Firefly 10th Anniversary: Browncoats Unite

From Entertainment Weekly, why Joss Wheden's cult classic has endured for over a decade:

Some television shows blaze bright and fade quickly. Others ignite and burn for years. Joss Whedon’s Firefly did neither. The sci-fi opus barely sparked during its 11-episode run on Fox in 2002, yet produced a uniquely vibrant afterglow, nurtured by stalwart fans, as well as new fans who continue to discover the series on DVD and cable. To celebrate the cult classic’s 10-year anniversary, Science will air a reunion special tonight called Firefly: Browncoats Unite, which brings together Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau, and more for a conversation (moderated by this reporter) about the show’s origins and legacy and where the series might have gone had it continued.

From the New York Post:

‘Firefly” aired for only one season 10 years ago, but Nathan Fillion still hasn’t gotten over it.

“It was the best character I ever played,” Fillion told The Post. “The best dialogue to ever come out of my mouth was on that show.

“It was my first time truly being in love with my work,” he says. “It’s the bar to which we compare every job.”

The fans aren’t over “Firefly,” either. More than 10,000 of them lined up for the 10-year reunion of the sci-fi cult classic at San Diego Comic Con this past summer.

Behind the scenes there, Fillion joined “Firefly” creator Joss Whedon and castmates Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Adam Baldwin, Morena Baccarin, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres and Jewel Staite to film a reunion special airing [tonight] on Science Channel (10 p.m.).

More from Forbes and The Hollywood Reporter.

My theory? It's the hat. People like the hat.

The Jayne Hat

Do a Google image search on "firefly jayne hat," and check out the results. You get something like this. Looks like Jayne's hat is becoming a thing. Now I want one.

No, really, it's got everything: Beam weapons, hot women, shooting, big heroes, revolvers, spaceships, frickin' zombies, great writing and stories, shooting, the frontier, and great characters that we care about. And shooting. Oh, plus wicked martial arts. Another thing: The characters aren't flat. Like most people, they all have good and bad traits. Sometimes it's not so clear where they're coming from. It's really the best science fiction show since the original Trek. And that includes a lot of great shows, like Babylon 5, Space: Above and Beyond, all the other Trek spinoffs, and the original Battlestar Galactica. I can't think of anything else that comes close. And the snowballing cult following pretty much confirms that.

Not bad for 11 episodes. Not bad.

If they ever re-do the show, you know what would be cool? Bringing in favorite stars from the other shows for guest appearances. You know, like the local town heavy could be Dirk Benedict or Bruce Boxleitner. That would be fun. Plus, it would anchor the show with fans even more.

It's on Science Channel (SCI) tonight at 10:00 Eastern.

An hour-long reunion at New York Comic Con.

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Note: I know there are a lot of people who need to rant about the election. Please use the Open Thread below for anything non-Firefly/sci-fi related.

posted by rdbrewer at 05:30 PM

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