Syfy's 5-Season Space Opera Is Everything Firefly Should Have Been

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.

Even 24 years later, , the show has a worthy replacement. As one of the , 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 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 Why Killjoys Does Not Have The Same Legacy As Firefly, Even Though It Should

Original cast of Firefly (2002) in a season 1 promo.

It is a harsh reality of rewatching the show that

Comparing Killjoys to Firefly

Title

Year

Episodes

Rotten Tomatoes critics' rating

Rotten Tomatoes audience rating

Firefly

2002

77%

96%

Killjoys

2015

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
Network

Dutch, Johnny, and D'avin are interplanetary bounty hunters known as Killjoys, chasing dangerous warrants throughout the Quad while sworn to remain neutral in its conflicts. Their assignments become increasingly complicated as political tensions push the planetary system toward a violent class war.

Syfy's 5-Season Space Opera Is Everything Firefly Should Have Been

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