Big D**m Rebirth
"Mal: You wanna run this ship?!
Jayne: Yes!
Mal: Well... you can't!"
-Serenity (the Big D**m Movie), Joss Whedon
Sharon and I were talking about the demise of our TV watching a couple of nights ago. All the shows we care about are probably cancelled: Chuck, Terminator: TSCC, Dollhouse. We were thinking (as does everybody who likes the kind of TV we seem to) why do our shows always get picked up to try out then cancelled after a season or two? Why is it that nobody watches the shows we like?
Then, of course, it occurs to me: with Chuck and T:TSCC being cancelled, we have two Firefly alums coming free. With the likely cancellation of Castle, we have a third. With the cancellation of Dollhouse, we have the creator coming free.
Obviously the following will never happen. It doesn't make sense from a number of perspectives, but from my one limited perspective, it's brilliant.
Here's why I think FOX should announce a second season for Firefly at the upfronts: DVD sales.
* Return: Firefly is consistently in the top 100 sales of TV DVDs years after its cancellation. It was frequently in the top of lists of "shows that should be on Blu-Ray" for months before it's recent release on Blu-Ray. The cult following of the show was considered sufficient to consider risking money on a movie venture not that long ago. FOX, I think, still owns the TV rights, and could easily bring Firefly or a Firefly-based spin-off to market fairly quickly.
* Cost: The cast is actually available. Nobody's become such a big star they couldn't come back and work for cheap. Whedon has worked for FOX on shoestring budgets before. Firefly isn't really that expensive a show, and while recreating some of the sets (particularly Serenity) would take some doing, the potential to recoup that in fan auctions at the end of the run is enormous.
Don't misunderstand me: I don't think a second season of Firefly is commercially viable for FOX as a long-running network show. But it seems to me a no-brainer to put money into production of what seems to be a guaranteed DVD hit with a possibility of taking off again rather than throwing money after a new show that has the same uncertainty but without the loyal fanbase of Firefly to pick it up in DVD land.
If FOX is worried about fan reaction (which, obviously they aren't) if the series is cancelled again, they could announce up front a limited run or mini-series (like BSG did on SciFi). Even if that's a total bust in ratings, which I would doubt, the DVD sales would be tremendous, and on the tiny chance that it catches, signing the cast to a season or half-season would be an easy pickup.
Joss loves Firefly. I really think he'd rather do a Firefly mini-series than another 6 episodes of Dollhouse (which, if FOX picks up, will be cancelled quickly next year.)
Obviously none of this can or will happen. But it just makes so much sense!
Jayne: Yes!
Mal: Well... you can't!"
-Serenity (the Big D**m Movie), Joss Whedon
Sharon and I were talking about the demise of our TV watching a couple of nights ago. All the shows we care about are probably cancelled: Chuck, Terminator: TSCC, Dollhouse. We were thinking (as does everybody who likes the kind of TV we seem to) why do our shows always get picked up to try out then cancelled after a season or two? Why is it that nobody watches the shows we like?
Then, of course, it occurs to me: with Chuck and T:TSCC being cancelled, we have two Firefly alums coming free. With the likely cancellation of Castle, we have a third. With the cancellation of Dollhouse, we have the creator coming free.
Obviously the following will never happen. It doesn't make sense from a number of perspectives, but from my one limited perspective, it's brilliant.
Here's why I think FOX should announce a second season for Firefly at the upfronts: DVD sales.
* Return: Firefly is consistently in the top 100 sales of TV DVDs years after its cancellation. It was frequently in the top of lists of "shows that should be on Blu-Ray" for months before it's recent release on Blu-Ray. The cult following of the show was considered sufficient to consider risking money on a movie venture not that long ago. FOX, I think, still owns the TV rights, and could easily bring Firefly or a Firefly-based spin-off to market fairly quickly.
* Cost: The cast is actually available. Nobody's become such a big star they couldn't come back and work for cheap. Whedon has worked for FOX on shoestring budgets before. Firefly isn't really that expensive a show, and while recreating some of the sets (particularly Serenity) would take some doing, the potential to recoup that in fan auctions at the end of the run is enormous.
Don't misunderstand me: I don't think a second season of Firefly is commercially viable for FOX as a long-running network show. But it seems to me a no-brainer to put money into production of what seems to be a guaranteed DVD hit with a possibility of taking off again rather than throwing money after a new show that has the same uncertainty but without the loyal fanbase of Firefly to pick it up in DVD land.
If FOX is worried about fan reaction (which, obviously they aren't) if the series is cancelled again, they could announce up front a limited run or mini-series (like BSG did on SciFi). Even if that's a total bust in ratings, which I would doubt, the DVD sales would be tremendous, and on the tiny chance that it catches, signing the cast to a season or half-season would be an easy pickup.
Joss loves Firefly. I really think he'd rather do a Firefly mini-series than another 6 episodes of Dollhouse (which, if FOX picks up, will be cancelled quickly next year.)
Obviously none of this can or will happen. But it just makes so much sense!
