22 Years Ago, Most Beloved Sci-Fi Was Canceled After Season 1, And It’s FOX’s Fault

In the early 2000s, Joss Whedon, now known to many as the director of The Avengers, decided to create a fantasy TV series in the spirit of the classic western movies.

He considered the heroes to be the main driving force of his project, so he paid special attention to character development and casting. Joss also wanted the show to be as gritty and realistic as possible: he felt that most sci-fi projects at the time were too toothless and idealized.

Thus was born a plot set in the 26th century, where the space colonies are completely ruled by the Alliance, and the rebels who lost the civil war live a lawless life on the outskirts. The main character was one of the losers – Captain Malcolm, who was a smuggler and commanded the interplanetary ship Serenity.

Fans of the sci-fi genre, of course, have already realized that we are talking about one of the most outstanding series of the genre, which was slaughtered too early, after the first season – Firefly.

FOX Hated Firefly Since the Very Beginning

It seemed that the show had all the ingredients for success: an unconventional setting, well-written characters, a skilled and inventive showrunner.

But from the very beginning, FOX executives tried to make Firefly fit their vision – changing the main character, cutting flashbacks, and introducing mysterious villains from the very first episode.

Having decided that Firefly had no future, FOX immediately abandoned the idea of a second season. Moreover, for some reason, FOX broke the established narrative by airing the episodes out of order – the episode conceived as the first actually came out last.

Creators Were Able to Save Some Ideas that FOX Wanted to Ruin

Sometimes Joss was able to defend his opinion. For example, the executives did not like the fact that navigator Zoe and pilot Wash were married. The bosses wanted the unmarried Zoe to have some kind of romantic relationship with the captain.

Whedon was able to convince the network that the fact that Zoe and Wash were already married would only add to the intrigue, allowing to play with a love triangle storyline.

The main problem for the creators of the show was the low budget. The film crew had to cut back on everything they could. That's why, for example, most of the planets we see in Firefly are so similar. All of the filming was done in California, and the outskirts of Los Angeles are not exactly known for their variety of landscapes.

Firefly Received a Not-So-Successful Sequel

As a result, Firefly was canceled before the end of its first season. The series had no clear ending, but it gained cult status after its release on DVD, so much so that a sequel was made two years later in the form of the feature-length film Serenity, which unfortunately was not particularly successful.

Two Decades Later, Firefly is Still Beloved by Fans

Firefly's life on screen was short and bright, like a spark. But behind it lies the heroic struggle of Joss Whedon and his team to save the show, their ability to get the most out of the time and money they were given. This is one of the reasons why Firefly has become so dear to the hearts of its fans.