Was Firefly just ahead of its time?

POSTED BY: Geezer
UPDATED: Monday, March 21, 2011 18:56
VIEWED: 3129
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GWEK

Monday, March 21, 2011 5:55 PM

Yeah, the thing with FOX in those days was that they had become so successful that they forget about their past, when they were desperate. They have always wanted a genre show that could match the success of X-FILES, but seem to forget that the reason X-FILES succeeded was because they gave it time... and they gave it time because they didn't exactly have a lot of other options. Many of FOX's early successes would never have made it on ABC, CBS, or NBC because those networks had more development options, so they would have nixed them. And as soon as FOX had enough success under their belt and money in their pocket, they became exactly the same.

And the cycle continues, of course, with the premium and basic channels now generally being the storehouses of quality program. Give it time, though. They'll eventually giddily cancel tomorrow's THE SHIELD and DEADWOOD and BREAKOUT KINGS and BIG LOVE after six episodes, too.

And then for a while, netflix will probably become the storehouse of quality. Until...

Ugh. :)

www.stillflying.net: "Here's how it might have been..."

KPO

Monday, March 21, 2011 6:45 PM

Maybe the mood of the nation might have been more suited later, and other things like that.

My take on this as I've said before, is that Firefly was quite a special and unique show, that needed time to find its audience. It was never going to be an instant HIT, even if the advertising and scheduling had been perfect, which we all know it wasn't. But it WOULD have gathered steam and ultimately become a critical and commercial success, I believe.

There are other examples of special, briliant shows starting out quietly but going on to generate wide interest and international appeal: The Office and The Wire spring to mind. I think the UK and US versions of The Office were both nearly cancelled early on due to low ratings, but some executives showed faith in them. That was all Firefly needed.

It's not personal. It's just war.

BROWNCOAT1

Monday, March 21, 2011 6:56 PM

Was Firefly ahead of it's time? I believe so. Joss certainly is to a degree. The fact it was thought provoking and sent a strong message of personal freedom over blind obedience to a government body caused it to be bit outside the comfort zone for many. The blend of western and sci fi probably put more than a few people off too.

If it came out now, especially with the exposure that most of the cast has had in recent years, it would be better received. Fox still would not be a good fit for it though.

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