Firefly Would be More Successful Today

[Blackrook]

Firefly's anti-government message did not resonate with audiences because the American people were not feeling anti-government in 2002.

In fact, the opposite was true. 9/11 was still fresh in people's minds and people were eager to turn over new powers to the government to fight terrorism. I think that's why Firefly failed.

If Firefly came out today, I think it would have more success. A wave of anti-government sentiment has hit the American people and so people would better identify with Mal's hatred for the Alliance.

Firefly was just out of tune with the times. They should bring it back because people are ready for it now.

[Vladd67]

Unlikely to happen though as two main characters were killed off in Serenity and Nathan Fillion is now starring in another series.

[tangaloomababe]

Ah true Vlad.. but how nice would it be to see Captain Mal take to the skies again. Not being an American I cannot comment on the current Political climate so I will have to take your word for it Blackrook....
I for one would love to see the crew of Serenity again

[Moonbat]

Considering Serenity wasn 't exactly following on from Firefly I'm sure they could squeeze a couple of series in before Serentiy happens
Although the actors may have aged a bit too much on 8 years to go back.
It always was a shame it only got the one series, Serenity is good but crams a whole host of ideas into one film, it would have been much betetr if Wheedon had got to draw it out over thens of hours.

[JagLover]

There has always been a strong anti-government sentiment in the USA.

I think the reason firefly failed is because it was cancelled before the public had even had a chance to realise how good it was. Which was due partly to scheduling problems such as the network showing the episodes out of their intended order.

[Rodders]

Firefly just wasn't given a chance by the studio execs and that's it. This show has such a following it's incredible. Another season would have firmly planted this in the consciousness of the public.

[Parson]

I respectfully disagree about Firefly's chances. I watched and liked Firefly, but I was anything but shocked when it went off the air. Firefly lacked the one thing that makes for loved SF in the USA and that is a gripping struggle against the odds. (I know that there was some of this in Firefly, but it was too much in the background, and it felt to me like this was simply a rogue group existing on the fringes of life, without much chance of making any meaningful difference. This might be true to life, but we Americans tend to like our entertainment more escapist than that.)

[Blackrook]

Mal was constantly worried about paying the bills to keep the ship going. That's a struggle I can relate to.

[Parson]

Originally Posted by Blackrook

Mal was constantly worried about paying the bills to keep the ship going. That's a struggle I can relate to.

I agree that I can relate to the daily struggle and grind. An American church is a lot like a small business as far as finances and struggles go. But I think for a majority of the people want something which seems more significant or at least more interesting than their own lives. Reminds me of something the Beatles sang "making all their nowhere plans for nobody."

[Blackrook]

The reason I related to Mal is because I had my own law firm, so I know what it is to be a small businessman not knowing when the next pay-off is going to be. The bills keep coming in though, steady as clockwork.

[Vladd67]

Originally Posted by JagLover

I think the reason firefly failed is because it was cancelled before the public had even had a chance to realise how good it was. Which was due partly to scheduling problems such as the network showing the episodes out of their intended order.

This isn't the first time this has happened. What is it with showing programmes out of order? It really screws up the story.

[tangaloomababe]

Similar problem when it was shown here Vlad, no so much out of order but rather the time slot just got later and later and then the day changed and then it just disappeared..................... Mind you that same tv station then showed Serentity sometime later and I thought "Why bother" No one has a clue what this is about now!!!
Such a good show which should have lasted a lot longer.

[soulsinging]

Originally Posted by JagLover

There has always been a strong anti-government sentiment in the USA.

I think the reason firefly failed is because it was cancelled before the public had even had a chance to realise how good it was. Which was due partly to scheduling problems such as the network showing the episodes out of their intended order.

It blew my mind when I learned that the series did not begin on tv with the pilot, but rather the train job. I watched it on bluray and I had trouble keeping everyone straight even with the introductions in the pilot. They all but sabotaged its chance of success with that act alone. It's no wonder it didn't catch on.

I do see the OP's point and it kind of ties into this. I think the alliance vs brown coat thing was never all that clear or essential to the original series, it was really only outlined in the movie. You assumed Mal was the good guy, but it was never very clear what's so evil about the alliance until other than the mystery about what happened to River. There are actually many encounters with the alliance where they act decently, if a bit uptight. If it came out now in the same form, I think there would be a lot more interest in the alliance vs independents subtexts. They may have even been downplayed in the series to avoid any controversy.

I thus think part of the problem was that the series might have lacked a good hook when it came out, being just rag tag band of fun misfits more akin to the goonies or oceans 11 than political freedom fighters... the bad guys were tough to identify sometimes and there was no one you loved to root against. So it was fun, but not as immediately compelling until you came to love the characters, a process slow and unpredictable with the masses. They seemed to be feeling that out as they went along, trying and discarding Niska (sp?), the one alliance officer they encountered in multiple episodes, the men with hands in blue... but nothing ever solidified as a regular opponent/purpose for them. I can see this being less of a problem now than it was then, as I think the independent, "keep in the sky and pay the bills" spirit might resonate a lot more strongly with the masses now if done right.

[steve12553]

I missed the series on TV because I sometimes don't get around to a show in a mere ten or twelve weeks. It may be up against something I already watch or I amy work late a couple of times and miss the beginning. I did see the move and was interested enough to find the series on DVD and really enjoyed it. I suspect its failure was more due to the fact that the masses do want action and (melo)drama more than a good story and sympathethic characters. As far as the politics, right now many people distrust the government because they are spending so much time and MONEY passing laws that dictate what our best interests are. Of course, there were many people who felt the past administration didn't spend enough time seeing to our best interests. Even though our current government resembles the Alliance quite a bit, I suspect people don't want their entertainment to be too real.

[Steve Jordan]

The show never got enough of a chance to be seen by the public for them to take any positions about the politics or social settings of Firefly. The Fox execs were the ones who didn't get it, because there were no Klingons and ray guns. Their shoving it around in the timeslots guaranteed it would get horrible ratings, and they pulled it before an audience could latch onto it.

Firefly may have showed an anti-government sentiment, but they presented it in the form of the characters' desire for (here's the button-pusher) Freedom, and doing what they wanted to do without government interference--not to mention protecting the innocent girl from the nasty G-men. That's a set of sentiments that most Americans accept and support, and would have been enough of a reason for audiences to support it... had they known it was actually on TV.