Firefly: A latecomer wonders what Fox was smoking

[Mistwell]

I saw the Firefly panel at ComicCon last week. Joss was the lead speaker, and all of the actors were there.

It does sound like Fox decided to kill the show before they even put it on the air. Someone high up decided they didn't like it, put it in a bad time slot intentionally, moved it around and changed the time, all with the intent of killing it.

That was not the opinion of everyone at Fox, just someone high up.

Now that the movie is coming out (and it looks really really good), Joss thinks it is not unlikely that we will see a lot more of this "show" in the future - either as a movie franchise or back on the air on a different channel.

For the record, almost none of the actors have committed to anything beyond the movie, and those who have committed have done it for short term projects (except the actor who plays Book, who has a long term committment to a museum that would not interfere with filming). They pretty clearly all intend to continue filming beyond the movie, if it's possible.

And, all of the actors really, really like each other and don't want the team ever broken up, if they can help it.

 

[Krug]

I loved Buffy, but haven't quite found Firefly to my liking. Still making my way through the series with about 3 more eps to go. I think there's actually TOO many characters, and some of them get underused.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Last month I did a Firefly marathon, watching an episode, then immediately watching it again with the commentary track playing. It was very educational, and very fascinating. I'm disappointed that not all of the episodes have commentary tracks, however.

The original poster is right in wondering why the pilot episode wasn't shown first. There are so many things set up in the pilot that are returned to in later episodes. Some things reoccur throughout several episodes. This happens so rarely in television.

What amazed me was that when they found out Fox wanted another first episode rather than the pilot, Joss came up with -- in one weekend -- a pretty good episode that introduced all the characters, set up the relationships, etc. -- all the things done in the pilot -- that was watchable, enjoyable, and didn't make you feel lost. It didn't have the depth of the pilot, but it served well in a pinch. Which is what it had to do.

And the show was clearly getting better with each episode. The actors were getting into their characters, the writers and directors were getting a feel for the characters and the actors. This break-in period happens on all series. Why Fox couldn't at least commit to a full season, give it a chance to fully develop and find an audience -- who knows.

 

[Mouseferatu]

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.

Time for some trivia from your friendly neighborhood rodent.

The above statement, while widely believed, isn't actually accurate. The fact is that, at its height--assuming a show that was canceled after half a season can be said to have a "height"--Firelfy was drawing more weekly viewers than Buffy was during the same season.

Go back and read that again. It's not a typo. Firefly was drawing more viewers than Buffy was during the same season.

It's just that Fox--in addition to the previously mentioned fact that someone(s) in the network wanted it dead--has a different metric for what makes a show "a success" than do either the WB or UPN. It's a sad and frustrating fact that had Firefly been on either of those two networks, there's a very good chance it wouldn't have been canned.

 

[trancejeremy]

Besides Fox being on a slightly different tier than WB or UPN (though not quite on par with the old 3), the show cost a lot more to make, special effects, a cast of what seems like 1000s, complex sets, etc.

COPS and America's Most Wanted get lousy ratings, but Fox doesn't care, they cost squat to make.

Firefly apparently cost a lot to make, that coupled with the lousy ratings (from what I've seen, 4th in its timeslot), spelled its doom.

Same basic thing that doomed the first Battlestar Galactica, which actually got decent ratings (for a real network). But those Cylons didn't work cheap.

 

[Umbran]

Firefly apparently cost a lot to make, that coupled with the lousy ratings (from what I've seen, 4th in its timeslot), spelled its doom.

And here is the problem. Requiring a show to be 3rd place or better within just a few episodes is stupid. As noted, it was doing better than other genre shows that season (though such comparisons have their weaknesses - comparing shows on different days is touchy).

 

[Hand of Evil]

And FOX showed the show out of order too!

Friday is just a bad night but FOX could have also put in on in the off season, had better ratings and built a following.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

My understanding was that FOX OK'd the show, spent a ton of money, then took a look at the pilot and said "oh crap".

I kinda don't blame them. Firefly is at its best when seen through a second time. There's the little things like Badger peeling an apple. It's supposed to show that he's rich enough to afford fruit and throw away the peel. But you don't really pick up on how rare fresh fruit is until the fourth or fifth episiode. Telling a network executive that it's going to take six shows for people to pick up on an expensive TV show is the kiss of death.

Incidentally, for more fun, watch the Firefly pilot next to the Star Trek: Next Generation one. Firefly does a much better job of showing us how the characters feel but manages to reveal less about them, so their backgrounds and motivations are slowly revealed to us. Compare that to, say, Geordi LaForge's character development or even Riker's.

 

[Pants]

Were the Fox programmers for this show using crack, shrooms, or perhaps some sort of opiate?

I don't if it's possible to use those substances when their heads are jammed far up their arses.
Fox did it TWO other popular shows (both starting with F as well...), Family Guy and Futurama, both of which pulled in some heavy dough and ratings due to CN and DVD sales.

My understanding was that FOX OK'd the show, spent a ton of money, then took a look at the pilot and said "oh crap".

I dunno... I was hooked with Firefly from the pilot, and by all accounts, it is probably one of the better pilots I've seen.

 

[Krug]

Just finished the DVD. Last episode was pretty weak, I thought. There were some gems but never really got involved in the characters the way I did with Buffy. I also can't stand the Chinese. Argh. It really bought me out of the show. Just skip it.