Woah - Fox actually renews Joss Whedon's Dollhouse for a second season!

[slay]

Woo-hoo! The second half of season one was excellent. I can't believe they actually renewed a show that got a 1.0 neilsen rating. Must be the Joss Whedon factor.

May 15, 2009
Surprise: Fox RENEWS 'Dollhouse'

Dollhouse UPDATED: In a stunning move, sources say Fox has renewed Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” for next fall.

The official announcement will not be made until Monday at the network's upfront presentation, but sources confirm a deal has been struck for another 13 episodes. Fox plans to continue the show on Fridays next fall.

But the show's DVR numbers are huge (averaging a 40% bump), online streaming is strong. It’s a sci-fi show, which tend to bring in strong ancillary revenue such as DVD sales for sister-company studio 20th TV. And it’s said that Fox execs rather like the series, especially the latter half of the season. Besides, a show airing in the fall on Fox is a bit like running in midseason on most networks -- it’s not the network's strongest part of the year and maybe ... maybe ...

The move is tougher to explain than most, especially based on the show's ratings. A “Dollhouse” pickup is a shock, an underdog comeback that blows away NBC’s will-they-or-won’t-they hand-wringing over “Chuck” (psst, they almost certainly will). In fact, "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.

more: http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/05/dollhouse-second-season.html

[Forkboy]

1. I don't watch it, but I read a lot of sci-fi news, and the show sounded doomed just last week.

Very surprising, but good for the fans.

[rcrush]

2. Did they renew terminator?

[Mojambo]

7. No official news, but it couldn't look any more bleak.

Most of the talent has signed on to do other series/work

[slay]

9. Sorry - Terminator is cancelled

They just won't come out and say it yet - it will be official on Monday. Supposedly the best shot it has are a couple direct-to-video releases like the latest Stargate SG-1 and Justice League/Wonder Woman movies. Evidently show runner Josh Freidman did such a poor job that Terminator:TSCC went from 9 million viewers when it premired to around 2 million for the series finale - in only 2 years. Just like head writer/show runner Tim Kring with Heroes, Josh Freidman is not a good writer, and a poor show-runner. If they had taken it away from him and gave it Ron Moore from Battlestar Galactica or even Brad Wright from Stargate SG-1 it could have been saved. Oh well. I quit watching 4 eps into this season. Of the two, Dollhouse is the superior show - and by quite a large margin I'm afraid. Even the Fox execs knew it.

[blogslut]

14. I loved this last season

It got me hooked. The complicated lives and allegiances of the characters were very interesting to me.

[slay]

16. I really tried to get into Term

It just didn't do it for me. Too many shows out there with better writing like Fringe, Dollhouse, True Blood, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Lost, etc. Since I have limited time I have to pick and choose my shows - after 13 eps of Term, it still just wasn't living up to the high writing quality of the previous shows I listed. I would have loved me to have liked it - but I didn't. Although I love Summer Glau - she is smokin hot, and a great actress.

[Withywindle]

3. I've only watched two episodes but

I'm just not that impressed. I don't hate it enough to want it cancelled and yet I still think Dollhouse getting renewed and Firefly getting cancelled indicates a fundamental wrongness even in Whedonworld.

[slay]

4. I agree - Firefly was without a dobut the superior show, however

Dollhouse saw a huge leap in story quality from episodes 6 through the end - as is often the case with a Joss series - slow to start. Also, itunes and quick releases to DVD did not exist back in Firefly time, and those things are probabaly the main reasons Dollhouse got renewed.

I do recommend giving the show a chance though. Yes, eps 1-5 are a bit slow, but the payoff in later eps is great.

But yeah, cancelling Firefly was heartbreaking. Least we got Serenity out of it - which was a total badass movie - far superior to the 3 most recent Star Wars movies.

I see yummy Joss goodness ahead next season - especially now that he's had a first season to work out the kinks. :)

[Ohio Joe]

5. Excellent news

I really enjoy this show, I think it has great potential.

[Initech]

6. I really want to pick up the 1st season DVD to see what all the hype is about.

But seriously if Fox renewed a show like that - holy fuckin' shit! :wow:

[slay]

15. You should - it's quite a good show - especially from eps 6-12

Ep 13 will not air - you only get it on the boxset. (Curse you Fox - but thanks for bringing the show back for season 2) You really have to give it all 12/13 eps to fully appriciate the show. Eps 1-5 are largely stand-alone intro eps, but still good, just nowhere near as good as it gets later. Episode 2 is a good fun story - in a very twisted kind of way. But yeah - I was kind of surprised to see it renewed - but Joss has those kind of shows where fans will buy the boxsets. Fox could probably turn a profit off boxset sales alone - that's how loyal Joss Whedon fans are - and it's finally paying off. :)

I think you'll like it. :evilgrin:

[DS1]

8. I'm stunned

The ratings were horrible, hopefully Fox realized they shouldn't mess around with sci-fi they way they do.


I'd rather see Terminator renewed.

[targetpractice]

10. Me, too...

The Terminator finale was awesome, but way too open ended...

Shirley Manson was brilliant casting, IMHO... "Your cyborg is skulking around my basement."

[DS1]

12. Brilliant in the sense that she was a wooden actor, just like Robert Patrick

and yes, I'm aware of the roles they were playing. Still, it's a great story, and I hope they didn't just do "that" at the end of the season knowing it was over, because it's going to be difficult to write a logical way around it.

And no surprise on the faces of the humans when Shirley did that thing that she did?

[targetpractice]

17. The last 15 minutes seemed tacked on...

... Just like the last 15 minutes of the US version of Life on Mars.

You are right about "that thing she did" ... meh.

I liked Shirley as a machine... I think I would have even liked her as a Cylon in the new Battlestar Galactica.

I dunno... I just liked her delivery and accent... ;-)

[slay]

11. It just occured to me - this means more Vincent Ventresca (Invisible Man) on Dollhouse

I won't spoil who he plays for those who haven't seen the show - he was awesome in I-Man.

[coyotespaw]

13. I still haven't forgiven the bastards

for cancelling Titus.

[slay]

18. I never really watched that show, but

I am still pissed about them cancelling Firefly (even though it finished up as the movie Serenity) as well as Futurama (which came back for 4 dvd movies but still..) as well as Tim Minear's Drive and The Inside. Oh and the excellent Arrested Development as well - but that looks like a movie is pretty much a sure thing for 2010. Sorry bout Titus bro - sucks when network fat cats take away good shows people enjoy.