Would Firefly Reboot on Primetime TV Gain Popularity?

Seems to me that the powers that be who make these kinds of decisions are far more interested in the advertising buyers than the viewers. That's how broadcast television works. The shows are not the product being sold; the viewers are the product being sold.

Current Cast Availability and Potential Alternatives

About getting the actors:

Nathan has two more seasons of Castle contracted. Gina is a regular on a cable show, Suits, and Morena is on Homeland. I don't think any of the other actors are currently tied into anything long term. Alan got dropped from Suburgatory, where he was my favorite character. Ron Glass is semi-retired. Another possibility is moving production to Canada or making a Canada-US coproduction. We already have two Canadian leads. Canada offers subsidies and tax breaks for film companies. Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto are all centers for film production; for instance, Slither was set in Georgia and filmed in Vancouver, and The X-Files also filmed there. Additionally, Canada has some interesting screenwriters. Americans probably have never seen The Murdoch Mysteries, Corner Gas, Republic of Doyle, or Little Mosque on the Prairie. It's not all Hockey Night in Canada here.

A New Home for Firefly?

Agreeing completely with James H. Kelly, if they put it on SyFy, Spike, or G4 as a flagship series, expecting the same amount of market share, but not necessarily better, and yet greatly reducing production costs, it could absolutely fly.

Originally, they miscalculated the right medium; FOX, which is now a different place, with a different audience, including sci-fi fans, gamers, etc. There isn't a lack of places this would be better suited.

However, the question is whether that place would be able to distribute the bucks, and whether the remaining cast would be amenable to returning and whether the conditions of return would be amenable to them.

To get James W. Fillion, the star of Castle, out of his contract would require a LOT of cash. The entire reason Castle is popular is because he's there. If those same viewers, mostly middle-aged women, heard he was going back to Firefly, they would jump ship in a heartbeat. He would be the key because he's the irreplaceable character.

Unconventional Ideas for Reboot Success

What would be a VERY interesting move is if Whedon decided to take this to subscription or make it crowdsourced. Nobody is doing that, but concepts like that could actually work in this case. All he would have to do would be to hit GDC and G3 to kick it off and people would PHREAK.

This would not only ensure financial support but also strengthen the community's devotion to the project and ensure its success.