Gingerbreadgirl Productions Movie-tastic Awesometown

Ever since Dollhouse premiered on FOX last season, geeks had reason to celebrate and lament this new show.  After all, it was created by Joss Wedon who has an uber-fan base, what with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly. In fact, Firefly was another FOX based show that suffered plummeting ratings, and despite critical success was given the axe after one season.  Right from the get go, fans had expected the same of Dollhouse.  In fact, most of the internet buzz as it trots on it's second season reads more like a dead pool wager, wondering when the show will finally be killed off prematurely by the network.

At this point, the show is indeed still continuing despite it's lackluster success.  The show has also been further crippled by the fact that some episodes, while high reaching, end up fumbling badly.  There have been rumors that FOX made a list of story requirements for the first half of the season in exchange for allowing Whedon and Co. to do whatever they wanted for the last half.

But now FOX's latest stunt is to remove Dollhouse for the entire month of November.  The explanation (actually there was no explanation, I had to hunt for this) is that they wanted to replace it for sweeps in favour of something that will bring higher advertising revenue for the network.  Dollhouse is slated to return in December with what they call "event" episodes.  So even though immediately people are saying the show has been cancelled, it is not true and FOX says they are committed to airing the entirety of season 2.

At what cost does FOX do this however?  Dollhouse is already four episodes into the new season and regular TV viewers have become familliar with the routine of programming.  To take a show like this that is already stumbling and suddenly remove it from existance for a whole month can be nothing but damaging.  How many viewers will forget to re-tune in?  How many will just lose patience or interest in the interim?  Decisions like this, despite the reason only make that dangling axe that sits omnipresently over the show dangle even more precariously.

At this point, I think everyone will be surprised to see a third season of Dollhouse.

Ashley Lynch