Television series

Blake's 7

Name: Blake's 7
Genre: Drama, Action, Science Fiction
Released: 1978
Cast: Michael Keating, Paul Darrow, Gareth Thomas, Peter Tuddenham, Jan Chappell

A ragged band of criminals and misfits steal an alien ship and wage asymmetrical warfare against a totalitarian galactic empire. Blake's 7 is scrappy, morally ambiguous, and endlessly inventive on a shoestring budget. It's for people who love watching clever underdogs who don't always like each other, and who can embrace 1970s television's rough edges as part of the charm.

TVMaze rating

4.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like ensemble space adventures where a band of mismatched, morally compromised outlaws bickers its way through a hostile galaxy, and a cheap-looking 1978 budget doesn't bother you if the characters are sharp.

Skip it if you need slick modern effects, a tight serialised plot, or heroes you can fully trust, since the early episodes are episodic and the crew's loyalties shift often.

What it asks of you: It runs fifty-minute episodes across four seasons, so settle in for a long haul, with a pace that favours talk and standoffs over constant action.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Expanse2015

Space opera with a ragtag crew, political intrigue, and the Empire always three steps behind. Shares Blake's 7's willingness to let characters make selfish, terrible decisions and live with them.

But Slower burn than Blake's 7, especially early on. Takes itself more seriously—less fun, more grim.

Battlestar Galactica2003

Desperate fugitives running from overwhelming military power, with paranoia, betrayal, and moral compromises baked in. Each episode asks whether survival is worth the price you pay for it.

But Serialized and heavy. If you want lighter adventure, this will exhaust you.

Farscape1999

Outsider accidentally joins an alien fugitive crew in a stolen ship. Wildly inventive, funny, and genuinely weird. Same DNA as Blake's 7 but with more warmth and better effects.

But Gets very silly sometimes. Not everyone likes that tonal whiplash between comedy and genuine stakes.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Blake's 7

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Sapphire and Steel1979

Both are 1970s British sci-fi built on ideas rather than effects, both feature small teams in high-concept scenarios, but where Blake's 7 is about rebellion against authority, Sapphire & Steel is about the weight of serving forces you don't fully understand.

Two mysterious operatives investigate temporal and supernatural phenomena for an unnamed authority. Same BBC drama budget and inventiveness as Blake's 7, but inverted: instead of rebels fighting the system, they ARE the system's instruments, haunted by it.

But Deliberately obscure and episodic. Some episodes are cryptic to the point of opacity. Not sci-fi adventure—it's sci-fi dread.

Red Dwarf1988

British sci-fi comedy about misfits stranded in space. Shares Blake's 7's low-budget inventiveness and its dark humor about being trapped with people you'd never choose.

But Much broader comedy. If you want Blake's 7 for its drama, this will feel like a joke.

Star Wars: Rebels2014

A small rebel cell wages asymmetrical war against an Empire with unlimited resources. Smart tactics, character growth, and the slow realization that victory might cost everything.

But Animated Star Wars. If you want live-action and harder edges, this is too clean and hopeful.

The Prisoner1967

One man against an all-seeing totalitarian system, using wits and cunning. Same era sensibility as Blake's 7, same distrust of authority, same willingness to leave you unsettled.

But Abstract and surreal. Demands active interpretation. Some people find it pretentious.

Firefly2002

Crew of misfits in a stolen ship staying one step ahead of the government. Lighter than Blake's 7 but with real stakes. Great chemistry between people who shouldn't work together.

But Only one season. And it's gentler—if you love Blake's 7's moral murk, Firefly might feel too optimistic.

Person of Interest2011

Underground team fighting an all-knowing surveillance system with guerrilla tactics. Evolves from procedural to philosophical thriller. Shares Blake's 7's paranoia about systems you can't outrun forever.

But Takes a long time to get going. The first season is procedural filler before the real story starts.

Space: Above and Beyond1995

Military sci-fi about a scrappy fighter squadron against an overwhelming alien threat. Bleaker than you'd expect, with characters who die senselessly and wars with no clear victory condition.

But Cancelled after two seasons. Doesn't reach its ending. That might be a feature or a bug, depending on your tolerance for unfinished stories.

Synecdoche, New York2008

Both explore how systems consume their own participants. Blake's 7 shows rebels fighting the Empire; Synecdoche shows what happens when you build an empire inside yourself, and how a system designed to contain people ends up destroying the person who built it.

A theater director builds an increasingly elaborate replica of the world inside his warehouse, losing track of reality and identity in the process. It's a sci-fi film without the genre furniture—about systems collapsing from within, about the cost of control, about people becoming expendable.

But Deliberately confusing and abstract. Not a plot you solve; an experience you endure. Some find it profound; others find it exhausting pretension.