I finally watched Firefly! (SPOILERS) - Page 3

Hermiod · January 6 2009, 12:26 PM

^No, airing the series' worst episode that they threw together in a weekend first can't have hurt it at all.

DWF · January 6 2009, 01:07 PM

Hermiod wrote:

^No, airing the series' worst episode that they threw together in a weekend first can't have hurt it at all.

I thought Safe was their worst ep. not The Train Job, the series just didn't have a wide appeal, Sci-Fi aired the show in order and it still didn't grab people.

Hermiod · January 6 2009, 01:27 PM

DWF wrote:

Hermiod wrote:

^No, airing the series' worst episode that they threw together in a weekend first can't have hurt it at all.

I thought Safe was their worst ep. not The Train Job, the series just didn't have a wide appeal, Sci-Fi aired the show in order and it still didn't grab people.

Well, that's where you and I disagree, then. If they had aired "Serenity" properly and shown just the tiniest amount of patience, I still contend that the show would have lasted a lot longer.

ATimson · January 6 2009, 02:08 PM

TheSeeker wrote:

Why do people even bother selling their shows to Fox anymore? It seems like all Fox does is cancel any good shows they get a hold of.

They used to do that. But that was also six years ago. The only show that I can think of that was killed prematurely in the last couple of years, Drive, underperformed on a scale rarely seen on network television; its death was not unwarranted, unfortunately.

ATimson · January 6 2009, 02:10 PM

Sci wrote:

Well, yeah, he abandoned any attempts to revive it on TV because it was just never gonna happen. But that doesn't mean that there was some sort of legal barrier.

My recollection is that there was a legal barrier in the form of Fox (the network) retaining the rights for an unseemly long period of time. But since I can't find anything in a quick Google search, I could be misremembering.

Evil_Kirkneivel · January 6 2009, 02:59 PM

DWF wrote:

Fox didn't pre-emt the show the local channels did and there's no proof that airing the show out of order hurt it, if anything the premise hurt the show more than anything else.

The Firefly DVD sold so well it was in the top 100 at Amazon for sales. That's pretty good for a TV show with a flawed premise.

Whedon did a great job of creating an ensemble cast where every character had a fleshed-out personality. There were no cardboard characters or stereotypes. This is not easy to do, and it's great to watch the result.

Reverend · January 6 2009, 03:13 PM

DWF wrote:

Hermiod wrote:

^No, airing the series' worst episode that they threw together in a weekend first can't have hurt it at all.

I thought Safe was their worst ep. not The Train Job, the series just didn't have a wide appeal, Sci-Fi aired the show in order and it still didn't grab people.

It grabbed me. I'm also reasonably sure the Sci-Fi airings were partly responsible for the strong DVD sales. Sales that were strong enough to convince Universal to fund a theatrical film. Read into that what you will.

trekkerguy · January 6 2009, 03:21 PM

It wasn't just out of order it was all over the place. Constantly changed
when it would be on and such. The show never had a chance. Those that
saw it loved it, but those who didn't see it probably wouldn't get the chance to.

RoJoHen · January 6 2009, 03:39 PM

Evil_Kirkneivel wrote:

DWF wrote:

Fox didn't pre-emt the show the local channels did and there's no proof that airing the show out of order hurt it, if anything the premise hurt the show more than anything else.

The Firefly DVD sold so well it was in the top 100 at Amazon for sales. That's pretty good for a TV show with a flawed premise.

I believe it actually held the #1 spot for a while.

Ensign_Redshirt · January 6 2009, 03:41 PM

I'm just grateful for the 14 episodes and the movie we have.

DWF · January 6 2009, 04:04 PM

Reverend wrote:

DWF wrote:

Hermiod wrote:

^No, airing the series' worst episode that they threw together in a weekend first can't have hurt it at all.

I thought Safe was their worst ep. not The Train Job, the series just didn't have a wide appeal, Sci-Fi aired the show in order and it still didn't grab people.

It grabbed me. I'm also reasonably sure the Sci-Fi airings were partly responsible for the strong DVD sales. Sales that were strong enough to convince Universal to fund a theatrical film. Read into that what you will.

Yeah and the movie made a mere $25 million at the US box office and it's nice that it grabbed you but it needed to grab three or four times the audience it got.

Harvey · January 6 2009, 09:12 PM

Sci wrote:

Firefly was not cancelled under terms by which the movie got to be made. Not at all.

I don't think that's what he meant. What he is referring to is the fact that, when the film rights to the franchise were sold to Universal, the legal situation was one in which the series couldn't be made on television again for (IIRC) ten years, essentially rendering any televised versions of Firefly dead. I'm not sure exactly how or why the deal went down the way it did, but that's as best as I can remember it.

Trekker4747 · January 6 2009, 09:24 PM

I think not airing the pilot first really hurt the series, not to mention Fox's lack of proper/enough promotion of the series.

But there's a LOT of exposition and set-up in that pilot that's just glossed over in "The Train Job."

Airing the episodes out of order only hurts it on some minor contnuity levels, but not doing the pilot first was DUMB of Fox and that the show has such popularity on DVD I think "proves" that Fox erred in some way in promoting it, it's time slot, or how they aired the episode order.

Sigh.

What could have been.

TheSeeker · January 7 2009, 08:08 AM

Well for what it's worth I watched the series out of order and it didn't take away from my enjoyment or understanding of the series. I'm surprised that they didn't edit the pilot to make it a flashback though considering when they originally aired it.

Hermiod · January 7 2009, 08:30 AM

^By the time Fox got around to airing it, I don't think they cared.

January 6 2009, 12:26 PM	#31
Hermiod Admiral	Re: I finally watched Firefly! (SPOILERS) ^No, airing the series' worst episode that they threw together in a weekend first can't have hurt it at all.

January 6 2009, 03:21 PM	#38
trekkerguy Commodore Location: Boise, ID	Re: I finally watched Firefly! (SPOILERS) It wasn't just out of order it was all over the place. Constantly changed when it would be on and such. The show never had a chance. Those that saw it loved it, but those who didn't see it probably wouldn't get the chance to. __________________ "I kept dreaming of a world I thought I'd never see, and then one day... I got in." - Kevin Flynn

January 6 2009, 03:41 PM	#40
Ensign_Redshirt Fleet Captain	Re: I finally watched Firefly! (SPOILERS) I'm just grateful for the 14 episodes and the movie we have.

January 6 2009, 09:24 PM	#43
Trekker4747 To boldly go... Location: Kansas City	Re: I finally watched Firefly! (SPOILERS) I think not airing the pilot first really hurt the series, not to mention Fox's lack of proper/enough promotion of the series. But there's a LOT of exposition and set-up in that pilot that's just glossed over in "The Train Job." Airing the episodes out of order only hurts it on some minor contnuity levels, but not doing the pilot first was DUMB of Fox and that the show has such popularity on DVD I think "proves" that Fox erred in some way in promoting it, it's time slot, or how they aired the episode order. Sigh. What could have been. __________________ Just because it's futuristic doesn't mean it's practical.

January 7 2009, 08:08 AM	#44
TheSeeker Vice Admiral Location: New York, NY	Re: I finally watched Firefly! (SPOILERS) Well for what it's worth I watched the series out of order and it didn't take away from my enjoyment or understanding of the series. I'm surprised that they didn't edit the pilot to make it a flashback though considering when they originally aired it.

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January 7 2009, 08:30 AM	#45
Hermiod Admiral	Re: I finally watched Firefly! (SPOILERS) ^By the time Fox got around to airing it, I don't think they cared.