Firefly was a TV series that was briefly on the FOX network in 2002 for a two hour pilot and 13 episodes before being cancelled. Low ratings got it cancelled before all 13 episodes were aired. This left three unaired episodes which had many begging for their release. Oddly enough, it would take the British Sci-Fi cable to air the entire series in syndication in 2003. In Canada, the whole series would eventually air in full on Space, the sci-fi channel, a few years later. For many people, the opportunity to rent of buy the series came a year after it was cancelled and the fandom grew accordingly. I tried watching on FOX but they kept changing the airdates and I just missed episodes. I eventually watched the whole series on Space and the movie that came out in 2005. Serenity was not a box office success the year it came out.
Creator of the show, Joss Whedon, was a FOX network fave with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and movie writing credits to his name. The reputation of FOX was to aim for younger audiences in the 1990s and and it was bolder than other networks in choosing material. However, it was also a time when NBC dominated and networks like CBS were coming up with things that would lead to their own dominant ratings. FOX was putting things in the window but unless it really built an audience like The Simpsons or X-Files, it was quickly pulled out of the window. A long list of show that were pulled left audiences in North America disappointed.
Pre-empting shows by networks for sports, holiday, presidential addresses and the like has a fundamental negative impact on those shows. In some cases, the networks can't help it but other times it is the programmers who cripple the show. Not to mention networks that want to put the series order out of whack as in the case of Firefly. Studio execs decided another episode should be first. The lack of consistency was too much to build an audience.
Nathan Fillion, who played Captain Mal, is presently lead and executive producer of The Rookie has been teasing some sort of revival of Firefly and has been showing clips of the cast agreeing that "it's time." The final piece was Alan Tudyk who played Wash in the series. Fillion and Tudyk are leading the charge but this is a full cast push. Creator of the series Joss Whedon has given his support but has not taken a role in whatever new project that might result from the gathering of the actors. This may be to give them a clean slate with the studios and networks who might not want to be accused of giving Whedon a free pass from work harassment that he was accused of going back to the 1980s.
The cast of Firefly actually seem to like each other and officially just announced, they have agreed to a second season of Firefly as an animated series. Showrunners have been announced and presumably script idea. What still hasn't been worked out is a network or streamer to carry the series. This won't be the only live action series to bring back the stars in an animated series. Star Trek did it with much of the old cast and Babylon 5 did it with as many as the living members left from the their series.
Sci-Fi fans and their conventions keeps shows alive in way that comedies and dramas of other series don't as often have. Star Trek owes any extension past its 1960s series to conventions and any product they could put out whether it was comics or animated series. The original actors and writers were able to work during the writers strike at the time. Animated writing was not in the Guild at the time.
Firefly already has had books and comics made following the series. An animated series would support the building of a franchise. It is hard to see if it will lead to more live action series or movies but many studios are looking to bring back beloved programs. I don't think I'd ever live to see the day a show like Matlock back. None of this would be possible if the actors from the show were on board and promoting it so heavily. Let's hope a broadcaster picks it up!
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