Dollhouse doomed already? Or, Oooh, shiny!
Having watched all 7 seasons of Buffy, all 5 seasons of Angel and of course the ill-treated Firefly I think its safe to say I love Whedon’s style. There’s something about the characters he creates, the stories he tells and the dialogue that he uses to tell them that just speaks to a part of me that says, “Yeah. That’s just right.”
Last Friday, the first episode of Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse premiered. Having been waiting for this eagerly since they announced it over a year ago, I of course tuned in. I thought it was okay.
Blogs and review sites all over the internet began posting reviews, most of which were lukewarm and justifiably so. The first episode didn’t knock it out of the park for me either, but I liked it. I’m going to hang in there because past experience tells me that Joss Whedon knows how to make great TV. I also know that almost every show on my all time favorite list started out needing time to find its feet – and its audience.
Star Trek: TNG became a fantastic show, but can anyone honestly go back and watch the first season without cringing at the awful dialogue, the wooden acting and the ridiculous plotlines?
What bugs me is now the buzz around the internet seems to be that Dollhouse will get canceled and unfortunately, I have to agree. Not that I want it to, mind you. I have confidence that if given the chance, it will grow into a hit the same way everything else Whedon has done on TV did. I just don’t think it will be given the chance.
Think of it this way. What if your favorite NFL team hired a superstar quarterback. They pay a ton of money to get him, and after his first game trade him because he didn’t score 3 touchdowns in his first fifteen minutes of play. How stupid would that be?
The short attention span theatre mode of television programming is just like that.
Its not just “the evil empire” of FOX that has the attention span of a gnat. Its viewing audiences. Studios cannot tolerate anything less than a blockbuster hit in the first few episodes. They’ve conditioned us to act like trained monkeys with ADHD, releasing new shows and canceling them almost as fast, while we jump around in the corner like lab monkeys and go “Ooh, shiny, look over there!”
Tonight, the second episode of Dollhouse will air. I’ll tune in. I’ll tune in next week and the week after and so on until the show either finds its feet or gets canceled before it has the chance to. I hope they give it the time it deserves.
Whedon has a built in fan base from Buffy/Angel/Firefly like me that will tune in no matter what he puts on TV just because he’s behind it. Whedon needs to reach new viewers though, especially in this increasingly competitive market for viewing eyeballs. So tune in. Hang in there and watch.
I for one can’t think of anything I’d like to see better than a new Joss Whedon show on TV for the next five years.
I’m with you. But, I also blame that first episode on Fox for demanding a T&A action sequence. I wish they’d put that first pilot they shot on iTunes or whatever, I’m desperately curious to see how Joss wanted to start the series!
Isn’t tonight’s episode supposed to be the one Whedon intended as the pilot?
Keep in mind though that Fox has already relegated Dollhouse to “doom’n gloom” night (aka Friday). Fox doesn’t really believe that they will be able to replace it with anything that would generate any higher ratings. As mentioned in the blog entry, Joss has a rabidly loyal fan following so you can count on them to tune in and support the show. So I would think the ratings would only be influenced by those who decide to DVR instead of watching when its on, but overall the rating numbers shouldn’t change all that drastically. I know FOX is known for their short patience with shows, but I mean, if it wasnt cancellation, and the show wasn’t on Fridays, that would probably be the first action, a move to Fridays. Dollhouse is already there, so I think in that aspect alone FOX will have a bit more tolerance.
And they should be encouraged that the ratings of Dollhouse went up from the Terminator hour last week. Keep in mind they picked up Terminator after it took a fairly steady ratings decline, for an entire season.
So I wouldn’t give up hope just yet.
And Joss will come through….he always does.
In Joss I trust.
I didn’t watch the whole Buffy and Angel series, but I did like it. My sister was a huge fan of Buffy. I did watch “Tru Calling,” which wasn’t Whedon’s but we have always liked Eliza Dushku.
So, like you, I have hope.
I liked your post.
Keeping my fingers crossed!
I’m wondering if Joss just needs… to work from a shorter timeline? Think of the 12 episode arc of buffy. Worked beautifully and got his foot in the door in a way a full season doesn’t seem to.
Just watched the second episode and it kicked ten kinds of ass. SO much better than the first one.
I agree with Michael, the second ep had me completely hooked! It was amazing and it makes me sad to think FOX might not give this the chance it deserves. I loved Buffy/Angel/Firefly and neither of these had a strong pilot, but the rest… well, just amazing.
Fingers crossed for atleast two more seasons
Friday night doesn’t mean squat to Fox. Look what they did years ago with Wonderfalls. Two eps, then ran the third ep on thursday without announcement, then advertised the fourth and then didn’t show it.
And then there’s Drive — two eps on Sunday night, then a third on the following night, and cancelled.
Fox programmers have single-digit IQ’s. If it doesn’t have mass appeal, it has no chance on Fox. And Dollhouse is too intelligent a premise for “mass” appeal. I like the concept but there’s no question it’s almost certainly doomed, because ratings don’t factor in all the other means of watching adequately, and a large percentage of the likely audience is using those other means of watching.
I like Dollhouse a lot, but I’ll be amazed if Fox has brains enough to give it even a quarter of a season before announcing its cancellation, which will doom any growth potential.
I totally hear what you’re saying. I thought the first episode was just ok and the second was pretty awesome but that the show still has so much potential that it isn’t quite fully harnessing yet. I have complete confidence that it will eventually and pray that it doesn’t get canceled before given a chance!
OMG this show has so much potential. I thought the first episode was ok but this one knocked it out of the park – and I like you thought of S1 of TNG. I hope they give it a chance. If the second episode is anything to go by this will just keep getting better. I was on the edge of my seat!
Hay I am totally with you on this one. I have everything crossed that Josh will pull something out the bag, soon i hope or the consequences could be fatal.
Unfortunately, FOX is not the only culprit in this area. I’ve been a Whedon fan ever since I discovered Angel (in its last season, unfortunately) and from there I went on to buy all the DVDs (Angel is the only show where I own every episode) and then I got into Buffy and from there I became a huge fan of the vampire genre.
I don’t know if anyone else remembers “Moonlight” from last year’s CBS “doom-and-gloom” lineup–that was another show that had the potential to become something wonderful. And it had viewers–upwards of 8 million–and CBS canceled it.
I think “Dollhouse” is fantastic, and I’ve even gotten my brother into the show. I just hope FOX gives it at least a full season. Honestly, with nearly every show that ran for many years, the first season isn’t as good as some of the later ones. The writers and actors need time to get a feel for the characters, and the best way to do that is to create a bunch of situations and decide how they’d react. Once they do that, the characters are more well-rounded, and the audience feels more connected to them. (And then Joss kills them, but that’s beside the point).
I, for one, think that Dollhouse rocks….thanks to HULU and my DVR. I think we all agree, the Friday timeslot sucks. Period. However, for the naysayers and the menacing “everyone’s a critic” types out there, listen up. Eliza did an interview encouraging everybody to stick around until AT LEAST episode 6 – “…..we’ve now done 13 episodes, and people have said that the show took off once they finally realized that Joss is best off left alone to do his thing. That happens around episode six—six through 13 are just extraordinary. I love one, two, three, four, and five, but Joss’ first script that he did after the pilot is number six, which is called “Man On The Street,” and it is just unbelievable. From that point on, the world unfolds in Joss’ way, with Joss’ speed, and it’s really remarkable.”
You can find the whole interview here:
http://www.avclub.com/articles/eliza-dushku,24418/
So, let’s give it some time guys…..that is unless you would rather the show be cancelled and replaced by some oozing, boil of another crap reality TV show. Your call there, sweetcheeks!
@Brittalula
I read that interview before and let’s face it…once the handcuffs are off (IF the give him a chance) then we all know the kind of magic Whedon makes when he’s left to bring to life whats running around in that head of his.
i was also home schooled when i was younger and it is also a great weay to get your education.:*`