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Firefly Likely to be Cancelled

rscrawford writes "Zap2It is reporting that Firefly, one of the best science fiction shows to make it on to network television in recent years, is going on hiatus: read, getting canceled. Well, it was an interesting, well-written, provocative and intelligent show on Fox; is anyone therefore surprised that they're doing away with it? It lasted a lot longer than I thought it would. At least they're going to show the original 2-hour pilot in December. (And yet, somehow, Just Shoot Me continues...)"

9 of 586 comments (clear)

  1. Of course it's being cancelled by slycer9 · · Score: 5, Informative

    It makes you think to follow the plotlines, there are no 'magic' answers to every problem, the characters have real-life type problems, and the dialog was halfway intelligent. Who'd want to watch that when we've got David Spade?! Seriously though, look how successful lowbrow stuff tends to be, versus 'the other stuff'. How long did Roseanne run?

    --
    Don't park drunk, accidents cause people.
    1. Re:Of course it's being cancelled by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Yep, that explains why West Wing and The Sopranos were cancelled and never won any awards.

    2. Re:Of course it's being cancelled by Ballsy · · Score: 3, Informative

      I could care less about Masterpiece Theater,

      Are you sure you didn't mean "I couldn't care less" here ? If you could care less, then you actually do care about Masterpiece Theatre, C-SPAN, etc. For some reason, that (rather common) slip up really bothers me.
      Anyhow...carry on!

  2. Not according to Fox... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I was browsing the Fox firefly boards (fox.com/firefly) today and a lot of people there know about this "hiatus" already.

    It's possible show has been cancelled but, AFAIK, the "official" word from Fox is that they are going to "heavily" promote the show in December (next new ep is Dec. 6), and see if the ratings pick up. If not, it's gone.

    Currently the show has 13 episodes filmed (I think, don't quote me) and a few more (up to 4) scripts ordered. If they were going to cancel it I think they would just come out and say it, rather then beat about the bush like they seem to be doing.

    It would be a shame, IMO, if they cancelled it. Some of the eps were not very good (including the pilot...) but others ("Out of Gas", "Our Mrs. Renyolds") were fantastic.

  3. Did fox even try? by stefanlasiewski · · Score: 5, Informative

    Damn, I like the show. Flawed characters, dark universe, and plots that didn't always wrap up cleanly at the end of the hours. It's like the first season of Babylon 5, which ended up being the-best-scifi-show-ever (At least in my universe of non-cable TV).

    But I see that I'm in the minority.

    Fox never even tried:
    - They never showed the pilot, which probably explained some of the 'why' behind the creepy universe
    - Never seen an ad or promotion for the show outside of ./ . Honestly.
    - It's on Friday night. Most Friday night shows seem to fail. Firefly is the best show that I never watch. Why? I'm usually doing something that night, and I'm the idiot who always forgets to program his VCR, comes home at midnight and slaps his hand against his forehead.

    It never had a chance to get off the ground. But then, this is Fox: Beater of dead horses.

    --
    "Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
  4. Re:Typo? Should be "one of the worst"! by eMartin · · Score: 2, Informative

    Actually Joss Whedon wrote the theme himself. Apparently it was the first thing he did after getting the show approved.

  5. Fox is not canceling it.. by tenchiken · · Score: 3, Informative

    Per fox's PR
    http://www.fireflyfans.net/news.asp?newsid=327

    They are going to trade it. BTW, Zap2it has been ragging on firefly since day one. Take anything they say with a grain of salt.

  6. Re: Why the show failed (in my own case) by Black+Parrot · · Score: 4, Informative


    > Sci-fi is an abbreviation of "science" and "fiction".

    Sit down, I have some news that may shock you.

    Science fiction isn't about science. It's just a setting; all the usual requirements for good storytelling still apply.

    If you want science, go to grad school in a science field. If science fiction shows peddled real science they would be somewhat less popular than Alan Alda's Scientific American Frontiers. (I say "somewhat less" because even PBS's science shows tend to be watered down with a lot of human interest fluff. Take that out and the viewership would be even lower.)

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  7. Re:Good riddance by PetriWessman · · Score: 3, Informative

    If this is an "excellent" sc-fi show nowadays, then I fear the entire genre has gone to hell and back. This show was pure crap.

    Frankly... what the hell is your problem? You've posted N messages here saying that you think the show is crap. Fine, we heard you the first time. Now go away. You don't like it fine, but a lot of other people love it and want to see it continue.

    It didn't even seem like sci-fi at all, more like a soap-opera in a giant tin can.

    Ah, I see. You're one of those people who equate "sci-fi" with technobabble, special effects and machines that go "beep". Fine, go watch Star Trek. Personally I like shows that put a bit more emphasis on character development and, you know, the story.