Firefly: A latecomer wonders what Fox was smoking

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

Long story short: I wasn't really blown away by the previews of Firefly I saw in 2002. I read more than a couple of reviews that basically said "Nice, but Joss should go back to Buffy already." Coupled with the fact that Fox dumped this on Friday nights when I wouldn't be caught dead on the couch ensured that I had no idea what you people have been raving about for the last year.

Well, on a trip to get some gift DVDs last night we saw Firefly on sale. I was kinda blase, but my girlfriend was interested so we picked it up. We went home and put the pilot episode on.

I understand you could hear the sound of my jaw hitting the floor several doors down.

What a completely, totally and utterly AMAZING show! I was a little gunshy when I saw the size of the cast over the opening credits, but each character was fully fleshed out, and even the most unlikeable ones were fascinating. And Nathan Fillion, what a find. Mal is the most awesome badass character I've seen outside of a Preacher comic. Shoot a horse? Sure. Cap the lawman who's holding a hostage without breaking stride? Sure. And the straight-faced prank he pulled on the doc? Classic Joss moment. My girlfriend was actually heard to say that it was the best show she'd ever seen.

Then I took a look at the liner notes, and saw that this episode, which sets up all the characters, conflicts, motivations, and backdrop for the whole series aired last. WTF! Were the Fox programmers for this show using crack, shrooms, or perhaps some sort of opiate? Toad-licking maybe? Because, uh, it didn't exactly look like a cheap show to produce. So they drop a big chunk of change making this show, promote the hell out of it, generate some good reviews, dump it on a night no one watches TV and even geeks like me have better things to do during, chop up the continuity, and refuse to air 3 of the episodes. Insanity.

So I just wanted to say that you were all right. MEG Hal, Crothian, John Crichton, and everyone else.

 

[EricNoah]

By contrast, this show is one of those things that I never really did "get." I tried watching it a couple of times but it just never clicked with me. Should add that I didn't find Buffy to be a show I was interested in either. Ah well, in a few years when I need something to watch I can have Netflix send me a disc and see if it's any better than I remembered it to be.

 

[Crothian]

So I just wanted to say that you were all right. MEG Hal, Crothian, John Crichton, and everyone else.

Remember that next time I say something

I understand why it was canceled, no one watched it. It was like My So Called Life. It had a small yet rabid fan base, but it just wasn't enough for the execs. Its great though that its out on DVD and we are getting a movie.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

Remember that next time I say something

Hey, 20000+ posts. A few of them have gotta be worth reading. Law of Averages and all.

I understand why it was canceled, no one watched it. It was like My So Called Life. It had a small yet rabid fan base, but it just wasn't enough for the execs. Its great though that its out on DVD and we are getting a movie.

Oh, I get why it was cancelled. I just don't get why Fox seemed to shoot the show in the foot right from the start. It's one thing to give a show every possible chance. It's quite another to drop it in a deadzone time slot, butcher the continuity (could you imagine a season of Buffy or Angel being shown out of order?), and dump it unceremoniously without even finishing out the run of episodes that they probably ponied up quite a sum of money to make.

At least they seemed to have learned their lesson somewhat. Arrested Development, a show my family and I love, was very much on the bubble its whole first season, and Fox has taken a gamble and renewed it.

 

[Wolf72]

... It was like My So Called Life. ...

like ya know, ya know like, it's like ... well like, you just don't like understand ... like ya know!

good cast, decent show, ... the dialog almost gave me an anurism (sp)

 

[Umbran]

I just don't get why Fox seemed to shoot the show in the foot right from the start.

Likely because they think they know what is good for a show's ratings. Unfortunately, they don't. Not really. They guess, just like everyone else. And they guess wrong about half the time.

 

[DonAdam]

I really don't like Buffy or Angel, but when I watched Firefly I thought it was easily the best TV show I've ever seen.

 

[Crothian]

Oh, I get why it was cancelled. I just don't get why Fox seemed to shoot the show in the foot right from the start.

Listen to the communtary. It does talk a bit about what happened and why.

 

[John Crichton]

So I just wanted to say that you were all right. MEG Hal, Crothian, John Crichton, and everyone else.

The cool thing for you: The show rocks and the re-watch factor is very high.

The bad thing: You suffer with the cancellation with the rest of us.

However, now you have a movie to look forward to next year.

I do think that it is one of the best shows ever put to film. From the first ep (well, the first ep FOX broadcast) there was something so damn alluring about it. I've liked Nathan Fillon since his Two Guys and a Girl days. But you are right, he is badass and pretty unique for a sci-fi leading man.

The rest of the cast just clicks and each consecutive show got better and better. The one-off as well as the main plotlines were fun and intriguing to watch. I can only hope that the motion picture does well enough to get the show back on the air...

 

[John Crichton]

Listen to the communtary. It does talk a bit about what happened and why.

This man speaks the truth. There is much to be learned from the commentaries. Not least of which is how much the creators and talent loved working on the show.