Firefly Marathon on SciFi, September 18th
Posted by
kdawson
on Wed Sep 06, 2006 02:25 AM
from the reaver-madness dept.
from the reaver-madness dept.
kulakovich writes, "Hot on the heels of Stargate's cancellation, the SciFi Channel is running an entire season of Firefly starting at 8am (Eastern) on September 18th. This news is fresh from yesterday's posting on the Whedonesque blog. Start making space on the PVR!"
Related Stories
[+]
'Stargate: SG-1' Cancelled 605 comments
Ant writes "The Sci-Fi channel has announced that it will not be renewing its (very popular) original series Stargate SG-1 for another season.The spinoff series Stargate: Atlantis will get the nod, though, airing for a fourth year. SG-1 aired its 200th episode on August 18th, and the SF series is the longest-running SF show on American television." Gateworld has further details: "New episodes of both Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis continue Fridays this summer starting at 9 p.m. Eastern/Pacific, leading up to the mid-season finale on September 22. The second half of the season will begin in March, leading to SG-1's final bow on SCI FI in June."
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Firefly Marathon on SciFi, September 18th
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For who? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why this is extremely IMPORTANT to fans. (Score:5, Insightful)
--
Okay, so why is this so important to fans that own the DVD, have seen it, or can watch video streams or any other option that would mean they don't have to watch it on TV [regardless of ownership
Advertising.
What is probably one of the biggest parts of financing a TV network is securing advertising that pays well. If you buy the DVD, or watched it before, etc... yes you have made a commitment and helped them out. The problem is the same as with newspapers. They make SO MUCH of their money off advertising they would rather give away the newspapers in some situations to customers who don't want to pay than deal with their issue. Networks work similarly. If the show can't produce good advertising [TV spots in the tens of thousands] and they have one that can [TV spots in the hundreds of thousands] they will do what is financially the smart decision, even if viewers who are watching like the current content.
I could bet a good chunk of money that somewhere up there some people are watching this very carefully to see how it goes. They made a movie that did alright but not outstanding, but... it did good so it shows promise. The DVDs have sold well, but not in bundles... again, good but not outstanding.
What they're probably looking for is what kind of viewership they have during the marathon. This is the kind of event that could tip someone's opinion on their network into saying... hey... lets put together another season. This will get us viewers = dollars.
-TK
A little off topic, but an important point. (Score:5, Interesting)
How do networks determine viewership? Say a million of us tune in to watch the Marathon, half even stay for the entire thing. What is the process by which the networks discover this fact? I'm trying to figure out how much it matters what show I'm watching if I don't have some sort of Nielson box in my house.
Regardless, I'm very glad that enough of the popularity has gotten noticed so that it can be re-aired. And probably in the correct order, too. (This is
Advertising (Score:5, Interesting)
I think you are way off about the DVD sales (Score:5, Informative)
(Last Journal: Friday October 03 2003, @09:57AM)
This is about as low as I've seen its rank, as the interest is gradually fading. They update this list HOURLY, and I've checked on it quite frequently over the past year or so. It sat consistently in the top 20 for most of that year. The other thing is that DVDs come and go from that bestseller list frequently. The ones on there now are not the ones that were there 3 months ago, or 6 months ago, or a year ago. And yet Firefly has been on there all that time, mostly in the top 20. The Serenity movie was hanging in there about 10 spots lower than Firefly through most of that time.
There are some pretty impressive amounts of sales going on for it to sit in the best selling list that long. Also, I don't think the point is lost on the network people that this show has managed to build up a following much bigger after it was gone and off the air than it ever had in its short life. That shows that it's not just the hype and publicity and TV ads for it that are keeping up interest for it. It is actually people being introduced to the show by friends and loving it and telling others about it--THREE YEARS AFTER IT WAS CANCELLED!
I have been listening to a podcast about the Firefly universe called The Signal. One of the things they broadcast was an interview with Jewel Staite, who played Kaylee. She mentioned that the rights deal they signed for the making of Serenity options the cast for a trilogy of movies. Joss and Universal's deal to get those rights from Fox included that they cannot make more of the TV series for 10 years (from the cancellation in 2003). They do, however, have full rights to keep making movies. Also, if it does well, they could offer to buy out the remainder of that 10 years from Fox if they really wanted to.
If anything is going to float this boat, I think it will be the very strong DVD sales, which are already showing. They could even make more episodes to release straight to DVD. That probably wouldn't qualify as a TV show, so they could do that without running afoul of the Fox deal.
HD (Score:4, Informative)
http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=212 [tvweek.com]
Re:HD (Score:4, Informative)
(http://www.intelligentblogger.com/ | Last Journal: Monday August 27, @11:47AM)
Since HD *is* ordinary equipment these days (has been since the 90's), I don't think you'll have a problem. You see, television is shot with movie equipment because it's cheaper. The cameraman just keeps in mind that they'll be cutting off the edges to convert the film to Pan and Scan. So he's careful not to stick anything in the sides that the viewer might actually want to see.
Unfortuntately, that does have some side effects. While Babylon 5 was shot with 16:9 cameras, the sides of the shots often contained crew or stage equipment that couldn't be shown on film. So when they converted it to HD, they had to make a decision about each scene as to whether they could use the negatives, pinch the Pan and Scan, or black out the lower and upper areas of the Pan and Scan conversion. The result is that B5 in HD is a mixed bag.
Thankfully, studios have become more cognizant of 16:9 for television since then. As a result, shows like Stargate SG-1 are easily transferred to DVD in 16:9 rather than the 4:3 they were broadcast at. Getting back to Firefly, it was also transferred to DVD [wikipedia.org] in 16:9, so any broadcast of the show in HD should look just fine. (Actually, it should look GREAT because of great camera work and the awesome special effects by Zoic Studios - the same studio currently working on Battlestar Galactica.)
Theres just one.. (Score:3, Insightful)
(http://www.blissx.co.uk/)
Re:Uh no, that would be.... (Score:4, Funny)
+"new" would be really nice... (Score:2)
(http://www.moola.com...744f5449334d54673d-2 | Last Journal: Sunday August 08 2004, @12:43AM)
Start making space on the PVR! (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://www.isights.org/)
"An entire season"? (Score:2)
I kid, I'm a huge Firefly fan, but the wording of the summary is a
(suppose I should take this opportunity to pimp the UK Browncoats Forum [cantstopthesignal.co.uk]. Consider it pimped)
NOT Cancelled! (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://www.mattowen.com/)
I know technically y'all like saying 'cancelled' but on the basis that SG-1 ran for 10 seasons, I'd hardly call that 'cancelled'. It's more accurate to state that 'it ended it's run' or 'completed' or simply just 'finished'.
When something gets canned after just the first season (Firefly), then THAT'S 'cancelled'.
-Jar.
Re:NOT Cancelled! (Score:5, Funny)
(http://tumbleweed.smugmug.com/)
I'd hardly call that 'cancelled'. It's more accurate to state that 'it ended it's run' or 'completed' or simply just 'finished'.
Or:
1) exhausted itself
2) ran out of steam
3) long since jumped the shark
4) shot it's wad
5) went down hill seasons ago
6) went out with a whimper, not a bang
7) finally traveled through that giant Chaapa-ai in the sky (yeah, I had to look up the spelling)
8) Outgoing wormhole established!
9) one too many episodes of Wormhole Xtreme!
10) and they still haven't gotten it on?! Oh right, he's Air Force, not Marine (See the hill, TAKE the hill, dipshit! Two l's for lloser. The one-l'd O'Neil from the movie woulda bagged Carter long ago...)
11) Ten is a good season to die. (Oh wait, wrong series.)
12) never did meet the Furlings...(for real)
13) finally ran out of ex-Star Trek/Farscape/Andromeda actors to guest star (shoulda hooked up some Bablyon 5 peeps)
14) Hardly any Lexa Doig - good riddance to ya, ya bastards!
15) hey, aren't those Replicators just Lego Mindstorms?
16) sometimes the very old (tv shows) don't do as they're told (and die, already).
17) already re-used every other sci-fi tv show/movie plotline in the history of sci-fi/fantasy.
18) Atlantis will still suck
19) Budge. I don't know why they keep reprinting him...
Re:NOT Cancelled! (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.speznas.de/)
Re:Careful (Score:5, Insightful)
Like a war on piracy?
Or a war on slavery?
The Royal Navy conducted both rather successfully (along with other countries). I admit, neither Fox News nor MSNBC nor CNN recently covered them.
Back to the topic, Firefly is unusual, politically. It's hard to think of an SF show that's that libertarian. Most are either Utopian quasi-socialist/progressive (e.g. Star Trek), or have a strong military background coupled with a government ranging from progressive to conservative, but almost never libertarian (BSG, Stargate, B5...). Many feature a rebellion against a totalitarian regime, (Star Wars) but all the rebels typically want to set up a conventional big (though nicer) government of their own ("The New Republic") rather than just fly free ("You can't take the sky from me")
Firefly suggests, almost heretically, that excessively centralized government itself is part of the problem, despite the good intentions of same.
Holmwood.
fresh? (Score:1, Funny)
dude
How is this news? (Score:1, Insightful)
(http://utnapistim.blogspot.com/)
Not to flame or anything, but I don't get the Sci-Fi Channel (wherever that is).
How exactly is this news? ... I understand it's cool and everything, but this to me is more local news than slashdot front page.
I mean
I'm sure I'm not the only one having no contact whatsoever with Sci-Fi Channel.
Who is this marathon for? (Score:3, Insightful)
-- Has seen every episode, many multiple times, and has seen the movie.
-- Has not seen every episode, and doesn't plan to.
Who will watch the SciFi Channel's marathon?
Shiny (Score:3, Funny)
(Last Journal: Tuesday May 24 2005, @09:11AM)
Come on EVERYBODY NOW!
Take my love
Take my land
Take me where I cannnot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
you cant't take the sky from me
Air Guitar Solo
Take me out into the Black
Tell them I aint commin' back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me
There's no place I can be
Since I found Serenity
But you can't take the sky from me
daka-daka-daaaawww And Horses!
http://signal.serenityfirefly.com/ [serenityfirefly.com]
Re:Shiny (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.cyphertext.net/escapekey/Mal_studio.mp
Other songs by the same group, here:
http://www.cyphertext.net/escapekey/songs.html [cyphertext.net]
Say what? (Score:2)
Shock horror! (Score:3, Funny)
Wow, I dont know if I can go on now, my vision of the world has changed so much.
This shouldn't even be an article on a local version of
If it's popular on Sci-Fi can we expect more? (Score:3, Interesting)
(http://www.urbandogma.org/)
How many more fans can it get? (Score:2)
(http://www.masmol.com/)
Those who are fans have bought the DVD sets too.
Is there really a big turf to expand the number of fans?
Or could they have asked for the same "promotional mini-series" 3-4 minutes each, just like what they did with BG?
Lets hope they get the episode order right n/m (Score:1, Insightful)
Order (Score:1, Insightful)
(http://www.spad.co.uk/)
Maybe it will revive the series? (Score:3, Insightful)
(http://bartsnews.blogspot.com/ | Last Journal: Tuesday November 21 2006, @07:38AM)
I hope Firefly might acquire some more interest, enlarge its fanbase, and maybe one day we might see the continuation.
Anyways, this seems not too probable and (judging by "Serenity" movie) it might be better if there was no follow-ups, if they are to screw the ambience of the series.
Still, one can only hope. I really liked it a lot.
Typical for Sci-Fi Channel (Score:2)
(http://belgand.livejournal.com/)
I think Ben is going bonkers... (Score:1)
What Sci-Fi Channel??? (Score:1)
What is the current name of the cable/sat. channel that specializes in "Sci-Fi" (outer space exploration/warfare/..., off-worlders visiting/invading, comedy/action/drama with elements of those)? Nearest I can find is Showtime Beyond, but a lot of that is lame.
BTW, what ever happened to "Space: Above and Beyond"?
Shouldn't that be... (Score:1)
I understand that the one season they made was so good it could count for more, but unfortunately that's not the case.
*sighs*
Why? (Score:3, Insightful)
(http://www.burr.cc/~egburr)
Why? I'd much rather watch them on DVD so I don't have to mess with skipping commercials. Don't all the Firefly fans already have it on DVD?
How is this news? (Score:1)
So What? (Score:3, Informative)
(http://www.popularculturegaming.com/)
Marathons of shows is what they do. That they are playing Firefly means nothing. It doesn't mean that they are going to pick it up any more than it means they are going to start making new episodes of the Incredible Hulk starring Bill Bixby. Sadly, they are both dead.
.oOo. (Score:1)
(http://www.kervaski.com/)
Do what now? (Score:2)
(http://robvincent.net/ | Last Journal: Tuesday October 09, @01:55PM)
All I know about this show is it made me a lot harder to Google.
Summary wrong. (Score:1)
Um who cares? (Score:1, Troll)
Personally, I wish that SciFi would show more classic stuff as well as repeat their good stuff more often (BSG is hardly on except when the new ones are coming out).
And then there's that wrestling thing....
Re:Um who cares? (Score:4, Insightful)
(http://www.terminus-discord.com/ | Last Journal: Wednesday February 01 2006, @05:32PM)
Does anybody realize... (Score:2)
Interest Gauging? (Score:1)
Please Watch the SciFi Channel. Please! (Score:2)
Why you won't see any more Firefly made... (Score:4, Insightful)
a) What did they really do to River? (i.e. operative comes to hunt River down)
b) How do we "fix" River so she can be a normal girl/woman? (i.e. deprogram her once the big issue is out of her head, leading to..)
c) Where did the reavers come from?
d) How/when will Dr Tam and Kaylee hook up (possible the jumping of the shark moment)
Those were basically 3-4 SEASONS of episodes, once you sprinkled in the side arc and humor episodes. Instead the series got cancelled. But then he got to make a movie. Realizing this was probably the last hurrah for Firefly he packs ALL of A-D into one movie.
To pick up Firefly now would effectively be about season 4 or 5. By that point in a Whedon series you have started to add in the "random new bigbad for this season" and have started killing off loved characters randomly (which he ALSO crammed into the movie already, maybe we're on season 6).
In other words.. don't hold your breath.
Firefly (in HD)starts on Universal HD on Sept 24th (Score:2, Informative)
More importantly, Universal HD also airs the new Battlestar Galactica in HD on Sunday's at 8PM ET and 11PM ET.
http://www.universalhd.com/ [universalhd.com]
George C.
Happy birthday to me (Score:1)
Don't PVR, BUY THE DVDs!!! (Score:4, Insightful)
OH COME ON.... (Score:2, Insightful)
I've seen Firefly a bunch on my DVDs but I'm to the point now that I probably won't bother to take it off the shelf and pop it into the DVD player to see it *BUT* if I'm flipping channels and it's on I'll probably watch. *AND* if it's a marathon *AND* there isn't anything else on Sci-Fi probably just gained some extra viewers for that day.
That is it. No conspiracy, no ulterior motives to bring back the series or even another movie. *PERIOD*
Why I said PVR (Score:2)
And because the more people that see it and enjoy it, the more likely this momentum will continue to build and there will be new seasons.
Let's face it: Some shows have had more seasons than they should, while this show was put down with many years ahead of it. Sure, it wasn't for everyone, but Joss has left it open to a little creative re-working. There are character openings, and an opportunity to make Serenity a little less goose like in profile.
To be blunt: if SciFi wants money, they need to invest in this show. Buy it off Fox, and spin three seasons of Joss's production payroll. Look at the Trek phenomenon's origins as a lesson in profit if nothing else.
kulakovich
Why this is news: Starflight, Privateer, Echelon.. (Score:2)
If you have derived enjoyment from the space opera/trading game genre, then you will most likely enjoy Firefly - and you may not know that until you read it here. Joss Whedon has done a terrific job capturing the nature of these games, intentional or not. There are many other reasons to enjoy Firefly, this is just one. That SciFi is making a boost on this show again is worthy of note if you are science fiction fan of any sort.
kulakovich
Why? Because neeboo nungba dee'enboh jee'en d'ola! (Score:1)
"You can not stop the signal." =)
kulakovich
/guessing that simplified didn't show up but the pinyin did
//found at serenityfirefly.com [serenityfirefly.com]
Meh. Unless.......... (Score:1)
* in the creator-intended viewing order
* commercial-free
* with digital sound (though DD5.1 mix like HBO series' would be nice)
* with extra features
* with episode commentaries
?
Unless, of course, SciFi is gauging whether or not to bring the series back into production.
Hmm.
No Problem (Score:2)
(Last Journal: Sunday November 06 2005, @02:43AM)
I don't like people complaining when the universes differ, that's part of sci-fi.
Anyway Eureka and Battlestar Galactica will be back soon...
And for action sci-fiers there's Dark Angel which many Firefly enthusiasts in particular seem to feel is totally anaethema.
An entire season of Firefly? (Score:1)
See, browncoats aren't rabid... we're just pedantic.
Marathon? (Score:1)
I have not seen Firefly, and I will not watch. (Score:1)
I understand you want more viewers, but you Firefly fans are making yourselves into the Jehovah's Witnesses of the Web.
"an entire season of Firefly" (Score:2)
(http://bityard.net/ | Last Journal: Thursday August 08 2002, @04:18PM)
Why I won't be watching (Score:3, Interesting)
(http://www.davidconnell.com/)
I watched a bit of Firefly because it was hyped so much, but to be honest I thought it was just as clichéd as 95% of the rest of the sci-fi tv shows/movies out there and I gave up on it. Perhaps it was marginally better or marginally more imaginative than most shows, but when a genre's fans start celebrating slight improvements or changes as if they were quantum leaps of imagination, then I think there is a problem.
Besides Firefly itself, sci-fi fans keep looking backwards (which funnily enough goes against the premise of being a sci-fi fan), and sinking more and more time and money into the old standards like Star Wars and Star Trek. Think about this; Star Trek/Wars are still at the pinnacle of sci-fi creativity, and they are 40 and 30 years old respectively. At what point do Star Trek/Wars become inherently too old? By its nature, sci-fi shouldn't be stuck in the same creative rut as the western movie genre is. How long will it be until really new ideas surface?
Sci-fi publishing is in marginally better shape with some creative ideas being presented, but there doesn't seem to be the same crossover from printed fiction to cinema in sci-fi the way there is in mainstream fiction. Why is this? Do sci-fi fans read?
For myself, an important part of sci-fi is imagination, and sci-fi tv/movies are no longer imaginative (there is some product which has imaginative concepts but suffers from poor plot/production/other dismal flaws). Sci-fi is a sick animal with its head up its ass, eating its own shit, proclaiming how delicious and nutritious it is. I would think more sci-fi fans would look forward to the day when something fresh comes along.
Re:Errr (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Firefly?? (Score:1)
Besides, good writing has a universal appeal.
Re:Racist, south-loving swill (Score:2)
(http://onphilosophy.wordpress.com/)
Re:Racist, south-loving swill (Score:5, Insightful)
Several times. It was a good show, though I've gotten tired of it.
and do you know anything of the Civil War and American history in general?
I know the highlights.
Firefly has absolutely no racist content. It does use the post-Civil War South as the setting, but it uses it the way it uses spaceships as horses. They're slightly different. The sci-fi version of the Civil War is a libertarian vs. authoritarian fight with the obvious parallels filling in mythology gaps. The genesis of the backdrop is not "I wish the south had won", it's "no one is ever 100% right".
One of the consequences of the Civil War, while obviously doing some fantastic things for human rights, was a reduction in states' rights. And that is the part taken for the show. In the US case, it was a trade worth making. In the show's case, what is exchanged for the elimination of states' rights is never made clear, so it's assumed to be something unworthy.
But again, there is no racism in the show. You need to learn what "sci-fi/fantasy" means, and not judge a guy based on a story that doesn't say what you've decided it probably says. If the setting had been based on the War of 1812 and starred guys with British accents, would you assume they hated America?
Re:Racist, south-loving swill (Score:2)
(http://www.isights.org/)
Re:A whole season? (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Racist, south-loving swill (Score:5, Insightful)
(Last Journal: Friday May 05 2006, @12:30AM)
Yeahbutwhat?
A show where one episode (Shindig) opens with Mal starting a bar fight with some guys... because they were slave traders?
Where one of the crew is a hero to an entire town of indentured servants because of his (ok, misunderstood) actions? (Jaynestown)
A show where most of the episodes revolve around personal freedom? (River's in Objects in Space, the whores in Heart of Gold, the indentured servants in Jaynestown, Saffron's in Our Mrs. Reynolds (till the end, anyway), Simon and River's in Safe and Ariel, Mal's in Out of Gas, and the list goes on with many moments in every show?)
A show where the entire premise is, arguably, about freedom?
The crew of Serenity were on the losing side of the war, and that's where the similarities end. Comparing Firefly/Serenity to the South in the Civil war is one of the more whacked out things I've ever heard.
Re:Why Did This Even Get Posted? (Score:1)
(Last Journal: Tuesday May 24 2005, @09:11AM)
Re:Firefly?? (Score:2)
(http://kiriath-arba.blogspot.com/ | Last Journal: Tuesday May 15 2007, @06:55AM)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboy_bebop [wikipedia.org]
"The series has also been broadcast by the anime television network, Animax, across Japan, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America, and other regions,"
"A poll in the Japanese magazine Newtype asked its readers to rank the "Top 25 Anime Titles of All Time"; Cowboy Bebop placed at number two on a list that included Mobile Suit Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion.[1]"
-stormin
Re:Why Did This Even Get Posted? (Score:1)
(http://kiriath-arba.blogspot.com/ | Last Journal: Tuesday May 15 2007, @06:55AM)
-stormin
Re:Even smarter (Score:1)
Re:Digg? (Score:2)
(http://www.terminus-discord.com/ | Last Journal: Wednesday February 01 2006, @05:32PM)
Re:Racist, south-loving swill (Score:1)
(http://www.geocities.com/darkfell/)
than the civil war. brown coats as compared to red coats, the colonies
fighting for their freedom, it speaks for itsself. the show certainly dips
into a southern feel with the speach patterns, and slang but your statement
of racisim is pretty much retarded. the show almost continuously preaches about
personal freedom. oh and not to mention the highly empowered black woman
who married the wimpy geek of a pilot white guy who worships the ground
she walks on. even if it is littered with bodies.
Re:Racist, south-loving swill (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Firefly?? (Score:1)