Babylon 5

[Derek]

Pre-planning a whole series is a nice dream, but it'd be hard to realize. And even if you could, it might not be all that great. Being pre-planned might not keep your series flexible to meet with various unforseen complications (actors, the network, audience).

Of course, a pre-planned series is excellent when it can do good foreshadowing. I think a pre-planned time travel series could be awesome.

But I don't think all shows should be pre-planned. In my mind, the best way to do a series is to know where you want the characters and story to go (either over the course of the whole series, or just over the course of the next season), but not require yourself to have every detail and thread nailed down until you get there.