Why is it that the quality shows on network television are usually cancelled just as they're hitting their stride? Apparently witless twaddle like \Will and Grace,"" ""Dharma and Greg"" and ""Ally McBeal"" can fester and stink up the tube for years on end, yet all-around-wonderful shows like ""Freaks and Geeks and ""Undeclared"" (from ""40-Year-Old Virgin"" director Judd Apatow) can't even make it through one season.
Thankfully for shows like ""Arrested Development"" and ""Family Guy,"" massive DVD profits have given these once-neglected gems a second chance. But as of this weekend, a DVD-borne cult following has resulted in a noteworthy gamble: the making of a big-budget Hollywood film of a show that was canceled mid-season.
""Serenity,"" the much-anticipated film of ""Buffy the Vampire Slayer"" creator Joss Whedon's beloved sci-fi western ""Firefly,"" was released Friday to rave reviews from critics and fanboys alike. Now, whereas films made from TV shows are nothing new-""Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me"" and ""X-Files: Fight the Future"" were quite successful-this is the first time in recent memory that a theatrical film has been made out of a cancelled show. And no, ""Mulholland Drive"" doesn't count because no episodes of it's intended show ever aired.
I haven't yet seen ""Serenity,"" because I went back to my hometown of Hurley, Wis. (population: 1898) this weekend, where the ""new"" movie at the multiplex was ""40-Year-Old Virgin"" (imagine Market Square being the only movie theatre in your town, except that it charges full price, and you'll have some idea of what I'm talking about). But sight unseen, I would assume it's a superb film solely because of the show's excellence, not because of its awful trailer. Please, whatever you do, pay no mind to the hideous advertising campaign.
In fact, I would mostly blame terrible advertising for causing ""Firefly's"" demise on television. Yes, I know that Fox, in a typical display of corporate incompetence, kept flip-flopping the show's time slots and showing episodes out of chronological order, but at the root of everything was the advertising. Back in the day, I remember watching a promo for the show, which was complete with the worst cutesy lines repeated ad nauseam and out of context, and distinctly thinking, ""I'll never watch this piece of shit as long as I live."" I didn't even watch ""Firefly"" until this summer when my sister Stacie, whose taste in pop culture I trust implicitly, sent me the complete series on DVD (and even then, it gathered dust for over a month). After hesitantly popping it in and watching the first episode, I was so hooked that I curtailed my social life until I was through with every episode.
Whereas the previews for ""Firefly"" highlighted its hybrid of genres, the trailer for ""Serenity"" makes it look like any old boilerplate, cut-and-paste ""Star Trek"" spinoff, with a cast of unknown smartasses and a random Baldwin. But I guess this is understandable, because it's hard to convey what exactly makes the show so scruffily appealing in less than three minutes. ""Firefly"" contains all the trademarks of a cheesy science-fiction show, but just about every episode frequently subverts expectations and effortlessly glides along with zeal and genuine cleverness.
""Serenity"" will live and die on word-of-mouth, which is currently strong. Rumors have already circulated that it's racking up an insane amount of cash right now. With countless critics even comparing it favorably to George Lucas's revered space operas (Stacie told me she liked it more than ""Star Wars""), ""Serenity"" may usher in a new wave of second chances for prematurely terminated TV shows through ballsy Hollywood studios. Even if not, new episodes of ""Firefly"" are probably looming on the horizon as we speak.
Joe Pudas is a junior majoring in journalism and communication arts.
