This month’s series is Firefly (2002-2003).
The sci-fi/western drama is about a crew of smugglers five hundred years in the future captained by Malcolm Reynolds, a veteran of the Unification War (on the losing side). Mal wants to be free and be as far away from the Alliance as possible. But there are not a lot of honest jobs outside the Alliance, so he and his crew work as smugglers from time to time. Things are going ok, before stowaways bring the Alliance after them. The show is by master TV auteur Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel). Whedon writes wonderful characters, and these are among his best. Producer, director and writer Tim Minear (Terriers and Wonderfalls) also worked extensively on the show. The series has an absolutely fantastic charismatic cast with Nathan Fillion (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and Castle), Gina Torres (Huge), Alan Tudyk (Dollhouse), Morena Baccarin (V), Adam Baldwin (Chuck), Jewel Staite (Stargate: Atlantis), Sean Maher (Party of Five), Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles), and Ron Glass (Barney Miller), not to mention great guest appearances by Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) and Michael Fairman (The Young and the Restless). Sadly, the show did not find a large enough audience on TV (plus Fox aired the episodes out of order) and Fox cancelled it midway through the first season. Whedon made a feature film Serenity, to serve as a final chapter to the saga (though there are rumors that he may return to the material in the future, which I personally would love almost above all other potential possible projects) and there are three comic books (V1, V2 and V3) that bridge the series to the film featuring stories that would have been in seasons one and two had the show continued. What makes the series great is how well everything works together. It is very funny and entertaining, yet moving and emotionally gripping. The viewer really cares about the characters. This is one of my personal top five favorite television shows and I think it is a must for all sci-fi, western and lovers of great TV. Check out the trailer for Serenity.
Nathan Fillion has gotten ffaaaaaaaaaattttt.
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