Oh! So that's what y'all were talking about.

The nice thing about the world that we currently live in is that I can watch a show that everyone's been talking about at my leisure. . . in theory.

In theory, I could just set my digital video recorder to record it, and watch it later, but I haven't bought one yet. Been meaning to, but I haven't.

In theory, I just order it on DVD as soon as it comes out. But that's usually after the season's over, and the hubub about a show dies down, and I forget. Also, I'm bad about forgetting ever to visit the NetFlix queue, which for some reason my wife has control over. (You don't want to even know what assaults have been launched against my manhood by that misstep.)

So, the other day, it was a strange confluence of events when I happened to be making my wife some coffee while she was loading up more Dawson's Creek episodes (ack! Hack! Blech!) up to the queue of DVDs to be mailed to us, and she said, "Anything you'd like me to stick on here?"

I panicked. I almost never had been asked. My mind raced, and I grasped for the name of a show that I'd heard was good, but had never seen. Best make it a series... I might not get this chance for a while (I kid, I kid-- my wife is very gracious. Aren't you, my love?).

"Uh, I've heard that show Firefly was good... could we put it on?" I said as I brought her a cuppa.

Well, that sounded girlie enough, I guess. It passed muster without inspection.

Yesterday, the red envelopes came, and we watched the pilot to the science fiction western libertarian flick.

Visually rich. Nice little plot. Good characterization. Clever lines.

Well, better late than never. (Firefly was cancelled after 14 episodes in 2004, and a movie, Serenity, came out the following year.)

What fun. I'll save the movie for last. Something to look forward to.

But I ask you: in a market that can support umpteen seasons of drivel, how is it that a show with an Emmy award and two Hugo nominations couldn't seem to get a second season? Are we hurting that badly for another reality show? For another frickin' medical drama?

This is (in part) why I don't watch TV anymore.