In defence of the good people on Firefly, since the show was cancelled: - Nathan Fillion (Capt. Malcolm Reynolds) was cast as a main character on FOX’s Drive which - although cancelled - would prove to give him time to star in the internet sensation Dr. Horrible. He is now filming the second season of his hit ABC dramedy, Castle (of which he plays the lead). - Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb) was cast as NSA agent and total badass John Casey in the extremely popular NBC series Chuck, which is entering its fourth season this fall. - Morena Baccarin (Inara Serra) has bounced from a few recurring television roles, including a principal character in Stargate SG-1, and finally landed a series regular in the television series V (which I believe is a remake). - Jewel Staite (Kaylee Frye) became a series regular on Stargate Atlantis for a season and a half, playing Dr. Jennifer Keller. - Summer Glau (River Tam) landed the role of the Terminator named Cameron in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles on FOX. - Alan Tudyk (Hoban Washburne) had a really successful career before Firefly, and still largely does. He has been in a whole slew of popular or cult films, and starts occasionally on Broadway. He’s also been cast in the recurring role of Alpha on Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse. - Gina Torres (Zoe Washburne) has done a lot of work since Firefly, although she doesn’t seem to really stick out in much of anything. But she’s been in a number of movies and television shows but - sadly - nothing that would ever be a draw to her original cult audience. So…it seems as if she hasn’t done anything. - Sean Maher (Simon Tam) … No comment. - Ron Glass (Shepherd Book) He has had work, that’s for sure. But, again, nothing that would appear particularly noteworthy amongst “our kind”.
So, yeah. I think many of them have gone on to land successful roles, although with the exception of the three male leads (Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, and Adam Baldwin), none have managed to escape the grasp of science-fiction.