Why Firefly and Serenity Didn't Become Bigger Hits?
POSTED BY: fireflyfan278
UPDATED: Thursday, December 1, 2005 01:03
VIEWED: 9856
PAGE 3 of 3
Well, darn, I went and left my crystal ball behind on the one day I could have used it 
I could not for the life of me give a credible answer as to why these weren't huge hits, especially since me and everyone I know likes them.
I imagine the fact that the show wasn't aired for long, and that the way it was aired was screwed up had to do with it. Also, Serenity was released during a time period when even movies with big-name stars were struggling to pull in the dollars.
Personally, I think the show's theme and credits probably attracted as many people as it ran off, if not more. I fell in love with the thing immediately. When I watch TV on DVD, I always skip the intro credits - except Firefly, which I watch every time.
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"Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you when she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home." .......We love you, captain.
"This is the captain. We may experience some slight turbulence and then.....explode"
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Quote:
Originally posted by jetflair:
When I watch TV on DVD, I always skip the intro credits - except Firefly, which I watch every time.
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Exactly! Southerners can appreciate some good ol' folk music, not like those Yanks and their Rock
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I blame viewers in general. So many of the mainstream tv watchers have been brainwashed by the Star Trek garbage. (And to me, it is garbage. Star Trek is largely a Socialist universe).
I heard comments like "Well I liked the Star Trek and Star Wars stuff, but I just couldn't get into Firefly."
Of course, Fox garbling up the episodes hurt quite a bit.
And, I've said before I found the lack of aliens in the show brilliant, because I don't believe there are any aliens in our solar system. There is life in space, no doubt, but not anything close enough to visit us. Alot of people thought the opposite.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Browncoater:
(And to me, it is garbage. Star Trek is largely a Socialist universe).
I've never bought into the idea that ST is a socialist universe. It seems a might fascist to me. In fact I find it very hard to tell the difference between the Alliance and the Federation.
That is another thread though...
extremely dimensionally transcendental
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Hmmm...Why is that neither the show nor the movie were a success? Well as far as the show is concerned, I agree with what many have said in that it is a dark time for sci-fi on television these days. Unless a show is a supernova hit right out of the gate, chances are the network is not going to get behind it. Sci-fi shows are expensive and as such have no patience with them. Also, Fox just didn't know what to make of FF. Is it a scifi show, is it a western? Is the show totally schizo?
As far as the film is concerned, that is a tougher question. The time of year in which it was released didn't help. I think it would have done better as a holiday film myself. My biggest concern has been for newbies being dropped into a story already in progress. Add to that the stigma of it being a movie based on a "failed" tv series some people probably thought that it just wasn't worth their time. Also, the fact that a highly spirited group of fans revived the show into movie might have worked against us. When people think of dedicated sci-fi fans they get images longhaired, overweight, stubbly faced geeks who still live at home. The kind of people William Shatner told to "get a life" in that infamous SNL sketch.
Which of cource is not us. Heck my 60 year old mother is now a browncoat. She loves the show to death and is not typically a sci-fi fan.
Anyway, lets look at whats in our favor now. I was at Best Buy the other day and Firefly was on their New Release table at the front of the store. The set was released 3 years ago! The movie only increased our fanbase, not lessened it. The dvd of the movie is getting alot of preorder action on Amazon just like the series did. I was in Suncoast Movie store yesterday and say Malcom Reynolds action figures. And just about everyone I've talked to say that they get hooked on the show after watching one episode.
Its like a virus, really. And maybe im wrong, but I have a feeling that the people at Universal know this. They are just waiting to see just how far this virus will spread. If they like what they see, they'll greenlight a sequel. That's why its still on us to spread the word as much as we can. If get em at the big screen, we'll get em with the small screen.
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Wow, I've been lectured several times over the years by economists on the Star Trek universe being socialistic. I've never heard it was fascist.
Oh well. Quality shows like Firefly die on the vine, yet the run of the mill crap that makes up evening television on most nights continues on.
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Quote:
Originally posted by maxgremlin:
And just about everyone I've talked to say that they get hooked on the show after watching one episode.
Its like a virus, really. And maybe im wrong, but I have a feeling that the people at Universal know this. They are just waiting to see just how far this virus will spread. If they like what they see, they'll greenlight a sequel. That's why its still on us to spread the word as much as we can. If get em at the big screen, we'll get em with the small screen.
I agree with all of this... I've seen it first hand! Everyone I share this show with- they've fallen in love with it! To the point where they talk about it with me, ask me questions, tell me they are not getting work done at home, because they are watching it!
I play it at my job, on the tv in my office....and people lean in my doorway and watch, all ages, all genders and they ask me, " "What is that?" and they wanna know how to see more of it... it IS a virus and I think that the folks at Universal know that it'll spread like that thru everyone who is exposed. I think Joss and they are COUNTING on it. And I'm just gonna keep on spreading it.
"Everything looks good from here..." Wash
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Seems like everyone's on the same track, but for the sake of coherence I'll try and tie everything together.
Serenity did badly because it had problems with marketing and because the average moviegoer prefers action/teen comedy/horror over sci-fi anything. Essentially the only crowd for this movie were 16-30 (30's probably pushing it), and in that age range only a certain kind of person would be able to recognize Serenity for what it is from previews/critics alone.
Firefly did badly because Fox dropped the ball. Full stop.
If you ask me, though, it's of no consequence that neither work has taken off yet (although I'd say Firefly has taken off with DVD sales, and Serenity will undoubtedly follow). The reason I say that is because Joss Whedon's career is about to explode with Wonder Woman. Now I may be a bit pretentious saying that WW is gonna be a big hit, but unless it's as bad as Elektra.......bahahahahahahahaha! Okay, sorry. Yeah, WW's gonna be a hit. After that happens, Joss's price will go up and then studios will be wanting him to do other work, and it's going to be that much easier for him to continue the Firefly story, which he wants to do. Can't stop the signal...
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Quote:
Oh well. Quality shows like Firefly die on the vine, yet the run of the mill crap that makes up evening television on most nights continues on.
Wait a minute! CSI: is a good show. ESPN has a lot of good shows.
Okay, other than those exceptions, I'm with ya.
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I don't watch sports, so ESPN is out.
CSI, Law and Order, most of those programs get alot of things dead wrong, especially gun-related "facts", and are filled with social/political stereotyping, much of it inaccurate. I respectfully disagree they are good shows.
Just about everything on network tv to me is junk.
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