I absolutely loved Firefly from the first moment I saw it, and that was *after* the Serenity movie came out. We stumbled across "Serenity" because the movie we went to the theater to see was sold out.
Although there were the usual SciFi logic-leaps (never stated but presumed faster than light travel), I liked that FireFly *tried* to keep many aspects plausible (no aliens, all life forms encountered traced their origin back to old earth, still using gunpowder and lead for personal weapons, etc).
And it had a sort of Cowboys in space vibe. Best SciFi series I have ever seen and and absolutely mind-boggling that Fox cancelled it in the middle of the first season.
The fact is these shows were cancelled because they did not have the advertisers and/or ratings to support them.
Even when shows come back on other networks it is usually at a lower budget (less cast, less special effects, less sets)
one example was the shoestrin of stargate universe. Their first season sets were all dark because they could not afford to build walls.
I was enjoying the show but I was confused because the previews had the "naked Girl in A Box" and apparently that wasn't in this episode so I thought maybe I had missed the first one.
But the dialog was witty the acting good and the writing was decent. Then this big thug guy is involved in the scene and the Captain tells him the deal is off and they will return the goods etc.
The big guy stands up and sez the standard bad guy speech "I will hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands etc." And I am cringing because this is about as cliche as you can get.
Then Captain Malcolm Reynolds wins me over forever cause he goes Well that's too bad and kicks the big thug into the engines and he is ground into a bloody mist.
I literally jumped off the couch and yelled YES, that is exactly what I would have done. I am not letting this jerk go so he can come back and kill me when I got him right here under my control!
Life Long Firefly Fan and Browncoat forever!