TVSquad

When I first started exploring this project, there were a few shows that I knew were going to be important to hit. This is the first of those. Firefly was Joss Whedon's sci-fi western series. The show mustered disappointing ratings in its short eleven-episode run on FOX.

Since then it's gone on to near mythic cult status. There was such an outcry of support from its loyalists, the Browncoats, over its cancellation that the producers made a feature film sequel. That movie, Serenity, answered a lot of questions about the future fate of the cast. Unfortunately, like the television series, it couldn't find quite enough people to show up and tune in to warrant a sequel. Nevertheless, the few morsels of Firefly we did get are enough to prove that this is one of the most innovative and enjoyable series ever to hit the airwaves.

I don't know how many of you caught the G.I. Joe movie this past weekend that is based on the cartoon and toy franchise of the 80's. I didn't, but even without seeing it, I think this sketch from Funny or Die called The Ballad of G.I.Joe is far better. Even the costumes are more accurate (if a little, but not much, cheesier).

Of course, there are quite a few television and movie celebrities making up the cast: Tony Hale, Olivia Wilde (pictured as the Baroness), Alan Tudyk and Julianne Moore, to name a few. And whatever you do, stick around for the end of the song to see a special guest star that SHOULD have been in the movie.

I remember watching the cartoon while I was a young lad, and it seems obvious that the creators of this cute sketch knew the show, possibly even more than the people who made the movie. Video is after the jump.

I'm almost to the end of Firefly, my Jane After Dark readers' choice for this week. I really love this series, from the quirky characters to the general theme of a band of renegades burgling their way through the universe.

But even though it's set 500 years in the future, Firefly isn't your typical sci-fi space series that includes all manner of aliens and weird creatures. They're on a spaceship, and yet they rob trains. How cool is that?! It's like Alias Smith and Jones meets Babylon 5.

As with the other Whedon shows I've watched – Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel – the stories are fun and deep and fanciful (yes, I said fanciful), but it's the characters and their interactions that make the shows.

A lot, surprisingly. Unfortunately, ABC's V remake won't take place in a universe packed with space cowboys who curse in Chinese, but it will star two Firefly alums, Alan Tudyk (Wash) and Morena Baccarin (Inara). Plus, the V pilot will feature digital effects by Zoic, the effects house that worked on Firefly.

Like most Whedon fans, I think the best things about Firefly were the characters, the dialogue, and the inventive stories. But the digital effects were just as amazing, especially for TV. They might not have been blockbuster movie good, but the ships and space chases always looked elegant and really specific to the show's quirky style and themes. That's what good visual effects are all about. Lets hope Zoic can create the same kind of magic for V, which is awaiting pickup by ABC.

(S01E11) So apparently, Echo/Caroline is Briar Rose. The big twist is that Ballard didn't end up being the Prince. Alpha did.

So now we know Alpha's face (and with that knowledge, my Ballard-as-Alpha theory gets blown to Hell in a handbasket), but we're still missing a lot. We don't know his motivation or his connection with Alpha. We do know that while masquerading as Stephen Kepler, he acts a lot like Topher (whom he may have used as inspiration for his facade) and when he reverts to character he acts a lot like Heath Ledger's Joker (Alan Tudyk is a brilliant actor).

Many law firms take on pro bono work to help those that can't afford legal help. I can only conclude that the Dollhouse has a similar service (or perhaps Topher does a little on the side), which is why a care center for abused children can afford a Doll that has been programmed to act like a grown-up, therapist version of their most abused patient.

That ability to actually create fictional personas based on postulations on how people will emotionally mature would be an interesting concept to explore if the show gets future seasons.

Joss himself has promised that Friday's episode of Dollhouse is a game-changer. It's a pity that the episode is competing with the series finale of Battlestar Galactica. What follows is a major spoiler for Friday that I'm leaving until after the jump.

Those of you who do not fear spoilers, click away...

Let me start this out with a big WAHOO! Alan Tudyk, who played the endearing character of 'Wash' on Firefly, may be returning to television as early as this fall.

He has been cast in a starring role for an ABC comedy that, as of yet, does not have a title. The show is being created by Max Mutchick and David Kohan, the creative team behind long-running sitcom Will & Grace. Their new show (which we've mentioned in the past) is about two writers, one gay and one straight, who are in business together. Tudyk will play the gay writer, named Charlie (according to his IMDB profile).

I may have just died and gone to heaven. I'm only speculating here, because The Hollywood Reporter didn't exactly say for sure, but it's a pretty good bet that Alan Tudyk and Joshua Jackson have been cast in the same drama that's being created for CBS. Earlier this month, I reported on Jackson landing the lead in a Carol Mendelsohn law drama about a young lawyer whose career takes a turn when he takes a death row case. The Hollywood Reporter is now saying that Alan Tudyk (aka 'Wash' in Firefly) has been cast "in CBS' untitled Carol Mendelsohn drama". It describes the show as being about brilliant legal minds and that Tudyk will play "a competitive and arrogant Ivy League graduate." That sounds like the same show to me. Now, if only David Duchovny would join the cast.