Firefly

NEW YORK, June 22: In a deal with Twentieth Television, the SCI FI Channel has picked up the rights to Firefly, the “space Western” series from Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon.

The cable network will air all 14 episodes of the series, including three that never made it to air after FOX pulled the plug on the critically acclaimed show. The series begins airing Friday July 22 at 7 p.m., leading into the network’s popular Friday-night lineup. The SCI FI launch comes in advance of the September 2005 theatrical release of Serenity, a Universal Pictures title based on the Firefly series.