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Please Watch Firefly tonight (1 Viewer)

MikeAlletto

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Sorry, this one is already off my list. Hate to say it, but I found it extremely boring. If a show doesn't grab me after 2 episodes it gets off the list. I also found B5 extremely boring as well...a space soap opera...yuck.
 

Roberto Carlo

Second Unit
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Apr 14, 2002
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B5 did terribly in the ratings. Most places it was stuck on Sundays at 2AM, and only when Turner bought it up did it enjoy an even semi-medium decent timeslot
Point well-taken oh great High Priest.:D My point, however, still stands: Science Fiction with space ships, especially quirky Science Fiction with space ships, is a hard sell. I wish it weren't but it is. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to turn on my local Fox O&O.
 

Jason Seaver

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So if Fox does (gasp) axe it, can another network pick it up? Huh? Can it?
In theory - but for which network does it make sense? "Firefly" is a fairly expensive show to produce - its got a nine-person cast, large sets, CGI effects, and outdoor location shooting (which generally has to be done far enough away from cities to make it really inconvenient) - but doesn't look like it has the obviously high production values that, say, "24" or "Alias" (or, more pointedly, "Enterprise" or "Farscape") does.

Fox could afford the risk because they'll have the rerun and DVD revenue - and even if this one bombs after 13 episodes, it's still a likely DVD release - but UPN, WB, Sci-Fi or the like would have to pay for a high-risk show that has already failed once and that they get little to no back-end from, and they don't make the advertising $$$ that Fox does. Sure, CBS/ABC/NBC could afford it, but it would be a job-endangering move for any executive who made the call.
 

Jason Seaver

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I tried to come up with examples of a space ship-based science fiction show not named "Star Trek" that enjoyed television success.
Well, "Lost In Space" hung around a while. "Battlestar Galactica" did OK ratings-wise but was too dang expensive.

An argument could be made for "Farscape"; it lasted four years and even though it's canceled, there's a legitimate argument to be made that Bonnie Hammer running a television network is akin to giving an eight-year-old a gun and a blindfold. "SeaQuest" wasn't spaceship-based but worked on the same template. Of course, it lasted as long as it did because NBC's initial 44-episode order was insane.

"Andromeda" is on its third year, but I can't quite convince myself that that's a good thing.

Um... Does "Doctor Who" count? Or "Red Dwarf"?
 

Jeff Kleist

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Andromeda just got renewed for year 4 for some reason

"Battlestar Galactica" did OK ratings-wise but was too dang expensive.
Actually, it was consistantly in the top 10 for its entire 1 year run. It had nothing to do with being expensive, it was more than paying for itself even before they cut the budget. The network later agreed that cancelling it was one of the worst boners they'd made in a long time, which is why Galactica 1980 was cursed upon the world.
 

Robert Ringwald

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From what I know.

This is the episodes schedule.

Serenity (part 1 of 2)
Serenity (2 of 2)
The Train Job
Bushwacked
???
???
Our Mrs. Reynolds
???
???
Jaynestown
Out Of Gas

Fox showed them in this order

The Train Job
Bushwacked
Our Mrs. Reynolds
Jaynestown
Out of Gas

So otehr than the original 2 hour pilot, they skipped about 4 episodes out of the first 9. They'll most likely be aired out of order until midseason, if it makes it.

Tonights episode was by far the best, and I really love the show now, I actually am caring about the characters and I can't help but fear it's going to be shafted.

Hopefully it'll last at least through midseason, seriously, a genre show like this needs more than 5 weeks to build an audience. And showing a "huh?" pilot, and shifting around episodes orders simply isn't a smart move, not to mention dropping an episode from it's normal slot and moving it back a week.

I'm surprised the show has done this good in the ratings.

Hopefully last night's will have been in at least the 4.??? area. We can hope.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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That was a really great episode. I thought the Pulp-Fiction style editting would be gimmicky, but it actually served an effective purpose in connecting ideas together.

Favorite line (paraphrasing):
River: "We're not going to die gasping for air. We'll freeze to death long before that."
 

DwightK

Second Unit
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Sep 12, 2000
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Nice to hear Andromeda got extended for year 4:emoji_thumbsup:
And yes, I'm the lone person here at HTF that really likes Andromeda I believe.
Good Firefly ep tonight. I can't imagine enough of a change on a friday night's viewership to matter to Fox though.
 

BrianShort

Supporting Actor
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Jan 18, 2000
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This was the best episode yet IMO... very well done... it's sad to hear that this show is in danger of being cancelled :frowning: If it does, and another station picks it up, hopefully it isnt UPN or WB, since I don't get either of those with DirecTV :angry: (They should fix that)
Sorry, no Clean-Screen (logo free), no view!
So you're saying you don't watch any TV at all? Other than the premiums I can't think of any stations off hand that dont have a station bug. At least FOX's is pretty unobtrusive.
 

Don Peskin

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Dec 31, 2000
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Firefly's not as good as Buffy or Angel but I still like it. By the way, make that two votes for Andromeda.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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"Firefly" on Friday got a rating of 3.0/6, a minor improvement from the previous week but probably not enough to save the show.

"John Doe" slipped a bit from last week, with a rating 3.9/7.

Source: Zap2it.com
 

Jeff Kleist

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Adam, we can only hope that the improvement was enough, and that enough people gave it a second chance and were impressed, to hold on its numbers

If it can demonstrate a loyal audience, that is worth at least half a ratings point
 

Jodee

Screenwriter
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Jun 13, 1999
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I think it would be interesting to know what The X-files ratings were for the first few episodes in comparison.

Friday night is usually the kiss of death for any show, but somehow The X-Files managed to break-out in that slot.
 

Rex Bachmann

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Jodee wrote:
The X-Files came on at relatively modest production budget and low expectation (placed after the crappy Brisco County Jr.), and ended up building an audience over the next year, especially the summer (reportedly due to good word of mouth).
That was in the days when good ole Fox was willing to stick it out, especially for a show that ranked so highly with the so-called "coveted demographic".
Gone are the days. This high-priced---and, I may say, overtouted---show, with its "name" creator/producer, doesn't have that luxury.
 

Jason Seaver

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placed after the crappy Brisco County Jr.),
MUST...RESTRAIN...SELF...

The thing about "The X-Files" is, it showed consistent growth from the beginning, where "Brisco" saw its audience flatline. By the end, "Brisco" was at around 2.4 (back when that really sucked) no matter where Fox put it - Friday at 8, Tuesday, or Sunday at 7. It had a loyal, nigh-fanatical following, that would watch it wherever Fox put it - but for some reason, we could not convince new people to watch. I guess even then, a sci-fi western was a tough sell.

I seem to recall "The X-Files" being somewhat pricey from the start, though - not outrageous, and it wasn't going into star salaries, but they weren't sparing much expense on the crew for what was always a high-gloss show.
 

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