Amidst the quagmire of ever increasingly stupid reality shows (I won�t rant on that because it has been done and it is too easy), one can see few beacons of light. In fact, I had given up entirely on TV before the start of last year�s new shows. Then, I found it. The show I had been waiting for. It was funny, it was action, it was adventure, it was drama. It was entertaining, something that hasn�t happened in a long time. This oddity appeared on Fox (I know, who would have thought something good would come from Fox) on Friday nights, a notoriously crappy time slot. For those of you that don�t already know the name of the show (it�s in the title of this article), it was Firefly.

Unfortunately I�m saying, �was� because this show no longer exists. After only 8 episodes it was cancelled. The show was never given a chance. Nobody watches TV on Friday nights (I had to tape most of the episodes because I was always out doing something). Not even the X-Files got good ratings on Friday, it was only after the move to Sunday nights that people other than die-hard X-Files� fans started watching (of course that is also when the show started to go downhill). Had this show been allowed to endure through the thin years that shows like it always have, it could quite possibly be one of the greatest shows ever on television.

Now, let me describe this incredible show. Bear through this, it is a science-fiction show about the events of a crew on a smuggler�s ship (the model of the ship is firefly, hence the name). The show is based somewhat on the American Civil War and the reconstruction era after that (mostly the reconstruction era). Think of it as a western set in space, like Magnificent Seven meets Star Trek. Oh no, I said Star Trek, no doubt some of you are already going, oh, this is a nerd show and this is a nerd writing about it. Well, I won�t deny being a nerd, but Firefly was written by the same people that wrote Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it is not a pure geeky show. The show had by far the most interesting plots and subplots of any show going. With some many great characters and situations, every show was something new and exciting. The show was also funny, hilarious sometimes, yet it was serious enough that you cared about the characters, you wanted to learn about them. They were more than just cheap vehicles for jokes (unlike every sitcom ever), but they weren�t above cracking one. The show had something for everyone, some sci-fi for the nerds, good plots for the older generations, good love stories for the women, and some hot actresses for the male teenagers (I�m not an authority on whether or not the guy�s on the show looked good, if you want to know that, go find pictures for yourself). It was win-win for everyone. Check out the best fan-website at www.fireflyfans.net. Read up on it. It is a great show and worth your time. The complete DVD comes out Dec. 9th, I would recommend buying it. It will be worth every penny and more.

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