See, I don't think that's all that unusual -- to keep at a distance from the fannish fandomosity of fandom, that is. It's like falling desperately in love with something or someone and then having that suddenly be gone from your life; you're bound to be a touch more careful about being willing to risk that depth of emotion again.

My first Jossverse show was, I admit, Firefly. I'd seen the Buffy movie when it hit theaters while I was in high school, then heard it was being developed into a TV show. I caught parts of eps, but wasn't really hooked until Firefly, when I followed the development of shows from Firefly through Angel and back into Buffy.

And then, of course, Firefly got cancelled.

Part of it, I think, is just maturing -- one's heartfelt adoration of a particular thing mellow into the greater experience of middle age, less willing to risk getting burned by stepping close to the fire of fandom. Fandom can warm, can leave you exhilirated and sweaty and glowing... but it can also leave you with a nasty burn.

Aaaaaaand now you've got me rambling. But I do know I've not quite felt the same desperate affection for shows since Firefly. Network execs have disappointed me too many times, and the fandom mainstream that united behind Buffy has fractured into a dozen or more major movements, each with their own loves and foci.