Coincidence or not?

The presence of red coats (brown coats). A struggle for independence. A confluence of events and characters making a peerless assemblage.

Having had the pleasure of watching the first three episodes of John Adams (the miniseries on HBO) this weekend, I got to wondering about the similarities between it and Firefly. Okay, not really, but the end of the opening theme does bear a striking resemblance to the end of The Ballad of Serenity.

The miniseries is every bit as good as I hoped it would be.

Comments

C. August said…
Sounds like I need to start watching this. It looked intriguing, but I haven't been watching much TV lately, and I just keep forgetting to look for it.

It's a miniseries, right? Do you know how many episodes there will be?

Hopefully HBO will keep showing and showing them, and I'll eventually remember to watch.
March 26, 2008 at 8:17 AM
Lynne said…
There are 7 episodes in the series. If you get HBO, you can watch past episodes on demand for free (with Comcast). The new episodes are shown on Sunday night at 9 - they have aired three of the seven so far.

If you miss them, I'm guessing the DVD will make a nice Christmas present. That's what we're shooting for now that "Free HBO" weekend is over.

What I've found to be the most intriguing is that something so pro-American could be made in Hollywood. I suppose the founding fathers are a safe subject(?).
March 26, 2008 at 8:30 AM
C. August said…
OK, I watched the first in the series last night OnDemand (or should that be "on OnDemand"?) and it was AWESOME!

I haven't read the biography it was based on, but I'm guessing that it was well done based on the screen adaptation. Perhaps it was so well done -- and the screen writer was sympathetic -- that the movie people couldn't do much to screw it up?

Regardless, I'm really glad to see something that celebrates reason and the heroic efforts of the founders. Huzzah!
March 28, 2008 at 10:02 AM
Jenn Casey said…
You are probably aware of this, but Joss Whedon got the idea for Firefly after reading The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, which is a fictionalized account of the Battle of Gettysburg. I highly recommend the book, and the other two in the series, written by Shaara's son.

So it is true to say that Firefly was inspired by great Americans!

I read the McCullough book about Adams awhile back and was impressed by it. There was so much I didn't know or appreciate about Adams. I don't get HBO, but will be watching the series as soon as it's out on DVD.
April 2, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Lynne said…
Oh yeah! I had forgotten I read that somewhere. That actually inspired me to read The Killer Angels long after my husband gave it to me to read! Sadly, it wasn't his personal recommendation but the inspiration it provided to Joss Whedon that got me reading - and I loved it.

You just never know where and how inspiration will hit.

The days of free HBO are over, and sadly, so is my watching the miniseries as it is aired.
April 2, 2008 at 5:13 PM
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