Dollhouse: Galactica?

August 7th, 2009 | by | battlestar galactica, dollhouse

Aug
07

It was rather shocking to most, not least of all Joss Whedon, when Fox picked Dollhouse up for a second season.

Dollhouse

It never really got the ratings needed to get picked up. They weren’t soooo far off, however, so it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that it wouldn’t be picked up. It’s just that shows in this situation usually don’t. I think Fox was being penitent for having killed Firefly years ago.

We hadn’t watched it from the start, but had six or eight episodes already on our DVR by the time we started watching.

We plowed through them, and I was glad we watched it that way.

The first couple of episodes had a lot of background to lay down. Instead of having to wait weeks to start picking up the pace, we got there in a couple of nights.

Part of what started getting really good was Tahmoh Penikett’s character, the FBI agent, whose obsession with The Dollhouse began to ruin his career. He didn’t have the support of his co-workers and superiors, and he, eventually, is suspended.

picture-31

Penikett is a personal favorite of mine, having portrayed Helo on the late lamented Battlestar Galactica. So imagine how pleased I was when I found out through an article by my friend, Jennifer Wagner, that not one, but two other BSG veterans would be making appearances on Dollhouse in its surprise second season.

Jamie Bamber (Lee “Apollo” Adama) and Michael Hogan (Col. Saul Tigh) will have guest spots this season.

Joss Whedon had this interview with Access Hollywood to talk, in part about Bamber’s stint on the show. Apparently, it was the mutual admiration society.

As well it should be.

I’m loving the DNA mixing between my favorite shows. This can only result in great things.

4 Comments »

The state of science fiction on TV

May 24th, 2009 | by | human target, new season, new shows, past life, schedule

May
24

As it is with every year, a whole bunch of science fiction-y shows were canceled at the end of the season, but I have to give it to the networks for trying a bunch of new ones next year.

It was so hard to keep track of the comings and goings during the upfronts, but SciFi Wire thankfully charted it all in a very understandable fashion.

fox_logo1

The clear winner, IMHO, is Fox.

Sure, Fox canceled Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, better known as TSCC because it’s a lot freakin’ shorter. But it did keep Dollhouse around for at least another 13 episodes. (Side note: This comic is probably a bit too close to reality for comfort when it comes to how the decision was made.) I’m thinking that Fox didn’t feel like incurring the wrath of the Whedonverse again, whereas TSCC ended at a spot that could full well be the series’ end. (Not that I wouldn’t have loved to see where it would have picked up in the fall.)

Fox also kept Fringe, which is one of my favorite shows. So the net gets brownie points for that. It’s also picked up Human Target and Past Life, each for 13 episodes and for midseason.

Read full story

4 Comments »

Ratings: Worst. Season. Ever.

May 22nd, 2009 | by | ratings, season

May
22

OK, I guess the TV seasons before most people had televisions were worse, but this season was for the birds, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

tvs

The four major networks (that’d be CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox – sorry CW) lost an average of 16 percent of viewership in the coveted “demo” – adults 18-49. That includes DVR use.

Fox was on top, followed by CBS, ABC and NBC. But “on top” still includes a steep drop.

Why is this?

A whole mess of things.

First off, a lot of people are watching online – legally and illegally (Hulu an example of the former, BitTorrent an example of the latter). I know some folks who don’t have televisions, even, and only watch what they like online.

Second, a lot of people watch on DVR, but not within that 7-day window included in ratings. For example, my husband and I haven’t watched Season 2 of Damages yet. The entire season is sitting there on our DVR. We just finished up the entire first seasons of Dollhouse and Better off Ted in a few days in marathon viewing sessions. (I’ll be writing about BoT in a couple days). I still have episodes of Reaper, the season finale of Supernatural and Sunday’s episode of Breaking Bad on my DVR, waiting for me to have a chance to sit down and watch ‘em.

Read full story

4 Comments »

Dollhouse: Renewed?

May 17th, 2009 | by | dollhouse

May
17

The official announcement won’t come until tomorrow, but The Hollywood Reporter says Fox has ordered another 13 episodes of the low-rated sci-fi drama, Dollhouse.

Dollhouse

At the start of the season, I was a bit take-it-or-leave it about the show. But as the season progressed, it got far more complex and, frankly, sinister. I still haven’t seen the season (not series!) finale, but I’ll be watching that tonight.

I loved that Joss Whedon brought in Wash from Firefly to be Alpha. I’ve mourned Wash’s death ever since he was impaled in Serenity. And I love that Alpha is basically bat-guano crazy because he’s in love with Echo.

That goes back to the whole idea they explored with Victor and Sierra a few episodes back, where even when they were in their blank state and even when they were given some of their own memories, Victor stuck by Sierra and cared nothing for his own life, only for helping her.

The idea that love knows no boundaries and can break through all barriers is actually rather lovely, particularly for science fiction.

What will next season bring? Not sure, but it should be interesting. I wonder, however, if the unaired Episode 14, Epitaph One, will kick off the second season, and we’ll find ourselves in a post-apocalyptic world.

That’d be pretty cool.

So, Fox, will we finally learn the fate of TSCC tomorrow?

2 Comments »

Dollhouse: How can a pretty decent show that features hot women with little clothing do poorly in the ratings?

May 10th, 2009 | by | dollhouse, joss whedon

May
10

Liking Dollhouse was predetermined for me. From the brain of Joss Whedon (Firefly, Buffy), a sci-fi look at a shadowy organization that keeps a cadre of men and women in a “tabula rasa” state until they’re needed for any one of various missions for “clients” and then programmed with the necessary personality and skills.

Dollhouse

It also co-stars Tahmoh Penikett, late of Battlestar Galactica, as the FBI agent who is trying to find the so-called Dollhouse to rescue all these poor innocents who’ve been forced into what he believes to be a life of prostitution.

After watching a few episodes (bless the inventor of the DVR!), I do like it, but I’m sad to report that Agent Paul Ballard wasn’t that far off when he feared the Dolls were unwilling prostitutes.

First off, we know that when one Doll managed to overcome his “programming,” he went all ninja on the staff and Dolls and killed many. He does not appear to have even tried to hurt Echo (played by show star Eliza Dushku), however. The little bit I’ve seen so far seems to make it apparent that Alpha is trying to push Echo to break out of the mold and escape the tabula rasa state.

Read full story

6 Comments »