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Nathan Fillion doesn't want Firefly to continue - and neither should we. It's time for us to move on
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Ubiquitous
Sep 22, 2016, 5:42:30 AM9/22/16
to
By • Julia Alexander
This past weekend, Nathan Fillion and the rest of the Firefly cast
gathered together for a special panel at Long Beach Comic Con.
The audience of course asked about the show’s possible continuation.
While some of the actors, including Sean Maher and Jewel Staite, are
more than ready to jump back on board Serenity and travel the universe
once again, others aren’t so eager.
Nathan Fillion, who played the eccentric and lovable Captain Malcolm
Reynolds, said that he didn’t know where they would go with the series
if it were picked up by a service like Netflix.
"I loved every minute of it," Fillion said, as reported by The
Hollywood Reporter. "It's really hard to look at that kind of stuff and
say ‘give me more.’ Because enough is enough. Oh my god. It was
everything. It was everything. How can everything not be enough?"
Firefly is as beloved as it is today _because_ it didn’t have enough
time to get bogged down by lore or forced seasons. It was the premature
canceling of Firefly that made it the adored cult show that it is.
Even Buffy had a few bad seasons
It’s rare that a show that’s on the air for longer than two or three
seasons has an immaculate run. Most shows tend to fizzle out around
season four or five, but they continue due to critical success or high
ratings. Dexter, House, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory and
even Buffy the Vampire Slayer all suffered from sluggish seasons.
It’s not the showrunner's fault. Nor is it the actors', the writers' or
the producers'. There’s only so many new ideas that creatives can bring
to the table; no network wants to end a show that's doing well. This
can lead to a couple of things happening: the showrunner decides to
leave (Aaron Sorkin on The West Wing, for example); actors decide to
leave; writers take other jobs. The result is a cancellation that
happens too late and feels like a mercy killing.
It’s something that Joss Whedon, creator of both Buffy the Vampire
Slayer and Firefly, knows all too well. Whedon has spoken before about
battling with the network over the direction of the show and wanting to
end Buffy before it actually did. When fans demanded Firefly be brought
back in some capacity, Whedon shuts them down.
He did it in 2011. And 2013. And 2014.
Simply put, both Whedon and Fillion know that bringing Firefly back
would be a terrible idea. We're in love with the possibility of more
story, the promise of fulfilling answers to the show's questions.
Reality would be a disappointment. Firefly feels perfect because it
never had the chance to fail.
"It was everything. How can everything not be enough?"
If we were to bring back Firefly, it could suffer the same fate as Mr.
Robot, one of my favorite shows on the air. Mr. Robot had a near-
perfect first season. Everything about it, from the writing and the
show’s photography to Rami Malek’s award-winning portrayal of solitary
hacker Elliot Alderson, was immaculate.
So much so, in fact, that there were concerns from a variety of critics
and reporters that the show wouldn’t be able to sustain that level of
quality in its second season. They were right. The second season hasn’t
been great, and while it’s not True Detective-level horrible, there are
considerable issues with it that make the upcoming third and fourth
seasons shakier than once thought.
But because Mr. Robot pulls in ridiculous ratings for USA, a network
that doesn’t have much else going on for it aside from Law & Order
marathons, it will likely continue to get renewed, no matter what
happens to the core creative team.
If Mr. Robot had just existed as a 10-episode season, it would be
remembered as one of the greatest series of television’s modern age.
There wouldn’t have been time for the series to be screwed up. The fact
that Firefly only had one season was the best thing that could have
ever happened for the show’s integrity, even if that reality stings a
bit. Cancellation can be a gift to your legacy.
We aren’t entitled to anything
The cast and crew of Firefly have moved on. That doesn’t mean that they
don’t love what they were a part of, and to argue that Firefly isn’t
special would just be ignorant and wrong. That’s why they reunite for
panels at comic conventions or other events, but they don’t live within
that world anymore.
Fans still don't seem to have given up the fight. There have been
petitions to bring it back, Q&A’s with Whedon about why he isn’t doing
more to make it happen and constant demands for more Firefly on social
media.
When fans demanded Firefly be brought back in some capacity, Whedon
shut them down
Bringing Firefly back might be exciting in the short term, but it will
end in disappointment. Most of us were disappointed with Mr. Robot’s
second season, True Detective’s second season, and, if we’re being
honest, the reboot of The X-Files wasn’t all that great. Let's not get
started on Arrested Development. After a while the body rots. Bringing
it back to life is just painful for everyone.
The best way to honor Firefly would be to let it forever exist as one
perfect 14-episode season and never bring up the idea of a reboot ever
again. We were given a gift, and sometimes it's worth simply being
thankful for what we have without asking for more.
--
Hillary is not on the campaign trail today because of debate
preparation, which is mainly shopping for cough drops.
This past weekend, Nathan Fillion and the rest of the Firefly cast
gathered together for a special panel at Long Beach Comic Con.
The audience of course asked about the show’s possible continuation.
While some of the actors, including Sean Maher and Jewel Staite, are
more than ready to jump back on board Serenity and travel the universe
once again, others aren’t so eager.
Nathan Fillion, who played the eccentric and lovable Captain Malcolm
Reynolds, said that he didn’t know where they would go with the series
if it were picked up by a service like Netflix.
"I loved every minute of it," Fillion said, as reported by The
Hollywood Reporter. "It's really hard to look at that kind of stuff and
say ‘give me more.’ Because enough is enough. Oh my god. It was
everything. It was everything. How can everything not be enough?"
Firefly is as beloved as it is today _because_ it didn’t have enough
time to get bogged down by lore or forced seasons. It was the premature
canceling of Firefly that made it the adored cult show that it is.
Even Buffy had a few bad seasons
It’s rare that a show that’s on the air for longer than two or three
seasons has an immaculate run. Most shows tend to fizzle out around
season four or five, but they continue due to critical success or high
ratings. Dexter, House, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory and
even Buffy the Vampire Slayer all suffered from sluggish seasons.
It’s not the showrunner's fault. Nor is it the actors', the writers' or
the producers'. There’s only so many new ideas that creatives can bring
to the table; no network wants to end a show that's doing well. This
can lead to a couple of things happening: the showrunner decides to
leave (Aaron Sorkin on The West Wing, for example); actors decide to
leave; writers take other jobs. The result is a cancellation that
happens too late and feels like a mercy killing.
It’s something that Joss Whedon, creator of both Buffy the Vampire
Slayer and Firefly, knows all too well. Whedon has spoken before about
battling with the network over the direction of the show and wanting to
end Buffy before it actually did. When fans demanded Firefly be brought
back in some capacity, Whedon shuts them down.
He did it in 2011. And 2013. And 2014.
Simply put, both Whedon and Fillion know that bringing Firefly back
would be a terrible idea. We're in love with the possibility of more
story, the promise of fulfilling answers to the show's questions.
Reality would be a disappointment. Firefly feels perfect because it
never had the chance to fail.
"It was everything. How can everything not be enough?"
If we were to bring back Firefly, it could suffer the same fate as Mr.
Robot, one of my favorite shows on the air. Mr. Robot had a near-
perfect first season. Everything about it, from the writing and the
show’s photography to Rami Malek’s award-winning portrayal of solitary
hacker Elliot Alderson, was immaculate.
So much so, in fact, that there were concerns from a variety of critics
and reporters that the show wouldn’t be able to sustain that level of
quality in its second season. They were right. The second season hasn’t
been great, and while it’s not True Detective-level horrible, there are
considerable issues with it that make the upcoming third and fourth
seasons shakier than once thought.
But because Mr. Robot pulls in ridiculous ratings for USA, a network
that doesn’t have much else going on for it aside from Law & Order
marathons, it will likely continue to get renewed, no matter what
happens to the core creative team.
If Mr. Robot had just existed as a 10-episode season, it would be
remembered as one of the greatest series of television’s modern age.
There wouldn’t have been time for the series to be screwed up. The fact
that Firefly only had one season was the best thing that could have
ever happened for the show’s integrity, even if that reality stings a
bit. Cancellation can be a gift to your legacy.
We aren’t entitled to anything
The cast and crew of Firefly have moved on. That doesn’t mean that they
don’t love what they were a part of, and to argue that Firefly isn’t
special would just be ignorant and wrong. That’s why they reunite for
panels at comic conventions or other events, but they don’t live within
that world anymore.
Fans still don't seem to have given up the fight. There have been
petitions to bring it back, Q&A’s with Whedon about why he isn’t doing
more to make it happen and constant demands for more Firefly on social
media.
When fans demanded Firefly be brought back in some capacity, Whedon
shut them down
Bringing Firefly back might be exciting in the short term, but it will
end in disappointment. Most of us were disappointed with Mr. Robot’s
second season, True Detective’s second season, and, if we’re being
honest, the reboot of The X-Files wasn’t all that great. Let's not get
started on Arrested Development. After a while the body rots. Bringing
it back to life is just painful for everyone.
The best way to honor Firefly would be to let it forever exist as one
perfect 14-episode season and never bring up the idea of a reboot ever
again. We were given a gift, and sometimes it's worth simply being
thankful for what we have without asking for more.
--
Hillary is not on the campaign trail today because of debate
preparation, which is mainly shopping for cough drops.
anim8rfsk
Sep 22, 2016, 11:40:58 AM9/22/16
to
In article <I96dnQS7yKUdOn7K...@giganews.com>,
Nor is it the actors', the writers' or
IS TW0
> the producers'. There’s only so many new ideas that creatives can bring
> to the table; no network wants to end a show that's doing well. This
> can lead to a couple of things happening: the showrunner decides to
> leave (Aaron Sorkin on The West Wing, for example);
uh... wasn't he fired for being high all the time?
Join your old RAT friends at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1688985234647266/
Ubiquitous <web...@polaris.net> wrote:
> By • Julia Alexander
>
> This past weekend, Nathan Fillion and the rest of the Firefly cast
> gathered together for a special panel at Long Beach Comic Con.
>
> The audience of course asked about the show’s possible continuation.
> While some of the actors, including Sean Maher and Jewel Staite, are
> more than ready to jump back on board Serenity and travel the universe
> once again, others aren’t so eager.
>
> Nathan Fillion, who played the eccentric and lovable Captain Malcolm
> Reynolds, said that he didn’t know where they would go with the series
> if it were picked up by a service like Netflix.
>
> "I loved every minute of it," Fillion said, as reported by The
> Hollywood Reporter. "It's really hard to look at that kind of stuff and
> say ‘give me more.’ Because enough is enough. Oh my god. It was
> everything. It was everything. How can everything not be enough?"
>
> Firefly is as beloved as it is today _because_ it didn’t have enough
> time to get bogged down by lore or forced seasons. It was the premature
> canceling of Firefly that made it the adored cult show that it is.
>
> Even Buffy had a few bad seasons
And it's the showrunner's fault
> By • Julia Alexander
>
> This past weekend, Nathan Fillion and the rest of the Firefly cast
> gathered together for a special panel at Long Beach Comic Con.
>
> The audience of course asked about the show’s possible continuation.
> While some of the actors, including Sean Maher and Jewel Staite, are
> more than ready to jump back on board Serenity and travel the universe
> once again, others aren’t so eager.
>
> Nathan Fillion, who played the eccentric and lovable Captain Malcolm
> Reynolds, said that he didn’t know where they would go with the series
> if it were picked up by a service like Netflix.
>
> "I loved every minute of it," Fillion said, as reported by The
> Hollywood Reporter. "It's really hard to look at that kind of stuff and
> say ‘give me more.’ Because enough is enough. Oh my god. It was
> everything. It was everything. How can everything not be enough?"
>
> Firefly is as beloved as it is today _because_ it didn’t have enough
> time to get bogged down by lore or forced seasons. It was the premature
> canceling of Firefly that made it the adored cult show that it is.
>
> Even Buffy had a few bad seasons
>
> It’s rare that a show that’s on the air for longer than two or three
> seasons has an immaculate run. Most shows tend to fizzle out around
> season four or five, but they continue due to critical success or high
> ratings. Dexter, House, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory and
> even Buffy the Vampire Slayer all suffered from sluggish seasons.
>
> It’s not the showrunner's fault.
YES IT IS
> It’s rare that a show that’s on the air for longer than two or three
> seasons has an immaculate run. Most shows tend to fizzle out around
> season four or five, but they continue due to critical success or high
> ratings. Dexter, House, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory and
> even Buffy the Vampire Slayer all suffered from sluggish seasons.
>
> It’s not the showrunner's fault.
Nor is it the actors', the writers' or
> the producers'. There’s only so many new ideas that creatives can bring
> to the table; no network wants to end a show that's doing well. This
> can lead to a couple of things happening: the showrunner decides to
> leave (Aaron Sorkin on The West Wing, for example);
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1688985234647266/
Jim G.
Sep 22, 2016, 4:28:35 PM9/22/16
to
Ubiquitous sent the following on 09/22/2016 at 05:39 AM:
It's hard to find much to fault in there, other than the reference to
its "premature canceling." According to Wikipedia, the show was pulling
in less than 5M viewers per episode at the time that it was cancelled,
and that was back in 2002! It was also at #98 in the Nielsens. Blame who
you want, but numbers don't lie and that wasn't a premature death from a
numbers standpoint.
Plus I *really* agree with the philosophy of leaving people wanting more
-- along with another possibly relevant quote about being careful about
what you ask for since you just might get it.
--
Jim G. | A fan of the good and the bad, but not the mediocre
"I don't want you to feel like you're human shields, but let's not mince
words. You are human, and you're gonna be acting as shields of a sort."
– Odin Quincannon, PREACHER
its "premature canceling." According to Wikipedia, the show was pulling
in less than 5M viewers per episode at the time that it was cancelled,
and that was back in 2002! It was also at #98 in the Nielsens. Blame who
you want, but numbers don't lie and that wasn't a premature death from a
numbers standpoint.
Plus I *really* agree with the philosophy of leaving people wanting more
-- along with another possibly relevant quote about being careful about
what you ask for since you just might get it.
--
Jim G. | A fan of the good and the bad, but not the mediocre
"I don't want you to feel like you're human shields, but let's not mince
words. You are human, and you're gonna be acting as shields of a sort."
– Odin Quincannon, PREACHER
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