‘Firefly’: Best Cancelled Sci-Fi TV Show ever? Vote in the Bingewatch Awards!

We at Film Daily love to stick up for a good show whose life has been cut short. Whether it’s Shadowhunters, Lucifer, or Gotham, we’re here to fight for the fans who refuse to let their shows end unfinished. But of course we have to honor the show that was one of the first to create this kind of outrage: Firefly. 

Fox’s space western was tragically mishandled by the network, leading to a poor timeslot and little to no marketing. Naturally, Firefly got cut after one season. But in the 16 years since the show met its untimely demise, the Browncoats stayed true to Firefly and the crew of the Serenity.

To this day, fans continue to fight to see Nathan Fillion and co. return to Serenity by any means possible. We definitely don’t blame them at all. Firefly is a one-of-a-kind show that in today’s media landscape could survive and thrive. So to the Browncoats fighting the good fight: we salute you!

It’s only fitting that Firefly find a place in our Best Cancelled Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show poll as part of the Bingewatch Awards. Browncoat: you’ve been fighting for the longest time to see Captain Mal and his crew return to your television screens. Here is your chance to prove your dedication. 

In the 13 years since Firefly’s tragic cancellation, so many other sci-fi and fantasy shows have followed suit, but we know the pain the Browncoats have been through. You can vote in the Best Cancelled Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show poll until October 7th, so Browncoats: fight for your title.

If you need a little motivation, we know why this show deserves a second chance. Firefly was a brilliant concept from Joss Whedon that just didn’t get the attention from Fox it deserved, but it still lives on today thanks to its absurdly high quality.

Will-they-won’t-they tension between Captain Mal and Inara

Let’s just get this out of the way: Joss Whedon blueballed us. Though it is implied in the comics after Firefly that Mal (Nathan Fillion) and Inara (Morena Baccarin) end up together, the TV show leaves us with so much sexual tension you can cut it with a knife. While Mal was deeply bothered that Inara was a Companion (essentially a legalized escort), he still stuck up for her to other people and treated her like the rest of his crew. 

Inara mirrored this attitude, constantly questioning Mal’s ethics – yet protecting him from danger whenever she could. The tension between the two of them was always great, but tension can only go so far. We need to see Mal and Inara together – even an off-again-on-again romance would be better than the unspoken feelings Firefly left them on.

Firefly would be the perfect excuse for a Whedon crossover

Under Joss Whedon’s Mutant Enemy Productions, we got Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse, and of course, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Imagine the crossover Whedon could do if Firefly came back: Alliance security officer Buffy is secretly working undercover to gather information about Serenity’s crew.

Or: the Bad Horse’s Evil League of Evil tries to dismantle the Alliance, and all the while Dr. Horrible is appalled anytime he looks at Mal. Heck, it could be revealed that Companions are actually just the remnants of the Dollhouses from the early 21st century. Since so many of Whedon’s projects have been released since Firefly, there’s plenty of opportunity to incorporate their plotlines and characters into Firefly’s story. 

Hate our lame ideas? Tweet us your Firefly crossover dream.

Firefly presents a plausible future

Sci-fi usually focuses on the futuristic, but sometimes fictional tech either blatantly breaks what we consider physics, or is so advanced as to be unrelatable. Firefly on the other hand combines believable technology with believable humanity.

Whedon has gone on record saying his vision when creating Firefly was “nothing will change in the future: technology will advance, but we will still have the same political, moral, and ethical problems from today.” 

Firefly truly sticks with this concept: the technology has advanced from 2002, but the issues the Serenity crew deal with were very relevant for 2002. Firefly is sci-fi grounded in reality.

Firefly’s writing is impeccable 

By the time Firefly debuted, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel showed the world that Joss Whedon knew how to create glorious sci-fi/fantasy worlds. Firefly definitely lived up to the hype behind Whedon’s name. The show’s writing is spectacular, thanks in great part to its unexpected comedy during intense space opera plotlines. 

Subpar sci-fi tends to get its worldbuilding done via turgid dialogue. By delivering exposition cleverly and with humor, Firefly simultaneously sets up the plot context while entertaining viewers. All the while, the writers team utilized Old West U.S. English, new slang, and Chinese influences to compose incredibly clever, snappy dialogue that shines far more brightly than most any other TV show before or since.

Everything Wash (Alan Tudyk)

Just as Nathan Fillion has kept his title of king of the nerds since Firefly’s airing, Alan Tudyk has become bigger and better, even becoming Disney’s golden voice in every film since Wreck-It Ralph. But as great as it is to see Tudyk get more credit for his outstanding performances, there was no greater space pilot than Wash. 

Wash’s heart is full of pure love for his tough-as-nails wife Zoe – and flying. He always knows how to crack a joke even at the worst times. Wash found his home on Serenity and cares for the crew as family with unwavering support. Watching Wash meet his demise in Serenity is heartbreaking – which just goes to show how great of an impact his character leaves on fans.

— 

If you want to voice your love for the Serenity crew and the impact it left behind, you can vote for Firefly for Best Cancelled Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show in our Bingewatch Awards until October 7th.