The List: #5 Firefly

#5
Number of Seasons: 1
Years Active: 2002
Network: FOX

Of course this show had to make the list; after all, this was the very first topic to appear on The Other Worlds. Of Joss Whedon's three shows (that have aired as of now), this is the one that I am most upset about cancellation. Buffy wrapped up perfectly, and while Angel deserved at least one more year, it got five great seasons. Firefly, though, never got a chance to truly shine.

A hybrid of science fiction and westerns, Firefly is a show about life on the edge of society. A few years after an interplanetary civil war, Malcolm Reynolds leads a hard life. He fought against bringing the rule of law of a central government to every colonized planet and lost. Disillusioned by the overall benevolent but ineffective government, Reynolds resolved to defy the law in an effort to assert his freedom and independence. Commanding a Firefly-class starship, he and his crew pull heists across various planets to make their living. It's a tough life, but they seem to get by and have formed a kind of family.

When two fugitives board Serenity (the ship), Reynolds is forced to determine just how far he is willing to go in sticking it to the government. The right thing to do would be to help them, since they are victims of a corrupt branch of the government, but he isn't known for always making the right decision. The episodes that were filmed revolve around the reason the manhunt is so intense, and it is pretty much the only storyline that ever gets resolved on film (albeit, in the film continuation Serenity).

As I said, the cancellation of this show was painful. There were numerous plotlines that were hinted at throughout the course of the series (and there were a few that were so subtle that they passed over viewers' heads until the creators referenced them in the DVD commentaries). Fortunately, Dark Horse Comics is churning out some Firefly/Serenity comics that will reveal a few of the unanswered questions (the upcoming A Shepard's Tale will shed some light on Shepard Book's past). Still, I would have at least liked to have seen a few of Joss Whedon's planned seven seasons make it to air.

Up next: #4...