“Carol, that’s the problem with the premise – you’d have to be a moron to sign the contract. And you’re right, since it’s illegal anyway, the contract is invalid. Which makes it even more moronic to sign the contract.”

I disagree with them being morons. At least with all of them being morons. Giving up a few years of thier lives to achieve finacial stability for themselves or thier families, change the jaded paths they were currently on etc.. as a parent I know Id give up just about anything to make life better for my family, does that make me a moron? Wanting more for them than I can offer on my own?

Also with the contracts being illegal, this happens, often. So-called illegal documents are common. Its illegal to torture prisoners of war…but we do it. The governments never cared too much about legalities when it works in thier favor and when they are caught doing something illegal, they pass the buck.

Im sure there are many objections and counter-arguements to this but everyone views things differently.

Either way whether or not the contracts are legal, they were signed prior to any mind erasure. Being morons isnt the real argument because whether they chose to have thier minds erased, take drugs, join a cult, become a nun or run for president, its a choice they made. They were given a choice, continue on the path you are on or give us 5 years of your life and get paid for it.

The Dolls that there against thier will are the only ones with an arguement to rape and murder.(however it was obvious that sex with a doll in thier inactive state was a big no-no) Obviously theres a reason behind them being part of the story and will unfold if the show is given a chance.

Your replies will not be read by me, you’re not a real man because real men don’t act like imbeciles, which is exactly what you are, haha.”

Is this what I’ll turn into if I become a “Ghost Whisperer” viewer? If so, where can I sign up?

P.S. “Breast Whisperer” is the poster child for braindead television. But I doubt I have to tell the non-mouth breathers on the board that. I also doubt anyone has to watch more than 5 seconds of it to know how braindead it is, either. I think Jamie Kennedy is great, though. So I won’t be really pathetic and come here and insult a man to make me feel better about myself and my obviously pathetic life.

Then again…Halloweens my favorite day of the year because you can be anyone, like a doll.

I only feel for the crews. Regularly reoccurring cast members (not just the “stars”) easily earn more for one week’s episode than most people do for an entire year. Most TV staff writers are firmly within the L.A. middle class, but it’s a middle class that most middle class members elsewhere would envy.

Television work for crew has always been about hustle, but it was a whole lot easier for them ten years ago and has deteriorated significantly within the last three years, beginning before the WGA strike or the recession. The gravy train of TV jobs that a robust pilot season used to provide has also been sharply reduced.

Now, your show being canceled or your pilot not getting picked up is a lot more serious than it used to be. Reruns are almost non-existent, so the accompanying residuals to individuals and pension & health care plans are as well.

A series being canceled before reaching 100 episodes almost always removes syndication as an additional revenue option. You have to have 100 or more episodes if the series is going to be stripped. Serials are hard to syndicate in any case because the episodes have to be run in order, so there is an obvious bias towards creating something self-contained like a sitcom or procedural that will be much more attractive to buyers. Of course, if serials are popular, they will be made, but they clearly have been falling out of favor with the viewing public, despite the claims of their fans.

Online and DVR are changing the rules, but not yet. Despite all the claims that “everyone” is DVRing a fan’s favorite show, DVR penetration is only around 30%. The overwhelming number of people are going to be watching live, if at all. Online continues to grow, but let’s be realistic. A family is not gathering around a laptop or computer’s LCD monitor to watch an episode online. It’s still only for solo viewing, and the revenue and audience just isn’t there.

I would have to look for the report, but I had read that the largest number of episode views take place during weekday working hours and employers have begun to block access to Hulu and the network sites as they begin to notice. That will obviously reduce viewers, since employer blocking has already had a noticeable effect on social networking sites and video sites like YouTube.

My point was precisely that the Dolls were morons to begin with, so DeWitt doesn’t see any problem with taking advantage of them. So she isn’t quite the monster she would be if she knew the Dolls were being directly kidnapped and enslaved into this against their will. The problem is the coercion used doesn’t make any sense.

However, calling the Doll sleeping with her rape is really stretching it. He’s imprinted with a gigolo personality which definitely didn’t mind sleeping with her. And that was contrasted with Echo’s imprint of a dominatrix, which really confuses the issue of who’s raping who.

My other point was that sex isn’t the main issue here – free will and brainwashing is. And that’s considerably worse than the prostitution uses the Dolls are put to, since the Dolls are also sent out to do worse crimes like assassination and robbery. I could imagine the Dollhouse being hired to provide an assassin to kill the President of the US, although I imagine the heat that would bring down might be too excessive for the Dollhouse to accept the engagement.

Your comparison of Le Femme Nikita and the Dollhouse is flawed precisely because I presume the Dolls are not informed of what sorts of engagements they’ll be sent on, whereas the agents of the organization Nikita belongs to definitely do know. So the Dolls aren’t actually agreeing to do anything but allow their bodies and brains to be used for missions unknown to them. So they really aren’t agreeing to do murder and rape per se.

The Nikita agents are basically morons, too. Once you had the skills of one of those agents, the proper approach is to take down the whole operation in concert with your fellow agents. Which is why that approach is never actually used in real life, despite the various movies like “XXX”. Nobody’s going to hire a psychopath to do bad things because psychopaths are utterly unreliable and will immediately turn on their handlers at the first opportunity. That’s why many terrorist groups eventually break up – because the organization becomes more about psychopathic crime than whatever cause they were originally fighting for. The Italian Red Brigades had this problem back in the ’70′s.

Curt: While the Terminator franchise might be energized by T-4 being a hit, it’s unlikely to do much for TSCC unless the series is totally rebooted – meaning it’s nothing like the way Friedman ran it. You could theoretically reboot the show with the same actors, since they were all excellent, but you’d have to act like the first two seasons never happened, since season two is precisely why it died.

Also, just having a certain influx of new Terminator fans from the movie won’t necessarily mean they’ll like the TSCC show which was completely unconnected to either T-3 or T-4, and in fact the problem was precisely that – it wasn’t Terminator the way the movies – and T-4 presumably – will be.

But the real problem is: will Warner Brothers and any network risk $20 million or more for a new series when there is no evidence 1) that there will BE an influx of new viewers from the movie when the show won’t be back until nine months later at the earliest, or 2) that such an influx would enable the show to be profitable, given the poor ratings of the first version?

At the very least, it would take a LOT of promo to convince the viewers who walked away from the first version of TSCC to come back and check out the rebooted version.

I say no chance. But studio heads do stupid stuff all the time, so anything’s possible, I suppose.

If fox decides not to continue with terminator theyll be making a big mistake. The movie looks like its going to be great. And that will def energize the franchise.

I like your style Except I’d substitute terminator with Dollhouse and though I dont work in a comic book store (though its close, I do taxes lol) I am a self proclaimed ‘geek’ I love my sci-fi and my horror and anything as seperated from reality as I can get because we already live real life why the hell would I want to watch real life. Calgon (Or Whedon) take me away!!!!

What I find truly amusing is how this is not a blog dedicated soley to T:SCC or Dollhouse — so why has this whole thread of 4/10 ratings all about those two shows?

Exactly.

We don’t want them to go away.

Oh, and who in the hell cares what a word means? You’re both idiots.

Actually its men and women and they did give permission when they signed the contract.

And I have to add, it’s really pathetic of you to have to come here and insult a woman just to make you feel better about yourself and your obviously pathetic life, real men don’t have to insult women to make themselves feel better, nor do they have to degrade others to boost their lacking self-esteem, or should I say, your lack of self-esteem. You’re so pathetic, you make me laugh, hahaha.

Your replies will not be read by me, you’re not a real man because real men don’t act like imbeciles, which is exactly what you are, haha.

I’m American, I’m of Irish, French, and Italian descent, but I was born in upstate New York, and even if I weren’t American, that would be rather racist of you to imply that just because someone wasn’t American or British or from an English-speaking country that their analysis of words would be not as good.

And if you look at the Webster’s dictionary here:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/several

2 a: more than one

So I was right, anyway I refuse to talk to you anymore. I can sense subtle racism when it’s there, and I don’t associate with racists, so any replies you write will be ignored and not read by me, because I won’t waste my time with you, haha.

Dee, Have you any sense of creativity and talent? Its the only program in several years that have both! I have watched nothing but reruns of tv and movies the past few years because of the lack of creativity in television. Dollhouse is the reason I find tv good again. People just don’t know how to follow something unfamiliar and new. Hey another cop show, why not a tv show from a movie? I know lets just rewrite old shows with new faces and titles! BORING!!! Its time for new ideas and creativity. I say WTG Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku for allowing themselves to be different and stay away from the sad norm of todays television

They were going to cancel X-Files as well, look where it ended up.

Sighhhhh.. sad sad sad…….

That’s why I watch Old Mission Impossible DVD’s, can’t get dissapointed by massive cancellations of a great show.

Terminator live on…

Isabel, you have quite a liberal definition of the word “several.” It’s been nominated for 2 Emmys. I don’t know where you come from, but in my country, 2 means “a couple.”

Not that I have anything against the number 2. 2 is the number of assets Jennifer Love Hewitt has. 2 is also the number of reasons to watch. And what a lovely pair those couple of reasons are.

Even if T4 does well (promos look good) I dont expect that to help a show with 3.5 million viewers.

Dollhouse – kill it off already. If it does this bad in Season 1, Season 2 would be lucky to bag 2.5 million viewers. That might be ok for CW, but not for any real network.

Caught first 15 minutes of Harpers Island, got bored after the guy got his head chopped off by the boat propeller after he was tied to the shaft. Im sure Joel McHale will be showing this on THE SOUP this week. The show was boring and annoying at time and I really didnt feel like I cared who got killed and who the sole survivor would be. Both Southland and Harpers lost viewers in the 2nd half hour. Dont know if either will last. Southland has a better chance since its on NBC – the 4th place network. Im suprised NBC didnt announce an ER spinoff. Its also why Chuck may also survive – if they were on ABC or CBS they would get the axe.

“Last week was Passover and this week Good Friday….don’t the programming execs look at a calendar once in a while?”

You might want to try one yourself.

GW didn’t seem to suffer too much by running on a holiday versus its last original non-holiday airing, and neither really did TSCC.

GW

8:00 p.m. V: 9.64 m, A18-49: 2.3/ 9
8:30 p.m. V: 10.83 m, A18-49: 2.7/ 9

Now THAT’S how you do it! UP over a MILLION for the last half hour – all the people who switched over from TSCC!

Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles
8:00 p.m. V: 3.76 m, A18-49: 1.4/ 5
8:30 p.m. V: 3.37 m, A18-49: 1.2/ 4

Not good for a finale when four hundred thousand people bail by the half hour mark…

Dollhouse
9:00 p.m. V: 3.63 m, A18-49: 1.4/ 5
9:30 p.m. V: 3.49 m, A18-49: 1.3/ 4

A little better – only a hundred forty thousand or so. And it wasn’t a finale.

Still makes no sense. I’m not signing over my brain just to avoid being murdered! Anybody who’d murder you won’t honor the frickin’ contract! You’d have to be a moron to believe that. Which is why I say Caroline was no rocket scientist. And that’s how she was played by Eliza, too, in my opinion.

I’d have to watch that negotiation again, but the impression I have is that she was being threatened with prosecution if she didn’t agree to the contract. Which would be reasonable from her point of view – corporation has me dead to rights, corporation is offering me an out by helping some “experiment” they’re doing. My life is ruined, so what have I got to lose?

Still dumb, but I could see an idiot agreeing to that. Criminals agree to ridiculous plea bargains all the time because they have no confidence they can beat the case and the prosecutors are telling them they’ll get fifty years if they go to court and “only” ten if they plea bargain. That’s how the Feds get their 98% conviction rate…

I suspect DeWitt uses the same methods on the “recruits” and properly regards them as morons when they agree, so she has little compunction about doing so. Still wrong, but not so different from a Federal prosecutor – except what she’s asking them to do is illegal.

Spenda: As for Dollhouse being used for prostitution, I’d say you should be more concerned when the Dolls are used for things like robbery, assassination, etc. Prostitutes are a dime a dozen. At least the Dolls are HIGH-CLASS escorts! Not to mention that erasing someone’s brain is a bit beyond being “used for sex”!

Dollhouse has finally hit it’s stride this past Friday by the way. It took WAY too long. If only it was like that from the beginning…

“If Fox really picks up the rumored ‘Someone’s gotta Go’, and it becomes a hit, I’ll lose what faith I have in humanity.”

Jack Bailey on line 2.

There are real jobs at stake for the cast and crew and I feel for them more than I feel for the fans, but, realistically, it is the line of work they have chosen (and that was their choice!), and they know how the world works.

Sure what I said was over-the-top, and should be obvious to anyone paying attention. But the idea of people delighting in the misery of others is sick. Especially when it involves (apparently) real people and real jobs.

The same kind of people who rile up fans with doom and gloom… critics.

Strange.

Yeah.

Fox will respond in kind by placing crap reality shows on Friday nights. Not unlike the mythical hydra, when one reality show dies, two take its place.

American broadcast TV of the future will consist of formulaic dramas, sitcoms, and reality shows.

If Fox really picks up the rumored “Someone’s gotta Go”, and it becomes a hit, I’ll lose what faith I have in humanity.

Anyways, what I cannot understand for the life of me is how some dumbass show like Ghost Whisperer can beat out Terminator. What is this? Ghost Whisperer is just so fruitless and wishes it was half as good as Terminator…yet pulls in triple the ratings. A REPEAT of Wife Swap beat out T:SCC. Don’t get me wrong, I love Terminator — I think it’s awesome — but this is just really sad.

I’d like to say it’s the time slot that’s killing it, but let’s get real. I will openly admit that I’m probably the dorkiest girl this world has ever seen and I really have nothing better to do on my Friday nights than watch the Tube, but that’s exactly my point. The Sci-Fi addicts that actually LIKE Terminator are watching it because that have nothing better to do on a Friday night. The ratings that Terminator has now are the best that they’re ever going to get; the geeks are already in…that is, of course, if it ever returns.

Dollhouse. Yes, Fox is my man for Friday night: Terminator then Dollhouse. Personally, I like the show and it’s definately getting better as it goes — darker, Dushku in that leather get-up, DeWitt and her crazy fantasies, Ballard and his insanity (now we know why a hot guy like him can only get the lonely girl next door) — it’s just getting better and better. The low ratings are what I don’t understand. Sure, the universal concept that same as any other show, but the plot is totally original and addictive.

Again, it’s sci-fi night for the people that don’t get out enough.

Is there hope? Well, nobody knows that for sure, all I do know is that it’s a shame a reality repeat beats out one of the best shows out there and some ludicrous show like Ghost Whisperer even gets ratings at all. I suppose that this shows where America’s priorities are.

Oh, and as Kmoney says: Don’t even tell me that FOX has something out there better than Terminator and Dollhouse. Heh, they wish. There best hope is to spit out another sorry show that nobody cares about; the lest they can do is keep the suckiness instead of getting worse.

Also it’s suggested that Fox has moved up its decision from end of April to the next couple days.

This makes absolutely no sense to me. Why would an uptrend in the DVR numbers for the finale make any difference since those numbers have been trending upwards for weeks now?

No wonder TV is slowly losing out to other forms of entertainment and activities (especially Internet): well-written creative programs are routinely cancelled and crap drivel is allowed to endure.

1. Loyal Fans base

2. People are going to stay at home more than anytime than the last 20 years.

3. Recession is going to last 3 or more years and family’s that do have decent incomes are going to be the target of Auto advertisers.

4. Lack of competition, GHOST WHISPER is getting Grey

5. GREAT SHOW

I wasn’t aware of the Sierra case – I must have missed that if it’s true. Echo was held because she got caught doing her “free the animals” schtick. That’s not much reason to sign away your life. Caroline didn’t strike me as being much smarter than Echo – in fact, when Echo has a personality imprint, she seems a lot more interesting than Caroline does in the flashbacks. That’s probably deliberate.

American Idol might be mediocre this season, but Adam Lambert happens to be the best singer in Idol history. He has more talent than Underwood. More talent than Hudson. More talent than all of the others.

As far as Fringe goes, it started out badly, but is now getting really interesting. Last few episodes have been spectacular. Even the X Files had shortcomings in the beginning. It’s 1st season was very weak. It took 12- 13 episodes to find it’s groove. Same thing here with Fringe. And now that Leonard Nimoy is guest starring for 4 episodes, it will probably get a lot better!