10 Flop TV Shows That Made ONE Huge Mistake
8. Airing Episodes Out Of Sequence - Firefly
In the case of Joss Whedon's depressingly short-lived sci-fi Western series Firefly, it wasn't the fault of Whedon or anyone else directly involved with the show's creation, but the pesky stuffed shirts at Fox.
Rather than give the show a fair fight right out of the gate, Fox ill-advisedly aired three episodes out of order, ensuring that the intended pilot episode, "Serenity," ultimately hit screens more than three months after the show's wonky launch.
As a result, it's little surprise that Firefly felt disjointed and uneven to audiences, causing ratings to quickly tumble, prompting Fox to swiftly cancel the series and not even air the three remaining episodes in the U.S.
The network couldn't have made it much clearer that they had little interest in nurturing Firefly's success, and so the fact that it still got a movie sequel, Serenity, powered by nothing but fan enthusiasm, is nothing short of a miracle.