FIREFLY (Complete Television Series) -- Joss Whedon, creator

©2002
created by: Joss Whedon
regular cast: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, Ron Glass, Jewel Staite, Summer Glau
production company: Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox Television, Fox Television Network

Plot Outline: Five hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small, mobile, spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.

Plot Synopsis: In the distant future, Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds is a renegade former interstellar officer now turned smuggler/rogue whom is the commander of a small spacecraft with a loyal hand-picked crew making up of first mate Zoe Warren; pilot Hoban 'Wash' Washburn; gung-ho grunt Jayne Cobb; engineer Kaylee Frye; fugitives Doctor Simon Tam and his psychic sister River, where they travel the far reaches of space in search of food, money, and anything to live off on.

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I really enjoyed this series. I can see where it is a cult favorite. I was hooked in to it very quickly, and wish there were many more episodes to watch.

Some parts of it seem a little on the goofy side -- almost too much of a "western in space" feel (guns with bullets, robbing trains, horses, etc.) but the intrique that was set up over who the characters really might be was wonderful! Why do so many people seem to think that the "Shepherd" isn't really a "shepherd" after all? What kind of psychic powers does River really have? Are the "Companion" and the captain going to get together? Will Kaylee and the doctor get together?

While only a short-lived series, they already did a great job of balancing both serious, dramatic shows with humorous episodes. I laughed through the episode in which "Jayne," the slow-witted, macho man who sleeps with his guns, is afraid to be recognized on a planet only to discover that he's become a folk hero and people sing ballads to him.

And yet the episode with the recurring villian torturing the captain, "Mal," is also quite powerful.

A wonderful series that I highly recommend.