It lasted only one season, but fans still mourn the demise of the sci-fi/western Firefly. As much as we love watching (and rewatching) the series, sometimes it’s not enough.
Are you longing for a little more Captain Tight Pants? Want to see Zoe quietly kick some adversary’s butt? Wishing you could revisit the Hero of Canton?
Well, we can’t bring back Firefly — oh, how we wish we could! — but we can tell you where you can tune in to see the cast now.
If you can’t get enough of the crew of the Serenity, read on to find out where you can see them now.
Ron Glass – Shepherd Derrial Book
Shepherd Book was the preacher with a cryptic past who boards the Serenity and befriends its crew. We loved Book’s warmth and acceptance of his other crew members while still being able to hold onto his faith.
There was more to Book than we knew, so much so that an actual book was written about the character by Firefly creator Joss Whedon and his brother Zach, titled Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale. In the Book, we learn that not even the character’s name is real!
Book: Wasn’t born a Shepherd, Mal.
Mal: You’ll have to tell me about that sometime.
Book: No. I don’t.
But none of that detracts from our love for the character or his portrayer, Ron Glass.
Following the Firefly movie, Serenity, Ron Glass could be seen in guest roles on many TV series, including Dirty Sexy Money, CSI: NY, Major Crimes, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
You can also hear him as the voice of Randy Carmichael for the Nickelodeon series Rugrats and All Grown Up!
Sadly, Glass died of respiratory failure on November 25, 2016, at the age of 71.
Gina Torres – Zoe Washburne
Who didn’t love Zoe Washburne? Gina Torres’ portrayal of the quiet, badass second-in-command of the Serenity was a series highlight.
Zoe, who fought in the Unification war alongside Mal Reynolds, was fiercely loyal to Mal and the rest of her Serenity crew.
Zoe was quiet and calm. We never saw her panic, yet we never doubted she was deeply human. She could be a mighty warrior in one scene, then a loving wife who wanted to start a family in the next.
Alas, Firefly is over, but if you long to see more of Torres, you won’t have far to look. After Serenity, Torres could be seen in several guest roles on TV series such as Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Gossip Girl, Castle, and Revenge.
She also played Agent Justine Diaz on The Catch and Jessica Pearson for 94 episodes of the hit legal drama Suits. Afterward, Torres again played Jessica Pearson on the Suits spinoff Pearson.
After Pearson’s unfortunate cancellation after just one season, Gina moved on to play paramedic Captain Tommy Vega opposite Rob Lowe on 9-1-1: Lone Star, starting with 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 2 Episode 1.
Alan Tudyk – Hoban “Wash” Washburne
Wash is the excellent pilot of the Serenity and the husband of second-in-command Zoe. During Firefly Season 1 Episode 6, he mentions that he is “madly in love with a beautiful woman who can kill me with her pinky.”
Who doesn’t love that?
Wash: I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.”
We still tear up when we think of Wash’s final scene on the Serenity.
Thankfully, actor Alan Tudyk is alive and well and can be seen in several series since Wash’s untimely demise, including Suburgatory, the web series Con Man, Powerless, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Arrested Development, Santa Clarita Diet, and The Tick.
He’s most recently been seen in the guest role of Ellroy Basso, the crime scene cleaner, opposite fellow Firefly costar Nathan Fillion on The Rookie.
Alan is currently in the lead role in the unique and hilarious hit SyFy series Resident Alien.
Summer Glau – River Tam
Beautiful, broken, and more than a little strange, River Tam was the character we were most in awe of on the Serenity. She could go from seeming like a scared little girl to a fierce ninja-like warrior with record speed.
Most of the time, we never knew whether to hug River or duck for cover, especially since she could kill us with her brain.
Either way, it’s hard not to be impressed with Summer Glau, a ballerina turned actress.
Since leaving the Serenity, Summer has had many guest and recurring roles on TV series, including The Unit, The 4400, The Big Bang Theory, Dollhouse, Grey’s Anatomy, Alphas, Hawaii Five-0, Arrow, Con Man, and Castle.
Glau was also a lead character in the acclaimed but short-lived Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and The Cape.
Sean Maher – Dr. Simon Tam
Dr. Simon Tam was a good man and an even better brother who gave up a successful career to rescue his sister, River.
Simon’s education and quiet demeanor made him the fish out of water on the Serenity, but his skills as a doctor were always invaluable. And even when Jayne tried to sell him and River out, Simon maintained his oath to treat Jayne’s injuries without question or thought of revenge.
After Firefly and the follow-up motion picture Serenity, Sean Maher took a couple of years off from acting to be a stay-at-home dad.
He returned to acting in 2009 with guest roles on several TV series, including Drop Dead Diva, The Mentalist, Human Target, Warehouse 13, Eastsiders, Con Man, and 9-1-1.
Sean followed his TV sister, Summer Glad, to The CW’s Arrow as Mark Scheffer/Shrapnel.
He also had a guest role alongside fellow Firefly costar Nathan Fillion, but this time, he played the villain on The Rookie Season 1 Episode 15.
Jewel Staite – Kaylee Frye
Kaylee Frye speaks her mind plainly but is as cheery and genuine as they come.
Mal: I don’t believe there’s a power in the ‘Verse can stop Kaylee from being cheerful.
But Kaylee is also a fantastic mechanic. It’s almost as though she and the Serenity talk to one another, and Kaylee’s love for the ship can only be rivaled by Captain Mal’s.
Jewel Staite brought a unique spark to the role of Kaylee. And even though Firefly is over, you can see more of Jewel.
Staite has been all over our TV screens since Serenity left theaters. She was Dr. Jennifer Keller in Stargate: Atlantis, Raquel in The LA Complex, and Caroline in The Killing.
And you can now see Jewel as Abigail Bianchi, an attorney working at her estranged father’s law firm on Family Law.
Adam Baldwin – Jayne Cobb
Jayne was rough, gruff, and not always to be trusted, but he was a member of Mal’s crew on the Serenity, and Mal didn’t let just anyone be a part of his crew.
Besides, only the Hero of Canton could make that orange hat work.
Badger: Crime and politics, little girl. The situation is always fluid.
Jayne: Only fluid I see here is the puddle of piss refusing to pay us our wage.
Jayne wasn’t much for pretty words, but he was unforgettable all the same.
After the Serenity finally docked, Adam moved on to play John Casey on the hit series Chuck.
And Baldwin must be drawn to ships, whether in space or on water because he played XO Mike Slattery on the series The Last Ship.
Morena Baccani – Inara Serra
Inara Serra was beautiful and elegant, with an air of mystery.
She was a Companion, which seems to have been the 26th-century equivalent of a courtesan, with the Serenity as her home base.
Inara: A companion chooses her own clients. That’s guild law. But physical appearance doesn’t matter so terribly. You look for a compatibility of spirit. There’s an energy about a person that’s difficult to hide. You try to feel that.
Mal: And then you try to feel the energy of their credit account. It has a sort of aura.
And it was difficult not to be entertained by her banter with Mal.
We wish the show had lasted longer to see where this relationship would have headed.
But if you need more Morena in your life, and who doesn’t, you can see her all over TV, starting with her guest role as the unforgettable Erica Flynn for three installments of The Mentalist, beginning with The Mentalist Season 3 Episode 19.
She also starred in V, Homeland, Gotham, and The Endgame.
Nathan Fillion – Captain Mal Reynolds
Where hasn’t Nathan Fillion been since Firefly?
Since he left the Serenity, it feels as though he’s never stopped appearing on our screens.
From the internet cult hit Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which was produced during the last prominent writer’s strike in 2008, to playing the lead character, writer Richard Castle, on his hit series Castle.
After Castle, he was a literal head on Santa Clarita Diet (you’ll have to see it to understand), an octopus on Resident Alien, and Ranier Shine, the vain weatherman who dated Haley on Modern Family before she finally got back together with Dylan.
But currently, you can catch Fillion as Officer John Nolan, the titular character on the hit TV series The Rookie.
Now it’s your turn, Browncoats!
Which of these actors have you been following since the series ended and Serenity left the big screen?
And which of their projects have been your favorites?
Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below, and let us know!
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C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
