So I'm definitely late on the bandwagon, but I finally got around to watching Firefly, the Joss Whedon classic that the nerd community collectively fell in love with and everyone really wished had gotten more seasons. And yeah, it's darn good. Not amazing IMO, but it probably did have the potential to be amazing. That said, I can kinda see why it didn't catch on with a mainstream audience.
So basically I guess this is meant to be a space western, which I don't think there aren't too many of, though that depends on your definition of the genre. But there have been successful examples of it such as Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, and most recently Mandalorian. And that can be a tricky thing to pull off, utilizing two seemingly conflicting genres in one story and, sorry to say, I'm not sure Firefly always handles it so gracefully. In the end, I think it became something of a feathered fish.
There are times when the show feels like straight up western and times when it feels like a straight up sci-fi show, but rarely a genuine blending of the two. If a casual viewer were to tune into it not knowing anything about the show beforehand, I can imagine it being somewhat confusing. One minute they're watching what appears to be a western and the next minute they're being hit with a bunch of sci-fi stuff. That and, while the acting is effective, it is rather subdued and meticulous. I feel like this show could've stood to have a bit more energy. Oh yeah, and everyone sometimes speaks Chinese for some reason. Odd choice.
Also, while this show does have a very good main cast, one of its biggest strengths, I really don't see what the point of Book's character was. Everyone else on the crew serves some purpose or has an interesting story going on, but Book is just sorta...there. I don't think he even got an episode focused on him. Hell, even the opening narration doesn't know what to make of him ("We picked up a preacher for some reason"). Maybe Whedon would've explored him more if the show had gotten more seasons, but as he is I'd say he's the only truly disposable member of the main cast.
Anyway, I know my reviews tend to harp on the negative aspects of whatever I'm reviewing, but this was still a good show that, again, could've been really great if given more time to shine. And I guess a lot of people feel the same since everyone was so disappointed about its cancellation. As it is, I wouldn't say Firefly is one of the all-time greatest television shows, but it is maybe one of the biggest missed opportunities.