For years—since its premature and semi-tragic cancellation by the worst villains in the universe, Fox executives—fans have clamored for a Firefly revival. And while such a project may never get past the talking (and, call it what it is, panting) stage, the new Vimeo comedy series Con Man may be the next best thing.
Crowd-funded via Indiegogo, Con Man tells the story of Wray Nerely, an actor whose claim to fame remains his decade-old stint on the short-lived sci-fi series Spectrum, a show that sounds very much like Firefly. Nerely played the ship’s pilot on that show, and he’s played in Con Man by Alan Tudyk, who, wouldn’t ya know it, played the pilot on Firefly. And the captain on that show was played by Nathan Fillion, who here co-stars as Jack Moore, the actor who played the pilot on Spectrum. (Got all this straight?) The nine-episode series focuses on Nerely’s stalled career and envy of Moore, who’s become a giant movie star while Nerely is stuck working the circuit of sci-fi conventions and comic book store appearances.
But co-producers Tudyk and Fillion aren’t the only Firefly alum showing up; castmates Gina Torres, Sean Maher, Jewel Staite, and Summer Glau all reportedly appear in first season episodes (GamerGate mascot Adam Baldwin is noticeably absent), as does series creator Joss Whedon. And several Whedon regulars also turn up, including Amy Acker and Felicia Day, as well as geek faves Wil Wheaton, Casper Van Dien, Seth Green, Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Dorn, Tricia Helfer, Sean Astin, and James Gunn.
The first three episodes of Con Man will debut via Vimeo on Demand on September 30; here’s the first trailer.
“Science fiction is supposed to be about the future. Why are the fans so obsessed with the past?” Amen, brother. Amen.