Dollhouse cancellation: Peeved or pleased? - Dollhouse

Bad....very very bad...like knife in the face bad...like attic bad...no good...no full sentences either apparently...

I don't like it at all, but hey, Fox at least gave us against all odds another season. Hope they air it for real.

From the beginning it was not a show for all to enjoy, but hey, I liked it. So peeved. But not as a suprise, just listen to the commentary tracks at the S1 DVD set.

To me, any episode beyond S1 is a prezzy and I'm looking forward to the remaining episodes, and the shiny dvd with loads of Commentary! Oh and do please bring out a new set of season one with more Commentary! Especially on "Stage Fright"

Krusher | November 12, 00:46 CET

yeah.. it would be interesting to know what the hell happened with 'stage fright'

mortimer | November 12, 00:50 CET

Can I go with None of the Above?

I did not like the show. Several things about it were hard-stop squicks for me, but I did get through the first season for a podcast project I'm doing.

That being said, why would I be *pleased*? I never watched it, so it was irrelevant to me.

BetNoir | November 12, 00:52 CET

yeah.. it would be interesting to know what the hell happened with 'stage fright'

Actually, I liked that episode, but I guess I'm a minority in that..

Krusher | November 12, 00:54 CET

Pissed. Very pissed. And massively sad.

But grateful that we at least still have nine more episodes to see of this amazing show.

CZGoldEdition | November 12, 00:59 CET

Of course I'm peeved. I loved Dollhouse. Honestly though, I proabably would not have watched it if it were not for Joss and Eliza. If Joss gets back to TV with a new show or movie or something that I can go all fangirl over, I think I'll be able to move on.

Emzzie | November 12, 00:59 CET

sad. and quiet. and... sad. can't realistically say "hopeful" anymore (and sorry if i gave anyone false hope), but by tomorrow i'll get back to plans for the dec 4th promotion.

whyiwatch | November 12, 00:59 CET

Neither peeved, nor pleased. I'm just sad.

Scaniano | November 12, 01:01 CET

I'm going to miss Dollhouse, but we knew this was coming. At least now Joss has more time to work on the Dr. Horrible sequel I am so eagerly anticipating. And we'll still get the rest of the episodes in this season, which is good. I really want to know what's going on with Whiskey and Topher.

xMadxScientistx | November 12, 01:02 CET

I fell in love with the show, completely. I could cry. I feel like I've been kicked in the balls by a terminator. It's heartbreaking, and despite what my 3-4 huge Rally The Troups comments on the R.I.P. Dollhouse thread may say, I'm anything but optomistic, partly because nobody else seems to have any hope. We should try harder because of this, anyone remember Family Guy? Like I've said, if we end the series on a 6 Million with the +7 then out of Fox, AMC, Showtime, FX, SyFy, HBO, SOMEBODY must atleast kinda want it.

Even if that's not so, we might be able to pull a Dead Like Me and get a dvd/tv movie, or pull a Pushing Daisies and get a season three comic. I know the comic won't happen, but although 5 minutes ago (I just found out) I didn't want one, now I do. Hell, we could pull a Arrested Development/Firefly if the show dies and we go crazy on the dvd sales, which we WILL, guys/gals... right? We're not giving up?

Please... I'm done being sad, I wanna get pissed and work to save the show in any form we can. It's just... I dunno, nobody really seems to agree with me. If gossi were talking like me I might have some real hope.

[Edited to make readable, and also just saw Whyiwatch's comment, thank you so much for giving me some hope, please don't give up!]

[ edited by DeezyG on 2009-11-12 01:05 ]

[ edited by DeezyG on 2009-11-12 01:07 ]

DeezyG | November 12, 01:04 CET

In think the author of that article as a point, and sums up pretty much what I've been thinking since I heard the news. I liked Dollhouse most of the time, and loved it during a few episodes. Last episode was mind blowing. But it sure felt like a struggle for all involved. Especially Joss. To not have proper publicity, to not have a proper audience, to have Fox mess up with the concept at its inception, it must have been exhausting. Always trying to keep your head above the water. I just hope Joss wont disappear from my tv for too long. But here's hoping for a quick Dr. Horrible 2 and a show on cable!

Claudine_tVS | November 12, 01:07 CET

It's almost starting to feel that the companies behind Whedon's shows know they'll get more green from rabid fans if they axe the show rather than let it play out. Le sigh. I'm in the "hate-to-say-I-knew-it" camp cause I love the show but knew this was going to happen, so I guess that means I'm pissed.

The Goose | November 12, 01:07 CET

I think I would have been more upset if the cancellation happened during the first season, since the show didn't really have a fair chance to develop until halfway through the season. It would have been a shame for the show to go out on that note, not having been given a chance to come into its own.

Now that I've seen this season's episodes, however, I don't really disagree with Fox's decision. This season has been rocky and, with the exception of "Belonging", the episodes haven't been that stellar, in my opinion. So I'm just glad that FOX announced this sooner rather than later. Hopefully the writers will be able to wrap things up nicely and give us some truly great episodes to end the show with :)

[ edited by IcedFlame on 2009-11-12 01:09 ]

IcedFlame | November 12, 01:09 CET

@DeezyG: We *will* work to give it good ratings and great DVD sales. I don't know that this will help get it back on the air, but it will make Joss look really really good in the media and Fox look... less than smart for canceling a show with so much buzz. And I think that's certainly worth it.

whyiwatch | November 12, 01:09 CET

What pisses me off is that after not running the show in November, they cancel the show now... and say they'll run the show in December AFTER it is cancelled (when no one will even know to look for it to be on). They are guaranteeing the terrible ratings which will justify their action in canceling it.

I get that the show was never doing great, or even well, but did they have to announce the cancelation now, while it is off the air? It really seems like they want to be sure it can't get decent ratings in December.

Fox is clearly owned and run by Rossum Corp.

embers | November 12, 01:10 CET

What the hell? I just want my regular, weekly dose of Joss. What more can a fan ask for? My heart goes out to the crew, writers, creators, and cast. I'm sure new avenues will (and are already open) be opening up for them soon.

boatierra | November 12, 01:11 CET

I'm very sad about the cancellation because the show has been getting much better lately. I recently re-watched season 1 and found myself liking it much more the second time. Epitaph One proved that the series has somewhere to go in the long run, and it's frustrating that the story we saw there will never be fleshed out completely.

Krusher, I also like Stage Fright. I thought it was significantly better than episode 2, and it showed how smart Echo was and how she could exceed her programming to solve a puzzle.

Bobathin | November 12, 01:16 CET

Don't assume I'm going to push the remaining episodes for ratings sake now, along with the DVDs and other revenue paths. 'cos, you know, they cancelled the show.

gossi | November 12, 01:19 CET

But... Joss.. And his rumbling belly!

Krusher | November 12, 01:25 CET

Agreed embers, we all knew it was cancelled without much better ratings, but making "Dollhouse Cancelled" a headline is so mind-numbingly retarded of Fox. If nothing else, they just lost a gerat deal of money from people who like the show, and don't know what a whedonesque is, and believe it or not there are more peole watching that rabid fans. Casual fans, the type who forgot to watch belonging because of the baseball, and now they'll go "Oh well" and stop watching. Thanks whyiwatch, and I think depending on the ratings we *could* save it. At least I have Breaking Bad, Brian K. Vaughn, and... nope. Dollhouse at the moment is not replaceable.

So, if everything fails, lets try and come up with a good date to get everyone to buy the dvd, like we (Well, you, I'm really young) did with Serenity/Firefly. Joss' B-day again? Nehh. I'm thinking we should wait at least almost a year, although we could just get everyone to go crazy the day season two comes and have people buying five of each to gift. I'm super bad at this kinda thing, this is where you come in whyiwatch ;)

[Edited: @embers, Rossum is CLEARY far smarter than FOX]

[ edited by DeezyG on 2009-11-12 01:27 ]

DeezyG | November 12, 01:25 CET

Gossi, is it that likely nobody will pick up Dollhouse no matter what happens with the ratings/dvd sales?
[ETA: Or was that sarcasm? I'm so irrational, that I have no idea. Ok, rereading your comment I suspect it was]

[ edited by DeezyG on 2009-11-12 01:29 ]

DeezyG | November 12, 01:27 CET

Oh and if you want sales, bring out the dailies and let us fans have at it *wink*

Krusher | November 12, 01:39 CET

If nothing else, they just lost a gerat deal of money from people who like the show

Well, no, they really didn't. That's been the problem all along. Dollhouse was dooing poorly to begin with, and Fox gave it another chance. The show took that second chance and... has done even worse so far. Fox isn't perfect. They could've marketted it better, given it a better timeslot, or done a whole bunch of other things. But at the end of the day Dollhouse had to attract viewers, and it was not doing a good job of that. In fact, it wasn't even doing a 'kinda bad' job at that, it was doing a rather poor job of it. I'm sorry to see it go, but looking at it from Fox's perspective I don't think they made the incorrect choice.

IcedTea | November 12, 01:46 CET

Some of it was good, some not-so-much. The concept of human traficking was always a problem for some of us and despite some stand-out-performances and episodes, it didn't follow the Joss-walks-on-water line. Best of luck to the talent (cast, crew, writers) involved in finding their next projects and I will eagerly await some of these (viz Enver in particular).

baxter | November 12, 01:47 CET

So its really canceled now, right? I'm so upset right now, I wanna cry.

Allen Doyle | November 12, 01:55 CET

I know it's no surprise that it was canceled. I'm peeved, yeah, but not surprised.

What I'm really pissed about is they announced that it's canceled now, before they air the final episodes. Now if they air the rest of the episodes and the first few new ones do bad, then they can just not air the rest, especially if after Christmas. They have a built in excuse not to air the rest of the episodes. They can say, oh well, what does it matter, it'll sell on DVD, we don't need to air it on TV.

In some ways I wish they had never given it a second season, especially, because they really did nothing to promote this second season. Liked the first season, but have loved the second season. So they basically screwed over everyone. From cast to crew to fans.

activebrowncoat | November 12, 02:05 CET

IcedTea, activebrowncoat basically just said what I would have said to you

DeezyG | November 12, 02:07 CET

Joss start doing stuff on cable TV! Do they all hate you on HBO? :)

Hunted | November 12, 02:11 CET

I just hope to see Miracle Laurie in something. Castle?

Krusher | November 12, 02:13 CET

I vote "pleased" for all the reasons EW mentioned, and because I've never been much of a Dollhouse fan.

MindPieces | November 12, 02:37 CET

Definitely peeved! In fact, I don't think peeved is a strong enough word!

Jossfan_21 | November 12, 02:42 CET

I don't think I could ever say that I was pleased about a show being canceled. After all, this means that a bunch of people have just lost their jobs.

I can't say I'm pissed at all either, or sad. I have just never been captured by Dollhouse. Never felt anything for the characters, positive or negative. I keep watching, because it's Joss,and because every now and then there is a moment I like, but...

Hopefully everyone involved will find work again quickly, and Joss will be back, stronger, faster, able to leap tall ottomans in a single bound. :)

aeval | November 12, 02:46 CET

Dollhouse didn't really rub my geeky tummy the way Joss' other works did, but over the course of the show I started getting this weird new feeling... I felt like I was watching a show that just *needed* to exist. And I began rooting for the show because I felt it was, well, important.

There needs to be some sort of cult TV studio out there that exists primarily to make money on DVD/merchandising aftersales.

HWT | November 12, 02:51 CET

Never felt anything for the characters, positive or negative.

Not even Mellie?

Krusher | November 12, 02:52 CET

I just saw this and I am gutted. No matter how I try I can't feel grateful towards Fox for giving us a second season when they didn't promote it at all.

Yeah...gutted.

:(

ShanshuBugaboo | November 12, 02:57 CET

Has it been discussed previously why Joss has not chosen to go the cable route? From what little I know, I feel like he should be a staple on Syfy. He's good at low budget, which is important, and he writes intelligent stuff that unfortunately does not appeal to a wide audience. He ought to jump right in after Battlestar Galactica.

There's just never an answer anywhere as to why he's still gunning for the networks (although yes, I know Eliza had a contract with Fox, but Joss always has people to turn to if he has an idea for a show).

VeryVeryCrowded | November 12, 03:08 CET

I'm sort of pleased. I couldn't get behind the show in the first place -- it had its merits to be sure (namely Eliza and Joss), but it just didn't grab me like "Firefly" or "Buffy."

Maybe Joss can revamp SMG's "Wonderful Maladys" and become the showrunner for it -- he might have better success going to a cable network (like HBO or Showtime) where he has more creative input. Or more "Dr. Horrible."

*crosses fingers*

Mcjw_serenity | November 12, 03:10 CET

Peeved or Pleased? Neither. Both. I don't know....

Dollhouse was a show. It's over. Next.

It never connected with me like other Whedon endevours. I always felt like Dollhouse was a really sharp show that ran for 5-10 minutes every Friday, in between segments of the Eliza Dushku variety hour and infomercial. Not to slam her, as she's a fine actress, but the Echo storylines often felt like the weakest parts of the episode and it was the supporting cast that captured the imagination.

I'm not happy that it's gone, as it was begining to pick up steam. On the other hand I don't think it was ever going to be a ratings success and it's passing will free Joss up to work on other things.

mbeauparland | November 12, 03:20 CET

"If you cancel it, you're an asshole; if you renew it and then don't put it back on, you're an asshole." – Preston Beckman

BringItOn5x5 | November 12, 03:22 CET

Peeved it's canceled and peeved people are happy about it.

Ranrata | November 12, 03:35 CET

Dollhouse's cancellation is a horrible piece of news, made only slightly bearable by the reasons the article cites that I could be pleased.

PaperSpock | November 12, 03:46 CET

I haven't seen much happiness from fans about the cancellation, Ranrata. 'Ambivalent' is the word I'd use. This was not an unexpected surprise to most of the fans; I think most knew it was coming.

menomegirl | November 12, 03:56 CET

I hope that at the very least, Enver Gjokaj gets some good buzz out of this in H'wood and lands some new work. He deserves to be noticed. And Joss deserves his own channel. But that'll have to wait until I run the 'verse. *sigh*

petranef | November 12, 04:05 CET

I hate that people are GLAD it's cancelled. This is Joss' baby right now. He put his heart and soul into it. So yeah, you could say I'm pissed.

I, for one actually enjoyed Dollhouse. It was different. AND good. I like different.

It's not going to be Buffy OR Firefly.Or even Angel. It's Dollhouse. If that was what you were expecting, you were dissappointed. Doesn't mean it's BAD,or even mediocre, it's just different. A good different.

So I guess I'm sad. AND pissed.

Back to waiting for the next Joss project. Grr Arrgh.

whedon is GOD | November 12, 04:26 CET

I'm not pissed or pleased.I'm just disappointed and
accepting.

[ edited by Buffyfantic on 2009-11-12 07:20 ]

Buffyfantic | November 12, 07:10 CET

whedon is GOD said exactly my feelings on the matter. Probably articulated them better than my anger will allow me to as well.

silent knight | November 12, 07:32 CET

The best I can say is that this doesn't feel like the kick in the nads that the cancellation of Angel and Firefly were. All the wondering when this would happen, from last season to this one, somewhat prepared me to face the inevitable. Still, it'll be difficult to watch these upcoming episodes without the constant awareness that there's not much sand left in the top of the hourglass, and that will make me sad.

dorkenheimer | November 12, 07:35 CET

And to think it was getting better by the episode... I'm gutted. This is the kind of show you know will get better with each passing season. And you know it is entirely because of Fox's interference with how the show was run/scripted for the first several episodes which resulted in piss-poor promos that didn't help the show's premiere at all.

Worst thing is I found out via thesuperficial via the caption, "Eliza Dushku is out of a job".

iwearthecheese | November 12, 08:11 CET

I'm not really sure how I feel. I enjoyed the first season, but didn't get too attached because I knew it wasn't going to last long. I haven't seen any of the second season yet, and suppose I won't even bother now since it won't matter anyway. Looks like I'll wait for the DVDs.

It's a shame it wasn't given more of a chance. And, funnily enough, I don't mean by FOX. The average viewer didn't really seem to care about it. Even I, who am a big fan of most of Joss' stuff, didn't give it my full attention. I can't imagine how those not predisposed to fandom felt about it.

Daburcor | November 12, 08:27 CET

I'm not pleased, but I knew it was coming and it's nowhere near as heartbreaking as Firefly was.

jnr616 | November 12, 09:11 CET

[cue parrot from Aladdin impersonation] Why am I not surprised! [parrot mode off]. In an industry driven by ratings and so-called reality tv [spit], the gems worth taking time over are more likely to go to the wall. I could say to Joss, 'Come and work in the UK!'; however maybe now is the time to look around for a new home and/or formats for a cherished project. Dr Horrible [and Sanctuary] prove that innovative and stylish content CAN find an audience. Joss; if you build it, we will come. Here's hoping that more tales from the 'verse will be part of your baseball field.

Vera_Samuels | November 12, 09:41 CET

I'm pleased in a selfish way, because whatever Joss does next, it can't be as bad as Dollhouse (barring two episodes).

I am sorry for the people who will be out of work, but I'm happy that their talent will have a chance of being put to better use now.

dispatch | November 12, 11:01 CET

I'll echo dispatch, above. I'm pleased, because Dollhouse was never that great to begin with and Joss should be doing better things. Dollhouse had its moments, of course, but the show was fundamentally broken.

While the temptation here is to blame Fox, I'll run counter to the flow here and blame Joss and Eliza. Eliza simply wasn't capable of bearing the weight of this show on her shoulders. And while Joss certainly thought the idea was great (with some justification), it proved to be a little too unwieldy even for him.

Let's face it: it was an idea they came up with over lunch. The fact that Joss could carry the idea this far demonstrates how capable he is. But this was an idea born from necessity more than from creativity. Which is why it always felt like something other than Joss's other work.

Chalk it up as a set of lessons learned and move on.

ern | November 12, 12:32 CET

Gotta go with the author on this one - a bit of both.

brinderwalt | November 12, 12:55 CET

Although I've already commented extensively on the Dollhouse Canceled" thread, I want to voice my extreme disagreement with the last two comments here.

I liked Dollhouse from the beginning, even when they were dumbing it down due to network pressure. By half way through season 1, I was totally in love with the show.
It is IMO right up there with the best of Joss's work, which means the best of TV series', ever.

The depth and complexity and deeply disturbing material is a monument to Joss's creative courage. And no doubt the reason it didn't find a bigger audience - along with Fox's lame, half-assed promotion.
The fact that it "always felt like something other than Joss's other work" merely demonstrates that Joss has matured and expanded his always awesome talents. If DH had been like anything else he's ever done, I would have been disappointed.

EtA: "The last two comments, give or take", as at least one more is up now.

[ edited by Shey on 2009-11-12 13:03 ]

Shey | November 12, 13:03 CET

It's too bad about Dollhouse. On the other hand, I want a spaceship show by Joss. On HBO. That would totally compensate me for everything!

Jakob Schmidt | November 12, 13:27 CET

Personally, I'm gutted. This show was/is absolutely amazing, and given another season would've been better than Firefly IMO. And Firefly makes me go all weak at the knees.

manreaction | November 12, 13:28 CET

Gotta agree with mbeauparland about not connecting with the show as much as with any other Joss-show. It just felt ... off, often enough. I liked it well enough, but I rather felt myself longing for another episode of Supernatural than Dollhouse.

Looking at buffy and Dr Horrible I'd say Joss' strong suit is the comic book/TV crossover. Firefly is a little off in this regard - though the Operative and the Hands of Blue fit in perfectly with the comic book genre.

I'd love to see Joss do Terminator or Heroes, for that matter. He'd rock the house.

Harridan | November 12, 13:28 CET

At least Fox is letting the last episodes see the light of day. That's more than they did for the 3 unaired Episodes of Firefly. Fox was a little bit kinder this time around. They just have to stop meddling with the Show content (Their insistence on stand-alone Eps in Season One, etc.). Joss, please don't be tempted by Fox again.

TDBrown | November 12, 14:09 CET

I've asked before in the cancellation thread, doesn't this mean that Joss and Eliza could now do 'Faith - the Series'? Maybe with some 'Ripper' thrown in for good measure?

Phineus | November 12, 14:18 CET

Although FOX are saying all the episodes will air, I'm willing to predict one or two won't.

gossi | November 12, 14:21 CET

I will never watch Fox again if that's true.

Simon | November 12, 14:33 CET

Yeah, me neither. It'll be a big sacrifice but somehow i'll muddle through.

Saje | November 12, 14:39 CET

Heh.

gossi | November 12, 14:44 CET

Got to agree with the 'not too bothered' lot myself. When it was good it was good, but unfortunately for me it was mostly in the 'its alright' camp. I probably would have given up watching a while ago if it wasn't something Whedony. Oh well, as someone else put above, at least it means they can get the Dr Horrible sequel going soon!

cdm22 | November 12, 14:50 CET

Drama on U.S. network TV feels pretty much dead to me: Leno occupying the 10:00pm NBC slot five nights a week, endless cop and forensic shows, hospital soaps and spinoffs, meta comedies. The rest is commercial-ridden sports and reality, reality, reality. I liked "Dollhouse" and "T:SCC" but never thought they'd make it much farther than they did. Meanwhle, cable gave us "Sopranos," "The Wire" (arguably the best long-form drama ever broadcast), "Battlestar Galactica," "Mad Men," etc. Joss + cable? Hope it happens. And one thing a cable home could have done for "Dollhouse" was liberate its r-rated premise.

doghouse | November 12, 14:51 CET

For anyone who needed a reminder of why Fox is loathed for the ignorant decisions they make...wahla. Here's your reminder. What a load of shit. Joss is too good to be working for the likes of them.

cheryl | November 12, 15:22 CET

I think cable is indeed the way forward. A good Whedon show with resources = much goodness!

(oh and it's 'voila' btw! ;)

cdm22 | November 12, 15:44 CET

I never grew quite as attached to 'Dollhouse' as I did to Joss' other stuff - even when taking into account his comics work and short-form things like DHSAB. So I can sorta see where this article is coming from, in a selfish way.

On the one hand I really did like big parts of Dollhouse. Some episodes were, honestly, quite avarage television, especially earlier in its run, but then there were bits and pieces (especially 'Belonging', but 'Epitaph One', 'Spy in the house of love' and 'Man on the Street' also stood out) that were actually very, very good. All in all, Dollhouse was certainly a worthy addition to Joss' portfolio of shows, just one I connected with more on a cerebral level, most of the time, than on an emotional level. And it's usually the latter of these I look for first, in my entertainment.

So while I'm sorry to see it go - I was certainly rooting for it, helping to spread the worth of mouth, buying the DVD's, etcetera - I do get the enthusiasm that this opens up Joss for new work - even if that enthusiasm is immediately squashed by thinking of all the people who worked on this production and all the fans who had connected to it emotionally from day one. It's a true shame to see it go.

And another thing this makes me afraid of: Joss might never return to television again. This'd be a big shame, because I feel that that's where his greatest strengths lie: in long-term storytelling. Here's hoping he turns up on cable one day, or maybe starts a long-term webproduction.

So on the one hand I'm sorry to see Dollhouse go and on the other hand I wasn't so in love with the show that it completely drowns out the excitement of thinking about Joss picking up new projects. It's certainly a quite strange feeling.

GVH | November 12, 15:59 CET

doghouse said
"Drama on U.S. network TV feels pretty much dead to me: Leno occupying the 10:00pm NBC slot five nights a week, endless cop and forensic shows, hospital soaps and spinoffs, meta comedies. The rest is commercial-ridden sports and reality, reality, reality."

(Sorry for being technology challenged, but I still cannot figure out how to do quotes on this forum, even following your how-to tips)

Thanks, doghouse, for saying much more eloquently than I did in my previous post upthread. The networks have dumbed-down their audiences, and all they want to do is pour money into stereotyped formulas and are unwilling to give sci-Fi dramas a chance. You can make the argument that Fox attempted, but it was a half-assed attempt at best, with poor promotion, poor choice of of a venue night and worst of all, meddling with the intial premise in the first place.

I did without network TV dramas for the most part since Buffy and Angel and Firefly departed, and I can do without them again. I only became interested in NCIS because of the superior writing staff and characters made believable by great actors, not because CBS pours money into it.

With that said, I fervently hope Joss and his fine repertory company stick together and venture into internet productions and totally abandon all dealings with networks.

[ edited by Riverine on 2009-11-12 16:14 ]

[ edited by Riverine on 2009-11-12 16:15 ]

[ edited by Riverine on 2009-11-12 16:17 ]

[ edited by Riverine on 2009-11-12 16:21 ]

Riverine | November 12, 16:13 CET

Already said my piece in the original thread, but will say it again (I felt like I was a bit negative towards the show in my first comment.)

Most definitely not pleased with this news. Peeved is probably the right word, as it really doesn't come as a shock and I was anticipating the news many months ago when season 2 got commissioned. For that reason, it seems hard to build up real anger about the cancellation.

I can't say I loved the show as much as Whedon's other work, but then neither Buffy nor Angel really showed their true brilliance until there second seasons. Firefly is a real exception here, which I watched on DVD and loved from the moment they had silence in space. I would say that the stand out episodes of Dollhouse season one (Man on the Street, Needs, Briar Rose, Epitaph One) were probably better than the vast majority of either Buffy or Angel's first season and really showed the potential for the show, when it eventually found its stride. Four episodes into season 2, we have had no episodes that haven't been as good as an average episode from the second half of season one and one exceptional episode in Belonging. I can really see this season fulfilling the same pattern as Buffy and Angel in its second season and become something very special. It was always going to be a tall order though; Dollhouse is by far the least commercial work Joss has done. Unless he made it completely into a procedural show, it was never going to be a rating winner.

I really hope Joss makes the move to cable. I know it has been said many times before by many people, but it really seems like network TV is unwilling to make the commitment required for these shows to be a success. If not, maybe that rumour I saw awhile back about him starting an Internet studio could come to fruition.

Either that or he could follow the suggestion I've seen a few others make and come over here to the UK and do something with the BBC. Could now be the time for Ripper? The Doctor Who 'verse is going from strength to strength (Children of Earth is probably the best thing Russel T. Davis has written since starting Doctor Who,) and Merlin seems to be doing ok for them as well, so that is an audience for Science Fiction/Fantasy and Anthony Head right there. I must admit, I think that would be my preference over Faith the Vampire Slayer.

[ edited by Vandelay on 2009-11-12 17:05 ]

[ edited by Vandelay on 2009-11-12 17:10 ]

Vandelay | November 12, 17:05 CET

I'm bummed, but not surprised -- it is FOX after all.

Nielson just doesn't worked, I'm convinced -- I know because I can tell you there are people in my family who are not big TV watchers that watch Dollhouse, including my 70 year old in laws!!!

Joss-- move to cable. Unlike network TV that wants to dumb everything down, Cable (AMC, USA, HBO, Sho) seem to have no problem putting on quality programming that speaks to people, and they are winning awards to show it. They seem more willing then the networks to give shows time to gain an audience.

If not for Bones, I'd be done with FOX like I was with the WB after Angel (got a little happy chuckle when WB went under a year later!!!)

WilliamTheBloody | November 12, 17:10 CET

Can't say I'm pleased, "relieved" would be a better word.
I liked Dollhouse, but I gave up the idea that it could be as good as Buffy or Firefly a while ago, mainly because of the main character.

And I'm very happy that we have 9 episodes left to see, without worrying about ratings and all.

Nico-Angel | November 12, 17:35 CET

Extremely pissed!!! I loved it, not yet as much as Buffy, Angel or Firefly but had so much potential!! I agree with Vandelay - S2 could have been something special. I'm not surprised, seeing as how it didn't seem like ratings were going to get better any time soon but I was hoping we'd have at least 3 seasons.

Again I say, I'm so sorry Joss. Even the weather here in the UK is in mourning (at least where i am): rain, rain, wind and more rain.

The least FOX can do now is to air Season 2 in it's entirety. Though even if they do, I still think they're gits.

Shep | November 12, 18:06 CET

There's obviously a good reason why Joss has yet to make the jump to cable. I spoke with the president of the SyFy channel last month, and was told the network has had conversations with Joss in the past and "will continue to do so". I can only imagine that whatever they offered, it wasn't a deal Joss was willing to make, for whatever reasons. We know Joss can work on a smaller budget, so I don't think that's the problem, but who knows? Maybe this time around, Joss will be convinced.

deanna_lynne | November 12, 18:50 CET

@Illyria

SciFi(I'm physically incapable of calling them SyFy...) is hit or miss with their shows. For every BSG they seem to air 20 "Mansqitos." And they're the ones who killed Farscape, leaving the viewers on a cliffhanger for years before tying up the loose ends in a mini series....

If Joss did go to SciFi though, I'd love to see him do a remake/reimagining/continuation of the old series Good vs Evil. It was quirky, clever, fun, and played with various genres. It also totally missed the mainstream American audience while connecting with a core group of devoted fans.... Joss would be be perfect for it!

mbeauparland | November 12, 20:52 CET

Oh, crap... just thought of something. I've been hoping Dollhouse could come back on something other than FOX, but... Eliza still has a few more seasons signed on to fox. I'm pretty sure after Dollhouse season two she has at least one more :( And Even if Dollhouse and Tru Calling bombed, I doubt fox'll be nice and tell her it's cool, she can do DH on AMC. Ugh. This means that the only hope to get Dollhouse back would be to rock the ratings and have fox pick it up, which seems less likely than rocking the ratings and having HBO/AMC/Showtime/FX/USA/SYFY etc. pick it up so crap. I mean, the other options would be to rock the ratings and/or dvd sales and get a dvd/tv movie, or have Dollhouse be on that FOX online thing.

DeezyG | November 12, 22:43 CET

Since I doubt we'll be able to buy the set, even if every Whedonesque member chiped in 5 dollers let's try petitioning/EmailingFOXByTheSh!tload and see if we can get an episode 14 for the dvd

DeezyG | November 12, 22:45 CET

November 12 2009