideal for viewing in late night hours as an alternative to infomercials, but the series is nothing if not imaginative. Other series have cropped up since, with similar themes of a powerful space ship crewed by fools and lechers, but "Lexx" is definitely unique in that its flawed characters are so familiar that they become endearing.