Firefly streaming guide: Where to watch Firefly & Serenity online

Welcome to the best Firefly streaming guide in the ‘Verse.

There are few things better than Firefly. The space-western drama has won the heart of many a sci-fi fan with its galactic action, witty ‘Whedonism’ dialogue, and fascinating blend of American and Asian culture – even if the Japanese anime Cowboy Bebop, a clear inspiration for the series, laid much the template that Firefly riffs on.

In Firefly’s futuristic future (2517, to be exact), mass colonization of space has happened – but plenty of the people on the outskirts of galactic civilization have their work cut out for them as crooks, traders, cowboys, and mercenaries compete for enough resources and loot to keep their derelict spaceships flying another day. 

It’s easy to forget that the cult classic sci-fi TV show was once marred by a botched distribution strategy on Fox network, which aired Firefly’s episodes out of order – including the intended double-episode premiere – meaning anyone who did tune in to Firefly for its debut wasn’t likely to know what was going on. Of the original 14 episodes, too, only 11 made it to air before the show was axed.

Thankfully, those days are long over, and the whole season of Firefly is available to stream, buy, and watch in a variety of places – alongside the feature-film sequel Serenity, which was released three years after the show’s premature cancelation. As a runner up in our best space movies guide, it’s well worth a watch after you’ve binged your way through the series.

Firefly

You’ll see Firefly’s stellar cast in a host of other big-name properties these days – Alan Tudyk as a sarcastic droid in Rogue One, Morena Baccarin in Deadpool, Nathan Fillion in Castle – but it’s in Firefly that these actors put in some of their best career performances, and anyone with an interest in the legacy of American science fiction television won’t want to miss out on this piece of history.

And you don’t have to! In the U.K., you’ll be able to stream on Disney Plus, which got the sci-fi show with the arrival of its Star programming catalogue earlier this year. The platform’s cheap monthly subscription cost means it’s probably the sensible place to binge. Meanwhile U.S. viewers can pick and choose between Disney and Hulu. 

And if you’re keen to buy instead, you can either opt for one episode at a time or make a bulk purchase of the 14-episode season for a slightly discounted rate.

Where to watch Firefly in the U.S.?

U.S. streaming:
Disney Plus
Hulu

U.S. rent/buy:
Amazon
Apple TV
Google Play
Vudu
Microsoft
Redbox 

Where to watch Firefly in the U.K.?

U.K. streaming:
Disney Plus

U.K. rent/buy:
Amazon,
YouTube,
Google Play,
Apple TV,
CHILI,
Microsoft,
Rakuten TV 

Serenity

The Firefly TV show deserved more seasons than the single 14-episode sprint it got. However, later it did get the follow-up film Serenity which offered a continuation of Firefly’s story and some sense of closure for disappointed fans.

We won’t spoil too much here, but the film largely delves into the secret backstory of River, a telepathic fugitive smuggled on board the crew’s ship by her brother, and whose links to a secret governmental project are finally catching up with them.

It’s a suitable send-off for the Firefly crew, with Chiwetel Ejiofor proving a captivating and formidable antagonist throughout the film. Just make sure you watch the TV show first, as this is very much a sequel rather than a retelling of the original Firefly season.

Convinced? Here’s where you can watch, rent, or buy Serenity. Note that while Firefly is only available in HD, some platforms offer Serenity in 4K.

Where to watch Serenity in the U.S.?

U.S. streaming:
Peacock
Roku

U.S. rent/buy:
Apple TV
Amazon
Google Play
YouTube
Vudu
AMC
Microsoft
Redbox
DIRECTV

Where to watch in the Serenity in the U.K.?

U.K. streaming:
Netflix
Virgin TV

U.K. rent/buy:
Apple TV
Amazon
YouTube
Rakuten TV
Google Play
Microsoft
CHILI
Sky Store