Science Fiction shows are often a castaway in the realm of television. They are expensive to produce, cater to a specialized audience and are often considered too cerebral for a genre full of slapstick, and reality TV. Still, every once in a while there are gems that stand out. Lost and The X-Files are two such shows---existing within the small overlap of genre stories and popular television. Some shows arent so lucky and whats tragic is that some of them deserve so much more than they got. One such show is Joss Whedons Firefly. With only sixteen hours of filmed material it has spawned a phenomenon that is almost as big as Star Trek. Fans---labeled as Browncoats---turn out in droves to conventions and appearances of the cast and crew. They faithfully follow other projects that the main cast is involved in---Castle, Chuck, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles all involved the cast of Firefly---and a scan of Youtube will reveal that each of these shows contains easter eggs both intentional and unintentional that let eagle eyed fans know that their devotion is appreciated. This has the added effect of Internet rumor upon rumor that the show will resurface, that Serenity will fly again. Various members of the cast and even show creator Joss Whedon have expressed willingness to reunite though it seems there are factors behind the scenes preventing this from happening. One of the things science fiction fans know, however, is that Television is not the only medium for science fiction and Firefly is no exception. Since the cancellation of the show, a feature film has been released and seven original stories have appeared in comic or graphic novel form. The graphic novel Those Left Behind was a top seller for publisher Dark Horse comics in 2007---proving the devotion of the Browncoats once again. It is this devotion that prompted the Firefly reunion panel at the San Diego Comic Con and this exchange between Joss Whedon and a fan:
Fan: After hearing a bunch of the crew members on various DC animated shows, would you ever consider doing Firefly as an animated series? Joss Whedon: You know I get it, but I would be more interested in doing it as a radio show.
Browncoats salivate at the prospect of Fireflys return in any medium but the question must be asked---with television being such a visual medium, can a science fiction television show be adapted for radio? The answer is a resounding yes, as youll see after we recap 5 successful science fiction/fantasy franchises that have been performed as full cast audio dramatizations.