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IMDbPro

Firefly

  • TV Series
  • 2002–20032002–2003
  • TV-14TV-14
  • 44m
IMDb RATING
9.0/10
261K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
423
Adam Baldwin, Nathan Fillion, Ron Glass, Sean Maher, Jewel Staite, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, and Summer Glau in Firefly (2002)
Firefly Season 1 Trailer
Play trailer1:01
5 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Adventure
  • Drama
  • Sci-Fi
Five hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority ag... Read allFive hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.Five hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.
IMDb RATING
9.0/10
261K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
423
  • Creator
    • Joss Whedon
  • Stars
    • Nathan Fillion
    • Gina Torres
    • Alan Tudyk
Top credits
  • Creator
    • Joss Whedon
  • Stars
    • Nathan Fillion
    • Gina Torres
    • Alan Tudyk
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 839User reviews
    • 66Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated TV #26
    • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 5 wins & 8 nominations total

    Episodes14

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated
    1 Season

    Videos5

    Season 1 Trailer
    Trailer 1:01
    Season 1 Trailer
    Firefly: Safe
    Trailer 1:33
    Firefly: Safe
    Firefly: Our Mrs. Reynolds
    Trailer 1:25
    Firefly: Our Mrs. Reynolds
    Firefly: The Train Job
    Trailer 1:01
    Firefly: The Train Job
    Firefly: Serenity
    Trailer 1:31
    Firefly: Serenity

    Photos279

    Nathan Fillion in Firefly (2002)
    Alan Tudyk in Firefly (2002)
    Nathan Fillion in Firefly (2002)
    Adam Baldwin, Nathan Fillion, and Gina Torres in Firefly (2002)
    Adam Baldwin in Firefly (2002)
    Adam Baldwin in Firefly (2002)
    Nathan Fillion, Ron Glass, and Morena Baccarin in Firefly (2002)
    Nathan Fillion, Fredric Lehne, and Morena Baccarin in Firefly (2002)
    Jewel Staite and Morena Baccarin in Firefly (2002)
    Alan Tudyk in Firefly (2002)
    Nathan Fillion and Jewel Staite in Firefly (2002)
    Richard Brooks in Firefly (2002)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Nathan Fillion
    Nathan Fillion
    • Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynoldsas Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds
    14 episodes14 eps • 2002–2003
    Gina Torres
    Gina Torres
    • Zoë Washburneas Zoë Washburne
    14 episodes14 eps • 2002–2003
    Alan Tudyk
    Alan Tudyk
    • Hoban 'Wash' Washburneas Hoban 'Wash' Washburne
    14 episodes14 eps • 2002–2003
    Morena Baccarin
    Morena Baccarin
    • Inara Serraas Inara Serra
    14 episodes14 eps • 2002–2003
    Adam Baldwin
    Adam Baldwin
    • Jayne Cobbas Jayne Cobb
    14 episodes14 eps • 2002–2003
    Jewel Staite
    Jewel Staite
    • Kaylee Fryeas Kaylee Frye
    14 episodes14 eps • 2002–2003
    Sean Maher
    Sean Maher
    • Dr. Simon Tamas Dr. Simon Tam
    14 episodes14 eps • 2002–2003
    Summer Glau
    Summer Glau
    • River Tamas River Tam
    14 episodes14 eps • 2002–2003
    Ron Glass
    Ron Glass
    • Shepherd Derrial Bookas Shepherd Derrial Book
    14 episodes14 eps • 2002–2003
    Christina Hendricks
    Christina Hendricks
    • Saffronas Saffron…
    2 episodes2 eps • 2002–2003
    Mark Sheppard
    Mark Sheppard
    • Badgeras Badger
    2 episodes2 eps • 2002
    Michael Fairman
    Michael Fairman
    • Adelai Niskaas Adelai Niska
    2 episodes2 eps • 2002
    Jeff Ricketts
    Jeff Ricketts
    • Manas Man
    2 episodes2 eps • 2002
    Dennis Cockrum
    Dennis Cockrum
    • Other Manas Other Man
    2 episodes2 eps • 2002
    Zac Efron
    Zac Efron
    • Young Simonas Young Simon…
    2 episodes2 eps • 2002
    Doug Savant
    Doug Savant
    • Commander Harkenas Commander Harken
    1 episode1 ep • 2002
    Gregory Itzin
    Gregory Itzin
    • Magistrate Higginsas Magistrate Higgins
    1 episode1 ep • 2002
    Isabella Hofmann
    Isabella Hofmann
    • Regan Tamas Regan Tam
    1 episode1 ep • 2002
    • Creator
      • Joss Whedon
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Between shots, the cast preferred to wait in the ship's lounge instead of their trailers/dressing rooms.
    • Goofs
      The Chinese characters for "Blue Sun" change from throughout the series. On Jayne's T-shirt, "Blue Sun" is Qing Ri, but in logo signs, it's Lan Ri. In ancient China, as well as Japan, green and blue were seen as different shades of the same color. The character Qing was used to represent both green and blue. In modern China, Lan is the character used for blue.
    • Quotes

      opening song: Take my love, take my land / Take me where I cannot stand / I don't care, I'm still free / You can't take the sky from me / Take me out to the black / Tell 'em I ain't comin' back / Burn the land and boil the sea / You can't take the sky from me / There's no place I can be / Since I found serenity / But you can't take the sky from me

    • Alternate versions
      The DVD episodes end with Joss Whedon and Tim Minear's Executive Producer credit washing across the screen, left to right. On the television episodes, instead of their names, a wireframe model of Serenity fades up.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time/Sex and the City 2/MacGruber (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      The Ballad of Serenity
      Performed by Sonny Rhodes

      Written by Joss Whedon

    User reviews839

    Review
    Top review
    Another series canceled for lack of simple-minded stupidity
    Series creator Joss Whedon took a somewhat familiar concept (science fiction as the new "wild west frontier") and freshened it up with a lively, chemistry-rich cast of characters, a richly detailed, plausible and interesting social setting, a dash of excitement, classic science fiction "find the better part of humanity" ideals, a goal to avoid or make light of most of the tired and worn-out genre cliches and a fantastic production team. The resulting product? An excellent piece of original artful entertainment that was a breath of fresh air in the stagnating science fiction scene on television (or anywhere else).

    Today, where is Firefly? Canceled after airing about 11 episodes, out of order, of the mere 13 episodes contracted. Why? Fox executives considered the ratings to be "abysmal." Were they? This may be subjective. At the time, Fox was (and still is) pushing almost costless, content-free exploitative "reality television" (such as Joe Millionaire) and formula-reuse "genre simulation" eye candy (such as "John Doe"). In comparison, Firefly, with film quality special effects, a full cast, directors, writers, editors and so forth likely looked to be a much smaller payout. After all, television in the USA is not about art or entertainment; it is about making as much money from sponsors as possible.

    Fox didn't think that the Firefly pilot was "exciting" enough. Joss Whedon made some changes to address their concerns. Then Fox didn't even bother to SHOW the pilot until the very last airdate of Firefly, prior to cancellation ("tonight's special: two hour celebration of the cancellation of Firefly!"). Promotion of Firefly was half-hearted at best. On a channel that tells its viewers "Hey, who needs drama?" is there any chance that the marketing people even know HOW to promote something other than sitcoms and exploitative reality shows? Fox is basically telling its own audience that it doesn't like its own programming, so why should people watch it??

    As we face the homogenization of television content, Firefly was a brilliant spark of newness and excitement for those of us (the few) in the television audience that desire thought-provoking story-telling and entertainment that actually requires a viewer's mind to be active instead of blank. To some of us, the outcome was never really in question; how could something this good survive on networks (and with advertisers) that believe the lowest-common-denominator is their ideal target?

    Knowing the likely outcome, the failure of Firefly hurts all the more because of just how good it actually was in such a short amount of time.

    It wasn't about the space ships; it was about the life lived in and around them. It wasn't about the aliens (there weren't any); it was about the people. It wasn't about the struggle between the evil bad-guys and the super heros; it was about the daily struggle to BE a "good-guy" in a world filled with people who often didn't try very hard and the fact that sometimes the heros are just regular people afterall. It wasn't about the sex; it was about the attitudes people have about sex. It wasn't about the profits; it was about selling a good product and deserving the profits.

    It is quite telling to see what kind of programming thrives in this economy and what kind of programming gets a sharp stick in the eye. If we are to believe the executives of Fox and other networks, the viewers of television in the USA are unintelligent, selfish and naive automatons that are only capable of being entertained by programs that exploit the failures, ignorance and stupidity of others.

    What if they're right?

    Luckily, we have the "hard-core" groups of fans to remind us that there are indeed a few active brains seeking stimulation out there. Not to say that all science fiction fans are the best of humanity, it is easy to see that they spend a little more time considering narrative and consequences of actions.

    The fans of Firefly funded, organized and accomplished an advertisement in Variety magazine to support Firefly. Yes, that's right. The fans bought advertising for their favorite show.

    Though it warmed the hearts of the Firefly production team, Fox wasn't impressed. Such groups of fandom are considered fringe and insignificant when compared to the mighty marketing numbers. Still, you have to admit, there must be something good about a show when the fans purchase advertising in major publications to support it.

    The fans still hope that Joss Whedon gets another open-minded network to see that Firefly has great potential as a successful, revenue-generating series. Whedon's previous exploits, the highly successful "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series and its spin-offs, started with a similar "abysmal outlook" but another network had the foresight to give it a healthy chance when Fox was too eager to give up after not seeing instant success and profit after a handful of out-of-order showings. They didn't even bother to show all 13 episodes completed. Maybe someone at Fox's accounting departments ought to make note that it's a waste of resources to pay for episodes and then do nothing with them.

    The chance of recovery isn't good. People move on in search of more employment when the project they were on has been killed. The landscape of television business today has a tendency to portray intelligent programming as "unsuccessful" and "profit-less." Joss Whedon's past successes seem not to matter much to networks hell-bent on making huge profits on zero-product (much like the dot com explosion that ended spectacularly badly years back).

    Networks say they are giving the audiences what they want. It may be more accurate to suggest that networks are limiting the audience's ability to choose anything other than what they're given. It's not likely that everyone will simply turn off the TV and go read a book in protest, is it?

    Back to Firefly: If you like smart science fiction (or just smart fiction in general), well drawn characters and worlds, Firefly would have been a great show to escape into every Friday night as you relax from the daily rituals of work and responsibility. Too bad it never got much of a chance to entertain us.

    With the failure of Firefly at the hands of businessmen and executives who do not even like to watch their own programming, it is clear that the "future Joss Whedons" of television will have a harder time selling their projects to the networks. The result? There's plenty more where "Joe Millionaire" came from; there are countless other profit-seeking formulas that are taking the place of intelligent programming everywhere, calling themselves "Entertainment."

    Frightening.
    helpful•142
    18
    • dysamoria
    • Jan 26, 2003

    FAQ14

    • what gun does Captain Reynolds use as his main firearm?
    • How does "Firefly" relate to the film "Serenity?"
    • What is that other language that the characters are speaking?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 20, 2002 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Hulu
      • Official Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • Mandarin
    • Also known as
      • Firefly: The Series
    • Filming locations
      • Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Mutant Enemy
      • 20th Century Fox Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      44 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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