Good SF TV: "Firefly" DVD Set Released

[Donnie B.]

Hi, all,

I thought I'd brag a little, and make a recommendation for some good science fiction. The short-lived series, "Firefly", cancelled by Fox after only a half-dozen episodes, has now been released on DVD. It includes all the episodes in the proper order (not in the order they aired), and three episodes that were never shown!

I haven't had a chance to watch the whole series yet -- busy holiday season and all -- but those of us who enjoyed its brief run (and you lucky folks that haven't seen it yet) should put this DVD set on their Santa list... :wink:

[TinFoilHat]

I've got the 4-DVD set sitting here on my desk. I'll be spending the next two weeks on vacation, with a TV and a DVD player.

[tbg]

Loved that show. Fox should have given it a chance. And I never did understand the logic of airing the first episode last.

[Wingnut Ninja]

It's so tempting; Amazon has it for $35.

[AstroSmurf]

I bought the box set on a whim, and was really pleasantly surprised - good stuff, tremendously so. Joss Whedon seems to know his craft, though I'm not a regular Buffy/Angel fan.

It's a shame the series didn't sell; I'd have liked to see more of it. What annoyed me somewhat was the rather obvious correspondences to the "Wild West" era - I'd have preferred something that wasn't a one-for-one copy.

Oh, and some of the commentary tracks were just hilarious, especially when Joss and Nathan(?) get going.

[Donnie B.]

Well, with the holidays past, I finally got back to watching the Firefly set. I'm more impressed than ever.

When you watch the entire series in proper order, it's obvious just how much thought went into it, and how well-written it is... not just episode by episode, but as a story arc. Minor characters from early episodes reappear later. The main characters develop and deepen. Mysteries are revealed, and new ones appear.

What's more, the show is just plain beautiful. The sets, lighting, costumes, and CGI work are all top-notch. The ship Serenity (which is as much a character as any of the cast) was painstakingly thought out. Scenes on the ship are lighted and shot within a truly closed space -- there are ceilings, and they don't remove a wall to shoot a scene.

For me, this series has it all. It's a clever mix of the familiar (blending many different existing cultures from the Wild West to Far East -- the characters often break into Chinese, especially when swearing) with the unknown (space travel, future setting). There are moments of eye-popping intensity, some big laughs, twists and turns. Hey, any series that mixes spaceflight (silent!) with horseback riders can't be all bad!

One interesting thing is the way they handle the faster-than-light problem: they ignore it. The show is structured as if the whole thing takes place in one very large star system. If the ship has to travel from one planet to another, there's no big fuss about warp speeds or jump gates -- it just goes, over a period of days or weeks. Not exactly hard-SF, but that's not what Firefly is all about.

I also want to echo AstroSmurf's remarks on the commentary tracks. Don't miss this feature of the DVD set! They reveal a lot of fascinating information -- especially the ones done by the producers and technical people. Not that the actors don't have valuable insights too, but the real meat is in the behind-the-scenes stuff that reveals the workings of the creative minds responsible for the series. My only complaint: less than half the episodes have commentary.

If Fox TV didn't have enough to answer for already, their early decision to give up on this show has to be their crowning ignominy, at least from the perspective of this SF fan. Let's hope Joss Whedon and his team can get green-lighted to make some new Firefly movies.

[Wingnut Ninja]

It's so tempting; Amazon has it for $35.

Just bumping to say I finally ordered this. Looking forward to it. Any further thoughts on it?

[Starbuck]

Can't wait for the movie
(don't let the mismatched info fool you, that *is* the entry for the forthcoming Firefly film, due more likely in 2005)

[Donnie B.]

It's so tempting; Amazon has it for $35.

Just bumping to say I finally ordered this. Looking forward to it. Any further thoughts on it?

Only this: you're gonna love watching it, and then you're gonna be mad because there's no more of it to watch.

Did I mention I like this show? :wink:

I have made a low-res DVD-R copy of Disc 1 of this collection, and lent it to friends. So far I've sold three more sets to people that just had to see the rest of the series (out of three people who borrowed it). I hope nobody scolds me for duplicating copyrighted material -- in this case, it's definitely in a good cause, and is generating sales. My only regret is that the revenue is going to those bozos at Fox Entertainment, but maybe the dollar signs will make them see the light.

[Donnie B.]

Can't wait for the movie
(don't let the mismatched info fool you, that *is* the entry for the forthcoming Firefly film, due more likely in 2005)

That's great to see... if it's really moving forward as planned. It's very reassuring to see that the entire original cast is credited. I was sure some of the actors would be on to other things.

[Stuart]

I have made a low-res DVD-R copy of Disc 1 of this collection, and lent it to friends. So far I've sold three more sets to people that just had to see the rest of the series (out of three people who borrowed it). I hope nobody scolds me for duplicating copyrighted material -- in this case, it's definitely in a good cause, and is generating sales.

Do you realize you have just publically confessed to committing a Federal Felony? One that the Fully Born Irish take very seriously and are having a binge on right as we speak. You are not going to get scolded, you will be getting a thumping great fine, a possible prison sentence and a felony conviction record that will haunt you for years.

Keep an eye out for black Chevvy Suburbans.

[Wingnut Ninja]

No noises in space!

I'm halfway through the pilot so far. Looks very good.

[gethen]

So I picked this set up based entirely on the recommendations I read here and I just watched the first episode. One of the best television productions I've seen in a long time. Thanks Donnie B. for the heads-up. I love it.

[Wingnut Ninja]

I absolutely love how they can, say, fire a machine gun in space (sacrificing a spacesuit to do it, since it needs oxygen) and there's absolutely no noise.

Mal is like a cross between Han Solo and Captian Kirk.

[Donnie B.]

I absolutely love how they can, say, fire a machine gun in space (sacrificing a spacesuit to do it, since it needs oxygen) and there's absolutely no noise.

Mal is like a cross between Han Solo and Captian Kirk.

More Han than Jim, I'd say, and more like a real person than either one.

Not just for you, WN:
Glad to hear you're all enjoying the set. If anyone gets it (on our recommendation or otherwise) and does not enjoy it, I'd like to hear about it. So far, opinion among my friends is universally positive. Kind of makes me wonder what Fox based their cancellation decision on...

Oh yeah, what was I thinking? Fox := lowest common denominator television. Firefly definitely doesn't fit that mold.

[Donnie B.]

So I picked this set up based entirely on the recommendations I read here and I just watched the first episode. One of the best television productions I've seen in a long time. Thanks Donnie B. for the heads-up. I love it.

I'm totally glad to hear it! =D>

[Donnie B.]

I have made a low-res DVD-R copy of Disc 1 of this collection, and lent it to friends. So far I've sold three more sets to people that just had to see the rest of the series (out of three people who borrowed it). I hope nobody scolds me for duplicating copyrighted material -- in this case, it's definitely in a good cause, and is generating sales.

Do you realize you have just publically confessed to committing a Federal Felony? One that the Fully Born Irish take very seriously and are having a binge on right as we speak. You are not going to get scolded, you will be getting a thumping great fine, a possible prison sentence and a felony conviction record that will haunt you for years.

Keep an eye out for black Chevvy Suburbans.

Nyaaaahhhh! Come in and get me, ya doity coppahs! You ain't never gonna take me alive!

[...hums: "You can't take the sky from me..."]

[gethen]

I love all the characters--no one is all good or all bad, and you never know when they're gonna go for the joke (Kayly's dead) or when it's for real. Just like real life. Have gone through 2 discs so far. I might have to quit watching for a while, because I just don't want it to be over. Curse Fox!!!!!!!!

[Wingnut Ninja]

I absolutely love how they can, say, fire a machine gun in space (sacrificing a spacesuit to do it, since it needs oxygen) and there's absolutely no noise.

Mal is like a cross between Han Solo and Captian Kirk.

More Han than Jim, I'd say, and more like a real person than either one.

He's definitely more like Han character-wise, but his role very Kirk-ish. Han was more of a bus driver than a captain.

Oh yeah, what was I thinking? Fox := lowest common denominator television. Firefly definitely doesn't fit that mold.

Watching the little documentary on the last disc is so sad. The producers are talking about how great a show it was, and all Fox wanted was "MORE ACTION AND GUNS AND MAYBE BOOBIES".

[gethen]

O.K. I've watched all the discs, and am on the second trip through and I am totally astounded that Fox actually cancelled this series. Even my spouse, not known for being partcularly imaginative, and never a sci-fi fan, thinks these are great fun. What did Fox do? Run the series opposite some blockbuster network hit? Not advertise it at all? Sheesh. I'm crushed.

[Wingnut Ninja]

What did Fox do? Run the series opposite some blockbuster network hit? Not advertise it at all? Sheesh. I'm crushed.

From what I hear they pre-empted multiple episodes, including the pilot, in favor of sports.

[Rich]

As previously noted they also placed it on Friday night - the oubliet of primetime television (especially Fox). Also, from Wikipedia "in particular, the show was promoted as an action-comedy rather than the more serious character study it was intended to be, the shows were repeatedly preempted for sporting events, and the episodes were aired out of order with respect to the creators' intent..."

Moving any Fox show, let alone a brand new one, to a Friday night is the equivalent of shooting a perfectly good race horse in the leg and then complaining that it's lame.

Fox has had multiple opportunities with some awesome shows and they almost always find a way to destroy them. A short list of recently euthanised programs includes:

Firefly
Andy Richter (one of the smartest comedies I've ever seen kept me laughng beginning to end - dead!)
John Doe (silly premise - good show all the same)
Titus (killed by taking smart, edgy comedy and boiling it down to beer, fart, and boob jokes)
Freaks and Geeks
Futurama (a sin that shall never be forgiven)

Fox has killed show after show. I'm expecting "Arrested Development" to be promptly killed later this year... simply because it's good. I'm frankly shocked they're bringing "Oliver Beene" another smart, funny show back... it simply doesn't fit the Fox serial (pun intended) show killer profile.

[Rich]

I forgot "Keen Eddie"

I loved that show!

[Donnie B.]

Rich laid out most of Fox's blunders. One he omitted: they did a lousy job of promoting the series before it aired. Even most S-F fans I know didn't know a thing about it in advance. I happened to catch one of the few promos for the series, which was reinforced by a mention in some other context... so I managed to catch the premier.

Regarding the sequencing of the episodes, that was totally botched. Firefly is a series that has a story arc, and later episodes refer to events in earlier ones. However, this is the sequence in which they were shown ([gap] indicates a week in which it was preempted):

2-3-6-[gap]-7-8-4-5-9-[gap]-[gap]-10-14-1

Episodes 11, 12, and 13 were never aired.

Notice that lonely little '1' at the end of the list? That was the 2-hour pilot, the show that introduced the characters and situation.

Brilliant! #-o

[tbg]

A short list of recently euthanised programs includes:

Firefly
Andy Richter (one of the smartest comedies I've ever seen kept me laughng beginning to end - dead!)
John Doe (silly premise - good show all the same)
Titus (killed by taking smart, edgy comedy and boiling it down to beer, fart, and boob jokes)
Freaks and Geeks
Futurama (a sin that shall never be forgiven)

Freaks and Geeks aired on NBC, not Fox. Maybe you are confusing it with Undeclared, which featured a few of the actors from F&G.

Yeah, Fox botches some great shows. Firefly should have at least been moved to another timeslot or something. But what do you expect when they can't even air episodes in the right order?[/b]

[Rich]

A short list of recently euthanised programs includes:

Firefly
Andy Richter (one of the smartest comedies I've ever seen kept me laughng beginning to end - dead!)
John Doe (silly premise - good show all the same)
Titus (killed by taking smart, edgy comedy and boiling it down to beer, fart, and boob jokes)
Freaks and Geeks
Futurama (a sin that shall never be forgiven)

Freaks and Geeks aired on NBC, not Fox. Maybe you are confusing it with Undeclared, which featured a few of the actors from F&G.

Yeah, Fox botches some great shows. Firefly should have at least been moved to another timeslot or something. But what do you expect when they can't even air episodes in the right order?[/b]

You are right! And I was thinking of "Undeclared"... loved it!

[Ripper 2.0]

I just got back, and the wife had the set waiting for me. Damn the pinheads at Fox for sabbotaging this show. Compared to some of the crap out there this one really shines.

[gethen]

I just got back, and the wife had the set waiting for me. Damn the pinheads at Fox for sabbotaging this show. Compared to some of the crap out there this one really shines.

As I said earlier, it's one of the best tv series I've seen, sf or mainstream, and I really am having trouble understanding how Fox missed the boat on this one. Could have been the next Star Trek. Maybe it will go that route, gathering a loyal cult following until some network picks it up in 10 years to cash in on the cult status and recasts it. Shame. The current cast is perfect.

[Ripper 2.0]

It is particularly bothersome when you look at some of the other shows on Fox.

[Donnie B.]

There's been some bad news lately for Firefly fans. Despite the good sales of the DVD set, the deal for a new Firefly movie is stalled. The problem seems to be with working out a distribution deal; Universal (who holds the movie rights) is on board and ready to go.

Another problem: Nathan Fillion ("Mal Reynolds", the captain of the Serenity) has been cast in a new Fox TV series (as a detective in a police drama, I understand). It's hard to say what impact that might have on the movie or any subsequent Firefly production.

Is it a bad thing to hope that new series doesn't succeed? ops: