Why isn't SCIFI picking up this SHOW!!!
POSTED BY: shoreguy
UPDATED: Thursday, December 1, 2005 08:38
VIEWED: 11447
PAGE 1 of 4
Come on FIREFLY is way better than the boring Stargate series line. I like Battlestar G. though. SCIFI has a real opportunity too pickup a great show. Let's face it FIREFLY doesnot belong on a primetime channel. Do you see the cr*ppy shows on regular TV nowadays (DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA) I can't see why SCIFI hasn't jumped on this SERIES...
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From what (little) I understand, Fox is demanding exorborant fees of anyone interested in taking up the franchise. SciFi can't afford it. 
Rabit
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Without going into a lot of detail, the main reason is this: FOX still owns the TV rights, which include distribution and production, for "Firefly". Though Sci-Fi Channel, which is owned by parent company Universal Pictures, has liscenced "Firefly" for syndicated viewing, it's FOX that has full control of them.
Which brings up the Big Wrinkle. For Joss to get "Serenity" made, he had to come to an agreement with FOX that he could take the film release rights with him to shop around wherever he wanted. Yet FOX would continue to retain the television distribution rights for a total of no less than 10 years. That's right: 10 years!!! So unless the contract is renegotiated in some way, no one but FOX themselves can produce a new "Firefly" series (And ya know we don't REALLY want that).
So as much as we as fans and viewers would love to see Sci-Fi pick it up and create new episodes, Universal simply doesn't have the power or ability to do so. So unless they are willing to go into contract negotiations with FOX for aquisition of rights, I probobly wouldn't hold my breath for anymore "Firefly" anytime soon.
At best, we can hope for a theatre sequal (Though that probobly isn't really as likely as it might have been prior to "Serenity's" theatrical release) or maybe a direct to video release of a sequal.
This information I have provided comes from two sorces. One: From the first Serenity cast panal at Dragon*Con 2005, where Adam, Ron, Jewel and Morena answered this specific question for the crowd. And from a playback interview with Jewel that is available for listening at The Signal ( www.serenityfirefly.com), podcast Special Edition show #3.
Hope this helps you with why we don't seem to be getting any new episodes. It sucks. But this the reason why.
"Yeah, grenades cost extra."
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So SciFi could still pick up Firfly, if they could come to an agreement with Fox on the price for releasing the rights.
I wonder how much Fox wants.
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With regards to the possibility of a sequel, I look ast it this way: If Underworld, Resident Evil, and the Dungeons and Dragons movie can get sequels, so can our BDM. I for one am holding out hope. After all, there is precedent for the sequel doing much better than the original. Just look at Saw II.
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"The people who don't care about anything will never understand the people who do."
"Yeah, but we wont care!"
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One other thing to keep in mind, just because FOX owns the rights to produce a new series, it doesn't mean that it has to be ON FOX. There is a difference between FOX Network, and FOX productions. FOX has, and still does, produce shows that air on other networks. Buffy and Angel being key examples. And there's even a bit more parallel, in that FOX network passed on the original Buffy pilot, though FOX productions still made the show for WB (and later UPN).
So, technically speaking, no one has to buy the rights to make Firefly, they just have to reach an agreement with FOX for the distribution.
"Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle."
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Quote:
For Joss to get "Serenity" made, he had to come to an agreement with FOX that he could take the film release rights with him to shop around wherever he wanted. Yet FOX would continue to retain the television distribution rights for a total of no less than 10 years. That's right: 10 years!!! So unless the contract is renegotiated in some way, no one but FOX themselves can produce a new "Firefly" series
To quote Indiana Jones:
"Fools. Bureaucratic fools. They don't know what they've got there."
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ANother issue is that each episode costs to much for Sci Fi channel to produce. I believe its 5 million per episode. Ouch.
What I dont understand is why it would still cost that much with further episodes. The set is allready built, most the graphics allready made, music allready done, etc etc. Seems to me they can just use what was allready bought and paid for and run with it. hmmm
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Fox considers Firefly to have been a huge failure. The pilot cost $10 million and the remaining 13 hours were produced, I believe, at $2 to 3 million a piece (please, correct me if I'm wrong). That failure is still logged in their accountant's books in red ink and will not be forgotten by them.
The 'verse does get more valuable to Fox with each new fan but not in the Family Guy (put it back into production) kind of way. From Fox's standpoint selling off Firefly would be a once-in-a-network's-lifetime opportunity to recover cash on a failed show. This happens so rarely they will undoubtedly ask a HUGE sum should someone come a courtin'.
The growing popularity of the franchise actually hurts the chances of the show coming back anywhere but Fox and I believe Joss has stated he will never work with the Fox network again.
For Firefly to return to television either of the following would have to happen:
* A new show with a new title and mostly new actors but same basic premise could dodge the Fox contract. Firefly Atlantis, anyone?
* Joss would have to get back in bed with Fox and play in their heavily mined playground.
* One of the big three networks (or HBO, perhaps?) would have to buy the show rights from Fox for an exorbitant fee. This price would be paid before any production money would be spent. Ratings expectations would be very high.
* If the Fox contract loophole is big enough, Firefly/Serenity could go the direct to DVD route with mini-series or movies. I'm certain Fox lawyers would have something to say about that and could muck up the proceedings.
With the exception of re-runs, it's not looking good for the return of Firefly/Serenity on the small screen anytime soon.
mattro
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The 10 year thing is not true.
Firefly did do that well in the ratings when it aired on Sci-Fi. Firefly costs more than the most expensive Sci-Fi show to produce. Sci-Fi shoots their most expensive shows in Canada, Joss likes to shoot in LA.
"I swallowed a bug." -River Tam
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