Nathan Fillion's Beloved One-Season Sci-Fi Series Is Finding A New Audience On Disney Plus

The legacy of "Firefly" is the ultimate monkey's paw situation. It's well-remembered as one of the best TV shows ever ... to get canceled. The space Western was series creator Joss Whedon's follow-up to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," yet only aired 11 (out of 14 made) episodes before getting yanked off the air. 

"Firefly" is set in the 26th century, when humanity has left the used-up Earth behind to colonize a new solar system. The rich planets in the core of the solar system, governed by the Union of Allied Planets, waged a civil war to bring the rural outer worlds into their Alliance — and they won. The setting is basically Reconstruction-era America, but in space! The main characters of "Firefly" include Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and Zoë Washburne (Gina Torres), who fought against the Alliance as Independents, nicknamed "Browncoats" because that's what their military uniforms were. Mal captains a small freighter, Serenity, and holds tightly to the last grasp of freedom and lawlessness that the blackness of space provides.

Since its short run, "Firefly" has attracted a huge and loud cult following. Fans loudly call themselves "Browncoats" because they too, carry on fighting a battle that's already lost. (As Mal says, "May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.") Now, blaming the network for a show failing can sound exculpatory. In fairness to "Firefly," though, Fox did set the show up to fail; they aired the pilot episode last. 

However, in 2005, "Firefly" returned for the film "Serenity," a "kitchen sink" of ideas Whedon had for if the show continued, restructured into a blockbuster movie. If you won't get as much time with the "Firefly" characters as you'd probably like, at least their story has an ending. It's one of the earliest cases of a show getting brought back because the fans wanted it so much. Basically, if "Firefly" hadn't already had its second chance, it seems like a show that would nowadays be resurrected for a streaming service. In a way, it has; 20th Century Fox is now owned by Disney, and so "Firefly" has made its way onto Disney+. Even so, by now, "Firefly" fans know they shouldn't hold their breath for that vaunted season 2.

Without question, the greatest strength of "Firefly" is its perfect ensemble. Starting with nine characters is ambitious, but there's not a single weak link between them, and they're all perfectly cast. You can pair each and every member of the Serenity crew off with one other and come away with a compelling scene. So, it's a damn shame our time with them went by so quickly. This also means that "Firefly" isn't the type of show where you can or should do a legacy sequel (like "Buffy" is doing). Without these characters, another "Firefly" would be diminished. 

One reason for the "Firefly" fandom's longevity, and why some still hold out for another reunion, is that the cast love the show too. During Fillion's 2022 appearance on Michael Rosenbaum's "Inside of You" podcast, Rosenbaum asked him if he'd still do a "Firefly" reboot. Fillion: "Why wouldn't I do that? ['Firefly'] was one of the best things that ever happened to me."

Jewel Staite (bubbly ship mechanic Kaylee Frye) said in an August 2024 appearance on "The Katee Sackhoff Show" that people still ask her for another "Firefly" season. Alan Tudyk (eccentric pilot Hoban "Wash" Washburne) said just a few months ago on that same show that he wants a revival to happen.

So if people love "Firefly" so much, why hasn't season 2 happened? "Serenity" broke even at the box office, so that immediately created another hurdle for more. It's also been 20+ years, so the cast and crew have moved on to new projects. (Actor Ron Glass, who played the preacher named Book, passed away in 2017.) Whedon, due to many allegations of poor behavior, is also persona non grata right now, and his voice is essential to "Firefly."

Some have also argued the central allegory of "Firefly" means it doesn't fit the current political moment. Whedon admittedly based "Firefly" on "The Killer Angels," a Civil War-set novel ... yet in his analogy, he made the Confederates the good guys. Part of this is that Hollywood Westerns, which "Firefly" pulls from, lean on "lost cause" mythology that says the Confederacy was fighting for freedom, leaving out that they wanted the freedom to enslave people. John Ford's "The Searchers," starring John Wayne as an embittered ex-Confederate soldier, is a clear influence on "Firefly" and Mal's character, especially. (A more easily fixed problem is the lack of Asian characters in a future where everyone speaks Chinese.)

Since your "Firefly" binge is destined to be short-lived, I recommend checking out the anime "Cowboy Bebop" and "Outlaw Star" once you finish "Serenity." Both shows are set in similar worlds with cowboy main characters flying around on a spaceship. There's only one "Firefly," but speaking as a once die-hard Browncoat, I promise similar shows can help sate you.