That's not horribly surprising. It's Joss, it's DOLLHOUSE, it's an interesting fantasy, it's philosophical, it's brilliant.

Donnie | May 19, 18:30 CET

Showcase, showcase, ooh-ah-ah!*

*Unofficial chant of those who'd like to see all eight minutes posted somewhere webby.

[ edited by Pointy on 2008-05-19 15:40 ]

Pointy | May 19, 18:39 CET

Not surprising, but exciting none-the-less. Sounds from that article like it was the best show at the upfronts (ok, so a lot of other shows didn't have pilots, but I'm choosing the optimistic path).

Leaf | May 19, 18:45 CET

Anyone heard news on Miracle Man lately?

(and grats Joss et al on the positive screening)

Banter | May 19, 19:05 CET

If nothing has been heard by now then I would hazard a guess that it's dead in the water.

Simon | May 19, 20:02 CET

If foreign buyers are clamoring for a series, does their purchasing power figure into calculations over whether to renew it?

shambleau | May 19, 20:07 CET

Probably not. I may be wrong here but I don't think Fox (the network) will get any revenue from sales of the show abroad. Whereas 20th Century Fox (the production company) will. So essentially it's still a US ratings game.

Simon | May 19, 20:12 CET

Simon is not wrong. It's all about the ratings now.

TamaraC | May 19, 20:29 CET

Does this way of thinking actually make financial sense, though, since, in Fox's case, they're basically two divisions of the same conglomerate? Division A cuts its losses, thereby lowering the profits of Division B. Shouldn't there be somebody calculating the cost-benefit at a higher level? It's all about the benjamins for Murdoch, so you'd think he'd have thought about this.

shambleau | May 19, 20:43 CET

shambleau, each division is expected to be profitable and grow earnings by themselves. That way the studio can sell their shows to CBS and ABC and the network can buy shows from WB and Universal.

Otherwise you get all kinds of back door dealings that leads to reduced residuals for talent. The divisions operate at arms length on purpose.

TamaraC | May 19, 21:07 CET

Well, this is certainly good news.

UnpluggedCrazy | May 19, 21:58 CET

shambleau - T is on the $$ about this. In fact, IIRC there have been a couple of lawsuits lately from older shows regarding studios dealing to themselves, and associated entities, at reduced amounts. Also the CA legislature is cooking something up, but since I'm not from CA, I have no idea if that will come to anything.

Nikki Finke has a story about it. Here

Znachki | May 19, 22:34 CET

Just to throw my two cents in here. Norway has several independent stations which regularly show series from both the US and UK. They aren't affiliated with any of the big networks and they will have to pay the royalties. As far as I can see, there isn't any connection between which studio or network owns and produces a show and the one it's shown on here. So yes, there is actually an international market. I have no idea if this has any effect on keeping a show going, but generally speaking, if it is hugely popular in the US, it's popular here, too.

MysticSlug | May 19, 23:01 CET

Another HR article says:

"Fox began screenings Friday when a coterie of Australians, British and other European buyers was on hand. By Sunday, word was out that Fox's Joss Whedon drama "Dollhouse" was a contender for bidding."

and

"Richard Sattler, a veteran international acquisitions consultant who represents numerous European TV stations,
said 'The shows which are obviously head and shoulders way out in front of the pack are 'Dollhouse,' which is resonating with foreign buyers, alongside Warner Bros. 'Eleventh Hour' and 'Fringe.''"

Leaf | May 21, 14:12 CET