5 Reasons Joss Whedon's Next Move Should Be A Return To The Land Of Television

Fandom King Joss Whedon has a decision to make. Here's why one of his new projects should be a new TV show.

1. It's his origin story

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Whedon's the son of Golden Girls screenwriter Tom Whedon. His first professional writing gig was as a staff writer on Roseanne. When he felt the directors of the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie had botched his screenplay, he took things into his own hands and took the project to TV.

Television's where Joss worked out his skills, and it's where the world first really got to see what he can do.

2. He's already made his indelible mark on the TV landscape

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Buffy wasn't just iconic, it changed television. It was able to take risks from its perch on the then-relatively-invisible network The WB, taking a dark turn midway through season two and never looking back.

Tired of musical episodes? Blame Buffy's pitch-perfect "Once More, With Feeling." Grateful for resurrection stories that bring back your favorite cancelled shows? Never forget that Firefly set the precedent.

But just because he's already made such a mark doesn't mean there's not more left to say — or more left to do. Because...

3. Television is where Whedon's at his best

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Part of what made the early cancellation of Firefly such a crime against the creative spirit is that Whedon's best work takes place over time. There are an abundance of brilliant individual episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but part of the experience of that show is growing with those characters through all the crazy shit that happens to them.

And that's not just over their emotional journeys from their teenage years into adulthood: Buffy has some of the most detailed, bonkers foreshadowing you'll find in any show ever. Imagine what we could have gotten if Firefly had had the time and space to play out over however much time Whedon & Co. needed.

4. He's in an entirely new position in his career

Marvel

It makes sense that Whedon chose a mega-budget Marvel movie over, say, starting up another TV show back in 2010: Dollhouse had just been canceled by Fox the year before. This was the second time Fox had cut one of his shows down before he was ready to say goodbye, it'd make sense for the guy to develop a bit of skittishness.

But 2009 Whedon and 2014 Whedon couldn't be more different — at least when it comes to sway. Whedon's not just a cult figure anymore; he's the director of one of the most fiscally successful films of all time, and a household name in a whole new way. The world is his oyster, basically.

In other words: Watch Fox try and cancel him now.

5. Television in general has more to offer than ever

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Forget all the contracts he could score in his sleep, the very medium of television is more abundant than it's ever been. After all that spurning it would make sense for Whedon not to want to return to network television, but there's no reason for him to: Any cable network would love to have him, and so would any streaming service like Netflix or Amazon. He's always indulged in the experimental with his shows, and he could do that more than ever if he didn't have to worry about censors or even episode runtime.

Come back to your homeland, old friend. Show us what we've been missing.