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Published Sep 10, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT
Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones.
You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep."
Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant.
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Even 24 years later, Firefly remains one of the most heartbreaking TV cancelations of all time, but while fans still mourn what could have been with the iconic sci-fi cult hit, the show has a worthy replacement. As one of the greatest space Westerns of all time, Firefly's legacy in the genre has not been topped. The series blended comedy and character-driven storylines with an overarching theme that would not be out of place in prestige hard sci-fi projects. Still, while Firefly captured lightning in a bottle, this was realized too late, leaving an unfinished story behind.
TV shows like Firefly are still rare, and while some have tried to build on its success, few have been able to take that theme and tone to a satisfying end. One exception is Syfy's Killjoys, which is the closest series to Firefly in terms of its aesthetic, humor, and characters, while remaining a distinctly different TV show. Instead of merely copying the earlier series, Killjoys' lore is wider, even though the show keeps the cozy feel of life onboard a ship. Of all the underrated sci-fi TV shows made, Killjoys is a must-watch, especially for people who miss Firefly.
Killjoys Is The Show For People Who Miss Firefly
Killjoys is a space Western following three bounty hunters who, at times, feel like a blend of Firefly characters. For example, Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen) is the team leader with a mysterious past, resembling both Mal and River. The episodes loosely follow a "mission of the week" formula, with the characters taking on the assignments that are most likely to keep them flying, just as the Serenity's crew do. Even some of the episodes have direct equivalents, like Firefly's "War Stories" and Killjoys' "A Glitch in the System," which both involve characters baring their souls in the face of torture.
The similarities between the two shows cannot be missed, but this is due to a combination of factors rather than simple influence. Killjoys shares Firefly's sense of humor, with characters arguing like old married couples while in mortal danger, as well as its aesthetic, especially when in the space equivalent of a dive bar. That said, the two series are not the same. Killjoys' wider conspiracy involves a dangerous alien species and the series begins expanding its lore and setting up later twists almost immediately, while Firefly left a lot unsaid, likely assuming that the show would have more time.
The alien theme, political storylines, and morally-complex characters has resulted in Killjoys being considered an Expanse replacement rather than just a Firefly copy, which will likely please fans of the show. The animated Firefly reboot might recreate some of the original series' magic, but the sci-fi genre has moved on and learned from many of its mistakes, like canceling the show to begin with. Killjoys has benefited from this, as the show has a proper ending at the end of its five seasons, yet this may be a reason the show does not have the legacy that Firefly still has.
Why Killjoys Does Not Have The Same Legacy As Firefly, Even Though It Should
It is a harsh reality of rewatching the show that Firefly has not always aged well, and yet the series remains one of sci-fi's most ill-advised cancelations. The nostalgia and sense of the show's potential have kept Firefly the topic of discussions and analysis that a series which was allowed to run its course might not have. Many shows canceled before their time have been the subject of fan campaigns to save it, speculation over what would have happened, and attempted reboots. On the other hand, Killjoys' satisfying ending rounded off the series, giving less for people to lament.
|
Title |
Year |
Episodes |
Rotten Tomatoes critics' rating |
Rotten Tomatoes audience rating |
|
Firefly |
2002 |
14 |
77% |
96% |
|
Killjoys |
2015 |
50 |
95% |
90% |
In terms of influence, it is hard to beat Firefly, with some of the most iconic lines still being quotable today. That said, critics and audiences have disagreed on just how good it really was, with Rotten Tomatoes critics giving Firefly a 77% rating, which is positive but not groundbreaking. For Killjoys to maintain a 95% positive critics' rating and 90% audience rating over the course of five seasons is impressive, and the show may well have had a legacy like Firefly's had it too been tragically canceled, though it is great news for sci-fi fans that it was not.
Release Date 2015 - 2019-00-00
Directors Stefan Pleszczynski, Paolo Barzman, Peter Stebbings, Chris Grismer, Samir Rehem, Andy Mikita, April Mullen, James Genn, Martin Wood, Ruba Nadda, Jeff Renfroe, Grant Harvey, Ken Girotti, Michael Marshall, Michael Nankin, Stephanie Morgenstern
Writers M. A. Lovretta, Adam Barken, Jeremy Boxen, Nikolijne Troubetzkoy, Julie Puckrin, emily andras, Jon Cooksey, Sean Reycraft, Aaron Martin, Vivian Lin
English (US) ·