Mal. Zoe. Jayne. Wash. Inara. Simon. River. Kaylee. Shepherd Book. Serenity.
If those 10 names don't leave you shaking your head at the stupidity of FOX Network executives, Finding Serenity isn't the book for you. Finding Serenity is a collection of essays exploring the short lived FOX Television series Firefly.
The names are those of the cast and spaceship in Firefly. Trying to describe the series is nigh impossible. In the words of one essayist, the series is "the Old West transposed to the future, to interstellar space." It is a time some 500 years in the future when there are fond memories of the "Earth-that-was" and humanity is scrambling and struggling on dozens of planetary frontiers following a war between the Alliance and the Independents. Serenity's occupants are mostly independent spirits who just don't seem or want to fit in the Alliance-controlled universe. The ship is their means of seeking freedom, autonomy and survival. And that description only scratches the surface.
Despite being acclaimed by critics and developing a rabid fan base, the FOX Network not only canceled the series after a three-month run in 2002, it didn't air all the episodes. Yet, as editor Jane Espenson, who wrote one episode of the series, says, "Firefly represents an interesting phenomenon, the celebrated failure." The DVD release of the complete series was a top-seller. In fact, 18 months after its release it is still ranked #6 for DVD sales at Amazon. This September, creator Joss Whedon (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame) is releasing a feature length film called Serenity. The complete TV series has been picked up for rebroadcast on the Sc iFi Channel starting in late July. Numerous web sites exist discussing and speculating on issues left unresolved by the early cancellation. Finding Serenity seeks to draw on the seemingly insatiable demand for more of the Fireflyverse.
Article comments
1 - DrPat
Does the book have anything to say about WHY Fox would cancel the series with episodes left unaired?
2 - Victor Plenty
Maybe Fox learned from Paramount's mistakes. People are more likely to want something when it has both a reputation for high quality and a limited availability.
When an entertainment property gets shoveled onto the marketplace in tiresome quantities, and the quality declines too, viewers are more likely to stay away in droves.
Yeah, Enterprise, I'm looking at you when I say that.
3 - DrPat
Um, how exactly does any TV channel profit from a series it doesn't air? It's not like Fox has this massive literary reputation to protect or anything...
4 - Tim Gebhart
Fox supposedly canceled the series due to ratings. It did, of course, first air the show during the midst of baseball playoffs (meaning it was on one week and off the next) and aired the second episode instead of the pilot first.
As for the book, it's examination of why Fox cancelled it is best summarized in an essay consisting of a series of fictional letters from the Fox exec in charge of its development to Whedon.
5 - Victor Plenty
Fox profits from DVD sales of Firefly, and will profit from the box office receipts for Serenity. Every advance screening of that film has sold out rapidly.
They are holding to their original release date in September, and I suspect this is timed to allow more word of mouth buzz to build up. The film is clearly ready for release already, or there could not have been any advance screenings.
Leaving some of the episodes un-aired in the original first season decreased Fox's immediate profit from the series, but as a result it has gained greatly in value and they stand to profit far more now than they would have then.
6 - SpookyRiverFan
"Shepherd" Book... not "Reverend Book"...
Just sayin'