Rebroadcasting Firefly During Summer 2005 by Oxyopia

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Rebroadcasting Firefly During Summer 2005

POSTED BY: OXYOPIA
UPDATED: Sunday, December 12, 2004 03:06
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Saturday, November 27, 2004 5:13 AM

So after a few round of drinks and a much heated debate, last night I was convinced to post my blog entry into the public discussion arena. I realize that this is not the first time the subject has been brought up, but I feel that a seperate post specifically dealing with the potential realities of a network screening of Firefly during the summer months is warranted.

I should point out in advance, however, that the hurdle of getting Fox to agree to any of this is probably the biggest obstacle...one which would most likely prove unsurmountable. With that said, enjoy my trip into What-If Land.

With the recent announcement of Serenity's big screen debut being pushed back until Sept. 30th, I have given some thought as to how Firefly's marketing dept could best make use of the time leading up to the big day. A thought occurred to me that I would like to get down before I forget it entirely.

Essentially, I think it would be best for everyone if the entire season of Firefly was shown, in proper order, on network television during the summer months. The plan would be to have an episode aired each week during a primetime slot and would last up until September. With 15 episodes to choose from, you could start at the begining of June and, even airing both parts to 'Serenity' back-to-back in one night, you would still have enough footage to take you to the begining of September. A special episode just for this occasion featuring Joss, Tim, and the Serenity crew could be made with them waxing all poetical about the mysteries of life and aired the week before the big damn movie is to occur.

The benefits of this idea are pretty simple. You get the word spread about your movie by utilizing the time slots traditionally occupied by insipid summer re-runs and sub-par programming. As a result, assuming the word was adequately spread about it, Firefly would destroy any other show placed in the competing time slot. I am sure that one of the big three (ABC, NBC, CBS) would love to get a nice summer boost to their ratings which they could use to push whatever new programs they have come up with for the fall. Also, Firefly DVD sales might also benefit from a summer airing, since we all know how addictive the show is.

There are several obstacles from making this happen, however. Firstly, I am not sure on this, but I believe that Fox still has the rights to airing Firefly on television. Thus, it would be impossible for my idea to occur without their blessing. Since we have already witnessed the manner in which Fox handled Firefly previously, it is safe to assume that they would be at best reluctant to help out in this situation. In addition, the Olympics are occurring in late summer, so episode scheduling may conflict with some of the more popular sporting events. Finally, it might be difficult to convince the networks to take a chance airing episodes of a show that has historically proven to be a 'flop'. (Calm down, we all love Firefly with every fiber of our being, but facts are facts). It might take some monetary diplomacy in order for them to seriously consider the proposition and that might ammount to a figure far beyond the Firefly marketers' price range.

-Oxy

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'What people call impossible is just stuff they
haven't seen yet...'

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Saturday, November 27, 2004 8:35 AM

OXYOPIA

It has been pointed out that the Olypics have already occurred this past summer...so the likelihood of them disrupting a 2005 summer Firefly showing can best be described as slim. I think my mind was on holiday when coming up with that point.

-Oxy

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'What people call impossible is just stuff they
haven't seen yet...'

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Saturday, November 27, 2004 12:37 PM

BARKINGDOC

We have to remember that airing a show also means selling advertising. I can't imagine the ad rates would be very good for a program that most consider did not succeed in its first run, especially since everyone who likes the show already owns it on DVD. None of us would tune in to watch the show we already love broadcast with commercial breaks in non-widescreen format. And what if it airs and does so poorly that they have to pull it again? Then there is NO chance the film would do well--- it would just be a joke. I would love it if the show got broadcast, it would feel good in a completely abstract way (and the actors all get paid again, which for a c-list actor is always good), but I think the truth is it wouldn't be good for Fox, or for the movie, if it happened.

still waiting for the miracle...

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Saturday, November 27, 2004 1:25 PM

WILDHEAVENFARM

Actually, this idea has cooled my rather rabid need to harangue the powers-that-be for moving the release date. Airing the show again is almost garunteed to draw as many fans the second time, more since the loyal followers will be forcing kith and kin to watch. I think that everyone who agrees should email/write/etc. to that effect, that the show should be run again as part of the promotion for the movie.

Mary
Always a beast, never a burden.

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Saturday, November 27, 2004 1:58 PM

SOUTHERNMERC

I don't care that I have it on DVD already, I would freakin' watch FF on TV with all the commercials and everything. The reason being that this is the way FF was MEANT to be seen: once a week, with commercials interrupting the acts of the episode. If I'm not mistaken, alot of other folks would watch it this way as well.

Jayne: "You got yourself lookin' mighty hideous!"

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Saturday, November 27, 2004 2:40 PM

MALICIOUS

Southernmerc,

I heartily agree with you as I would be one of those folks.

Mal-licious

Co-Holder of the Red Bell from Hell

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Saturday, November 27, 2004 4:46 PM

TRIBES

Quote:
Originally posted by SouthernMerc:
I don't care that I have it on DVD already, I would freakin' watch FF on TV with all the commercials and everything. The reason being that this is the way FF was MEANT to be seen: once a week, with commercials interrupting the acts of the episode. If I'm not mistaken, alot of other folks would watch it this way as well.

Jayne: "You got yourself lookin' mighty hideous!"

Yep, yure darn skippy I'd be a watchin Firefly....

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Sunday, November 28, 2004 4:15 PM

OXYOPIA

Quote:
Originally posted by BarkingDoc:
We have to remember that airing a show also means selling advertising. I can't imagine the ad rates would be very good for a program that most consider did not succeed in its first run, especially since everyone who likes the show already owns it on DVD. None of us would tune in to watch the show we already love broadcast with commercial breaks in non-widescreen format. And what if it airs and does so poorly that they have to pull it again? Then there is NO chance the film would do well--- it would just be a joke.

I really like all the positive comments on the topic of rebroadcasting Firefly.

However, I think BarkingDoc does bring up some good points. Commercial revenue is the lifeblood of televsion and it might be a bit difficult to convince advertisers to place their ads in the Firefly timeslot. At the same time, I can't imagine that the cost of advertising in the summer is anywhere near that set during the fall (when all the big programs return) or during sporting events (like the insane ones shown during the super bowl). In addition, by the time summer rolls around, I am sure advertisers would be made aware that enough interest and money was raised by this supposedly failed television show that a feature film was made and is being released in actual theaters (instead of that direct to video crap). These points might draw interest and funding that might otherwise have been unavailable.

On BarkingDoc's other point that a re-showing of Firefly might bring about another failure which, in turn, might hurt the BDM, I think that any attention Firefly receives can only help with Serenity. Really, the only down side to a rebroadcasting would be that not as many people would tune in to see it as the network had hoped. Since it would be occuring during an otherwise boring summer program line-up, they really haven't lost too much.

The belief that people who own the DVD wouldn't tune in, however, I think is just plain specious. Sure, the fact that those of us who own the DVD could watch the whole show, uninterrupted and at any given whim, might suggest that viewer participation might be down, but that isn't really the point of rebroadcasting Firefly. The idea is to get the unenlightened masses to just watch one episode of Firefly and get them hooked (since we all know, it can only take one scene to become addicted to Serenity and her crew).

The rest of us who already have the pleasue of owning the DVD's are, in reality, a minority of the population. I am sure that the network would love to get us to watch the show and, as SouthernMerc points out, it would be a treat to experience a weekly installment of the show with all those dramatic breaks as they were originally intended (meaning a down-time measured in minutes rather than seconds), but I don't think the small number of us DVD owners really are the target audience the network is aiming for. Assuming proper marketing, a great number of people could be introduced, free of charge, to the world of Firefly and, from this, the BDM would benefit.

OK, enough of my babbling.

I really like the idea of forming a petition of some sort to push for a summer rebroadcast, but I doubt that it could make any difference on Fox's stranglehold. If anyone might have suggestions or ideas on the subject, however, I would love to hear them.

-Oxy

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'What people call impossible is just stuff they
haven't seen yet...'

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Sunday, November 28, 2004 4:25 PM

TENTHCREWMEMBER

Could you please just make it stranger? Stranger. Odder. Could be weirder. More bizarre. How about uncanny?

As much as I don't think it would or could happen, I love the idea and I would definately watch, and tape it, and then watch it again. Yeah, I am definately a dweeb. ;)

Cilantro!
TCM

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Sunday, November 28, 2004 5:16 PM

BRIONJAEGER

Greetings&Felecitations:

I think it's a dream, but a dream worth dreaming! What was it Mal said, "We've done the impossible, and that makes us mighty!" We've got a movie in the can and due to air. Surely Joss and Co. can pull some strings somewhere to get this on the air again for a full run, in the proper order.
Even the dimwits running Scifi would probably jump at the chance to pick it up over the summer, even if they aired it at 10 PM EST! Looking at Fox's record though makes one shudder. They had Dark Angel, mis managed it into oblivian and haven't been able to run a decent scifi series or mini since.
Firefly isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it does have enough appeal to make a good showing. All it needs is a decent chance and some support from the home office. Look at all the other garbage out there w/o half the creativity or writing that stays on the air for 2 or 3 years! Lets have something written for people who did finish the 7'th grade huh?
Niel/LNA

"Once you've been in Serenity, how can you ever leave?" Zoe to Simon

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Sunday, November 28, 2004 6:07 PM

FILMCRITIC3000

Um, if anyone was going to air it, I imagine that it would be NBC Universal's SCI FI Channel. It'd be great to see the show on regular television and I'd think that maybe FOX would allow it to air there, providing there were many advertisements for the DVD box set.

"The first thing I do in the morning is brush
my teeth and sharpen my tongue." -- Dorothy Parker

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Monday, November 29, 2004 6:58 AM

NAKEDANDARTICULATE

VOICE OVER-(while showing scenes from the show)-This summer on friday nights at 9 it's Firefly,relive the adventures of the crew of Serenity leading up to there big screen adventure coming to theatres this fall(header-Sept. 30)Plus if you miss any episodes watch the Firefly marathon on September 24th and 25th hosted by the cast of the new Universal film--Serenity.This summer Serenity flies again only on Sci-fi.

pretty cunning dontcha think?

"Hamsters is nice."

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Monday, November 29, 2004 7:28 AM

ZOID

I am liking the 'Firefly on SciFi' idea a lot. It's not new episodes, so F*x can relax their sphincters, sell DVD boxsets on commercial breaks, and license it as though it were a dead syndication property (i.e., Seinfeld or Friends). SciFi isn't making much money on ads anyway, and their primetime lineup consists of primarily Stargate SG1 episodes, run back to back for 6 hours a night. They could slip an ep-a-week of Firefly in without waking Stargate's regular viewership from its peaceful slumber on comfy couches...

Put it in a memo and send it over to SciFi's programming department. Good idea.

Demographically,

zoid

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Monday, November 29, 2004 9:36 AM

OPTIMUS1998

Quote:
Originally posted by FilmCritic3000:
Um, if anyone was going to air it, I imagine that it would be NBC Universal's SCI FI Channel. It'd be great to see the show on regular television and I'd think that maybe FOX would allow it to air there, providing there were many advertisements for the DVD box set.

Yes, commercials for the dvd sets, but don't forget, this is an oportunity to market the movie, and would be being done "in house" more or less:
"This sci- fi presentation is brought to you by the new Universal Pictures Movie: Serenity, opening sept 30th." then launch the TV spots.

I Voted for Kerry.
May not have been the winning side, still not conviced it was the wrong one.

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Monday, November 29, 2004 4:02 PM

NEMESIS217

I think this is a great idea!!! I'm sorry I didnt think of it first! I would totally watch Firefly on tv....and I beta lot of other ppl would too, esp. with the crap that airs during the summer!

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Monday, November 29, 2004 6:16 PM

DROCCULARI

I think Fox's own FX cable channel would be the most likely place it would be aired again in the U.S. They would still get the advertising revenue, and if it proved embarrassingly popular, they could still rationalize it only did well on cable, but still wasn't good enough for the network.

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Tuesday, November 30, 2004 4:05 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

I have long espoused Sci Fi (owned by 'Versal) running Firefly in order on their network in the months leading up to the premiere. To me it just makes sense. If Fox can be convinced to part w/ the rights to air them the benefits of such a plan would be a win for everyone.

As pointed out above, the DVD boxed set could be advertised during the commercial breaks, selling more of them which would make everyone involved happy.

'Versal could also use commercial time to push the BDM. This would have to be inexpensive for them as they own Sci Fi and allow them to spend their marketing dollars on other methods of advertising.

Summer is a great time for showing Firefly as most shows are on their summer break filling the time slots w/ reruns. Showing Firefly would give people something "new" to watch.

I for one would watch Firefly on TV, even though I own several DVD sets. The simple thrill of having our show back on the air in any capacity would be enough to draw Browncoats to watch it. What more could 'Versal & Sci Fi ask for than to have a show on the air that comes w/ an already existing fanbase?

__________________________________________

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Meet Up:
http://firefly.meetup.com/9/boards/

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Wednesday, December 1, 2004 4:26 PM

OXYOPIA

So, it seems like the consesus from the postings is that, if Firefly ever managed to get a summer showing, it would most likely be through the Sci-Fi Channel. FX was mentioned a time or two, but the arguments for a Universal/Sci-Fi sounded a bit more compelling.

Now, let me start by saying that I have nothing against using the Sci-Fi Channel. As so many of you have pointed out, a rebroadcasting of Firefly on any channel or medium could only create more revenue for those involved, as well as introduce many uninitiated to the show. My only concerns with using this as the outlet is the fact that it's a cable channel (meaning that it will only reach a restricted audience) and that Sci-Fi tends to draw upon an already narrow demographic.

The beauty of Firefly, as I see it, is that, though set in the distant future, the story, writing, and characters appeal to a much broader group than than does your more traditional science fiction. This fact was my main reason for wanting it to be shown on one of the big freely broadcasted channels. I think that a showing on Sci-Fi would severly limit the usefullness of the whole endeavor, since a vast majority of those who tune in to Sci-Fi have already heard of and/or seen the show already.

Don't get me wrong, I would be overjoyed if Firefly managed to get a summer showing at 1am on freaking Lifetime or C-SPAN...it would just be more ideal on say, NBC...Wednesday nights at 8. Either way, the likelihood of any of this happening is, as I have stated before, very very slim. I figure the worst we can do by talking about the possibility is rekindle the desire to pull out the DVD's and introduce another unenlightened friend to the fear of the Reavers, the excitement of Crazy-Ivans, and questionable wisdom of piloting a starship using an imaginary control yoke.

-Oxy

------------------------------------------------

'What people call impossible is just stuff they
haven't seen yet...'

------------------------------------------------

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Saturday, December 11, 2004 10:32 AM

OXYOPIA

Here's a quick bit of news I picked up on whedonesque.com...apparently hints have been dropped about Universal using Sci-Fi Channel as a potential outlet for a Firefly re-showing. It's all very speculative right now, but at least there is some hope. The link with the article is here:

http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/572/572183p1.html

-Oxy

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'What people call impossible is just stuff they
haven't seen yet...'

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Saturday, December 11, 2004 10:42 AM

OXYOPIA

My appologies...I just found that this was already mentioned in the 'Possible Airing of Firefly Prior to Movie by Sci Fi Channel?' thread. Sorry for the repost.

-Oxy

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'What people call impossible is just stuff they
haven't seen yet...'

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Saturday, December 11, 2004 11:05 AM

HILARYJANEUK

Just thought you'd like to know, Firefly has just been re-shown on the Sci-fi channel over here - twice! As soon as Objects in Space finished, they started again with the pilot! It was shown at 7.00 pm. Of course, the Sci-fi channel over here has the same demographic, i.e. sci-fi fans who know about the show already. Unfortunately, being such a narrow demographic means that the show has never been picked up by any of our terrestrial channels, unlike shows that are shown on the "major" satellite/cable channel over here, Sky 1.

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Saturday, December 11, 2004 12:48 PM

PBI

Firefly's been running for over a year in Canada on Space. They've moved it from it's Monday night slot to Sunday at noon, but they're still running it, in order, even the eps unaired in the US. If Space can do it, so can the US networks, as they have a hell of a lot more mney than does the Space channel :)

If you can survive death, you can probably survive almost anything.

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Sunday, December 12, 2004 3:06 AM

MALICIOUS

Per Jefe, email SciFi's programming dept and request they show Firefly this summer!!

program@www.scifi.com

Mal-licious

Co-Holder of the Red Bell from Hell

EDIT!! The above address doesn't work! Try this:
feedback@www.scifi.com

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