Firefly (TV)

I don't normally review TV shows (and this isn't actually a review per se), but I just had to mention the TV show Firefly. I had never heard of it before, but since it was the basis for Serenity, I thought it was worth checking out.

The TV show is actually really good and much better than the movie. I'd highly recommend it, though unfortunately, you can only see it on DVD as it was canceled after only one season.

Where the movie is enjoyable despite its production flaws (as I mentioned in my review), the TV series is really well done and all the elements just seem to work together better. The camaraderie between the actors is much more natural and the stories are much more fluid. After watching the series, I went back and watched the movie again and was struck by how much more rigid and deliberate everyone seems when compared to the show. Had they fully captured that in the movie, I think it would have been a lot better.

As the season goes on, the episodes get more and more interesting. It's a shame that they couldn't continue exploring some of the interesting dynamics and stories from the show. You don't have to enjoy science fiction to enjoy it either, as the appeal is really in the characters and there are no aliens and big space battles (not that there's anything wrong with that). It reminds me somewhat of one of my other favorite TV series, Northern Exposure, in that the interplay of the characters and the interesting themes dominated the show's appeal.

I still don't think that TV is an art form like movies, but this is definitely worthwhile viewing.


Firefly (television series - 2002)