Criminally, he never got to do another one.
Why is it that in the US, a lot of really shit serieses go on and on and on and on (Friends, anyone) while good stuff gets cancelled?
For the same reason that Montell, dr.Phil, and Ellen Degeneres has viewers. Most, not all, but most of the shows that continue season after season are based on a simple formula, riddled with stock characters, easily lampooned stereotypes and it all has to be kept at a really neutral level so as not to offend a very sensitive audience. Stock phrases, an audience who is told to laugh at the right places, basically mindnumbing entertainment that requires little or no thought to follow.
Whedon tried to be new, innovative, original and creative. Not that I am an Ameriphobe but I would argue that if Firefly had been produced in Europe and had had a mainly European audince base, it would still be on the air. It is a bit of a weird show and, though I fully agree that there are lots of Americans who like the odd and weird, for a show to survive in America it has to beat a lot of competition and people, more often than not, prefer what is familiar and recognizable.
Just aquired "Twin Peaks" the whole show. This weekend is definitely going to be good!