Firefly, an American space Western drama TV series, was created by Joss Whedon under his Mutant Enemy Productions brand. Whedon was an executive producer along with Tim Minear. The series takes place in 2517 after humans arrive in a new star-system. It follows the adventures and renegades of Serenity, a spaceship of "Firefly class" design. The nine characters that live on Serenity are represented by the ensemble cast. Whedon described the show as "nine people seeing into the blackness space and seeing nine things."
The show focuses on the lives of people who were on the losing side in civil wars and now live on the margins of society, as part of the pioneer culture of the star system. The two remaining superpowers, China and the United States, will merge to create the Alliance federal government. This will bring together the cultures. Whedon's vision states that "nothing" will change in the future. Technology will improve, but there will be the same ethical, political, and moral problems as today.
Firefly aired its premiere in the U.S., on Fox Network on September 20, 2002. Firefly premiered in the U.S. on September 20, 2002. It had a viewership of 4.7 million per episode, and was 98th among Nielsen ratings. The series was cancelled after eleven of its 14 episodes were aired. The series' short lifespan meant that it enjoyed strong sales. It was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Series in 2003. TV Guide ranked it No. TV Guide ranked the series at No. 5 on its 2013 list of 60 shows "Cancelled Too Quickly".
Whedon and Universal Pictures produced Serenity in 2005, following the success of the show's post-airing. This film continues the storyline from the series. Firefly expanded into other media including comics, role-playing games, and comics.