Firefly

What’s Nice: Sharp, witty writing; unforgettable characters; unique atmosphere.

What’s Naughty: This is all the Firefly there will ever be.

What’s the Deal: Joss Whedon, executive producer and chief writer of that Buffy TV show and it’s spin-off Angel, created perhaps the best SF series of all time in Firefly. You certainly don’t have to be a Buffy or Angel fan to appreciate it. With a unique “western in space” atmosphere that combines horses and dusty plains with interplanetary travel, and some of the sharpest dialogue anywhere on TV, it could have been a classic that ran for years.

Sadly, Fox stuck it in a time slot where its entire demographic is doing anything but watching TV: 9pm on Friday nights. The show was cancelled without even airing the entire first season. You’ve been able to pick up the entire season-make that the entire series-in one box for quite some time now, and it still holds up as one of the best TV shows you’ll kick yourself for missing.

There’s even more reason to snap up the Firefly DVDs, though. As a result of the rave critical reviews and big praise from fans, Fox let Whedon develop a Firefly movie of sorts, named Serenity (after the ship in the show). Serenity carries on the show nicely, and while it’s quite a good flick in its own right, it’s absolute gold for fans of the show (which everyone tends to become after watching a few episodes). Sadly, Serenity came and went from theaters much like the show did, with high critical praise but not a lot of viewers. If it’s not still playing in your local megaplex, don’t worry, the Serenity DVD goes on sale just before Christmas.