Deadline Hollywood - 'Dollhouse picked up for mid-season' - Dollhouse

Well, this is nice and bittersweet.

But hey, midseason's still season, so I'll just go with the optimistic yay.

sumogrip | May 12, 02:01 CET

I know it's only a few months longer but it's going to feel like an eternity.

Derf | May 12, 02:01 CET

Hello from New Zealand.

I'm happy to be a "rabid whedonesquer" at last.

And very exciting news about Dollhouse!

quaker3 | May 12, 02:03 CET

Are we sure this is new, and not just a repeat of the rumour from the other day?

MattK | May 12, 02:13 CET

Are we sure this is new

Well I wouldn't have run if it was a repeat.

And besides these days Ms Finke has more credibility than Variety and The Hollywood Reporter put together.

Simon | May 12, 02:15 CET

Fair enough, I only asked because I'm not well-versed enough to know whether "I'm told..." means that a secret Fox contact is doing the telling, or just someone unconnected to Fox who heard the rumours like the rest of us.

MattK | May 12, 02:21 CET

However, it can be hard to evaluate Nikki Finke info - sometimes it's spot on and sometimes it's way off... but she certainly gained some creds for me during the WGA strike.

And ah yes, rabid - a charming word choice, as always.

I simply must get that looked at sometime - get some shots or something.

QuoterGal | May 12, 02:21 CET

Yay, glad to finally be able to post.

Anyway, I'm not TOO gutted about this news. Remember, Buffy was a mid-season replacement. Perhaps debuting mid-season means the show won't be competing with other big primetime series, therefore increasing the viability of getting picked up for a second season at the end of its run? Let's all be optimists :D.

Liam Mars | May 12, 02:26 CET

Not sure if this is bad or not, I can't exactly help out with ratings since I live in England and don't actually own a TV licence... (nor do I watch broadcast television...)

insistondoubt | May 12, 02:26 CET

I'd rather have a solid, shortened first season anyways on a channel that's known for hitting the "cancelled" button prematurely...

MySerenity | May 12, 02:27 CET

Well, that worked well for that show about the girl and the vampires.

Craig Oxbrow | May 12, 02:28 CET

If FOX advertises the hell out of Dollhouse and gives it the treatment that it deserves.. I might not have to cut someone.

almost cookies | May 12, 02:35 CET

So does this mean it was picked up for 13 episodes?

Derf | May 12, 02:38 CET

I'm just glad it's really happening. Joss is the coolest!

nicetomeatyou | May 12, 02:39 CET

I don't think there has been any news since the 7 were commissioned... I don't really know when Fox asks for more... I assume if they like what is being made now?

insistondoubt | May 12, 02:47 CET

They've already filmed the first episode, I believe. The show won't be shown for about seven months and the remaining six episodes can be filmed in less than two. There's a possible SAG strike looming.

I wonder if they will try to film some or all of them before the strike deadline. If there's a strike, would Joss be constrained from doing anything with actors for the duration, or just studio-connected things?

shambleau | May 12, 02:48 CET

I wonder if they will try to film some or all of them before the strike deadline.

Last I heard, production was going to halt after the first episode was done for about six weeks while they awaited the outcome of the potential strike. Putting the start date for episode 2--barring, of course, strike--somewhere in June or July.

sumogrip | May 12, 02:51 CET

to know whether "I'm told..." means that a secret Fox contact is doing the telling, or just someone unconnected to Fox who heard the rumours like the rest of us

And you'll note there's no indication in there at all as to which it is. As QG said, it's actually hit-or-miss with Nikki sometimes in terms of her being "told" something was happening.

The One True b!X | May 12, 02:51 CET

As long as it does good and doesn't get canned, I'll be more than happy. Words cannot describe how excited I am for this. All three of Joss' shows are my favorites, but I've never expierenced one from the VERY beginning, I'm looking forward to the ride and hoping it's a long one.

hitnrun017 | May 12, 02:52 CET

This isn't necessarily bad news. It means no weekday MLB playoff games to push the show around, like "Firefly". It could also mean A) commercials for it during FOX's biggest property, the NFL playoffs, and B) maybe even a chance to go on after their next biggest property, "24".

KingofCretins | May 12, 02:54 CET

I'm bummed. I was excited to see it.

As for all the midseason comparisons. Buffy was a desperate call for that network for new and different content. It was also a low viewership network. Its really hard to compare, because Joss is now well established and the only real issue now is will it make money. Where as, when Buffy debuted it was just 'well I hope someone watched it.'

At least we still have Buffy Season 8 in the meantime!

ChosenOne5376 | May 12, 02:56 CET

Just found separate confirmation of the mid-season launch here and it also says Dollhouse has been picked up for 13 episodes.

Derf | May 12, 03:08 CET

That's excellent news, I'm absolutely over the moon. One more episode than the first season of Buffy. Did I mention I'm pleased?

redders | May 12, 03:15 CET

I strongly recommend waiting for the announcement on Thursday before believing this and certainly before believing some random site like Derf just linked. Sorry, Derf, but that is just some random blog. Fox will probably put out something official before Thursday. I am sure things are very fluid right now and very few people have the whole story.

IrrationaliTV | May 12, 03:20 CET

Vortigun, what's a 'TV license'? Confess to ignorance here, does everyone have to have one where you are?

Willowy | May 12, 03:27 CET

Thanks Derf!

I'll take a midseason premiere with 13 episodes instead of a fall premiere with 7 episodes anyday!

hitnrun017 | May 12, 03:40 CET

It is a requirement that all people in the UK have a valid annual television licence if they have a TV or any other equipment allowing them to watch television programmes as they are being broadcast. This would, for example, include mobile phones. The current cost of a licence is £139.50 ($272.24).

The television licence fee funds the BBC, which is a public broadcast service. Some people would argue that the BBC should become a commercial organisation and compete like-for-like with the other broadcast companies. I personally like things the way they are and would not want to see radical changes made to the BBC, but it is a matter of ongoing debate.

alien lanes | May 12, 03:41 CET

Yes, personally I hold the opposite view, I think the BBC are doing a good job, but in the new era of media we are entering, with hundreds of other channels, the imminent switch to digital, live streaming (both channel 4 and BBC have now) and so on, I don't feel that the BBC can justify keeping the TV licensing, despite the alleged quality of their broadcasting.

If I lived alone I would not pay, since I only use a TV for DVDs and gaming when I have one. Next year I am living with 5 other people though, and it seems unfair not to (plus significanly reduced costs when split between 6 obviously...)

insistondoubt | May 12, 03:48 CET

Some people would argue that the BBC should become a commercial organisation and compete like-for-like with the other broadcast companies.

God forbid. Then they run the risk of ending up like American stations, and I can see that working out very badly for the quality of TV shown over there. The Beeb has produced a lot of great stuff in recent years; don't want to see that end anytime soon. Not to say that would be a given, but it's certainly a possibility.

deepgirl187 | May 12, 03:52 CET

I'm also a little disappointed they couldn't find a spot for the show for the fall, but I am hoping they give it a fair chance. Remember, they plugged "Drive" like crazy, only to pull the plug after just four episodes. Fox's faith in "Dollhouse" should equal its expected massive marketing for the show.

impalergeneral | May 12, 03:54 CET

With all the 'ifs' in place, would this mean a second season would also be 13 episodes? A lot of people have cited T:SCC as an example and their second season is going to be 13 episodes again.

Leaf | May 12, 03:57 CET

Leaf, if I understand this correctly, FOX ordered 13 more episodes of T:SCC, and if it continues to do well, they would order a full season. But I'm no expert like some people on here.

hitnrun017 | May 12, 03:59 CET

Not really sure how to feel at the moment about this one. Mid-season means it won't be up against the big-guns like Heroes and Lost, so that has to be a good thing, surely?

MovieMark | May 12, 04:07 CET

Thanks hitnrun017. I did some googling and found this link that confirms what you say.

I feel kinda bad for being so greedy, any Joss is good Joss and I want the show to have the best strategic start so we can have further ~~Joss~~ Dollhouse, but I also love 22 episode seasons.

Leaf | May 12, 04:11 CET

It's at least going to be shown, which I'm going to put down tentatively as a win.

(and yay for finally getting an account)

spooforbrains | May 12, 04:12 CET

I don't think it will matter whether they show it midseason or not. It will all depend on what time they show it, what day and whether people want to watch it. I'm not giving up my hopes that it will get a second season, it seems like a good idea but not one with broad appeal. I would imagine, being a Joss Whedon show, that it will cost a lot of money and need big audiences.

Hopefully we'll get to see the pilot in the summer though, when all the pilots are leaked.

Dave B | May 12, 04:14 CET

well bummer, now i have to wait longer....boo!

but at least it's going to run at all! :)

buffyfanatic18 | May 12, 04:16 CET

Well Lost season 5 will air in January, I don't know about Heroes, but I assume it will be September/October.

insistondoubt | May 12, 04:17 CET

January, you say? Hmmph. Well, I'm still glad it'll be mid-season, there wont be as much pressure for higher ratings, what with all of the pilots to compete with and returning shows. Buffy was mid-season after all and that turned out well enough ^^

MovieMark | May 12, 04:26 CET

Although I'm a little angry that it isn't a start of the season show, I really, really hope that Dollhouse makes it for a few years at least.

archon | May 12, 04:38 CET

Hi guys! I'm new to the site (finally!) but I just wanted to add in my two cents. Although I'm bummed that I'll have to wait till 2009 to see "Dollhouse" I'm not all that surprised about it. I'm certainly glad that the show won't have to compete with the end of baseball season for a time slot. As long as FOX is behind "Dollhouse" and Joss like they say they are, I'm going to be optimistic till I can see the finished product for myself!

kasadilla | May 12, 05:22 CET

I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this. I just hope they don't air it against Lost. At least it doesn't have to compete with American Idol!

UnpluggedCrazy | May 12, 05:57 CET

UnpluggedCrazy, how would it ever compete with Idol? They will be on the same network.

eta: Or is that what you meant?

[ edited by TamaraC on 2008-05-12 03:41 ]

IrrationaliTV | May 12, 06:41 CET

I'm a little disappointed, because that's an additional 3 month wait than I had initially prepared myself before.

But, oh well, a pickup's a pickup.

SuperTim | May 12, 06:53 CET

Nothing against Nikki or THR or anyone else, but I think I'll wait for either the official news on Thursday or Joss's post here announcing a mid season date. So I think we're talking Thursday. ;)

cabri | May 12, 07:08 CET

Makes sense, cabri. A lot of sense.

IrrationaliTV | May 12, 07:22 CET

They need to put it on directly after American Idol. For example, before being placed after Idol in its first season House was floundering and then suddenly it was a huge hit. I think that would be the smartest move. I know they perhaps don't have the same demographic, but Idol seems to span many demographics and I think it might work.
If they put it on Friday we will know immediately they want to kill it. Wait, wasn't Firefly aired on Fridays? Exactly.
I always thought Dollhouse had a guaranteed pickup for fall for some reason.

twinkiefoo | May 12, 07:24 CET

I really hope that Nikki and THR are wrong. Midseason is just too far away. It nearly killed me to wait for Buffy! (I was a huge SMG fan from her All My Children days.)

Has anyone heard any news that there may be a Fall debut?

ricetxpeaches | May 12, 07:57 CET

I'm cautiously happy about this news. Yes, it means a shortened first season and a few months longer for it to debut, but I actually think that the show would fare better if it weren't competing for attention with 30+ shows debuting at the same time. The amazing crush of new shows at the start of every new season is TOO MUCH for any show to survive. I think that a mid-season start, with plenty of promotion and TLC would be a good thing for Dollhouse. Here, I am thinking of how FOX treated The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

dottikin | May 12, 09:16 CET

Right there with ya, dottikin!

kasadilla | May 12, 09:23 CET

I'm not so happy about the timing of this news. I just recently read the first episode, so you can imagine I'll pretty anxious to see the final product.

I don't think this spells doom for the series though, as some people seem to be thinking. At the very least, I hope it doesn't.

Racoon Boy | May 12, 10:07 CET

It's funny to think next year we'll be going mainstream. Brave new world for our fandom.

Simon | May 12, 10:26 CET

Close registration the day it premieres, be it '08 or '09, that's all I'm sayin'.

Oh, and if it does premiere in January, I'll have to eat my hat. And possibly some of my hair. Shit. It actually makes a bit of sense to shift it back to '09, as they can launch it in a very specific way (read: tag it on to sports and American Idol, which is a bit like dancing with Ryan Seaquest in the pale moon light). Also, they could run it without going into reruns all the time.

Interesting thought: if it DOES go out in January '09, that means they've got 6 months shooting between early July (start date of ep 2) to end of December before they've even aired. It takes about 10 days to shoot an ep. That's, like, enough time to shoot WAY more than the other 6 ordered.

So if Nikki is right, it means you're getting more than 7 episodes of Dollhouse. As they will have to order more.

[ edited by gossi on 2008-05-12 07:36 ]

gossi | May 12, 10:34 CET

For the people who believe this is bad news, I have to disagree.

FOX has an established history of starting shows midseason and running them uninterrupted. 24 is a prime example of this. I would contend a FOX midseason is not the same as other networks ordering midseason. This scheduling allows FOX to heavily promote Dollhouse, run an uninterrupted season, not compete with other new shows and I would strongly bet that at the upfronts FOX unveils that it is paired with 24.

I can only take this as good news. Colour me excited.

Hubert | May 12, 10:36 CET

Yay and sqee and (insert own monosyllabic high pitch noise). Am finally here in whedonesque land where purple ruler of all things cool and slayee frequent. Anyways, must sound like I am contributing valuable comment of worth to discussion.
Yay! Dollhouse. Yay, anything Joss related to appear on the small screen. Yay midseason start. Just feeling the happy for any kind of Joss show, let alone 7 (or more?!!) episodes!

RollingInKittens | May 12, 11:24 CET

Yay! First post after years of lurking. Mid-season sounds ok to me although being UK based I have no idea how things work on Fox. Fingers crossed that a decent network picks it up over here :)

DreamDancer | May 12, 11:51 CET

So thrilled to finally become a Whedonesquer!

It's bad that we'll have to wait a few extra months -- but between the sobs I remind myself of the triple layer of silver lining. First, with the actors' strike looming, a midseason show has a better chance to remain unaffected should it go ahead. Second, half way through the season, the air for any new show will clear a little. Third, more time for Fox to promote it (and for us fans to create a little extra Internet buzz). So, a midseason premiere probably gives the show a better chance.

There is a darker spot on my personal Dollhouse horizon, though. Only Lords of Cobol know what horrors my show will suffer at the hands of Australian TV networks.

Effulgent | May 12, 11:54 CET

Well, I am upset, but that's because the only show I watch regularly is LOST, so now I have to wait till January for both? Lame.

Linnea1928 | May 12, 12:04 CET

People are saying that Dollhouse is only filming one episode prior to the break for the upfronts and such, and maybe 'til the long break for the actor's strike at the end of June. That doesn't sound right to me. People are saying that being a mid-season replacement means an automatic half-season order. Does that seem right to you?

Welcome, new people! Despite my occasional urges to mimic Jubal Early, I am not actually an assassin.

dreamlogic | May 12, 12:37 CET

Yay!! Finally some Doll-related news! I've been going online everyday looking for something. Well, as many have mentioned, Buffy was a mid-season replacement, but it was a totally different situation. It's bad we'll have to wait more, but it might be good for the show. I just hope people watch it so it doesn't get cancelled. Joss and Eliza working together is a dream come true.

[ edited by danielgm86 on 2008-05-12 09:47 ]

danielgm86 | May 12, 12:47 CET

finally! as from today i am a proud whedonesque-member! hello every-one..... and oooh yes although this means another 3 months that i have to wait i`m just happy that at least we get to see a new story by Joss. i became a rabid fan of the jossverse just after angel was axed so for me anything from joss is a gift

funny waist | May 12, 13:35 CET

I'm cautiously happy about this news. Yes, it means a shortened first season and a few months longer for it to debut, but I actually think that the show would fare better if it weren't competing for attention with 30+ shows debuting at the same time. The amazing crush of new shows at the start of every new season is TOO MUCH for any show to survive.

Actually, there won't be much new shows this fall as a consequence of the writer's strike. Most networks haven't even shot their pilots and are expected to order most of their new shows this summer and starting them around midseason. FOX is one of the few exceptions this season, because they had a lot of projects fall in place even before the writer's strike. Short: There will be lots of new shows that will premiere around midseason.

Donnie | May 12, 13:57 CET

Yay, pre-cancled. At least it will save joss the bother of killing the characters of after people get to like them.

Pumps | May 12, 23:47 CET

Steady on, there is such a thing as too upbeat you know.

Saje | May 12, 23:55 CET

Yeah, TamaraC, my saying that it wouldn't have to compete with American Idol was because they're on the same network...

UnpluggedCrazy | May 13, 00:11 CET

May 12 2008