Nathan Fillion can be a huge fanboy - and he still clearly holds a very special place in his heart for the hit show Firefly, as he shared a snap of himself in costume as Mal on Instagram, with the caption: “Happy Firefly Day.”
In the post, Nathan was holding a Polaroid snap of himself from the hit, but short-lived, sci-fi show, against the backdrop of items presumably taken from the show’s set.
Fans were quick to tell him how much the show means to them, with one writing: “I just got the Firefly DVDs and I hate to say it, It was the first time I ever had watched it, I’m sorry I never watched it when it was on TV! I love it!!! I’m not a science fiction person but I think I just became one! Thank you for being part of a great show. Good job!”
Another person added: “Firefly got me through cancer. It’s so much more than just a show.” A third person wrote: “Firefly will never die. You know why? We are just too damn pretty.”
Of course, Nathan’s other hit show Castle was also mentioned, with one person writing: “My favorite Castle episode was when you dressed up as Mal. As yourself. And the music.”
Joss Whedon’s show, which took place on the spaceship Firefly, was canceled by Fox network back in 2002 after just 11 episodes out of the 14 had aired. It received a disappointing viewership at the time, with some blaming the fact that the network had placed the show in the ‘death slot’ time on a Friday evening as one of the reasons for its failure. Since then, the show has received a cult following, and the characters returned for the movie Serenity in 2005.
© Disney/Raymond LiuJoss opened up about the show’s cancelation in a Q&A at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, admitting that the failure was “unendurable”.
He explained: “It was exactly the show I wanted it to be the moment I started. And so to have it ripped untimely from the womb was not acceptable to me. I felt not only this incredible loss, but that I had lied to the actors, that I had let them down, that I had told them, 'If it's good, and you're good, then everything will be fine.’" We’re glad it all worked out in the end!
© Disney/Raymond LiuNathan, who played the lead role, of course, went on to have a fantastic career, having starred in shows including Castle, A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Rookie, which was recently renewed for season 7.
Sharing the happy news, Nathan said: “It’s a good feeling to have work. It’s even better to be able to take pride in that work. If you are among those who are enjoying The Rookie, we owe you our thanks. Thank you, for having excellent taste in entertainment. Season 7, here we come. (And let’s not forget ABC! Thanks for being so supportive!).”
