While Firefly fought an uphill battle from the start, but a large part of its legacy is due to the performances of its main and ing actors.

The best ensemble sci-fi casts of all time. After the show became a cult classic, all nine of the main actors in the cast returned to film the spinoff movie, Serenity, which gave audiences an ending to the story. Most of the main actors then went on to star in other sci-fi genre TV shows and movies, and still appear at sci-fi conventions today. Many of Serenity's crew regularly appear together when they make cameo appearances in each other's shows, which often include Easter eggs referencing Firefly.

10 The Rookie (2018-Present)

Starring Nathan Fillion

Nathan Fillion, known for playing the rebellious Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds in Firefly, portrays a very different kind of man in The Rookie, in which he is John Nolan, the LAPD's oldest new agent. The show is based on a true story and while Fillion is the main character, there are other Firefly actors in The Rookie. This includes Sean Maher, who plays the mild-mannered doctor Simon Tam in Firefly. Fans gave The Rookie an 8.0 rating on IMDb, and reviews praised Fillion's performance in the crime procedural show. Nathan Fillion also went on to produce the spinoff series, The Rookie: Feds.

9 Resident Alien (2021-Present)

Starring Alan Tudyk

Of all the Firefly actors, Alan Tudyk has had one of the most prolific careers, including a role in Star Wars. Yet Resident Alien features one of Alan Tudyk's all-time best characters. The sci-fi comedy-drama is about a shapeshifting alien, played by Tudyk, who crash lands into a small town and takes on the appearance of the local doctor. Resident Alien is hilarious, showcasing Tudyk's talents as both a comedic and dramatic actor; it also features the action legend Linda Hamilton. Tudyk mostly takes on voice acting projects nowadays but appears onscreen in Resident Alien, which is arguably his best TV show.

8 Hannibal (2013-2015)

Starring Gina Torres

Gina Torres is excellent as the stoic Zoe Washburne in Firefly, but while many sci-fi actors are typecast, she has played a wide range of characters in her TV shows. Despite her relatively small role in Hannibal, it is her best TV project. Hannibal is visually stunning and expands the world of the terrifying cannibal psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter, who is played here by Mads Mikkelsen. Torres, meanwhile, portrays the secretive and tense Phyllis "Bella" Crawford, who is Jack Crawford's terminally ill wife. She has a major part in one of the most tragic Hannibal scenes that made audiences cry.

7 The Killing (2011-2014)

Starring Jewel Staite

Serenity's mechanic, Kaylee, is one of the most popular characters from Firefly, but the show did not give Jewel Staite much chance to show her dramatic range. On the other hand, The Killing is a compelling TV show, showcasing more of Staite's acting skills. It is much darker than Firefly and follows a detective as she solves a string of murders. Fans of police procedural shows may love The Killing as it breaks the usual genre format by having story arcs that last a season rather than an episode. Staite plays Caroline Swift, an understated character who is often the voice of reason.

6 Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008-2009)

Starring Summer Glau

Summer Glau plays similar characters in both Firefly and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. River and Cameron are both extremely dangerous and are being manipulated by outside forces. While River has been engineered by Firefly's disturbing government entity, Cameron is a reprogrammed Terminator. Glau plays the most advanced Terminator model in the franchise but shows glimpses of her growing humanity throughout the series. While recent movies in the Terminator franchise have mostly received mediocre ratings, The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a great TV show that was canceled before its time but still has an audience rating of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.

5 Warehouse 13 (2009-2014)

Starring Sean Maher

Sean Maher has been voicing Nightwing in the Teen Titans universe since 2014, but his best TV show only features him in one episode. Warehouse 13 ran for five seasons and focuses on a government warehouse housing dangerous artifacts. The show is an older sci-fi series with a similar format to The X-Files, and mostly still holds up today. Warehouse 13 is both funny and frightening, sometimes within one episode, and features some other major sci-fi actors. Maher stars in the episode "Mild Mannered," which gives Firefly fans an Easter egg by teaming him up with Jewel Staite, his Firefly love interest.

4 Barney Miller (1975-1982)

Starring Ron Glass

Barney Miller, a police drama show about the daily lives of detectives, was one of the defining police procedurals of the 1970s. In a similar way to Brooklyn 99, Barney Miller is character-driven, and both emotional and comedic. The show launched the careers of many of its actors, including Ron Glass, who starred in 164 episodes two decades before Firefly was made. Glass portrays the fiction writer and detective, Ron Harris, and appears throughout the series. Many Barney Harris cast have since died, and Ron Glass sadly ed away of respiratory failure in 2016, aged 71.

3 Mad Men (2007-2015)

Starring Christina Hendricks

Mad Men is not just one of Christina Hendricks' best TV shows, it is often regarded as one of the greatest TV shows of all time. Along with Jon Hamm as Don Draper, Christina Hendricks steals each scene she is in as the secretary and office manager, Joan Holloway. While Hendricks' characters are extremely different in Firefly and Mad Men, both are underestimated, and they use this to their advantage. Joan was Hendrick's breakout role, as she only appeared in two Firefly episodes. Additionally Mad Men has a 95% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes and won 16 Primetime Emmy Awards.

2 Homeland (2011-2020)

Starring Morena Baccarin

Morena Baccarin's first major role was as the companion Inara Serra in Firefly, and she has since become a major part of the Marvel universe as Deadpool's fiancée Vanessa. That said, Morena Baccarin's best TV show is still Homeland. The show is a crime drama series full of suspense and revolves around the possibility of a conspiracy to enact terrorism in America. While Homeland is best known for Claire Danes' performance, Baccarin is also outstanding as Jessica Brody, whose husband appears to have returned from the dead. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role.

1 Chuck (2007-2012)

Starring Adam Baldwin

While Adam Baldwin's most recent TV success is The Last Ship, a better TV show featuring the Firefly actor is the action-comedy series Chuck. Baldwin plays the tough and no-nonsense NSA agent John Casey, who is a much more loyal asset to his team than Jayne Cobb was in Firefly. That said, like Jayne, his character is both intense and funny, and the show gave Baldwin a greater range to work within than he had in Firefly. Chuck was famous for its cameos, some of which involved sci-fi genre legends, and the show has a 92% positive audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.