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Firefly's Demise: An Interview with Sean Maher
September 07, 2006
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I think that they were on the fence about picking it up again, anyway. There were all these jokes on set that Fox wanted “Melrose Space.” They wanted more sex and more action, and what I liked about the show so much and what Joss loved obviously was the characters, and the relationships between them and the dialogue. When I read the pilot, I was like, “this is fantastic, it’s so unique, a post-apocalyptic western.” He created this incredible world they wanted something different and I don’t know if he was able to give it to them.
Plus, wasn’t the series shown out of order? Is that true?
Yeah, that was a mistake. They did do that. They decided to show the pilot as a special Christmas episode, so episode two ("The Train Job") was shown first. I mean, the universe of this show was a tough world to adjust to anyway, so being sort of thrust in to the second episode was really hard. The pilot introduced you to these characters, it was two hours, you got to step into this world and say “here’s what this is about.” You know, like any show, the pilot is designed to draw you in and introduce you. And the network, I think they weren’t sure about it and they wanted to re-tool it, and they ended up showing the pilot after episode eleven or something. Which was just a mistake.
I remember people seeing the show when it premiered and they were sort of thrust into it. I remember a lot them being confused. And thinking, well, if they’d seen the pilot, then you would have known their names. And now, we’re still talking about it. Fox did all these things and everytime someone hears the story they say, “huh?”
So, the cancellation wasn’t solely based on the ad campaign?
Umm ... What ad campaign? I don’t remember the show being advertised.
How did the movie come about?
After it was cancelled, there were talks about finding another home for Firefly. I did not in a million years think it would be a feature film. We thought, maybe the Sci-Fi Channel, or we would continue somewhere. But I went over to Joss’ house one night and he was like,”Universal’s doing the movie.” He was going to Cape Cod to write the script and suddenly it was all in the works. What happened was that the sales for the Firefly box set DVDs were through the roof, and Universal was already thinking about doing it. Again, though I really think that the fans helped the most. That was sort of our ad campaign. The fans were still excited. And they still are.
There is talk on many other fan sites about a sequel to the film. What do you know?
I’ve not heard either way, but they have until Sept 2007 to decide. But I haven’t heard either way. It’s one of those things. If there’s a sequel, you know, anything these people want to do, I’m there. We always joked about taking the show on the road, as a side show act - you know, “let’s get on a bus and drive cross country and re-enact firefly episodes on stage!” It’s a wonderful group of people, it’s not a question, of course we’d all be on board.
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Comments
Denise wrote:
Thanks for posting the Maher interview. He's very candid about what happened with Fox, Firefly and Serenity. I have to say that it's a joy being a fan of this man. Hopefully, he'll get another tv project on another network, other than Fox.
posted at September 11, 2006 10:07 AM
Tammy wrote:
That was a lovely interview. I just got the Firefly visual companion and was a bit disapointed that there was no 'new' interview from Sean like there was for the other actors, just one that was re-used from the press tour of the film.
So it was nice to see something new from him. On the subject of his new A&E movie. Hmm, wonder what his roll was and why the interviewer didn't make a big deal of it like the press seemed to with 'Brokback Mountain'.
posted at September 11, 2006 10:59 AM
Ben wrote:
Thanks for the Sean interview! Why Firefly was ever cancelled is completely befuddling to me. It is simply the best TV series I have ever seen and in the grand scheme of all modern entertainment, it holds it's own with anything. The characters, plotlines and stories were exciting and emotional, yet realistic. I just wish I was paying attention when it debuted (along with other people), so it would have lasted longer. I am still hoping Joss can bring our beloved 'verse back.
posted at September 11, 2006 12:33 PM
Carrie wrote:
I love Firefly, I love Serenity, and I respect Sean Maher a good deal. Thanks so much for posting this; it had me laughing at some points, about ready to burst into tears at other. The comments about the fans really made my heart tingle with happiness. It takes one hell of an actor and show to get that response out of me.
posted at September 11, 2006 02:36 PM
Sean Collins-Smith wrote:
awesome guys, thanks for posting this great interview
posted at September 11, 2006 08:10 PM
di wrote:
Thanks for posting this. It's always good to hear something about Firefly/Serenity behind the scenes. And it's nice, as a fan, to be called part of the cast. :)
posted at September 12, 2006 02:19 AM
Katharine wrote:
Long-time reader, first-time poster. What a nice interview: very straightforward and pleasant. I really hadn't seen much from Sean Maher off-screen, so this was a good read. Thanks for bringing it to us.
posted at September 12, 2006 07:37 PM
Cheryl wrote:
Great interview, and thanks for posting it. Now a probably crazy idea: take the number of DVD sales and pitch the owner to each chip in $10, $20, or whatever to finance making straight-to-DVD episodes. Maybe the idiotic networks would get the idea and the series could be resurrected? I'll put my money up for that chance. How about the rest of you?
posted at September 17, 2006 08:42 AM
Nicki wrote:
Thanks for posting the interview. And thanks to Sean for his honesty. Browncoats all over will love this interview.
posted at September 17, 2006 02:52 PM
Mary Girven wrote:
I loved reading this interview with Sean Maher, as he is one of my nine favorite actors! I discovered Firefly/Serenity in February, 2006 and have been a huge fan ever since. I love everything about this story and, like everyone else I know, DEMAND more! It is SO easy to convert new fans; you just lend your DVDs to people you know who haven't seen Firefly/Serenity yet and let them do their magic. I'm so excited now with more showings of Firefly apperaing on other channels and with Serenity showing on HBO. Surely there are many more fans now than when Serenity was released just a year ago! Fans need to stay vocal and keep pushing for more of the best story ever written! People are hungry for a good story and it just doesn't get any better than this one.
posted at September 24, 2006 10:05 PM
PirateCat wrote:
Hey what a great show, Firefly is the best not to mention the best characters ever. Too bad Fox did not get it. Its like alias Smith and Jones meet Bladerunner. I believe it topps Star Trek and Babylon 5. Thanks Sean. Maybe Fox in Chineese means Blue Sun. Hmmmm
posted at October 2, 2006 10:16 PM
AnonymousBrowncoat wrote:
Firefly was, and still is, my favorite show of all time. As much as I love Serenity, it still pains me to think of how GREAT it would have been to watch these stories develop over seven+ seasons. At any rate, great interview! Keep Flying! Serenity Now!
posted at October 11, 2006 11:36 PM
Kendra wrote:
This show was brilliant. Too bad Fox has their head up their ass when it comes to programing. Thanks for posting this interview!
posted at October 12, 2006 01:47 PM
Jacki wrote:
How sad that the network execs at Fox couldn't trust a creative genius with two hits out of two attempts to bring a fan base to the new series and produce another megawinner.
The pain is eased somewhat by the knowledge that studio execs have an even shorter shelf life than new tv shows...and those idiots are likely long gone.
posted at October 12, 2006 05:35 PM
Christopher Woods wrote:
Ace interview, thanks for plopping it onto the interwebs.
posted at November 4, 2006 07:42 PM
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