Seems to me that the natural audience for a show like Firefly is actually children, in the same vein as star trek. It will also appeal to adults, but the basic

Seems to me that the natural audience for a show like Firefly is actually children, in the same vein as star trek. It will also appeal to adults, but the basic premise is just going to be more appealing to children. The more adult/scary bits of the show felt bolted on and added little. Ironically a "kids" show like buffy morphed into something far more grown up than Firefly ever was.