# Firefly the Series: What age is it appropriate viewing for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2007, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418 "2007-12-01T03:23:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2007, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/121 "2007-12-13T23:42:47Z")
Jim, be sure to watch the out-takes after you watch the movie. Trust me. Nathan Fillion vamping a scene in front of the absolutely flabbergasted cast is **hilarious**! (Fans, you know the one I mean. “Dirt-nap.”) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/122 "2007-12-14T02:13:33Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] Jim, be sure to watch the out-takes after you watch the movie. Trust me. Nathan Fillion vamping a scene in front of the absolutely flabbergasted cast is **hilarious**! (Fans, you know the one I mean. “Dirt-nap.”) 😃 [/QUOTE] The man has fun with funeral scenes, doesn’t he? Remember Tracy’s recording in The Message? ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/123 "2007-12-14T16:18:31Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Sonny Rhodes would be in his mid-60s now and was definitely an black blues musician. So if the balladeer was white, it isn’t the Sonny Rhodes I know and Wiki credits with preforming the title song. Jim [/QUOTE] Ok, I’m way wrong, apparently. The Sonny Rhodes to whom you refer did do the title song and is NOT the balladeer. There was something special about the balladeer, though, which I am trying to recall. Sorry, I’m a bit spaced on pain right now… going for an emergency root canal in less than two hours. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/124 "2007-12-14T16:56:06Z")
[QUOTE=lisacurl] There was something special about the balladeer, though, which I am trying to recall. [/QUOTE] Does the name Ronald Craig Williams mean anything to you? He’s credited as “Busker”, and the balladeer appears to be a busker. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/125 "2007-12-14T20:42:37Z")
w00t!!! Firefly marathon tonight on SciFi! ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/126 "2007-12-14T20:53:58Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] I like the way Mal was developing; I hope that plays out in the movie. [/QUOTE] The “darker”, more bitter Mal from the original two-part pilot, who would insult Shepherd Book to his face and order Jayne to leave the table with extreme prejudice, was a more interesting character. Fox made Whedon tone him down into a more sympathetic character for the series, and he ended up a bit too Han Solo, too much the lovable space rogue. Without wanting to spoil it too much, the Mal in _Serenity_ is a return to the original bleaker, angrier character. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/127 "2007-12-14T21:01:50Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Well the disc is already here, so I will watch the first 3 in the next few days. I am just curious if I fit the profile of a Firefly fan. I prefer Old Sci-Fi and classic High-Fantasy. Though obviously I am a big fan of the new Doctor Who. Jim [/QUOTE] i have never seen more than 5 minutes of **Buffy/Angel** , despised **Alias** and love original **Star Trek**. I think **Firefly** is some of the best _gorram_ TV ever made. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/128 "2007-12-14T21:18:07Z")
[QUOTE=Oslo Ostragoth] w00t!!! Firefly marathon tonight on SciFi! [/QUOTE] Or not. That’s what my newspaper TV section is saying, but SciFi is advertising some Bruce Willis movie. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/129 "2007-12-14T21:20:10Z")
[QUOTE=Oslo Ostragoth] Or not. That’s what my newspaper TV section is saying, but SciFi is advertising some Bruce Willis movie. ☹ [/QUOTE] [11PM - 3AM EST](http://www.scifi.com/schedulebot/index.php3), after the movies. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2007, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/130 "2007-12-15T06:01:23Z")
BTW, anyone watching these eps for the first (or whatever) time might want to print out the relevant sections of the [Pinyinary](http://fireflychinese.kevinsullivansite.net/) so they can follow along. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2007, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/131 "2007-12-15T17:41:53Z")
I’ve been meaning to chime in here for a while. We had a film festival leading up to the release of _Serenity_. Here’s the [last thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=329175) with links in the OP to all of the previous threads. Haven’t seen the movie in a while. Maybe this afternoon while I’m putting some decorations together. GT ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/132 "2007-12-16T14:15:25Z")
The movie was excellent, I really enjoyed it. Shame that Book had such a small part. They didn’t give Jayne his normal ration of great lines I noticed. I nearly hesitate to ask this, but what is the scuttlebutt on why the show was canceled in the first place? Jim ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/133 "2007-12-16T16:47:38Z")
Low ratings, I think. FOX didn’t have much faith in it, though, and never really gave it much of a shot. The executives in charge made Joss write a second premiere (The Train Job), showed the episodes out of order, actually aired the real two-part premiere as the very last episode, and didn’t air two of the episodes at all. Oh, and according to pretty much every \*Firefly \*(and _Drive_ and _Doll House_…) discussion I’ve read online, because they’re also evil incarnate and live for nothing more than torturing us poor, trodden Whedonites. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/134 "2007-12-16T18:40:59Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] The movie was excellent, I really enjoyed it. Shame that Book had such a small part. They didn’t give Jayne his normal ration of great lines I noticed. I nearly hesitate to ask this, but what is the scuttlebutt on why the show was canceled in the first place? Jim [/QUOTE] I don’t have a cite for this, but my understanding is that the exec who greenlit the show was fired before it went to air, and his successor didn’t like the show. Hence, the show was aired out of order, frequently pre-empted, and under-advertised, and as a result, never found an audience until it came out on DVD. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/135 "2007-12-16T19:04:54Z")
[QUOTE=gardentraveler] I’ve been meaning to chime in here for a while. We had a film festival leading up to the release of _Serenity_. Here’s the [last thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=329175) with links in the OP to all of the previous threads. Haven’t seen the movie in a while. Maybe this afternoon while I’m putting some decorations together. GT [/QUOTE] Thanks for that link. I didn’t discover \*Firefly \*until after the movie came to DVD, so I missed all of that. Glad you enjoyed it all, Jim! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2012, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/136 "2012-05-13T23:56:18Z")
I just got done re-watching the show. This time with my kids. They both loved it and my daughter doesn’t like Sci-Fi mostly except for new _Who_. Though she loves _Buffy_, having watched all of it on NetFlix. I think I liked the show better this time around and I liked it much the first time. Now I wonder with the success of the \*Avengers \*if Whedon will decide to make one more movie for _Firefly_. He could get anything green lit now. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/137 "2012-05-14T22:54:50Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I just got done re-watching the show. This time with my kids. They both loved it and my daughter doesn’t like Sci-Fi mostly except for new _Who_. Though she loves _Buffy_, having watched all of it on NetFlix. > > I think I liked the show better this time around and I liked it much the first time. Now I wonder with the success of the \*Avengers \*if Whedon will decide to make one more movie for _Firefly_. He could get anything green lit now. Several of the cast members have regular gigs going now, dunno how easy it would be to work out filming. I mean, I know Nathan Fillion would love to do it (Castle even dressed up as Mal for Halloween in one episode) but does he have time? ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/138 "2012-05-15T00:59:29Z")
> [@Obsidian](#): > > There’s not really any gore or nudity in Firefly. . . but there is a whole lot of moral ambiguity. In the first episode, Inara (the courtesan) has an onscreen sponge bath. In the same episode, Kaylee (the mechanic) eats a strawberry. Kaylee’s scene is about ten time sexier than Inara’s. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/139 "2012-05-15T01:23:32Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > In the first episode, Inara (the courtesan) has an onscreen sponge bath. In the same episode, Kaylee (the mechanic) eats a strawberry. > > Kaylee’s scene is about ten time sexier than Inara’s. And River was nekkid in the cryo-thingee. I’ll be in my bunk. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418/140 "2012-05-17T09:58:56Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Several of the cast members have regular gigs going now, dunno how easy it would be to work out filming. I mean, I know Nathan Fillion would love to do it (Castle even dressed up as Mal for Halloween in one episode) but does he have time? Evidently when Nathan Fillion sees Joss Whedon on his Caller ID, his customary method of answering the phone is “YES, I’LL DO IT.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-the-series-what-age-is-it-appropriate-viewing-for/428418.md?page=6)