Not that I'm bitter or anything. While I enjoy Whedon's work, I initially found Firefly hard to get into. Perhaps it's because the pilot aired at the end of the show's run. It wasn't until I saw the episodes on DVD that I truly appreciated the series in all its glory. Well, except for that horrible "Message" episode, but everyone is entitled to one off installment. But still, while Fox appears to be attempting to make good with Whedon and his loyal fans by giving Dollhouse a sophomore season, it is still hard to imagine them creating a sci-fi western that's half as as good as Firefly was.

The Hollywood Reporter story says that Fox execs were specifically looking for a "revamped Western" this season -- are they only trying to do it because they've seen the errors in their ways in the past? Did someone over there just watch a few episodes of The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. and think they needed a show to fill that void in the TV market? And how can they ever find anyone better than Captain Tight Pants? And if you don't know who Captain Tight Pants is, well, I strongly suggest that you watch the pilot of Firefly below and get to know the show's grumpy protagonist Mal.

All of the episodes of Firefly are available on Hulu (you'll have to borrow or rent the theatrical film Serenity, though), which I mention because chances are you're going to want more. This show is like potato chips... once you really get an episode or two into this smart series set in space, but without aliens or robots or anything, it's hard to turn away. The show's appeal isn't the sci-fi aspect, but its simple plot of humans on various worlds after a war, with a diverse crew traveling on their beaten-down ship in order to make cash however possible.

And the stellar cast and unique characters are what really made this show. From the aforementioned Captain Mal (played by Nathan Fillion), tough mercenary Jayne (Adam Baldwin), adorably quirky ship's mechanic Kaylee (Jewel Statie), second-in-command Zoe (Gina Torres), pilot Wash (Alan Tudyk), space prostitute Inara (Morena Baccarin), doctor Simon (Sean Maher), troubled kid genius River (Summer Glau) and Shepherd Book (Ron Glass) who tried to bring some religion to the crew. Also, there were some recurring appearances from a pre-Mad Men Christina Hendricks as a con woman. What more could you want?

Their adventures are fabulous, and with smart writing, fun dialogue and some great gunfights, the entire show was really something special. Its hard to imagine anything topping it, and I'm sort of dreading seeing Fox even try again.