we would all be headed to our local playhouse to see a crappy local production with crappy local talent

Ouch. I think there is still room for live theatre (having different strengths than tv or film) and not all local productions/talent are crappy. >/obligatory defense<

Sure, dogpile on Gus.

The fanbase couldn't even guarantee a decent take at the box office for Serenity...

Up the thread a bit is breakdown of who got paid what for Serenity. It is an object lesson in the failure of the perspective that box-office is the measure of success.

Could the audience have supplied $40M to the production of Serenity? If they had a way to do it? Yes.

How the audience became aware of the project after the mass exposure on TV is another problem. Getting "known" is always a problem.

Someone will always be the mediator of audience attention.

I know I am an idealist. Here is what I know: A system that does not produce more Firefly is broken.

Sorry, aurelia. I didn't mean to denigrate local theatre.

The point I was trying to make is that without the studio system that is currently in place, we would be left with what is produced locally as that is all that would be accessible.

If you lived in Columbus you would not be able to ever expereince Joss' brilliance.

A system that does not produce more Firefly is broken.

But does the fault automatically lie with the studio or distributor? I contend that at the very least an equal amount of fault would lie with the consumer who does not appreciate something like Firefly.

I'm not by any means saying that there isn't plenty of blame all around for Firefly no longer being on my TV, but perhaps you forgot about the 30 million people who want to watch American Idol every week.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. Please don't hurt me.

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Oh, there is something wrong with that. Not that you are to blame.

does the fault automatically lie with the studio or distributor...

Well ... yes.

he would have to live in L.A. fulltime.

He does live in L.A. fulltime.

How is it the studio or distributor's fault if the general public simply doesn't want Firefly? It is entirely possible that it was a show that didn't appeal to a large enough population. That is called taste. Not good taste, but taste nonetheless.

He does live in L.A. fulltime.

t shudder

What happened to Cape Cod?

His wife's family is from Cape Cod. I think they go there for vacations.

Also, I like living in L.A. And I like visiting the studios with PAs zipping everywhere on little bicycles while people in odd costumes smoke outside warehouse doors.

Hm. There's an essay in there.

I've been to L.A.

I can t shudder if I wanna.

... while people in odd costumes smoke outside warehouse doors...

You've been to England. No, wait, You were talking about L.A. My bad.