Firefly/Serenity had an original concept -- no weird space aliens. I tried to get some people interested in Firefly but when I explained that there were no space aliens and no soundwaves being transmitted in the vacuum of space, people looked at me like I was crazy. No space aliens? No things going "boom!" in space? What good is science fiction without space aliens going boom in space? How about stories with an intelligent plot? How about interesting characters who swear in Chinese? It is a shame more people don't appreciate it when they are presented with something original.
Noticed that, too--they even had a show with hucksters promising aliens to the gullible--
However much I love Firefly--it's not really sci-fi, but a fantasy western. There isn't much true sci-fi out there.
I liked Firefly, until I realized that ALL of the planets they visited are apparently in a single solar system.
Bit crowded, no?
Not to mention a few MAJOR issues with astrophysics that go way beyond legitimate "suspension of disbelief."