DOLLHOUSE Picked up for 2nd Season

[IrishJedi]

Before Whedonites get too excited, you might wanna read this:

Welcome To The All-New, All-Different Dollhouse?
By Graeme McMillan

It's the news that no-one really expected, even though many wanted it: Dollhouse is coming back for a second season. But will it be the same show? Not exactly; here're some changes to expect.

It'll Be Cheaper
Part of the negotiation process for the second season centered around cost. As the Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan points out, Fox didn't renew "Dollhouse" because the show's fans would have been sad about the Joss Whedon show's untimely death. Fox doesn't care about how viewers feel (you saw "Moment of Truth," right?). No, Fox renewed "Dollhouse" because it thinks it can make money off the project — enough to keep the enterprise profitable.

According to the Hollywood Reporter's James Hibbard, Fox received some serious budget concessions from 20th TV and Whedon to continue the show, with 20th now shouldering a greater portion of the load. Another factor was the show's unaired 13th episode, which Whedon shot on a shoestring budget for the "Dollhouse" first season DVD set. Whedon presented it to the network as an example of how "Dollhouse" can achieve a high-quality production with a lesser budget.

So does this mean we can expect a series of episodes based inside the Dollhouse, using existing sets and fewer actors? Potentially. Or, just as likely, we may see a less glossy aesthetic for the new season. Remember, Whedon made Dr. Horrible for almost no budget at all; he's probably got some ideas on how to work around cost-cutting. And besides...

It'll Be Shorter
Fox is dropping its "Remote Free TV" scheme, meaning that the second seasons of both Dollhouse and Fringe are going to have regular ad breaks, and lose somewhere around 6-8 minutes per episode as a result (On the plus side, no more glittery Eliza trying to smolder to the camera as the voiceover guy tells us that the show will be back in sixty seconds). How will the loss of that running time offset the budget tightening? Not enough, most likely - unless those were six really expensive minutes - but the added ad revenue may make the network feel better about the show moving forward.

It'll Be Based On A Different "Creative Direction"
While Fox execs were viewing pilots for next year's schedule, they also watched the now-mythical "lost" episode of the show, "Epitaph One," to decide Dollhouse's fate. So when sources talk about "a shift in creative direction" for the new season, should we start considering "Epitaph One" a second season pilot and the shape of things to come? Joss Whedon's not saying just yet (although he is saying things like "oh, the terrible things my brain is brewing... Just wait. We'll make it worth it," if that helps), but co-executive producer Elizabeth Craft has suggested that the episode may even become part of the second season:

[T]o us, we don't think of ["Omega"] as the last episode of the season, even though it technically is, because ["Epitaph One"] gets into - well, I don't want to say too much about it... Hopefully if we get a Season 2, we'll show that episode.

(Now there's a thought on how to cut costs; have one of the episodes already done and costing nothing. Of course, you'll have to pull it off the first season DVD, but still. Joss, you listening?)

Also, British viewers? Here's where you get to have the jump on the Americans - Sci Fi UK have announced that they plan to show "Epitaph One" at the end of the first season, as intended. Don't gloat too much.

For what it's worth, changing the direction of the show would make sense, given how the second half of the first season played out; the (original) arcs of Ballard and Caroline are finished, with the FBI agent having found the girl and Carolinecho having become self-aware without becoming another Alpha. I hope that the second season would focus on the themes and questions introduced at the end of the first (What is the true purpose of the Dollhouse technology? Are humans just vessels for interchangable personalities? What happens when an Active is aware of her status? How are we supposed to believe that Ballard would join the organization he'd been trying to destroy for the last twelve weeks? and so on), but as long as we don't have any more "blind girl with camera eyes working for the FBI" episodes, that's enough to start with.

One thing is very unlikely to change, however:

It'll Still Have A ^^^^ty Timeslot
Both the Hollywood Reporter and Variety are saying that the show is likely to stay on Friday nights, which really isn't a good thing - Look at the dips the show took when geek-friendly movies opened, if nothing else. It's unsurprising, though, considering Fox's other returning shows taking up timeslots on most other nights. What we're now wondering is what will get paired with it; I said yesterday that new series Human Target would be a great partner, as it shares questions about identity as well as a format that sees its lead "become" a new person every week, but is Fox really willing to dump that show on a Friday? If they do, expect to see Dollhouse bumped to 8pm and act as a lead-in.

The renewal of Dollhouse is a strange triumph of hope versus experience; as THR's Hibbard pointed out when breaking the news,

"Dollhouse" might very well be the lowest-rated in-season scripted drama to ever get a renewal on a major broadcast network. Almost certainly if based on where the show concluded — a 1.0 among adults 18-49.

So what brought it back? It's doubtful that it was fan outcry (or jamming Fox's switchboards because Miracle Laurie suggested it, for that matter), because... well, have you seen similar surprise news for the equally-beloved Terminator series? Much more likely is Fox's belief that they can turn the series into something financially worthwhile for them, which will be fueled not only by cutting costs, but by the exceptionally good DVR audience for the show, the critical upswing for the first season's second half, the undoubtedly pleasing pre-orders for the DVD boxset and - no pressure here - faith that Joss Whedon can turn everything around the second time out.

How he'll do that, and what the show will become in order to gain more viewers without losing its existing hardcore faithful, may be the most interesting behind the scenes story of the year, whether it succeeds or not. All we know for sure is that, in order to survive, the show has to - ironically, perhaps - become something new and different while staying the same. Are you ready for your treatment, Dollhouse?

https://io9.com/5257353/welcome-to-the-all new-all different-dollhouse

 

[The Craw]

it's the sarah connor chronicles all over again. FOX made them take budget cuts which led to boring, talky episodes and then the death of the series. same thing will happen here. Joss should go back to working with CW/WB.

 

[BuffyGirl]

it's the sarah connor chronicles all over again. FOX made them take budget cuts which led to boring, talky episodes and then the death of the series. same thing will happen here. Joss should go back to working with CW/WB.

Thing is tho Craw, Joss does it better. Remember Buffy? I mean, I highly doubt it had a huge budget at the beginning and it was brilliant. I think if Joss has to kind of...go back, he might just be able to pull something super great out of his a**. Cause so far, I'm not LOVING dollhouse. Don't get me wrong, it's good. And I enjoy it better than most shows. But I can't seem to re-watch episodes. I don't love it enough for that. So if it needs to be re-tooled in a way, then good. I hope it will be very good for the show, and for viewers.

 

[binky]

I stick with my earlier assessment that this show took a long time to build momentum and frankly I’m surprised—pleasantly, but surprised as I don’t know if it deserved it on its own merits based on how long it took—that it got another (half) season. The first half dozen episodes or so were mediocre entertainment. It may have been the cream of the crop in its timeslot (debatable, but I didn’t change channels except to flip to some NHL playoff games those weeks), but that qualification says it all. Honestly, to me the first few weeks it benefitted from leading into BSG. Head to head against a show like that, which built a rabidly loyal, fairly large audience by superior storytelling, it would not have had a snowball’s chance. In my estimation, it got progressively better after BSG closed on its own merits as far as moving the story along to resolving the various plot bunnies (great wrap-up to Whiskey’s story) so that the last 2 episodes really did kick ass as storytelling. Anyone who stuck around really did get rewarded by those last two episodes, but realistically, I don’t blame the folks who gave up. The back story took forever to establish. Yes, it is totally different from B/A/F in terms of what kind of show it is—i.e., the lack of real group chemistry. Now that Ballard is Echo’s handler, perhaps they’ll form some type of rapport and that will change similar to what she’d begun to develop with Boyd. Maybe not—I have gotten used to the fact this is not B/A/F and to lower my expectations for character depth accordingly.

As far as the reduced budget and the commercial breaks—I honestly don’t see the problem. This really seems like a plot-driven show, pretty much all the scenery is contemporary, and the actors including the lead no-names. Unfortunately that means they will probably keep Topher, who I can’t stand, even with the fleshing out of his character toward the end. His booth with the dentist chair (I think the colander would go over the doll’s heads in the chair) looks like the fanciest set. Maybe things like the opening scene with the motorcycle race were costly. I’d think those would be easy to work around. In this way, Firefly, like a lot of science fiction shows with lots of special effects, needs a big budget, and already have a strike against them when it comes to the accountants who run television networks. On a related note, I wouldn’t mind real commercial breaks, either. I wasn’t used to the one-minute breaks and would leave the room often to come back mid-scene.

 

[BuffyGirl]

On a related note, I wouldn’t mind real commercial breaks, either. I wasn’t used to the one-minute breaks and would leave the room often to come back mid-scene.

Haha me too. I was like..holy wtf. But got used to it. I'd rather have normal breaks though. i don't mind the episode being a bit shorter because I did find some dull moments. I wont lie. even with Joss' episodes. So, if we had a few less minutes, maybe there wouldn't be so much of that.

I think that the first 5 episodes really damaged the show. A lot of fans went the other way. That really - for lack of a better word - sucks. But now it's time for a step back. I hope this budget cut will give us a little more show to work with and for now, a little less special effects and pretty sets, etc. I want more character development.

Which just quickly leads me to star trek vs. serenity. I know you CANNOT compare the two. Not at all. The only thing you can compare is the fact they fly around in ships. That's all. But I saw both. And I saw serenity before seeing ff. So I didn't have relationships or love for these characters before hand. But when I watched it, I felt it right away. I felt a connection, I felt the need to want more, to know more, to learn more. I didn't have much connection with star trek characters, nor did I want to. Good movie, yes, very, but for me, it's about more than the effects, and the storyline. It's about the characters. And so far, what dollhouse is missing for me, is just that. The bond I like to have with characters. The ability to bond with them. And with the type of show Dollhouse is, I don't know when that will happen.

Wow, that wasn't quick at all.

So anyways, I hope that with season 2, I get what I want .

 

[pjam]

From Scifi Wire...


Why did Fox pick up Dollhouse and not Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles for the fall television season? Network executives discussed their decisions on those shows, as well as reasons for moving Fringe to Thursdays and other scheduling moves, during a conference call with journalists before today's upfront fall television presentation.

Kevin Reilly, Fox's president of entertainment, said that ratings were not the only factor when it came to deciding whether the low-rated Dollhouse would get a second season and remain on Friday nights.


"First, it's a bet on [creativity], and that's something that has never changed," Reilly said. "And I'm happy to say we're doing that. You know how inspired Joss Whedon is. It's a bet on Joss. The DVR numbers are a marker for us, so it is a factor, and we did see an uptick in the ratings from a 1.5 to a 2. That was a pattern for us that we liked, betting on Joss, and I think you're going to see it grow next season."

But is it the factor of "the devil you know," as opposed to the bringing in a new unproven series? "Absolutely," Reilly added. "In fact, I venture to say that if we had put new shows on Friday night, in particular there'd probably be a lot of cynicism about 'Well, wait, ... you're creating an entire new night of television?' Not to mention if we'd canceled Joss' show I'd probably have 110 million e-mails this morning from the fans," he said with a laugh. "So that's exactly right. Bet on something that has a core that you believe can work."

But that doesn't mean Fox will accept low numbers on Friday nights, said Peter Rice, Fox's chairman of entertainment. "We think that we can grow the show," he said, adding: "The show became much stronger creatively during the course of the season. Joss feels very energized about it. And we believe in him as a creator. We've had a lot of success in the past, and we feel that he can build the show, and it can grow in the new season ... and that Friday is a good place for it to do that."

As for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Fox executives viewed that series quite differently. "Terminator has completed its run," Reilly said flatly. "And I think it had a nice little run. It was a good show. It was not an either/or [with Dollhouse]. We did see it tailing off a bit. It had a nice creative core, but ultimately we made the bet on Dollhouse for the night. We had some other shows we thought would make a better profile for the night. So that's it for Terminator." Dollhouse will follow two comedies, the new series Brothers and the returning Til Death.

According to Reilly, Terminator "was not an inexpensive show," and Fox had to "make some choices on the night. But, ultimately, we looked at the ratings track on Monday, where it had a pretty consistent run, and then on Friday, where it moved to. And that trend line was not pointing in the right direction. ... But we make no apologies for that show. We had a huge launch for that show, as you remember. We gave it a lot of support and some consistent scheduling. We tried, and felt it was time to move on."

The other big bit of programming news was Fox's decision to move Fringe to Thursdays opposite the enormous hits CSI on CBS and Grey's Anatomy on ABC—that is, assuming those series remain on Thursdays after CBS and ABC announce their schedules this week. Reilly does expect the two networks to keep both shows on Thursdays. "Who knows?" he said. "But that would feel like a very, very risky move. Particularly with CSI, which has had quite a bit of decline this year. A move at that point in a show's cycle tends to accelerate decline."

Reilly added: "I think if you look at Thursday night, ... the door's more open on this night than it's been in a long, long time. Eight o'clock is a soft time period. Bones went in there and did a job that beat the other scripted shows consistently. I think it will continue to do that. And at 9 o'clock, [CSI and Grey's Anatomy] are two still terrific, appointment shows, but they're down. They are not consuming all the oxygen at 9 o'clock. You saw Fringe do a very consistent ratings, about a 4.1, maybe 4.2, week in and week [out] every week of the season. Whether it holds a 4, I don't know. But if you watched that show, it finished strong. We've got a huge amount of buzz coming out of the last batch of episodes. People talking about it like it is now the Fox classic. I think that audience is going to move, and it's a real alternative to both of those shows. It's not an overlapping audience."

One other big move during midseason will be the launch of Past Lives and Human Target after American Idol, Reilly said. "On Tuesdays, Past Life, which is a fast-paced thriller," he said. "It's a mystery that needs to be solved in both the past and the present. And on Wednesdays, Idol is going to platform another drama, which really feels like it's got a lot of great Fox DNA. It stars Mark Valley, the guy who did terrific work, ... a great arc for us, on Fringe last season. And this show finds its roots in the fun action dramas of the '70s and '80s. But it's updated with modern production values."

And just to make sure you don't miss the premiere of Human Target, the series will kick off between the NFC divisional playoff game and the two-hour season premiere of 24 on Jan. 17, before moving to its regular Wednesday-night slot after the American Idol results show.

In one other midseason note, Fox picked up the Tyler Labine comedy Sons of Tucson, for Sundays, which can't be a good sign for The CW's Reaper when it comes to a renewal for that series, ... unless Labine has figured out a way to be in two shows at once (he's currently committed to Reaper as his first priority).

 

[CAhobbit]

Before Whedonites get too excited, you might wanna read this:



https://io9.com/5257353/welcome-to-the-all new-all different-dollhouse

Everything in that article has been known for quite sometime though. I hope this show will find a big enough audience to stick around, but with it's crummy time slot who knows (at least it started out in a crummy time slot to begin with).

The 'new' direction of the show isn't a concern of mine as 1. It's been talked about for a while now. 2. Even within the first season the direction the show changed for better 3. Joss Whedon and the many people he surrounds himself with create some great episdoes.

One only need to look at the 1st season's of Angel and Buffy to see how much better they became and how much a bigger of an audience they garnered. Time will tell if 'Dollhouse' can do the same.

 

[The Craw]

Thing is tho Craw, Joss does it better. Remember Buffy? I mean, I highly doubt it had a huge budget at the beginning and it was brilliant. I think if Joss has to kind of...go back, he might just be able to pull something super great out of his a**. Cause so far, I'm not LOVING dollhouse. Don't get me wrong, it's good. And I enjoy it better than most shows. But I can't seem to re-watch episodes. I don't love it enough for that. So if it needs to be re-tooled in a way, then good. I hope it will be very good for the show, and for viewers.

yes i remember Buffy, but this isn't 1997 and this isn't a new network struggling to find shows. Buffy would crash and burn if it was introduced today. i don't see any longevity from this show on FOX even if it is Joss. sorry. should have put it on a network that would let it breathe a little.

 

[BuffyGirl]

yes i remember Buffy, but this isn't 1997 and this isn't a new network struggling to find shows. Buffy would crash and burn if it was introduced today. i don't see any longevity from this show on FOX even if it is Joss. sorry. should have put it on a network that would let it breathe a little.

I don't disagree with you on that. In respect to DH on Fox. Would be nice to see it on SF. IF we're going to take a lower budget cut, why not find a station that we can have more fun with!
But I also wasn't saying that this show is buffy, or that buffy would work. I meant that it was more personal. And I feel like Joss did more with it. I hope that he can do the same with DH.

 

[pordey2]

I've eagerly awaiting the DVD as I haven't seen an episode yet. Is it worth getting on Blu?

 

[darthviper107]

I stick with my earlier assessment that this show took a long time to build momentum and frankly I’m surprised—pleasantly, but surprised as I don’t know if it deserved it on its own merits based on how long it took—that it got another (half) season. The first half dozen episodes or so were mediocre entertainment. It may have been the cream of the crop in its timeslot (debatable, but I didn’t change channels except to flip to some NHL playoff games those weeks), but that qualification says it all. Honestly, to me the first few weeks it benefitted from leading into BSG. Head to head against a show like that, which built a rabidly loyal, fairly large audience by superior storytelling, it would not have had a snowball’s chance. In my estimation, it got progressively better after BSG closed on its own merits as far as moving the story along to resolving the various plot bunnies (great wrap-up to Whiskey’s story) so that the last 2 episodes really did kick ass as storytelling. Anyone who stuck around really did get rewarded by those last two episodes, but realistically, I don’t blame the folks who gave up. The back story took forever to establish. Yes, it is totally different from B/A/F in terms of what kind of show it is—i.e., the lack of real group chemistry. Now that Ballard is Echo’s handler, perhaps they’ll form some type of rapport and that will change similar to what she’d begun to develop with Boyd. Maybe not—I have gotten used to the fact this is not B/A/F and to lower my expectations for character depth accordingly.

As far as the reduced budget and the commercial breaks—I honestly don’t see the problem. This really seems like a plot-driven show, pretty much all the scenery is contemporary, and the actors including the lead no-names. Unfortunately that means they will probably keep Topher, who I can’t stand, even with the fleshing out of his character toward the end. His booth with the dentist chair (I think the colander would go over the doll’s heads in the chair) looks like the fanciest set. Maybe things like the opening scene with the motorcycle race were costly. I’d think those would be easy to work around. In this way, Firefly, like a lot of science fiction shows with lots of special effects, needs a big budget, and already have a strike against them when it comes to the accountants who run television networks. On a related note, I wouldn’t mind real commercial breaks, either. I wasn’t used to the one-minute breaks and would leave the room often to come back mid-scene.

BSG probably didn't really effect viewer numbers of Dollhouse that much, realistically BSG doesn't really get that many viewers, even on its series finale it only got like 2 million viewers which isn't much.

 

[Chapter 2099]

I don't know about the other Whedonville fans, but Fridays seem so lonely since the finale. I'm missing Dollhouse already.

 

[Kabukiman]

I don't know about the other Whedonville fans, but Fridays seem so lonely since the finale. I'm missing Dollhouse already.

Not for me. I usually didn't get around to watching until Sunday anyway.

 

[Chapter 2099]

Not for me. I usually didn't get around to watching until Sunday anyway.

Well, did a little bit of Sunday die when Dollhouse went on hiatus?

 

[Kabukiman]

Well, did a little bit of Sunday die when Dollhouse went on hiatus?

Maybe a little bit. I've been watching Firefly on DVD to fill the gap. I'm working my way up to Serenity. I've actually never seen it!

 

[Chapter 2099]

Maybe a little bit. I've been watching Firefly on DVD to fill the gap. I'm working my way up to Serenity. I've actually never seen it!

Another great series and an awesome movie to finish it off.

 

[BuffyGirl]

Maybe a little bit. I've been watching Firefly on DVD to fill the gap. I'm working my way up to Serenity. I've actually never seen it!

It's an amazing show, glad you're getting into it!

 

[Chapter 2099]

It's an amazing show, glad you're getting into it!

While reminiscing, wasn't Firefly on Fox Friday's as well?

 

[hairlesswookiee]

While reminiscing, wasn't Firefly on Fox Friday's as well?

i thought it was on thursday??? has it been that long already??

 

[Chapter 2099]

i thought it was on thursday??? has it been that long already??

You may be right. I thought though I watched it right after John Doe which was a Friday show (and another awesome show canceled WAY too early by Fox.)

But, yeah, it has been a long time, so who knows? I have to say it again: Those were the good ol' days!