A Key Foundation Writer Co-Created An Underrated Sci-Fi Series Streaming On Prime Video

Three seasons in (with a fourth on the way), Apple TV's "Foundation" has cemented itself as an engrossing series where science is the savior. Showrunners David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman went the extra mile to tweak Isaac Asimov's sci-fi series into a spectacle suited for television. Major changes were made on a fundamental level — so much so that season 3 sports a massive twist that's the exact opposite of Asimov's book. While both Goyer and Friedman have been involved with the show's writing process, the credit for penning such a compelling saga also rests on Jane Espenson. The gifted "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" writer has shaped a significant chunk of the Asimov adaptation, while also serving as one of the show's executive producers. Espenson's body of work ranges from "The O.C." to "Battlestar Galactica," with several one-off episodes in prestigious shows like "Game of Thrones" to round things off.

You might've heard of "Warehouse 13," the Syfy drama that ran between 2009 and 2014. Espenson created the show alongside D. Brent Mote, helming a science fiction storyline that heavily borrows from successful titles like "The X-Files" and "Ghostbusters." You'll also find elements of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" thrown in for good measure, lending to a messy, but intriguing hodgepodge of ideas that appeal to familiarity rather than originality. 

Secret service agents Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) are assigned to the titular warehouse in South Dakota, which is filled to the brim with supernatural artifacts. The goal is to retrieve more artifacts and bring them to this top-secret government compound. While Pete and Myka don't exactly share an intense, evolving dynamic like Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, they're as mismatched as an agent team-up can be. And the show is currently available on Prime Video. 

There's a derivative energy to "Warehouse 13" that is quite difficult to ignore. The show's overarching tone and core dynamic might have been inspired by the best episodes of "The X-Files," but the writing isn't exceptional enough to stand on its own merits. Throw in the most enduring aspects of "Bones" and Espenson's own "Buffy," and we have a sci-fi narrative that borrows liberally from classic television and doesn't invent anything for the sake of keeping things fresh. 

Even so, it's hard not to enjoy the fun central conceit of the titular warehouse. The pilot alone introduces us to some choice artifacts that are inside, including Harry Houdini's dimension-crossing wallet and the literal Pandora's Box (!), and these fun references only get more creative over five seasons. For instance, there's Lewis Carroll's looking glass that contains an evil entity named Alice, and Edgar Allan Poe's pen that can turn fiction into reality. 

Pete and Myka's cases aren't particularly perplexing or complicated, but "Warehouse 13" does a great job of cycling through exciting artifacts that are rooted in myth or history. The perpetrator(s) always harbor motives that you haven't taken into consideration — sometimes, these motives eclipse logic, but who cares when you're having a good time?

More importantly, Artie Nielsen (Saul Rubinek), the special agent in charge of Warehouse 13, contributes an eccentric edge that the story desperately needs. A combination of these distinct elements balances out the many flaws of "Warehouse 13," which melds dark humor with lighthearted mystery of the "Scooby-Doo" variety to keep things fairly interesting. If you don't mind a case-of-the-week series that repeatedly references other (better) shows, this might be worth a shot.

"Warehouse 13" is now streaming on Prime Video.