Week Ending February 1, 2009

FOX Fri 8:00 60 min House [R] 4.330 1.3

This year previous Fox shows airing on Friday 8pm didnot have better numbers than TSSC, so its not TSSC’s fault dollhouse having bad numbers…

http://www.airlockalpha.com/news426236.html
“Other factors in favor of the show continuing is that it’s not as expensive as other Fox shows. Much of its upfront costs, including the construction of the elaborate set that is the dollhouse itself, were covered by funds that normally would’ve paid for a pilot (no pilot was made for “Dollhouse”). Also, while Whedon’s Mutant Enemy Productions and star Eliza Dushku’s Boston Diva Productions are tied to the series, 20th Century Fox Television is still the primary production company involved, which means its licensing fee is not as steep as it would be if the show was produced by another studio.”

Part of the reason for that might be to give it good buzz.

DOLLHOUSE had bad buzz before it aired. THE X-FILES had no buzz, and mediocre reviews. THE X-FILES wasn’t a good show in the first episodes, but it did turn around in quality for the 2nd half of the season. The comparisons can easily be made. Many questioned FOX for renewing THE X-FILES when it happened.

The show is sexual, not sexist. There are male actives as well as female actives.

While I like Eliza Dushku as an actress, I don’t see her being able to carry a show or anyone else currently on the cast and Dollhouse is not an ensemble show. Some of the actors I consider good but they’re supporting actors. To me TSCC has the same problem. The major role is TSCC is that of Sarah Connor played by Lena Headly who can’t carry the show. Summer Glau is the only actor on it IMO (in my opinion) that might be capable of being it’s lead. I don’t see either the actor who plays John Connor or Sarah Connor being able to do it.

Josh Whedon hasn’t had a successful series on a major network. Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Angel were on The WB, a minor network, and still they weren’t the top show on that network ratings wise. Buffy’s 1st season was also in the summer when there wasn’t any real competition back then for new programming.

Dollhouse had a lot of buzz unlike The X-Files before it aired because of Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku. It was highly anticipated because of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly. In contrast, I didn’t even start tuning into The X-Files until the middle of its first season. From the ratings posted here for Dollhouse it seems that a lot of people tuned in to see it for a few episodes and then have tuned out for good. It doesn’t appear to be gaining viewers steadily.

From the promotion commercials it seems to me to be marketed as men being the target audience and not women. I do find it a very sexist show.

That’s going to be one hell of a steep climb.

1. The cost of an episode of DOLLHOUSE is around $1.5M on average. That is CHEAP for an hour long drama.

2. FOX is currently considering renewing the show.

The above are actually facts. What, why, and everything else don’t really matter. Final numbers for the show are generally on average .1 above what this site posts. C3 numbers are much better, but again that is a result of REMOTE FREE TV.

I haven’t read the article about FOX considering renewing the show. I just know that it happens to be true. Kevin likes the show, and he doesn’t want to make a FIREFLY mistake. Peter came in and liked the work being done. He hated the first episodes but then who didn’t.

FOX wants Fridays to work. Fridays don’t live in the same universe as Sunday through Thursday TV viewing. The Renew/Cancel index frankly doesn’t work at all for Friday and Saturday shows. So the bar being placed by FOX is impossible for us to know, but only to guess.

I know my initial guesses were shot down by Kevin as being too high. So I thought that 1.8 would be a decent goal. However FOX is considering renewing the show right now. It’s on the bubble. Why? That is anyone’s guess. How? Again it’s guess work.

Will it get renewed? Last week I’d have said its chances were around 10%. This week I’d say 50% after learning that it was actually on the bubble with its CURRENT numbers. If it trends back up the show may be extremely safe for renewal.

So I’m reading this and thinking “don’t believe it” which means I should believe what I read, but then if I believe what I read, I should “not believe” which means I should believe, which means I should not believe…

I think I’m stuck in a Doctor Who episode.

But seriously, “don’t believe what you read” – except what I write? Interesting…

Which unlucky shows will be on Friday next Fall? Will it go back to Cops and AMW, who both can do well there?

I’d hate to see Fringe or another new show premiere on Friday nights, leaving many viewers with the “who cares?” mentality. Why invest time in a show sent immediately to the graveyard?

After the episode last week, I decided to remove my season pass for Dollhouse. I was willing to give it a chance, but its just not that entertaining or well done on ANY level.

Can Direct TV cut someone a check to keep Kings on the air???

Basically what I’m saying here is if DirecTV isn’t going to step up and cut the networks a massive check to keep your favourite show(s) on the air then you should do it yourselves. I guarantee you that stumping up the cash to pay for the show has more success than signing petitions, creating save our show sites and sending the network various foodstuffs.

And if one of the major networks won’t take a fan check then I bet a cable channel would.

Would ANYONE want to do that? If I had the $$$ and was a network I wouldn’t touch Dollhouse. It would be easier and probably cheaper to just contract Whedon out for a new show where I was the studio and I held all the rights.

This show lives or dies on FOX.

Stephen, ratings and quality have nothing to do with each other, but ratings and the likability of the characters, people are more likely to give a show a second chance if they fall in love with the characters. In Dollhouse there is no one even likable, and they needed an actress with a stronger real life personality for the lead, that you could contrast the Echo against. Dusku is a nice person, but she never had the reputation of having a real life personality that made her popular beyond the characters she plays, she needs a character. She is a capable actress, but the role required a screen animal, someone you would want to watch reading the phone book, and that she isn’t.

FYI, Friday’s episode pulled a 1.5 in finals.

No both these shows are Dead and so is “Better of Ted” and “Life” it may be good well-written television but when noone is watching it’s all just static and lost income.

Dollhouse may have had a shot If they had given it a proper launch and If they hadn’t “fridayed” it to death – but it’s too little to late now, remember FNL wasn’t picked up because it was “Critically Acclaimed” it also more importantly fit DirecTV’s marketing strategy incredibly well.

As for Whedon being sexist?? – where the ‘ell did that come from – there are both female and male dolls and the male “lead” is a rather impotent FBI agent whose weak bumbling around is no competition to the Strongminded and quite efficient Echo. Do watch the show before you comment – maybe a lot of the Women who dislike the show so vehemently – should watch a couple of episodes (objectively) and then comment on whether or no Whedon is sexist Dollhouse portrays the organisation behind the Dollhouses as evil bordering on demonic it isn’t “portraying rape in a good way” (as one particular miss-guided webiot remarked – quite the opposite), there aren’t exclusively female Dolls – actually the fact that Whedon exclusively portrays the “Buyers” as male IS sexist – TO MEN.

Sexist is quickly becoming a STOP word – the card you play to silence dissenting voices and that is dangerous (yes I know this is an unpopular argument and No I am not a cavedwelling male chauvinist just to get that out of the way – I believe all sexes and races are equal – I just don’t like one-sided arguments).
In Denmark where I was born Racism was a STOP word and didn’t that turn out well.

Haha, you actually think ratings and quality have anything to do with each other.

…wait a minute – that was a 20th Century Fox film – they could run that one Friday night (or every Friday night, for that matter!), and get better demos than either Dollhouse, T:SCC, Hole, or ‘Til Death – and quite possibly, anything else on the other nets (save for Jo Frost in a bikini, or a real Wife Swap ).

I don’t think that a lead-in show that had better ratings would have helped Dollhouse. Bottom line to me is that Dollhouse didn’t have a good concept and isn’t that good a show.

‘Hey you know this show we’ve moved to Friday to finish its run because no one was watching it? We should totally do a spin-off from that’

Fox Leaning Toward ‘Dollhouse’ Renewal
http://www.airlockalpha.com/news426236.html

Dollhouse and TSCC are WAY below that level.

I disagree, FOX has every reason to promote the final episodes of PB. First and foremost, there’s the PB spinoff. The final episodes are supposed to set up the platform for the spinoff so they need to make a good impression. Secondly, it is an established show finishing up its run. They have already started promoting it (I have seen several commercials already) so you’re wrong factually on that count already.

As for its numbers, I can’t imagine a major improvement for DH, but I do expect that PB numbers will hold to this season’s averages. Maybe some of those will rub off on DH, but even at that it wouldn’t look good for a new show looking for a renewal.

Either way, I really doubt Dollhouse will come back. Prison Break is just getting its sendoff on Friday nights, giving the fans some nice closure to a show that is ending at the right time.

Whaaaaat?!? I’d say Whedon is the farthest from a sexist as you can get. All of his shows have had strong female lead characters, and not the stereotypical femme fatale’s or damsels in distress.

So, I hope the show is renewed because I think it has its concept worked out now. And it looks like Fox has taken its fingers out of Whedon’s pie (there’s less overt sexualizing, more depth, and more of the other dolls). If it turns into an ensemble show, I think it can survive. As an Eliza Dushku vehicle, it’s probably dead (I like Eliza, but she’s not quite strong enough to carry the show). And it definitely needs a new night!!

Right now, honestly, I’m more invested in TSCC, which is another high concept, highly literary show that isn’t drawing a big Friday audience. The epic scope of the show, and the personal psychology that motivates, are phenomenal. I wish more people had the time and the patience to watch this show, which really is amazing and unique. I hope anyone worried about Dollhouse has been taking a look at its lead in, because TSCC always has great payoff for your time investment.

It is also a bad thing that dollhouse premiered on a friday and qwith a lead in that suck, but anyway I think FOX just don’t want dollhouse to get a second season

I know I’m stirring a hornet’s nest by saying this, but it seems Dollhouse’s chances of renewal aren’t much better than TSCC’s? Less perhaps, if you consider the weight Terminator has behind it. The thing with these shows is that they share a similar dilemma and similar future.

Dollhouse’s ratings are low, but FOX have been very lenient so far, which gives it a chance to trend back up. TSCC’s numbers are low and it has only one more episode to kick back, which isn’t likely to do it any good. But then TSCC has the potential to kick ass with a third season (it is common for sci-fi shows to suffer in their second season and then kick back in the third).

I think it’s a case of whether FOX is willing to take the risk with either show, both of which can be brilliant if given a little time and patience. But I firmly believe that if TSCC is cancelled Dollhouse should follow suite. My $0.02.

Personally, I have enjoyed Dollhouse and would expect it to really hit it’s stride mid way through a second season, much like I feel Buffy and Angel did. As a result I am obviously pulling for renewal, but the numbers are looking too low for that to be a realistic possibility. Here is hoping they improve.