but what really matters, and what makes it so good is the relationship of the characters to each other, how they change, and how the characters change.

YES!

I was going to write interminable paragraphs saying just that, but you did it better than I would have.

I didn't know who was behind Firefly when I watched the first two episodes, but I commented on how similar it was in execution to Buffy. So when I finally got around to checking, I wasn't surprised to find out it was Joss Whedon.

That method he uses of taking a truly eclectic cast of characters and building a series around their interrelationships without making it a story about just one "star" character and a bunch of satellites... I love it.

If you like that type of program, another one you should check out is "Joan of Arcadia". The story premise sounds so awful I won't even reference it here, because if I did nobody would bother to watch it. Just remember, as in Firefly, it isn't about the story, it's about the PEOPLE. I recommend it highly.

tanstaafl.