Firefly Series to Movie to Series?

POSTED BY: Mephisto
UPDATED: Wednesday, January 21, 2004 00:25
VIEWED: 7576
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REKKA2

Saturday, January 17, 2004 7:40 AM

I can vouch for the success of anime on dvd *looks at shelves of anime...*

ALFERDPACKER

Saturday, January 17, 2004 8:14 PM

While anime may work with the profits largely from DVDs, there is a big and crucial difference.

Anime doesn't require constructed sets. Firefly does and that's a large expense. It costs much less to produce an animated episode than something using real people. (Reality TV being the exception.)

People are fond of using Family Guy as a show being resurrected as a result of good DVD sales. What people forget is that Family Guy has no set. All it needs are voice actors.

Firefly's set was dismantled. Any rebirth of the show requires the set to be rebuilt, which is a fairly hefty investment.

CAITLYN

Sunday, January 18, 2004 6:21 PM

In another thread I raised a few other series that got revived. Perhaps the most interesting history of any series, let alone a science fiction series, looks like this: TV-> movie (while TV series was ongoing) -> cancellation -> revived series -> cancellation -> TV movie/pilot -> animated series -> original series revived in 2004.

The above chronology is for Dr. Who. It premiered on BBC One in November, 1963. It's huge success led to two big screen movies in the '60s with Peter Cushing in the lead role. The first, "Doctor Who and the Daleks" did well, while the second "Dcotor Who: Dalek Invasion of Earth 2150 AD" bombed. The series went on for 22 seasons and was cancelled in 1984. After much fan protest it was revived 18 months later with an abbreviated (14 episode) season 23 in 1986. Three more short seasons followed with only marginal success, leading to cancellation in 1989.

By the mid '90s fan interest and video sales sparked the interest of a fan, Steven Speilberg, to do a movie. The rights issues scuttled that, but BBC teamed with Fox to do a TV movie as a pilot for a revived series in 1996. It aired on Fox in the U.S. and was pretty well reviled.

In the meanwhile, fan interest and strong DVD sales in recent years led to a webcast of an animated tribute episode to Douglas Adams of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fame. Adams was a regular writer for Dr. Who and was script editor for season 17. In "The Pirate Planet' (season 16) you'll hear a lot of lines that were later ripped off for Hitchhiker's. But I digress...

The webcast was successful, and that led to an animated series last year. That, and ongoing strong DVD sales, have led to the BBC putting Dr. Who back into production with it's return (season 27) slated for Fall, 2004.

Bottom line: anything can happen if people believe there is money to be made off an old series. Look at Battlestar Galactica for another recent example. Glen A. Larson, creator of the original series for ABC, was also the creator of the new one for SciFi. Keen Eddie (granted, not science fiction) is coming back after a strong fan campaign.

Oh, and for those of you who don't remember, Seinfeld bombed in it's original run and was quickly cancelled. Unaired episodes were used as midsummer filler, had huge ratings, and the rest is history.

KAYLEE
But cow? How do you figure?

SIMON
It's upside down.

She cranes her head upside down, looks. Nods, sagely...

KAYLEE
Okay, then. Cow.

JAKE7

Sunday, January 18, 2004 6:45 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Caitlyn:
...Keen Eddie (granted, not science fiction) is coming back after a strong fan campaign.

Really? I loved that show! Got a link to more information? You can just email me with the info if you like: JAWGS@netscape.net

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MAL: Everybody's makin' a fuss.

CAITLYN

Sunday, January 18, 2004 7:03 PM

http://www.bravotv.com/Keen_Eddie/

The will be running the sever episodes already aired plus six more which haven't been seen. If the ratings are good Bravo already has obtained the rights for season two.

"No, the book is wrong. This whole
conclusion is fallacious."

JAKE7

Sunday, January 18, 2004 7:07 PM

THANK YOU!!

Very timely, too. as it comes back *this* week!

Oh Happy Day! (not to be confused with "Oh Ecstatic Day" when we get the next Firefly installment, be it movie or TV series!)

Best of all - it's NOT on F*x!!!

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MAL: Everybody's makin' a fuss.

CAITLYN

Monday, January 19, 2004 7:24 PM

My pleasure, Jake. Enjoy the Eddie reruns. My housemate loves the show, so I'll get to see them if I want to be in the living room playing with the ferrets.

Oh, and yeah, I'd just love to be the one to post the info on Firefly's return. Might be a while

"There ain't nothing wrong with this.
Not that I can see, anyhow."

BOBAFETT677

Tuesday, January 20, 2004 8:28 AM

I watched the first four episodes of Firefly and I thought they were good but not over the top. As time past I meant to watch Firefly but I got busy with college and I did not have time. When I heard that Firefly got canceled I did not feel too distraught about it.

A week ago a friend of mine was visiting and brought the DVDs of Firefly over and he watched them all the way through and said that Firefly was better the second time around. I was quit surprised that there was a DVD set, so I decided to give Firefly another chance. After the first two episodes I fell in love with the series and watched the complete set in two days. When I watched the last episode I felt saddened that this was the last program. Now I will never learn what secrets the Shepherd had or learn more about River and what she has evolved into.

So I thought that there would be a fan web site trying to bring the show back. When I did a google search on Firefly I found this site. Through the information provided I was quite distraught to find out that the Fox network messed with the timing of the episodes. I think the show would have fared better if the episodes would have been shown in order. I was excited to read that there was a possibility of a Firefly movie. A Firefly movie has a potential to be a great movie if they can recreate the same chemistry and atmosphere as the series. Although I would rather that they bring back the series. I feel that Firefly is turning into a cult classic.

Bobafett677

Bobafett677

JAKE7

Tuesday, January 20, 2004 5:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Caitlyn:
...Oh, and yeah, I'd just love to be the one to post the info on Firefly's return. Might be a while

That would be most excellent!

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MAL: Everybody's makin' a fuss.

TALLGRRL

Tuesday, January 20, 2004 11:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cardie:
Star Trek was in danger of cancellation, and the fan campaign helped get it renewed for seasons 2 and 3, but it was never cancelled and then brought back, on the same network or anywhere else, except in the movies. TNG was not on TOS's original network (NBC) but sold directly to individual stations via syndication.

Cardie

I don't want to sound negative, but those were the Old Days.
The X-Files wasn't a hit, but it was given time and became a cult hit. Then it became a Hit with a capital "h".
These days, with numbers like X-Files had in the beginning, it would be canceled.
Networks, like record labels, are no longer in the business of "nurturing" something. They want a hit out of the box or it's on the the next hopefully Big Money-making thing. Like stupid, insipid, insulting, cheap-to-make "reality" shows.
And does anyone (especially the two morons starring in "The Simple Life") know that one of the definitions of "simple" is "lacking intelligence or sense"?
If "Firefly" were to be a big enough hit as a movie that someone would want to bring it back to the small screen, I pray that that someone would be Sc-Fi. On cable they'd have a little more freedom in their content.

"Take me, sir. Take me hard."

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