Firefly Reconsidered: Why Firefly Isn't "Hall of Fame" Great

[payn]

.... Game of Thrones and The Rains of Castamere? Just listing these names ... you know what I mean. What episode of Firefly ... what single episode of Firefly, is that type of all-time great?

There is only one episode I distinctly remember from firefly. That episode was Jaynestown. This episode was clever, funny, and has some hard hitting moments while being a basic ship in a bottle episode. I think it is as model television as you can get with Firefly.

The rest are hilarious moments like Mal kicking dude into engine or great characters like Saffron or Jubal Early. Though none of the episodes really reach that all time great like Jaynestown.

 

[Ryujin]

Yes, I don't know as much even after watching it a second or third time. The problem with Rush's hallucinations compared to Baltar's is that one knew they were real/unreal with Baltar, where with Rush, they could be someone from the ship or his wife that died? Too much was confusing, and forget about asking in the fan groups because that was like stalingrad, with the opposing sides battling it out in the rubble of the franchise. The baby thing I knew was going to go bad, they always do bringing kids into shows, just to jerk you around by the heart strings. It was worse that Falling Skies was doing it at the same time.

Something about Fox and Firefly, it was not as big as a surprise, because they also did a similar cancellation of Space: Above and Beyond, which started out good, then turned into a sort of romance, soap.

Every time that someone mentioned "Falling Skies", which I haven't seen, my brain converts it to "Dark Skies", the late '90s SciFi alien invasion TV series.

 

[Stalker0]

Its Out of Gas for me. Part intense character drama, part origin story....just a really well put together episode. Great acting from Nathan on that one.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

it's great in a way Heroes wasn't.

by getting cut down in it's prime, it never had a chance to fall in quality.

 

[Stalker0]

3. Was it groundbreaking/influential in any way?

4. Was it insanely popular?

5. Did it at least have a single episode that resonates throughout time?

I think these go back to the question others posed....how much does success have to do the quality of a show?

Some could argue that Firefly would have been more influential and in the "culture Zeitgeist" if it had been more popular. I mean certainly it has been hugely influential at dragoncon's and comic cons and the like.

So does a show have to be popular to be considered HoF status? Honestly I'm torn, I can see it both ways on that one.

 

[payn]

it's great in a way Heroes wasn't.

by getting cut down in it's prime, it never had a chance to fall in quality.

Heroes had a great and complete first season. It was cut down by the writers guild strike and just all around bad decisions. Firefly (at least shown from season 1) was a show that wasnt going to have great seasons, just a handful of great episodes each season at best.

 

[payn]

I think these go back to the question others posed....how much does success have to do the quality of a show?

Some could argue that Firefly would have been more influential and in the "culture Zeitgeist" if it had been more popular. I mean certainly it has been hugely influential at dragoncon's and comic cons and the like.

So does a show have to be popular to be considered HoF status? Honestly I'm torn, I can see it both ways on that one.

I was just thinking about this. Pitchers in the MLB dont get into the hall of fame for their batting. However, some players do get into the hall of fame for smashing the record in a one trick way. Others, get into the hall of fame by being above average in many categories. So I'd argue being popular isn't a requirement, but just one of many ways into the greatest discussion.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

So does a show have to be popular to be considered HoF status? Honestly I'm torn, I can see it both ways on that one.

It doesn't have to be popular. That's just one of the things I listed.

But it has to have something, right? What quality does Firefly have that would make it a HoF show? Other shows that are short-lived are, at least, massively influential or groundbreaking. And when I say "short-lived," the other shows that people talk about being "short-lived" are usually three seasons (Arrested Development).

The closest comparator I can think of to Firefly in terms of length for a "great" show in the Honeymooners, which was only one season, but it was a 39 episode season and widely considered one of the truly groundbreaking and influential sitcoms ever made.

Maybe ... the Prisoner? That was a run of 17 episodes, but it was fully realized (it had an ending) and it's widely considered one of the masterpieces of television.

 

[Umbran]

So a brief note here.

The orginal premise of the thread was two-fold; first, that Firefly is overrated. I mean, I'm sure that's the kind of reasonable and unobjectionable opinion that is unlikely to get anyone all angered up under the collar.

Well, dangit, now you made it sound like a challenge.

What does it mean to be "overrated"? And how is that different from, "I personally, don't like it much"? Because, I think it should be reasonable to say in some cases that, if millions of people like it, and you don't, maybe it isn't really overrated. It is just not to your tastes.

Now, in some arenas, we can say a thing is really and truly and objectively overrated. Like... Apple computer products, which are often priced and hyped far above what is justified by their actual performance characteristics in practical use. But it is harder to say that with art/media given that there's little objective metric to turn to.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Well, dangit, now you made it sound like a challenge.

What does it mean to be "overrated"?

The 260+ Best SciFi Shows Of All Time

Science fiction has always captivated audiences with its ability to transport viewers to otherworldly realms, exploring unfathomable possibilities. The best sci fi TV shows of all time offer immersive universes, technological marvels, and thought-provoking narratives, catering to viewers'...

www.ranker.com

That's what I mean. Really? #1 Sci-Fi Series ... of all time?