That is so cool. I wonder if they are planning on doing that sometime in the future here in the US.

Illyria | May 04, 23:23 CET

In the US only FOX has television distribution rights. I'm thinking probably not.

ringworm | May 04, 23:27 CET

Brilliant!

Apocalypse | May 04, 23:30 CET

SciFi have treated Firefly the way it should have been treated by Fox, before it first aired they advertised it, they aired them in order, and they kept it in the same timeslot every week (2 hours every Monday, the previous weeks, then the new one, despite clashing with new Enterprise (before most had given up on that) I think the ratings were quite good for the channel), this isn't the first time that they've rerun the whole series either, I think there's been whole afternoons of Firefly. Really is a shame that there's no network in America willing to treat it right, and a shame that none of the 5 regular channels in the UK have picked it up.

Ghost Spike | May 04, 23:38 CET

I think ringworm is right about any chance that Firefly will be on TV, just before the release of Serenity. It makes all the sense in the world to show Firefly to promote the film, and that could only happen if the show was on Sci-Fi in the US. But since Fox still has the rights, it won't happen. Darn it.

impalergeneral | May 04, 23:48 CET

Isn't serenity part 1 in the second half of the season? Not quite from the start, is it? Or am I confused?

RpgActioN | May 05, 00:10 CET

Why couldn't Fox decide to air it? They're not wasting any money on producing the show anymore, it's complete and not a whole lot of people have seen it. It'll make them look less like an @$$ for cancelling the show if they attempt to contribute to the [films] success.

Mack | May 05, 00:36 CET

From the UK Sci-Fi channel:
8.00pm - Firefly - Serenity - Part 1
Brilliant space adventure from the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the wake of a universal civil war, the renegade crew of the spaceship Serenity are on the run from the law.
That about sums things up

RpgActioN: Fox screwed things up by showing Serenity Parts 1 and 2 (the pilot) last or near last, but chronologically they come first. Pick up the boxed set, you'll see.

Anusien | May 05, 00:43 CET

Ah thanks for clearing that up.

Didn't think such a huge network would fuck something up that bad.

RpgActioN | May 05, 00:45 CET

Great news! Just one issue. Please show the episodes as Joss intended. Not the haphazard way the Fox network chosen to do so.

[ edited by Madhatter on 2005-05-04 23:46 ]

Madhatter | May 05, 01:38 CET

Why would Fox air a show they canceled 3 years ago to promote a movie they aren't getting profits for? They wouldn't Mack.

In the old days we could hope some independant station picks up syndication rights and airs the show for a while but there aren't that many independant owned affiliates anymore.

Some cable network, I forgot its name aired this block called "brilliant but canceled" and aired one show Joss used to write for in the early 90's, maybe we could hope they get re-run rights from Fox?

eddy | May 05, 01:40 CET

If anything I'm hoping the American SciFi channel will buy the rerun rights. Follow the money trailer up and the same bunch of bigwigs who SciFi also own Universal Pictures.

Simon | May 05, 01:43 CET

It would be great if SciFi aired the series in order on primetime in the weeks leading up to the movie's release and then on the night before the movie came out, they could show a 1 hour behind the scenes special of the movie. Wouldn't that be neat?

eddy | May 05, 01:54 CET

Of course it would be neat...but since there may be some people at Fox who just won't sell the re-run rights to Firefly out of spite, then that's why we won't see the show just ahead of the movie. It's just business as usual among the major entertainment companies.
In a more considerate world, though (namely Canada, Australia and the UK), we would see Firefly to get prepared for Serenity.

impalergeneral | May 05, 02:00 CET

Well, my local library has the box set for rent, I'm third in line.

RpgActioN | May 05, 02:02 CET

SciFi UK has been really good to Firefly. This must be the 4th or 5th time they've shown the whole series.

Grounded | May 05, 02:06 CET

Actually it is more likely that Fox would wait for the movie to come out, then if it is a hit, they can make a big deal out of running the "series that started it all." That way they use the movie as free advertising for a second run of the series, not the other way around.

Just a thought.

newcj | May 05, 02:21 CET

I have private afternoon Firefly marathons every week or two on my DVD player. Saw three episodes in a row just yesterday. Screw the networks.

I've read the Hollywood snarky phrase of the moment is that "theatrical releases are actually the trailer for the DVD." In television, network broadcast premieres are just trailers for the impending DVD too. Networks no longer mean jack squat. They only exist so far as I'm concerned to let me know what I'll consider checking out via Netflix in six months to a year. The real prize winners are the ones I'm persuaded to actually buy, like the Firefly series, Alfred Hitchcock's Thirty-Nine Steps, Rob Reiner's When Harry Met Sally, Brad Bird's The Incredibles, Reiner's Princess Bride, Sneakers with Sidney Portier and Robert Redford, and... uhm, American Vampire with Carmen Electra...
I was weak.

ZachsMind | May 05, 03:12 CET

I have private afternoon Firefly marathons every week or two on my DVD player. Saw three episodes in a row just yesterday. Screw the networks.

Three? That's it? I watched one and a half seasons of Buffy in one day, that is, one set of 24 hours, last Sunday.

RpgActioN | May 05, 03:15 CET

Now there's a lovely thought -- a legion of unwashed Brits (not literally) who've never seen Firefly before, gazing upon them for the first time. In their proper order. With all the episodes.

I envy them. God, I envy them!

bookrats | May 05, 03:20 CET

I'm waiting for Sky One to pick up Firefly - i really think they need to make the move and i hope they do at some point - even if it's after the release of Serenity.

i don't care too much as it's my birthday today and my friend has got me the boxset! yay!

polo | May 05, 03:52 CET

Since Firefly has already been shown here on sky/cable (with very good ratings for SciFi as Ghost Spike pointed out) I doubt Sky One would have much interest. Channel 4 or BBC 2 with a decent timeslot (i.e. not cut to shreds) would be perfect. I'm quite suprised with all the press Serenity has been getting lately that this hasn't happened yet...

On a similar note, one of my friends who is very hard to please tv-wise and normally proclaims most things to look rubbish or to have heard a bad review before watching asked me about Firefly the other day. Apparently he'd heard the buzz about the trailer for Serenity, watched it and been suitably impressed so he's now going to borrow my dvds. Yay :)

Paul_Rocks | May 05, 04:47 CET

I don't think the 'buzz' has spread far enough outside the genre field yet for C4 or BBC2 to get interested.

Grounded | May 05, 15:36 CET

I'm going to email my brother. He's an AtS fan & I need to get him hooked on FF. He has heard me bleating about it for the last couple of months (and the film).

As he was monaing about the end of Enterprise(?), what a way to cheer him up - a real quality SciFi show :)

The Do That Girl | May 05, 16:42 CET