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

[billd91]

But when someone (like me) is trying to put together different lists of "great" shows, or so-called HoF shows, you can't just put individualistic criteria as your guide. You need to start looking at something other than, "Firefly is awesome because I really really like it."

But who defines the criteria? Are your examples of criteria universally accepted standards, or are they your individualistic take on what should count as Hall of Fame-worthy?

 

[Ryujin]

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.

There's also the fact of of fan engagement, after the run has been completed. Firefly gained a lot of fans after its cancellation, possibly because the series' got screwed around and berried by Fox so much, that those fans didn't know it existed until it was already gone.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

But who defines the criteria? Are your examples of criteria universally accepted standards, or are they your individualistic take on what should count as Hall of Fame-worthy?

Who shall guard the guards?

It's an interesting question, and it really gets into the whole issue of objective standards, subjective standards, and those things that are a mixture of both.

For example, when analyzing the pro football HOF, most people look at four categories for players:
The Position (QB > OL > K > Longsnapper) (this may be unfair, but it's true)
The Peak Performance (how good the player was during their absolute best)
The Length of Career
Average Value over Length

I picked a few things that I think are meaningful and that, IMO, most people would agree with assuming they were trying to come up with listings that were more impactful than "Things I like."

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

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.

Really? You mean the same Apple Computer products that have their own in-house chips and run circles around the competition in terms of efficiency? Apple Computer products are objectively overrated?

See what I mean. You have your own cannolis, my friend. We all do.

 

[payn]

Its getting real cheug in here all of a sudden.

 

[dragoner]

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?

Wow that list is something else, cool to just see a lot of those shows listed somewhere.

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.

Think post apocalypse alien invasion, started off good then went to eh. I only vaguely remember Dark Skies.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Wow that list is something else, cool to just see a lot of those shows listed somewhere.

Yeah, I know! Have to admit, Eureka was surprising!

 

[dragoner]

Yeah, I know! Have to admit, Eureka was surprising!

It wasn't bad, Warehouse 13 was there and pretty good too, I wouldn't put Bewitched from the 60's in sci-fi, but okay ... Also looking at it one can see various timelines of watching those shows, I know some I have seen more as re-runs on comet tv or something. SyFy gets a bad rap, it is good for low-budget sci-fi though.

As everything, opinion counts for a lot, I'm not surprised Firefly is #1 even if that would not be my vote. A lot of sci-fi exists over-represented in the meme-o-sphere, Firefly is up there, same as the Next Generation, it's great, though I know people today who have recently watched it and wondered why it is so highly rated. For memes, it is hugely popular.

 

[Ryujin]

It wasn't bad, Warehouse 13 was there and pretty good too, I wouldn't put Bewitched from the 60's in sci-fi, but okay ... Also looking at it one can see various timelines of watching those shows, I know some I have seen more as re-runs on comet tv or something. SyFy gets a bad rap, it is good for low-budget sci-fi though.

As everything, opinion counts for a lot, I'm not surprised Firefly is #1 even if that would not be my vote. A lot of sci-fi exists over-represented in the meme-o-sphere, Firefly is up there, same as the Next Generation, it's great, though I know people today who have recently watched it and wondered why it is so highly rated. For memes, it is hugely popular.

The Warehouse 13/Eureka tie-in shows were some of the very few such crossovers that I actually enjoyed.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

A lot of sci-fi exists over-represented in the meme-o-sphere, Firefly is up there, same as the Next Generation, it's great, though I know people today who have recently watched it and wondered why it is so highly rated. For memes, it is hugely popular.