Firefly
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 6 of 60 TV series by recommenders
People recommend it for sharp dialogue, strong characters and writing that still holds up. Common caveat: it was cancelled, and some find it dated or over the top.
People recommend it for sharp dialogue, strong characters and writing that still holds up. Common caveat: it was cancelled, and some find it dated or over the top.
38 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 34
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 89%
Recommended in 8 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 34 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 8.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 8 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Sharp dialogue and memorable characters
“Good drama, good humor, good characters, and a very cozy feel in those quiet moments on the ship”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “Animated 'Firefly' Reboot in Development from Nathan Fillion, 20th TV” “Firefly has memorable characters, great acting/actors, and good chemistry and good writing.”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “Animated 'Firefly' Reboot in Development from Nathan Fillion, 20th TV” “creating characters who naturally set up opportunities for those dialog trees”
Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “Animated 'Firefly' Reboot in Development from Nathan Fillion, 20th TV” - Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “Animated 'Firefly' Reboot in Development from Nathan Fillion, 20th TV”
- Comment from 2 May 2026 in “The X-Files Has Made Me Nostalgic for a Time I Never Experienced”
- Comment from 23 Sep 2026 in “'We hacked the FBI:' Hackers say they have data on all FBI employees”
- Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “Animated 'Firefly' Reboot in Development from Nathan Fillion, 20th TV”
Still holds up today
“I watched it recently for the first time and found it to be very good. I'd say it holds up well to todays shows.”
Comment from 24 Sep 2026 in “'We hacked the FBI:' Hackers say they have data on all FBI employees” “friends have shown Firefly to theirs and I'm happy to report that it still holds up”
Comment from 25 Feb 2026 in “New accounts on HN 10x more likely to use EM-dashes” “The writing of Firefly was top notch and still holds up great.”
Comment from 25 Feb 2026 in “New accounts on HN 10x more likely to use EM-dashes” - Comment from 25 Feb 2026 in “New accounts on HN 10x more likely to use EM-dashes”
Strong acting and cast
“Firefly has memorable characters, great acting/actors, and good chemistry and good writing.”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “Animated 'Firefly' Reboot in Development from Nathan Fillion, 20th TV” “The setting is great, the writing is top-notch, and the acting is wonderful.”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “Animated 'Firefly' Reboot in Development from Nathan Fillion, 20th TV” “it was the combination of Wheadon, Tim Minear, and the entire cast”
Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “Animated 'Firefly' Reboot in Development from Nathan Fillion, 20th TV” - Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “Animated 'Firefly' Reboot in Development from Nathan Fillion, 20th TV”
Cowboys-in-space setting and feel
“The setting is great, the writing is top-notch, and the acting is wonderful.”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “Animated 'Firefly' Reboot in Development from Nathan Fillion, 20th TV” “+1 for Firefly nailing the 'cowboys in space' vibe.”
Comment from 1 Jun 2026 in “'Backrooms' Stuns with $81M Debut” “Firefly did the cowboys in space a lot better”
Comment from 1 Jun 2026 in “'Backrooms' Stuns with $81M Debut”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Not a lasting classic
“It's not bad but it's not 'still talking about it for the next few decades' material IMO.”
Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “Animated 'Firefly' Reboot in Development from Nathan Fillion, 20th TV” “Firefly as a whole occupies roughly the same spot as a boring Farscape episode”
Comment from 23 Sep 2026 in “'We hacked the FBI:' Hackers say they have data on all FBI employees” Silly, over the top, cringe-inducing
“Firefly was so broad and over the top with it that it just seemed silly to me.”
Comment from 1 May 2026 in “The X-Files Has Made Me Nostalgic for a Time I Never Experienced” “most of it is very cringe inducing and/or didn’t age well”
Comment from 23 Sep 2026 in “'We hacked the FBI:' Hackers say they have data on all FBI employees” Dated in places
“It was good for it's time, and since it was cancelled it's locked within that time.”
Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “Animated 'Firefly' Reboot in Development from Nathan Fillion, 20th TV” “most of it is very cringe inducing and/or didn’t age well”
Comment from 23 Sep 2026 in “'We hacked the FBI:' Hackers say they have data on all FBI employees”
Other TV series people recommend
The four most recommended other TV series, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halt and Catch Fire | 166 | 20 | 89% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Babylon 5 | 86 | 21 | 80% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Silicon Valley (TV series) | 52 | 1 | 98% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Andor | 52 | 5 | 91% | 9 | — | Approved |
| FireflyThis page | 34 | 4 | 89% | 8 | — | Approved |
What people said
36 of the 43 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Physical media makes sense for movies and shows that you'll watch multiple times.”
“I watched it recently for the first time and found it to be very good. I'd say it holds up well to todays shows.”
“pretty fresh and different. Strong banter dialogue too”
“Firefly as a whole occupies roughly the same spot as a boring Farscape episode”
“I did enjoy it, but yes, not because, but despite the main character being a”
“most of it is very cringe inducing and/or didn’t age well”
“Firefly especially, for me.”
“+1 for Firefly nailing the 'cowboys in space' vibe.”
“Firefly did the cowboys in space a lot better”
“The show's magic for me was its characters and clever dialogue.”
“Damn, now I want to binge-re-watch Firefly.”
“Firefly was so broad and over the top with it that it just seemed silly to me.”
“as long as they figure out a way to bring Wash back from the dead”
“Seeing a young Nathan Fillion is its own reward, certainly.”
“it's sound quality was astonishingly better than the DVD”
“My own personal circle of hell.”
“I give them my thumbs up, will be happy if they manage to success”
“The original firefly played their female characters so well.”
“Firefly has memorable characters, great acting/actors, and good chemistry and good writing.”
“none have the same pull as Firefly”
“they felt so unique due to the dialogue style”
“The setting is great, the writing is top-notch, and the acting is wonderful.”
“The Firefly series was always exceptional.”
“Good drama, good humor, good characters, and a very cozy feel in those quiet moments on the ship”
“mostly because of its rarity”
“It scratches a very specific itch that hasn’t been replicated since.”
“It was good for it's time, and since it was cancelled it's locked within that time.”
“It's not bad but it's not 'still talking about it for the next few decades' material IMO.”
“creating characters who naturally set up opportunities for those dialog trees”
“the "magic" of the show is going to be hard to replicate”
“it was the combination of Wheadon, Tim Minear, and the entire cast”
“But, the animated series a good idea and smart.”
“overall stood the test of time”
“friends have shown Firefly to theirs and I'm happy to report that it still holds up”
“The writing of Firefly was top notch and still holds up great.”
“This looks good! I like the idea to have nodeMain, browserMain and buildMain.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.