If the latest exercise in Reality TV stupidity is causing you to lose brain cells, then maybe you could try a surprisingly intelligent and
innovative science fiction TV show that didn't survive. This little
gem of a show is called Firefly and you can pick up the half-season of it that was produced for about $30 at Amazon or sometimes Wal-Mart.
Now Firefly is about a group of free traders in the future just trying
to make a living and running into adventure while doing so (I bet this sounds familiar to all you Traveller players out there), but don't let that simplified overview make you think that the show is simple itself - the character motivations, plots, and background are very complex and complimentarily interwoven. The creator of the show was Joss Whedon, who is best known for his work on Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel. The show was cancelled by the network before it could even finish a full season and a few of the episodes in the 4 DVD set (covering the half-season produced) never were seen by TV audiences. It uses an ensemble cast to tell the stories that range from high drama to low comedy with stops on every part of the entertainment spectrum in between. The acting is superb, with special kudos going to Adam Baldwin
who plays Jayne - the ship's thug (every ensemble needs a thug). The writing is easily award-winning, particularly the episodes penned by Joss Whedon himself. Special effects are good, with a special twist on the camera work so that truly feels that you are there in the middle of the action.
All in all, this is a good investment of money. For the $30 spent on
the Firefly DVDs, you get 4 DVDs with a total of 14 hour long episodes which includes the 2-hour pilot and about an hour of behind the scenes footage and commentary extras. Now, compared to current movie prices where you could spend the same amount of money on 3-4 hour-and-a-half long pieces of crap that will cause your eyes to bleed and you gorge to rise, Firefly is the better bargain by far.
