TMC-4 — 9 years ago(September 22, 2016 10:26 AM)

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.arts.tv/XAyxGWEuzJM
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 shows 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 arent so eager.
Nathan Fillion, who played the eccentric and lovable Captain Malcolm
Reynolds, said that he didnt 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 didnt 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
Its rare that a show thats 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.
Its not the showrunner's fault. Nor is it the actors', the writers' or
the producers'. Theres 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.
Its 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
shows photography to Rami Maleks 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 wouldnt be able to sustain that level of
quality in its second season. They were right. The second season hasnt
been great, and while its 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 doesnt 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 televisions modern age.
There wouldnt 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 shows integrity, even if that reality stings a
bit. Cancellation can be a gift to your legacy.
We arent entitled to anything
The cast and crew of Firefly have moved on. That doesnt mean that they
dont love what they were a part of, and to argue that Firefly isnt
special would just be ignorant and wrong. Thats why they reunite for
panels at comic conventions or other events, but they dont 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&As with Whedon about why he isnt 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. Robots
second season, True Detectives second season, and, if were being
honest, the reboot of The X-Files wasnt all that great. Let's not get
started on Arrested Development. After a while the body rots. Bringing
it back to life is just painf