Firefly vs. Buffy by spaceshiplover

FIREFLY UNIVERSE

Firefly vs. Buffy

POSTED BY: SPACESHIPLOVER
UPDATED: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 01:44
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 10344
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Thursday, February 16, 2006 4:26 AM

Well, My family has moved on from Firefly to Buffy. My wife and three of my kids are on a Buffy trip. I, personally still love Firefly. I do not like the witchcraft thing that is so prevelant in Buffy, (especially as the seasons progress). Also, I am a nut for SpaceShips, so, there ya go.

Trying to be impartial, though, I still think Firefly is a better show. It has much better character interplay/development, and the humor is more mature/subtle. I realize the subject matter for Buffy is highschoolers, but still, the humor in Firefly is on a higher plane (no pun intended).

How Buffy can go, what is it, seven seasons, with a spinoff in Angel, even, and they cancel Firefly after just 14 episodes will never cease to amaze me.

But what do YOU think???

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Thursday, February 16, 2006 4:58 AM

MRBEN

I really liked the first Buffy series, but didn't really see a huge amount after that - some bits and pieces, but not consistent.

I also prefer Firefly overall, and I reckon it has much more potential for the future in terms of character and world development.

mrben

"Carpe Aptenodytes"
http://www.jedimoose.org

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Thursday, February 16, 2006 5:23 AM

SPACESHIPLOVER

I agree. The potential in Firefly is vastly superior to Buffy. Also, as the seasons progressed, I think the quality of Buffy has gone downhill.
(no disparaging meant to Joss, but how long can you carry the 'teenager' turned vampire killer)?

The character development in Firefly, while it had fewer shows to do it in, is actually more developed than is Buffy. (IMHO). I think, overall, the show is more erudite and has more substance.
Besides, it also has SPACESHIPS!!!

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Thursday, February 16, 2006 5:31 AM

GORRAMREAVERS

Quote:
Originally posted by mrben:
I really liked the first Buffy series, but didn't really see a huge amount after that - some bits and pieces, but not consistent.

I also prefer Firefly overall, and I reckon it has much more potential for the future in terms of character and world development.

mrben

"Carpe Aptenodytes"
http://www.jedimoose.org

The first buffy series? Do you mean the first season?

I think Firefly had the potential to be better than Buffy if it was given 5-7 seasons on TV but it didnt. So it isnt.

"..it is my very favorite gun."

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Thursday, February 16, 2006 5:34 AM

AGENTROUKA

I loosely followed Buffy and Angel while it was on, and while I liked it, it never blew me away.

Firefly, on the other hand grabbed me like a Reaver harpoon. It's more mature and has a tighter focus, deals with adults, is less melodramatic.

Is about humans, less than superheroes.

Plus, I like the more advanced philosophical approach, the shape of the 'verse than Whedon thought up with this show, the big questions that it asks about humanity as a whole.

The questions asked in Buffy just never applied to me or how I see the world. All that "Chosen one" business.. not to my taste.

But I couldn't say which show is objectively better. Buffy did have some very powerful themes and character relationships. Just not ones I personally cared for.

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Thursday, February 16, 2006 5:52 AM

SPACESHIPLOVER

Yes, and no as well. Let me 'splain' , no let me sum up, it's quicker (a slight homage to Princess Bride)
I agree with you that the issues dealt with on Firefly are of greater import. And, as such, one could make the argument that they are 'better' (although I will allow that the term 'better' is subjective, and not objective).

The mere fact that the show does not center around adolescents should make the argument that the issues dealt with are of a greater significance (no disrespect to teenagers meant, as I have five of them).

And the characters on Firefly are much more enjoyable. The 'verse is much more plausable.
Besides, I don't remember my high school years being as dangerous. Wow, so many dead people. Of course, I didn't go to school over a 'hellmouth'. But one could argue that all of California is a 'hellmouth' (just kidding, folks. don't get the torches and pitchforks out)

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Thursday, February 16, 2006 6:04 AM

ASARIAN

I'm trying to put this as delicately as I can. :) FireFly beats Buffy, hands down; and feet. After seeing River, erm, I mean FireFly, Buffy looks like an idiot child. But, in Buffy's defense, so does every other show.

--
"Mei-mei, everything I have is right here." -- Simon Tam

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Thursday, February 16, 2006 12:17 PM

PARKER6097

They're two very different shows, hard to compare them. I'm sitting here trying to pick a favorite and I just can't, everything made by joss is just of an equal level of awesomeness.

Why firefly didn't attract the neccessary fanbase to stay on the air is really beyond me, personally I think it was the advertising of the show, I didn't even hear about it until it was off the air. Because how anyone could have watched that show and not supported it when it was originally on is something that just baffles me.

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Tuesday, February 21, 2006 2:52 AM

GAMMARAYGIRL

I've never seen Buffy, and have only the most general idea what it is about. I definitely prefer sci-fi to fantasy, and even with the sci-fi, I like storylines that are somewhat plausible. What I love about Firefly is the feeling that the events could actually happen. (And that combined with Captain Tightpants makes for one mighty fine show :smile.)

I plan on renting episodes of Buffy sometime soon because, well, I can't imagine Joss Whedon making anything not worth seeing.

That being said, Firefly got to me in a big way. It's very hard for me to imagine that Buffy is better (sorry!)

gammaraygirl

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Tuesday, February 21, 2006 4:12 AM

JONATHAN

I was a fan of Buffy (from the very first episode) when it was on the air, but I didn't really "get" the show until I started watching re-runs on FX. That's when I became a HUGE fan of the show. To really understand Buffy (and Angel) you NEED to carefully watch every second of every episode - and watch every episode more than once. Just casually viewing an episode once in awhile won't do it. The shows are, similar to Firefly, very complex and detailed in a way that no other tv shows ever were.

I think the main difference between Firefly and Buffy/Angel is that Firefly is self-contained. The whole 'verse is right there on the screen for you to see. With Buffy/Angel, to really "get" the show, you need to know a lot of cultural references from the real world outside the show. Many of these references are not obvious and some are both complex and uncommon.

Personally, I love both shows and, for all their Jossian similarities, I don't think they can be compared directly because they are so very different. Plus, as someone said above, Firefly barely got started and Buffy/Angel ran for eight seasons. Comparing something that consists of 14 episodes and one movie to another made up of 254 episodes doesn't really make sense. What I will say is that BOTH 'verses were better than anything else on tv before or since (which isn't to say that Veronica Mars and Galactica aren't good - they are - just not AS good as Joss' shows).

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Tuesday, February 28, 2006 6:12 AM

DAVEC5

Quote:
Originally posted by jonathan:
I was a fan of Buffy (from the very first episode)

I agree with Jonathan... Buffy, when it first aired was unlike anything i had seen in a long while on the tube. Really, Buffy was my introduction to all things Whedon... since, then i've come to know what a brilliant and inovative writer/director/producer Joss Whedon is. Buffy, Angel and Firefly are so much character based shows, unlike most of the drivel out there these days - Although i did really like the "new" Nightstalker (the old one as well)...but that was another program that didn't attract the numbers needed to stay afloat. Must be a really cutthroat business....mass numbers of viewers=ratings which win out to quality programing everytime.

Anyway, i have all the dvds of the three shows and would rather watch them over and over than most of the new shows on tv. I even get a real kick out of the Buffy Musical....genius.

And the women of Joss....i'll admit to carrying torches for someone in each series..... and maybe not who'd you think...Willow, Fred & Kaylee will always be favorites of mine.

....and we all shine on......

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Friday, March 3, 2006 4:42 PM

WTE

Objectively, Firefly is the best show, if only because, well... Joss had experience when he wrote it. Buffy was old, so he knew what things stood the test of time, and he had also dealt with the issues of growing up and stuff, so he could move on to other material.

Subjectively... That's a tough one. On the one hand, I love Firefly, and think it may be the best television I've seen, but... Buffy and Angel have tremendous sentimental value, especially the former, which I started watching in 2nd grade and was the first series I was dedicated to.

HONKS

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Friday, March 3, 2006 4:53 PM

CHRISISALL

I watched Buffy seasons 1 - 5 (6 and 7 are on my to-do list) only because of FF/S, and I like the Buffster mainly for the writing, which is usually excellent. Generally, witchcraft and demons make me sleepy, but the dialogue is what makes all of Joss' shows.

But FF/S is best!!!!

Xander-like Chrisisall

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Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:27 PM

THEMANTHEYCALLEDJAMES

well if you just compare the movies Serenity wins by a LONGSHOT!!!!

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Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:30 PM

MATTCOZ

Buffy was ok, wasn't much of a fan. I liked Angel a lot better. Firefly though, blows both of them away. Just not even close.

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 11:49 AM

WASHHEAD

I have watched every episode of Buffy and FireFly and i love them both because they are both made by Joss I liked everything he did but I would have to say FireFly is Joss's best work, FireFly was the most awsome show i have ever watched, and in my opinion you can not even compaire the two shows because there is no contest FireFly is better.

"People juggled geese!!"

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 7:39 PM

SPACESHIPLOVER

I agree totally. My girls and my wife have gotten on a Buffy and Angel kick. Myself and my two sons are going crazy. I think I am getting sick of Buffy and Angel. I mean, just how many seasons are there??? And to think, Joss' best show, Firefly only ran part of one season. Go figure. I think the studio execs were smoking some bad weed. The level of humor and character development and interplay on firefly blow Angel and Buffy out of the water. And, of course, there are spaceships in Firefly. You just can't beat spaceships!

I first saw the movie, Serenity. I was very impressed with the character development and interplay. It all made sense when I found out there was a tv show with them in it. However, that is a good sign that the writing in the movie and the show is top notch. To watch the movie cold and still get a sense of depth of characters and depth of experiences shows talent in the writing.

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Monday, April 3, 2006 4:38 PM

MECTURTLE

I was a huge Buffy fan for years. I've seen every episode, I own every episode. I had taken it for granted that Buffy would remain my favorite show for years to come.

A couple weeks ago, I saw Firefly for the first time, after it finally made it to the top of my Netflix list. By the time I got through the first disc, I was literally giddy (kind of embarassing to admit, but true). I immediately bought the series and Serenity on DVD, and have been watching them ever since.

I see similarities, mostly in humor and dialogue, between the two shows, but Firefly really surpasses Buffy like nobody's business.

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Tuesday, April 4, 2006 11:20 AM

LILKAYLEE29

You gotta keep in mind that Buffy and the Scoobies start out in High School on the show but as the show progresses they grow up in a hurry.

I personally love all three shows; Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, but Firefly is the one with less fantasy elements to it besides the whole future, many worlds and spaceships thing.

Joss has a knack for getting the best actors to play the main characters on all his shows, lots of funny, lots of action, lots of angst. They are sooo good, they make me cry every time I see one of the characters in pain. His shows are so addicting because of the writing and acting, it's like a drug, they leave you wanting more.

Even in Serenity: I think of the BDM as the season finale that Firefly should have had. DAMN YOU FOX!!

Anyway, that's just my opinion.

I'm a leaf on the wind....Watch how I soar.

Wash: Captain, don't you know kissin' girls makes ya sleepy? Mal: Sometimes I just can't help myself.

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Tuesday, April 4, 2006 12:11 PM

BIGDAMNNOBODY

Quote:
Originally posted by themantheycalledJames:
well if you just compare the movies Serenity wins by a LONGSHOT!!!!

I think I just heard Paul Reubens spinning in his grave which is odd considering he is still alive.

I loved Firefly when it first aired but did not get into Buffy or Angel until coming to this site to experience all things Whedon. I think it was because I was a sci-fi fan as a kid so I am more willing to watch sci-fi before anything else.

De-lurking to stir stuff up

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Friday, April 7, 2006 6:25 AM

WHISPER

I agree with the previously stated... it's too hard to compare.

I have been a huge BtVS/ Angel fan since they both started airing. I only vaguely knew about Firefly when it aired but i never knew when it was actually on.

I love every series differently for they each deal with different issues that i can relate to. I can't compare. Now if we just compare the first season of each show, then of course Firefly wins by a longshot.

Want Firefly/ Serenity/ BtVS/ Angel desktop wallpapers? Take a look at the ones I've created at:
http://www.whispergraphics.net
Now hosting the Firefly Extended Gagreel
I have added a forum to my site and now I need some members!

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Friday, April 7, 2006 7:02 AM

GROUNDED

I think it's almost impossible to compare the two, mainly because of their relative lengths. Firefly was canned before they had a chance to made a bad episode or bad plot decision or have a character/actor leave the show. Buffy ran for 144 episodes, the vast majority of which were of a very high standard. And anyone claiming the humour in Firefly is more 'advanced' or 'mature' than Buffy clearly didn't watch the latter with any degree of attentiveness ;)

Now I personally prefer the premise of Firefly to Buffy. But if I had to choose between 144 episodes of Firefly and 15 of Buffy or keep what we have now, I wouldn't be able to do it. Why? Because we can never know if those next 129 eps of Firefly would have retained the same incredible ep-by-ep level of quality that they managed for the first 15.

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Tuesday, April 11, 2006 6:04 PM

KAZE

I read an article about Buffy before it came out and thought it sounded cool enough to make a note of when it would be on so i could watch it.

Buffy and Angel were 2 of my all time favorite shows. In fact i can honestly say that there's a really good chance that i wouldn't be the same person now if they didn't exist. I went through some rough times and was headed down a very wrong path for me and some stuff that happened in those shows kinda turned me around and pointed me in the right direction.

One little bit of dialogue in particular from an episode of Angel pretty much ensured that nothing in the verse could make me lose sight of myself again. Now i'd have sorted all this crap out on m own anyways eventually me being all smart and all but this was a huge timesaver.

All that being said I still like Firefly better.

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Tuesday, April 11, 2006 6:36 PM

USAGIVINDALOO

I admit that I have only watched the occasional ep of Buffy and Angel, and though I often enjoyed what I saw, it never really yanked me in and grabbed me. For one, I find that I have to be a certain mood to handle the ANGST of that series; I mean, "Becoming" and "I Will Remember You" are not what one would call easy watching. While Firefly... well, I have it on DVD and can change easily between Objects in Space and Jaynestown depending on my mood. XD

Most people have already covered a lot of reasons Firefly is better, and subjectively I have one more that hasn't been mentioned.

NO OVERDONE FIGHT SCENES!

With Buffy and Angel, it was like some sort of contract that there HAD to be a fist fight, a set piece almost if you will. Of all the shows I saw of Buffy/Angel, I don't think I've ever seen one WITHOUT a fight sequence.

It got a bit much, I found. You could set your watch to them, you KNEW they were coming (because EVERY ep had one) and they usually went on for quite a long time. Not only that, but they were often telegraphed to an alarming degree, to the point of almost writing the plot for the sake of the fight scenes ("Right, now we'll have Riley and Buffy fight a demon... FIGHT SCENE! Now the evil professor will see the results of that battle and send Buffy off to... ANOTHER FIGHT SCENE!")

Now, I'm sure many of you liked the fight scenes, but I didn't. They never really excited me, and usually I was waiting for them to finish so they could get back to the plot and character development, which is what interested me. When fight scenes started, I usually rolled my eyes and turned my brain off until the episode "came back" as it were.

With Firefly, I NEVER had that problem. For one thing, I don't think every episode had a fight scene (I'd have to check that); heck, one of my favourite eps is Out of Gas, and besides the brief gunshot in the cargo bay and Mal getting shirty with Wash, there wasn't any fighting in that episode. Very often the fight scenes that were there were quickly executed while still being exciting (maybe BECAUSE they were quickly executed). They never seemed to drag and never seemed to be "unnatural set pieces" that the episode was written for. Rather, the episode, like the characters involved in the fight, wanted to get through the fight as an obstacle to the greater plot/mission/what have you. And I liked that.

"This must be what going mad feels like."

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Tuesday, April 11, 2006 7:14 PM

KAZE

I enjoyed the fight scenes in both shows for different reasons. I would say taht the fights in Firefly were overall more believable and realistic although i feel both shows had very realistic fight scenes(this based on relative tv realism not real life realism). I do enjoy a good fight scene but i agree that Firefly definately had a way of getting to the point faster with the fights and getting back to the story. That could be why i always felt every Firefly episode was so packed with goodness.

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Tuesday, April 11, 2006 7:17 PM

ANGELOFMUSICVI

I always liked Buffy ... but they're both Joss Whedon, so of course they'll be good. Still, Firefly rocks and it needs to come back.

,,,=^..^=,,,~~~

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Wednesday, April 12, 2006 9:21 AM

ELFIE

I loved Buffy first and it was my favourite show....until I got into Firefly. Now I think I prefer Firefly but then maybe thats because so much more can be done with it, while Buffy, I think, at least reached an end (though I'd still love to see a Spike movie). Either way, they are both incredible shows and put everything else on TV to shame.

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Tuesday, April 18, 2006 12:06 PM

ANGELOFMUSICVI

Now that is an interesting concept: A Spike Movie. That I would see. Because we all love the bad boys...well *I* do anyway. hehe...aside from that, I am anxious to see who will be playing Ms. Wonder Woman.

,,,=^..^=,,,~~~

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Wednesday, April 26, 2006 1:44 AM

VINTERDRAKEN

First of all, so people dont get me wrong; I like Buffy and Angel.

To get to the heart of the matter, Firefly is much better, I often sit around watching Buffy with my roommate (who loves the show) and im always jokeing about the series general oddness, sometimes its sillines and generely making fun of the plots and the whole highschool thing (watching reruns att the moment). So generally people get the impression that I dont like the show, wich is far from true. I love spike, really like giles, willow, tara, and the rest. But somehow in my eyes Buffys is more of a comedy while Firefly has it all.

You can’t stop the Signal.
Keep spreading the word about Firefly!

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Wednesday, April 26, 2006 1:44 AM

VINTERDRAKEN