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Everyone has a story about a show (or four) which piqued their interest, only to be cancelled after a very brief run. This season alone, at least four legitimate possibles were pulled after five or less episodes aired. But even among those of us who have become accustomed to this sort of thing, 'Firefly' is a bizarre case. Joss Whedon's resume lists him as creator of 'Buffy' (a show at least popular enough that you can get away with referring to it as only 'Buffy') and its spin-off 'Angel'. These are shows whose popularity, frankly, knows no bounds, and more importantly they are both shows that started off with pretty shallow ratings. Even in a world that has become dependant on instant rating spikes, it seems a decidedly odd move to cancel a Whedon show after eleven episodes (only to replace it with yet another reality show). If there is even a possibility that you might cancel a Whedon show without letting it run at least two full seasons, why bother with it at all? His shows historically start off slow, but boom into absolute whirlwinds of popularity. Well, go figure. ***

It becomes a bigger mystery when you take a look at the show. First off, the cast seems like an absolute lock for success. Nathan Fillion stars as the captain of a spaceship 500 years in the future. This is a 'cowboy' space adventure, something along the lines of Sean Connery's 'Outland' (which of course, is 'High Noon' in space), with a generous wash of what you'd expect from the creator of 'Buffy'. Fillion was coming off a recurring guest role on 'Buffy', and a major role on 'Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place'. Gina Torres also stars, and she's practically a staple of this type of fare, having roles in 'Hercules', and 'Alias', not to mention the final two 'Matrix' movies. Alan Tudyk is rather a newcomer, but he's recognizable to the proper crowd, having played minor roles in 'A Knight's Tale', 'Wonder Boys', and '28 Days'. The gorgeous Jewel Staite can't seem to catch a break (and now she can't even catch one from Whedon). Jewel's resume includes more failed series than any other four people put together. 'Higher Ground', 'Flash Forward', and 'Just Deal', just to name a few. And, the list goes on. Everyone on the show was practically custom-made to be involved in just such a project. ***

The plot revolves around the crew of a ship who are doing whatever they can to scratch together a living, keep their ship running, and avoid certain powers that be. There are hints of a thousand sci-fi trappings here, to one degree or another, and it's all put together with the same sort of style that has made shows like 'Buffy' and 'Alias' such hits... only better. It has a bit of both those shows, but it's also mixed together with the better bits of various 'Star Trek' shows, and other cult sci-fi shows such as 'Farscape'. ***

Even despite the fact that the show was cancelled, it managed to gain the support of a pretty staggering number of fans, and with the DVD release vast numbers of new watchers can find themselves stymied by a show that was huge on potential, delivered engaging storylines, but was never allowed to wrap up the loose ends of even one seasonal arc. On the other hand, the DVD does have three episodes that were never even aired. ***

This is the sort of show where comparisons are as difficult to avoid as they are ill-equipped to truly deliver a feel for the show, but just take every western show you've ever seen and stir them up with every sci-fi show, mark it with a big 'Guaranteed to attract a huge audience from among the 16-30 age group' stamp of approval, and you'd have thrown your money away on this show too. The story is that Whedon has the cast committed to a film version, so I suppose we'll see.

Whedon was really taken with his idea here (not letting it die by putting a movie into production being a clue), and he didn't cut corners on anything. This is a very solid-looking release with picture quality comparable to even the better film releases. Everything is very crisp and clear, and indeed, it looks like a movie. Colors are very sharp, and there are very few flaws to be found. Skin tones have occasional problems, and contrasts are off here and there, but that is by way of being extremely picky. Overall, this is one of the best television releases you'll find. ***

The sound quality is equally solid. Sound design was obviously a priority, and it makes sense. Effects and dialogue are very clear, with a lot of fine use of surrounds. -

This is a tough call really. This is a pretty nice show, and the DVD release certainly doesn't leave much room to feel like anything's missing. On the other hand, it's hard to recommend purchasing what amounts to half a season of a show where this is all your ever going to get. What makes it even worse is that the series had progressive sub-plots which were obviously leading to some season-ending revelations which will frustrate anyone who watches it. But, if you saw the show, even if you only caught it once or twice, and you liked it even slightly, you will probably find this worth the price.

Marc Eastman

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