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More than 20 years since the show ended, any Firefly season 2 news gets fans excited about the return of a beloved show canceled too soon. When Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel were still on the air, Joss Whedon created a new series with Firefly running for one season on Fox in 2002. But Firefly was unrelated to the world of magic and vampires; taking place in 2517, the show chronicled the adventures of Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his crew aboard the Serenity, a small transport spaceship on the outskirts of the galaxy after Mal lost a civil war.

Sadly, the show never found an audience during its original run and Firefly was canceled after only one season. But the show would become a cult hit through DVD and streaming viewers, and even spawned a follow-up film, Serenity, in 2005, and multiple comic book series to round out the story. However, even after all these years,...

While a reboot isn't guaranteed, Disney+ obtained the rights to Firefly when they acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019 as part of a multi-billion dollar merger.

Since early 2021, when initial reports of Disney+ doing a Firefly revival first surfaced, fans and enthusiasts have speculated what the crew of Serenity could look like twenty years later.

What Made Firefly Unique

The primary relationships onboard the Serenity were more like siblings or friends, pairs linked by bonds of guilt, yearning, and mutual betrayal. Joss Whedon surrounded these crazy friends with drama involving a measure of mutual parenting, or at least the sense of needing to rescue one another from the diabolical emptiness of cold space. This may be typical of the difference between the post-boomer generation of which Whedon was a part, and Joss's own – the Generation X-ers, who were detached from their 'Boomer' Star Trek predecessors.

With the prevalence of 'false leaks' from studios,...

Amy Pascale’s biography of Joss Whedon hits shelves today, and with it comes new insight into our Geek Overlord. We’ve already seen Tom Hiddleston’s love letter to Whedon, which came from the book, now io9 has an except of Chapter 17, about the creation of Firefly. It goes in depth about his inspiration for the show, casting, writing Chinese slang, and why he named the show after the ship. He even throws shade at Doctor Who. You should probably read the whole thing (Especially because I’m not going spoil the reason he named the show Firefly. Its reveal is too good in the context of the excerpt.), but here are a few highlights.

Whedon wanted the series to be about “how politics affect people personally. And the personal politics are the only politics that really interest me. I'm not going to make this big, didactic polemic—I'm just going to say,...

Serenity Leaves on the Wind #6

Written by Zack Whedon

Pencilled by Georges Jeanty

Inked by Karl Story

Colors by Laura Martin

Published by Dark Horse Comics

For lack of a better term, Serenity #6 is a comfort food for a Firefly fan. It is full of snarky dialogue, a pack of underdogs saving the day once again, aerial maneuvers, gun battles, and most of all, the crew of Serenity coming together as a family. Zack Whedon continues to have a deft handle on all the main cast members’ voices while also developing the newcomers Bea, the leader of the New Resistance and Iris, who was trained by the Alliance to be an assassin like River. For the most part, Whedon doesn’t put many plot twists in this comic, but opts to cement old relationships between characters. Penciller Georges Jeanty does little things like insert a panel of Mal and Zoe...

The majority of TV shows never last past the first season. Usually, it’s because they suck. But every once in a while a show comes and goes in an instant that actually warrants being remembered, that is far better than its short life would indicate and, after that cruel early cancellation, develops a massive cult following. Few shows better fit that model than Firefly, Joss Whedon’s thoroughly inventive 14-episode space-western saga. Let’s explore it.

The world of Firefly

Captain Malcolm Reynolds is a gun-slinging, quip-zinging former soldier on the losing end of a war for independence in the year 2517. Unwilling to live under the thumb of a totalitarian regime, he acquires a spaceship, Serenity, along with a ragtag crew of fighters, technicians, passengers, and nuisances, and flies to the outer reaches of the colonized universe looking for any kind of job he can get (but mostly smuggling,...

Joss Whedon’s Firefly is perhaps one of the greatest cult series’ to have ever graced our TV screens. This space western drama – based around the fallout of a civil war (the Unification War), smuggling and the opposition of the superpower known as the Alliance (or the Central Federal Government) – was cancelled after only eleven of its fourteen episodes and has since become a cult show, resulting in the release of a film, Serenity (2005), a line of graphic novels and even a role-playing game.

The show is set in a new star system in the year 2517 and follows the crew of the ship Serenity, a firefly class of craft. Aboard the ship are, as Whedon describes them, “Nine people looking into the blackness of space and seeing nine different things”. Led by the ship’s Captain and former Independent Army Sergeant Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), are his second-in-command and war-time...

I absolutely love it when some combination of Whedonites (an actor or actress who has appeared in a work created by Joss Whedon) gets together on screen. They don’t even need to have worked together previously and I will be so stoked to see them working alongside one another that I’ll do a little dance (imagine me spinning in circles, jabbing my index fingers into the air). This time around, the two Whedonites I’m referring to aren’t going to be sharing any screen time (not that I’ve heard thus far), but they will both be appearing on this season of Arrow.

We already knew Summer Glau, who played River Tam on the fan-favorite Firefly, would be appearing in a major capacity during Arrow’s second season, but now we’re hearing her former brother will be making a guest appearance as well. Sean Maher, also known as Simon Tam,...

"Arrow" has cast another villain for Season 2, bringing in a second "Firefly" actor for the role. Sean Maher will play bad guy Mark Scheffer, also known as Shrapnel in the DC Comics universe.

Maher is set to appear in episode 10 of the current season (according to The Hollywood Reporter). This villain is a serial bomber who descends upon Starling City for a run of terrorist attacks. Politician Sebastian Blood (Kevin Alejandro) may find himself directly in the line of Shrapnel's fire.

Considering the normal interpretations of comic-book characters on the CW version of "Arrow," Mark Scheffer probably will not have all of the comic attributes of Shrapnel -- like being made of metal.

Maher, who also appeared in "Make It or Break It" and "The Playboy Club," is best known for the role of Dr. Simon Tam in both "Firefly" and the show's film adaptation, "Serenity." By coming on "Arrow,...

Firefly Season 1, Episode 14: “Objects in Space”

Written by Joss Whedon

Directed by Joss Whedon

Airs 12/13/2002 on Fox

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River Tam (Summer Glau) is the last character introduced in the Firefly pilot, but she is the first character who appears in “Objects in Space”. Up to this point (with the exception of gunning down three baddies with her eyes closed in), River has been comic relief and a human MacGuffin for plot purposes. If Simon hadn’t rescued her, he wouldn’t have joined Serenity, and there would be no overarching story for Firefly. However, “Objects in Space” shows how important River is to the crew of Serenity and the show as a whole. There is a reason why she is the featured character of the Serenity film. But to showcase River, Joss Whedon introduces a new character the bounty hunter Jubal Early (played by a suitably manic Richard Brook...

While the cast of Joss Whedon's upcoming Much Ado About Nothing isn't exactly A-list, many of the actors involved are household names for anybody familiar with the writer-director's body of work.

The romantic comedy's lead duo Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker both starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off series Angel, where their slow-burn romance was beloved by fans before being tragically cut short, in classic Whedon style.

But there are familiar faces here from just about every corner of the Whedonverse, from Firefly to Dollhouse to The Avengers, and so we at Digital Spy have put together a guide to help jog your memory.

Alexis Denisof

Denisof had one of the longest and most impressively nuanced character arcs in the Buffy universe, beginning life as hapless, uptight comic relief on Buffy the Vampire Slayer before transitioning into a fully-fledged fighter in the Los Angeles-set Angel. Wesley was a consistently fascinating character,...

Like many of you, I fell truly, madly, deeply in love with Sean Maher when he played the good doc, Simon Tam, on Joss Whedon's cult classic, Firefly. Then, last year, he brought to life a powerful storyline with deep, personal resonance when Maher played a clandestine gay activist on NBC's short-lived 70's-set The Playboy Club.

Given these resolute roles I was surprised to see Maher playing the nefarious Don John in Much Ado About Nothing, his latest partnership with Firefly and Serenity boss, Joss Whedon. But as the visionary director has proven time and again, his ability to highlight previous untapped potential in his actors is second-to-none.

And Maher more than delivers in the role; breathing fiery life into the iconic villain while simultaneously showcasing Don John's soul and eliciting empathy for a classically irredeemable character. I caught up with Maher to find out how the role came to him, his initial...

By Beckett Mufson

Joss Whedon, beloved writer/director of cult hits "Firefly," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and most recently "The Avengers," is joining forces this summer with the most prolific cult author of all time: William Shakespeare. Whedon directed a strict adaptation of the classic Shakespeare rom-com "Much Ado About Nothing."

Whedon used all of the Elizabethan dialogue that Shakespeare wrote back in the 1590's, à la Baz Luhrman's "Romeo + Juliet." It's a tall order, but fear not — he called in the big guns for this ambitious sixteenth-century throwback. Whedon has assembled a loyal team of actors, kind of like the Avengers, over the last couple decades, and each of their origin stories is almost as awesome as that time the Hulk punched that Leviathan in the face.

Nathan Fillion

Throughout his acting career, Canadian-born actor Nathan Fillion has carved himself a place among the manliest charmers in history; if...

"Firefly" fans, you're not alone in wanting to see Serenity take flight on the silver screen one more time.

Sean Maher, who played Simon Tam on the short-lived series and spinoff film "Serenity," is one of the many who wants to see a sequel movie happen — and frankly, he's not sure why it hasn't happened already.

"I wish I could wrap my head around it a little more," Maher told Hero Complex in a recent interview. "When I see [Joss Whedon], I'm like, 'I don't get it. Aren't you like king of the world right now? Can't you do anything? And I know we can't do another show. I get that. A television show would be very tricky with all of our availability, and I don't think that's in the realm of possibility. But what about another movie? You just shot 'Much Ado About Nothing' in 12 days. You're kind of amazing at that.

Joss Whedon took the Marvel Cinematic Universe to new heights this year, with The Avengers becoming the third-highest-grossing film of all time, and he’s set to return to write and direct the sequel for 2015.

The studio recently announced their intentions to expand the Universe to the small screen, and have set Whedon to create a new S.H.I.E.L.D. TV programme, with ABC ordering the pilot. Whedon will write the script with brother Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen (Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog), and if all goes well with his schedule, he’s expected to direct the pilot, too.

It’s been two long years since we last saw his work on the small screen in Dollhouse, and I can’t wait for him to return to the medium that he first really made a name for himself in. Despite their inexplicable tendency to be cut short in their prime,...

All too often, I find myself late to the party. There have been a vast number of television programs, movies, books and albums I don’t get a chance to partake of right from the start. Usually, I rectify the situation as quickly as possible, but sometimes, life gets in the way, and for whatever reason, it takes me longer than expected, at which time I all too often find out that it wasn’t worth the wait, and my expectations weren’t met. You see, back in 2002, work schedules and family issues had kept me from indulging in what was being heralded as the greatest science fiction phenomenon since Star Wars. I didn’t catch Firefly for a long while, always telling myself I would eventually see it, especially since every other geek on the planet was so rabid about how wonderful it was. Last year I even had...

"We're still flying."

Those words have become the rallying cry for Firefly fans who have kept the memory of the Joss Whedon sci-fi western alive for a decade after it went off the air. For its 10-year anniversary, Whedon and cast members Nathan Fillion (Capt. Malcolm Reynolds), Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb), Summer Glau (River Tam), Sean Maher (Simon Tam) and Alan Tudyk (Hoban "Wash" Washburne) reunited at a Comic-Con panel in San Diego before thousands of screaming fans.

Read more Comic-Con coverage

The intense fandom eventually drove a major motion picture, Serenity, to be made as the final live-action chapter of the Firefly story. Mal & Co. also still live on in Dark Horse Comics' graphic novels. Science Channel will air a marathon of the series followed by the premiere of the anniversary special Browncoats Unite, exploring the Firefly phenomenon, on Sunday, Nov. 11.

Check out these nine shiny highlights of the...

by Tami Katzoff (@tvtamijo)

The 10th anniversary celebration of “Firefly” at Comic-Con is coming up fast, and everyone at The Weekly Whedon is super-excited to see our shiny heroes together again. But I want to take a few moments to honor the villains of “Firefly,” because they’re all great in their own way – it is a Joss Whedon show, after all.

Even though “Firefly” consists of only 14 episodes (plus one feature film), it has its fair share of bad guys. Here are our five favorites. Beware of stray body parts and spoilers.

1. Adelai Niska

This dapper crime lord takes sadism to a new level. His office contains a torture room where he gleefully watches his underlings inflict pain on those who cross him. One of those unfortunate souls is Captain Mal Reynolds, who, along with Serenity’s pilot, Wash, must endure hours of agony under Niska’s direction; Mal...

by Tami Katzoff (@tvtamijo)

The crew and passengers of the space ship Serenity were last seen together several years ago, but thanks to Science Channel they’ll reunite this Friday the 13th at Comic-Con. Want to know what the “Firefly” folks have been up to lately? Then read on.

Nathan Fillion (Captain Malcolm Reynolds) stars as crime-solving novelist Rick Castle on ABC’s “Castle.” He’ll appear as lawman Dogberry in Joss Whedon’s Shakespeare project, “Much Ado About Nothing,” and as god Hermes in the second “Percy Jackson” flick.

Sean Maher (Simon Tam) recently co-starred in the short-lived NBC drama “The Playboy Club.” He plays the villain Don John in “Much Ado.”

Gina Torres (Zoë) can be seen in USA’s “Suits” and heard in the animated series “Transformers: Prime” as the voice of Airachnid.

Adam Baldwin (Jayne) is also in “Transformers: Prime,” voicing Breakdown. He recently finished up...

by Tami Katzoff (@tvtamijo)

If you’ve been paying attention to all the buzz leading up to Comic-Con, you might have noticed some excited chatter about a certain panel hosted by Science Channel involving Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, and a TV show that’s been off the air for about a decade.

If you know “Firefly,” especially if you’re a Browncoat, then there’s no real need to read further (though we’d love for you to stick around). But if you’re not familiar with the show and want to know what all the fuss is about, here’s a handy guide to the basics.

“Firefly” premiered on Fox in the fall of 2002 (hence the 10th anniversary celebrations). It was the third TV show created by Joss Whedon, after “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Angel.” For reasons which defy any sort of logic, the network decided to air the episodes out of order.

by Tami Katzoff (@tvtamijo)

No two words go together better than “Firefly” and “Comic-Con.” And with the show’s 10th anniversary coming up this fall, what better way to celebrate than with a panel featuring our beloved Joss Whedon and the crew of Serenity? Needless to say, news of this event was taken quite well at Splash Page HQ.

Science Channel, which will be hosting this bit of awesomeness, promises previously unseen footage and “numerous buzz-worthy surprises.” Here are five things we hope will be among those goodies:

1. We know that Whedon and writer/producer Tim Minear will be on the panel; it would be a real shame if other staffers like Jose Molina, Ben Edlund and Jane Espenson (who scripted this writer’s favorite episode, “Shindig”) weren’t there as well.

2. The same is true for the actors, both the main cast and the guest stars - we want the whole gang.

If you were ever a fan of the short-lived Fox program Firefly and its subsequent feature film, Serenity, then chances are your ears perk up anytime whispers of a reunion or continuation of the series makes their way through the rumor-filled corridors of the Internet. Now, in an effort to celebrate the 10-year anniversary, and to likely put to rest any belief that it will ever be a full-fledged program again, the cast of Firefly will be reuniting for a panel at this year’s Comic-Con.

The panel comes courtesy of Science Channel, which has been airing reruns of the sci-fi show since 2011. Creator Joss Whedon and writer Tim Minear along with Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb), Alan Tudyk (Hoban Washburne), Sean Maher (Simon Tam) and Michael Fairman (Adelai ...

Click to continue reading Joss Whedon and Nathan Fillion Set For ‘Firefly’ Panel at Comic-Con 2012...

by Tami Katzoff

On Saturday (June 23), Joss Whedon turns 48 years young. In this column, where we sing his praises on a weekly basis, we’ll sing even louder in celebration of his birthday.

Actually, let’s leave the singing to the folks who know him better. Writer/producer Tim Minear started working with Whedon back in the “Angel” days and then followed him to “Firefly” and “Dollhouse.” From the beginning, Minear noticed a difference in the way Whedon interacted with his staff.

“I’ve worked for a lot of these marquee [showrunner] names, and they often have to make sure they get all the credit for everything,” Minear says. “Joss is so the opposite."

Minear also felt the contagious excitement that Whedon brought to each project. “There’s never a sense of, you’re just churning out the junk food,” he says. “There’s never a sense of, oh I’m...

A lot can happen in a decade, especially for an actor. Harrison Ford appeared in "A Time for Killing," his first credited screen role, in 1967 and became Han Solo in 1977. Halle Berry made her film debut in "Jungle Fever" in 1991 and by 2001 was starring in "Monster's Ball," for which she earned an Academy Award.

This year Zac Efron celebrates 10 years in Hollywood, and as he prepares to release his new romantic drama, "The Lucky One," we can look back on his career to see just how fortunate he's been. Though he's most famous for singing and dancing in three "High School Musical" movies and "Hairspray," this heartthrob first found work in the geekiest place imaginable: Joss Whedon's "Firefly."

A young Efron honed his abilities on stage in local productions of "Peter Pan" and "Little Shop of Horrors" in Arroyo Grande, California, where he lived a "normal childhood in a middle class family.

From left to right: Nathan Fillion, Sean Maher and Alan Tudyk

This week's players all starred in the cult Joss Whedon series Firefly. Which of them would you...

Nathan Fillion

The star of Firefly and Castlehas also made appearances in various web series, including the gay comedy Husbands. He's also co-starring in Whedon's recently announced Much Ado About Nothing adaptation.

Sean Maher

The recent out actor is best known as Simon Tam from Firefly, and played gay in the short-lived Playboy Club. Look for him alongside Fillion in that Much Ado About Nothing project.

Alan Tudyk

He played the lovable Wash in Firefly, and has since appeared in projects such as Tucker & Dale vs. Evil and the ill-fated Dollhouse. Currently he co-stars in Suburgatory, and next year he'll play Stephen A. Douglas in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which is a thing that exists.

Now that you've voted, please share your reasoning in the comments!

Part of me feels a little silly writing this post because usually I am of the mindset of "Who cares? Your private life is supposed to be private." But I'll admit, part of me was always a little curious about Sean Maher, the handsome fella who played Dr. Simon Tam on Firefly, one of the best shows of all time. I don't know why I was so curious about his private life, perhaps because part of me hoped that Simon and Kaylee were a couple in real life and had adorable babies and whatnot (Did you See that sex scene at the end of Serenity?).

Speaking of Serenity, check out Alan Tudyk's idea for the sequel

Of course, I was super excited to see Maher on The Playboy Club as the closeted-due-to-circumstance husband of a Playboy bunny. In the show, he plays the leader of the Mattacine society in Chicago,...

Firefly alum and Playboy Club actor Sean Maher has worked steadily in Hollywood for 14 years, and during that time, he made the choice to be closeted about his personal life as a gay man — until now.

For the first time, Maher opens up about his sexuality in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I was nervous coming here today because I’ve just never talked about it,” Maher says, while sitting down to chat at Little Dom’s Italian bistro in Los Angeles’ trendy Los Feliz neighborhood, the area where the actor lives with Paul, his partner of nearly nine years,...