10 Best One Season Wonder TV Shows
2. Firefly
Had Firefly debuted 10 or so years later, the inflated power of online fans would likely have led to a campaign that could have saved it. As it was, in 2002 we had no recourse but to watch as Fox snatched our glorious space neo-western off the air just 14 episodes after we were introduced to Mal Reynolds and the crew of Serenity.
Arguably Joss Whedon’s most well realised vision to date, Firefly sees a ragtag crew of soldiers, mercenaries, civilians and mysterious figures adrift in space in the aftermath of a great war. The characters come fully formed, with backstories that are barely scraped over the course of the series. Just one frustrating element about Firefly’s cancellation is just how much more there was to learn about this group.
The acting is impeccable, with Nathan Fillion superb in the lead role, Summer Glau a revelation as mysterious youngster River Tam, and Adam Baldwin great fun as trigger happy muscle Jayne. Firefly boasts Whedon’s usual mixture of wit and warmth, though with little of the smugness that sometimes pervades his shows.
It was a pricey proposition that didn’t immediately catch on, and so it was axed by Fox. It’s a beloved cult show and spawned a decent feature film, but Firefly can’t be replaced.