The cast of Firefly has, mostly, kept working on a regular basis since their sci-fi western was cancelled way too soon after one (screwed by the network) season. And, if you were a lover of the long-lamented show, it’s always nice to see it when those cast members wink at us by appearing on screen together again. Lucky for us, it’s about to happen again before too long.
A report from TV Line tells us that a bit of a Firefly reunion will soon take place on ABC’s Castle. Actress Summer Glau, who played intelligent and troubled River Tam on the show, will appear in the fourteenth episode of Castle this season. Glau will play Kendall Frost, an aggressive private detective in Los Angeles who races against Castle to unravel a murder mystery.
Firefly famously saw Castle lead actor Nathan Fillion take on the role of Mal Reynolds, the captain and owner of a Firefly class starship who’s not above stealing or smuggling to meets his and his crew’s needs. Summer Glau’s River was smuggled on board by her brother, Simon, a passenger on the ship. He was hiding her from the secret facility that experimented on her.
Fourteen episodes of Firefly were produced, and only eleven of those aired. Despite the fact that the show ranked ninety-eighth in the ratings, it managed to gain a rabid fan base (who called themselves Browncoats) over the course of its few episodes. The show has gone on to inspire a movie, Serenity, which continued the story from the television series, several comics, and even a role-playing game.
The cast of Firefly has reunited often at conventions and onscreen. Two other cast members, Adam Baldwin and Gina Torres, have appeared on Castle during its eight season run. Many of the actors showed up in former castmate Alan Tudyk’s web series Con Man, a very meta show about a struggling actor who appeared on a quickly canceled TV show about the crew of a spaceship, and now travels the convention circuit to meet with the show’s die-hard fans.
While Nathan Fillion has had a successful career run since Firefly, the other actors have continued to make their marks on pop culture. Summer Glau has added to her resume with shows like Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Dollhouse, Alphas and Arrow, and even appeared as herself on an episode of The Big Bang Theory. Alan Tudyk has voiced characters for the upcoming animated films Moana and Zootopia, and is set to appear in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Gina Torres has had memorable roles on Alias, Revenge and Hannibal, and has had a co-starring role on Suits since 2011. Adam Baldwin has a co-starring role on The Last Ship and is also known for his part on Chuck. Morena Baccarin (Inara) appeared on Homeland and Gotham, she recently finished filming Deadpool.
Firefly fans always love seeing the cast together, so this news will certainly please anyone who’s on the lookout for those opportunities. Castle has gathered quite a fan base over the years, but Browncoats never forget.
