Western (genre) space who use ray guns and ride robotic horses. Examples include the American television series "Brave Starr" (which aired original episodes from September 1987 to February 1988) and "Firefly" (created by Joss Whedon in 2002), and the films "Battle Beyond the Stars" (1980), which is a remake of "The Magnificent Seven"; "Outland" (1981), which is a remake of "High Noon"; and "Serenity" (2005, based on the "Firefly" TV series). The classic western genre has also been a major influence on science fiction films such as the original "" movie of 1977. Famously Gene Roddenberry pitched the concept of the TV
Parenthood (1990 TV series) Huffners of the film were renamed the Merricks on the TV series. The pilot episode was considered by "USA Today" and the "New York Post" as the best movie-to-TV spinoff since "M*A*S*H". However, ratings for the series were low and "Parenthood" was canceled after 12 episodes. The series is notable for featuring a number of people who at the time were unheard of but later became famous. One of the writers on the show was Joss Whedon. The cast featured Leonardo DiCaprio, David Arquette, and Thora Birch (billed simply as "Thora" here). The show was featured on the now-defunct cable