# Beloved microgenres
[2026-05-02_microgenres]

Modified: 2026-06-23 @ 15:25:50 (Tuesday)
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#list #sf #horror #lit #tv #film

## § Sci-fi medical drama ^

Science fiction and medical drama seem like a match made in heaven. The medicine on medical dramas is made-up bullshit anyway, so why not make up some bullshit about aliens and space madness and oxygen deprivation and like... the effects of huffing warp engine fuel? As a bonus, you won't mislead anyone about real illnesses.

You can invent entire species and cultures to generate ethical dilemmas instead of contriving implausible earth scenarios. You can dial the horror up with unsettling surgeries and made-up maladies, or use magic futuristic medical devices to eliminate all gore. You can establish in-universe medical conventions and build the lore out whenever you want. You can borrow "Inners" and "Belters" from The Expanse. Or that plant lady from Farscape. Or decide how to deal with sick/malfunctioning robots. Did I mention you can set it on a space station? With the danger of vacuum and everything? How is this not the greatest idea ever?!

### § TV ^

- Mercy Point (1998)
  - This is the only one I've found that is just 100% a soapy medical drama in space. It's horrible and you should definitely watch it; it at least works as a proof of concept that this microgenre could totally be a maxigenre. There are recordings floating around with bits of the original commercials still in, which really adds to the ambience. Some of the episodes were never aired but can still be found.
- The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy (2024)
  - Animated. More of a zany comedy that misses as often as it hits, but it's definitely about a space hospital and I don't regret watching it.
- Many if not most episodes of every iteration of Star Trek have a plot that fits the bill; watching it back-to-back with House was what made me realize the untapped potential here. See also: Babylon 5.
- Charité (2017), Season 4
  - Yaaaaaawn. Near-future story that takes itself very seriously. I didn't finish it. I think German TV just kinda sucks, honestly.
- White Dwarf (1995)
  - Actually a failed pilot reworked into a film. Even though it's about a doctor, I don't remember it being very medically. Actually, I can remember almost nothing about it. I might have fallen asleep.

### § Lit ^

I haven't read for this genre (yet) because it feels like more of a TV thing. There are probably a bunch of hard near-future SF stories that fit, but I bet I'd like them about as much as Charité.

- Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold
  - Doesn't fit the bill, but has several medical storylines and is very accessible so the vibe is kinda there. Oh, and it's AWESOME.
- Blood Music by Greg Bear
  - Doesn't fit the bill, but it's somewhere in the vicinity. I didn't love it, but it's memorable.
- Hospital Station/Sector General series by James White
  - Have not read.
- Med Service series by Murray Leinster
  - Have not read.
- Spaceship Medic by Harry Harrison
  - "Juvenile". Have not read.
- Stardoc series by S.L. Viehl
  - Have not read.

## § Serial killer/sociopath protagonists ^

The main appeal of this one is how it makes you want to root for people who are total monsters. The best examples of this microgenre are first-person and let us directly into the bad guy's thoughts through narration.

### § Film ^

- American Psycho
  - Plenty of first-person narration; villain is unquestionably the protagonist.
  - Totally kicks ass, hilarious dark comedy about how capitalists are soulless bastards.
- Maniac (2012)
  - Found footage-style film shot in first-person. I don't remember if there's narration, but the villain says all sorts of weird shit.
  - Extremely good. Very tense, creepy, original horror. I recall it being kinda funny but this is definitely a horror movie. Stars Elijah Wood.
- Nightcrawler (2014)
  - I don't recall narration, but the villain is the protagonist.
  - Lovely pitch-dark comedy about an ambulance chaser played by Jake Gyllenhaal.
- Honorable mention: Profondo Rosso (1975)
  - Most (all?) of Dario Argento's movies include first-person killer scenes, but they aren't the protagonist; neither is the villain in this one, but we get more first-person scenes than any others of his I can think of. There is a little narration, IIRC. Horror/mystery.

### § TV ^

- "The Man Who Was Death", episode 1 of Tales from the Crypt (1989)
  - Narrated by the villainous protag. Does not make you sympathetic to him.
  - Probably lots of other episodes fit too, but this one stands out. Professional executioner becomes a hobbyist after the abolition of the death penalty.
- Barry (2018)
  - No narration that I recall, but the villain is definitely the protagonist.
  - Hilarious pitch-dark comedy about a professional assassin who wants to quit his job and get into improv. One of the funniest shows I've ever seen, but has emotional/tonal range.
- Breaking Bad
  - No narration (well, there are in-universe taped confessions). The villain is definitely the protagonist.
  - While Walt is a terrible person, I'm not sure this quite fits the theme. The strongest argument for inclusion is that Walt is weirdly easy to root for.
    - The Better Call Saul spinoff might fit for the same reason. Saul is nowhere near as evil, but you definitely want him to get away with all the cruel/illegal shit he pulls. But this is more of an honorable mention, or we'd have to include a lot more crime shows: Ozark (2017) would be an obvious one, probably The Sopranos which I haven't seen, maybe even Mad Men. There are a lot of shows about bad people who aren't quite monsters.
- Death Note (2007)
  - Plenty of first-person narration; villain is unquestionably the protagonist.
  - Shonen anime. Currently rewatching, but I loved it 20 years ago. Very dramatic, iconic, and fun.
  - There are live-action spinoffs. There's really no reason to bother watching them. There's also a Korean stage musical that I haven't seen, but a subtitled cam of it is out there if you really want it.
- Dexter (2006) and spinoffs
  - Plenty of first-person narration; villain is unquestionably the protagonist.
  - The original series is pure, uncut, borderline-guilty-pleasure popcorn trash, with a wide variation in quality (though I maintain the last episode was Good Actually). This is a show that deserves a coffee table, snacks, and an oversize bong. Fun, funny, and you definitely want the bad guy to win. Plenty of gore.
  - The obnoxious sex pest character, Masuka, exists solely as a vector for all the worst misogynistic, homophobic, and transphobic "humor" that the '00s were rife with.
  - The first spinoff, New Blood, is alright but abandons the lighthearted tone and takes itself way too seriously. The prequel, Original Sin, apes the original and is occasionally successful but not especially interesting. The sequel to New Blood, Resurrection, is the first spinoff that was really enjoyable. The motion comics are fucking awful.
- You (2018)
  - Includes narration by the villain, but it's actually in second-person IIRC. Does not make you sympathetic to him.
  - Walking red flag stalks, manipulates, abuses, and murders women he is obsessed with. Pretty good but idk if I'd watch it again.

### § Lit ^

- "The Things" by Peter Watts
  - Professional fan story telling The Thing from The Thing's perspective.
- American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
  - Haven't read; by all accounts is much more unpleasant than the film based on it.
- Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
  - Manga. See anime above.
- Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay
  - Mostly first-person narration; villain is unquestionably the protagonist.
  - I've only read the first few of these. They're nowhere near as memorable as the TV version; honestly, they kind of read like cheap airport books made specifically for visitors to Florida. The most interesting thing is that a few books in we learn that Dexter's Dark Passenger is a literal demon from before the dawn of time. It kind of killed the gritty vibe for me to randomly turn it into fantasy, but the chapter introducing the Dark Passenger was very cool.
- Dread Empire's Fall series by Walter Jon Williams
  - Really awesome space opera in a bleak authoritarian setting. The main characters are interesting and complex and generally the good guys... but they're also absolutely ruthless monsters.
- Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
  - Have not read.
- The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
  - First-person narration; villain is unquestionably the protagonist.
  - A bizarre horror novel about a teenage murderer with odd spiritual rituals. One of the most singularly unpleasant things I've ever read, but it is really funny at times, and certainly memorable. Tries to comment on gender roles but just comes off vaguely transphobic.

## § Beloved midi-genres ^

These are far too broad to really qualify for this list, yet they still feel small enough that I don't encounter them with great frequency, especially in TV/film. It feels like I've seen most of them already and the good ones are rare. There is a lot of overlap between them.

There is no attempt to be exhaustive here, just list favs.

### § Sci-fi horror ^

#### § Film ^

- Aliens (1986)
  - Alien 2. I actually liked this way better than Alien.
- Antiviral (2012)
  - Brandon Cronenberg's first and weirdest movie set in a future where people buy celebrity diseases.
- Please Speak Continuously and Describe Your Experiences as They Come to You (2019)
  - Lovely Brandon Cronenberg short.
- Possessor (2020)
  - Brandon Cronenberg's masterpiece. Razor-sharp, hard as nails story about an assassin who kills people by possessing them.
- Infinity Pool (2023)
  - Another pitch-perfect B.C. outing with a high concept scifi plot. This one has horrible psychedelic sex!
- Existenz
  - Cronenberg-the-elder does The Matrix and it kicks fucking ass.
- Scanners (1981)
  - Another kickass David Cronenberg flick. You've probably seen a gif from this of a guy's head exploding. Corny in the best possible way.
- Videodrome
  - I mean, obviously. The Cronenbergs just dominate this genre.
- Event Horizon (1997)
  - Fucking awesome. Hellraiser in space. Laurence Fishburne (Morpheus) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) are in it. I have faith that one day we will see the cut of the film that was deemed too horrifying to exist and destroyed.
- Pitch Black (2000)
  - Origin of Riddick (of the Chronicles, which is delightful in its own way). This is a cheesy paint-by-numbers B-movie executed with aplomb.
- The Thing (1982)

#### § TV ^

- Black Mirror
- Raised By Wolves (2020)
  - Tragically canceled before the story could conclude (and honestly seemed like it was going nowhere) but has strong horror overtones and one of the coolest pilots I've ever seen.
- The X-Files

#### § Video Games ^

- Dead Space series
  - Surival horror FPS in space that slaps.

### § Sci-fi comedy ^

#### § Film ^

- Brazil (1985)
  - Terry Gilliam's wacky take on 1984. I adore this one; it's my go-to for when people ask me what my favorite movie is.
- Coneheads (1993)
  - Goofy aliens vs. US immigration authorities. Underrated, nice film.
- Dark Star (1974)
  - John Carpenter's criminally underappreciated film school project. A dark comedy about the crew of a doomed ship who go around blowing up planets for fun.
- Killer Klowns from Outer Space
  - What it says on the tin. Way better than you'd expect.
- Kin-Dza-Dza! (1986)
  - Magnificent absurdist Soviet film that I try to make everyone watch.

#### § TV ^

- Space Janitors (2012)
  - Much funnier than it seems at first; space opera satire is not usually good.
- Avenue 5 (2020)
  - Made by Armando Iannucci (made Veep and every funny British show) and starring Hugh Laurie (Dr. House). I wish it had had more time to come into its own, but nobody liked it and it got canceled on a cliffhanger.
- Murderbot (2025)
  - Not as good as the book and I could nitpick it endlessly, but still great. Worth it for the Sanctuary Moon clips alone.
- Other Space (2015)
  - Little gem of a sitcom that got 8 episodes before the brand-new streaming service it was on ceased to exist. Ends on a cliffhanger.
- People of Earth (2016)
  - Really funny and sweet sitcom starring Wyatt Cenac. Also canceled on a cliffhanger.
- Rick and Morty
  - Animated. Went to shit eventually, but the first few seasons are some of the best TV there is.

#### § Lit ^

- "A Guide for Working Breeds" and "Fandom for Robots" by Vina Jie-Min Prasad
- "Beyond Lies the Wub" by Philip K. Dick
- "Offloaders" by Leah Cypess
- "The Secret Life of Bots" by Suzanne Palmer
- "They're Made Out of Meat" by Terry Bisson
- The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Roberts Shea and Anton Wilson
  - Canonical Discordian text. Disorienting and delightful.
- Murderbot series by Martha Wells

## § See Also ^