Ok, so Fox hasn't officially come out yet and said that Dollhouse is cancelled, but it's certainly starting to look like it is. Let's just say that if I were to consult a Magic 8 Ball right now and ask it whether or not Dollhouse was being cancelled, its response would probably be "All signs point to yes".
The reason that I say this is that Fox has just announced that they will be airing the 12th episode of Dollhouse on May 8th, and that episode will be the season finale for the show. Now I know that doesn't sound too bad, right? But here's the thing. The 12th episode of the show isn't the season finale, or at least it wasn't meant to be. Joss Whedon made 13 episodes of the show for the first season. The 13th episode of the show is supposed to be the season finale, not the 12th. So if Fox is only going to air episode 12, what the hell is going to happen to Episode 13?
It looks like it may end up on the DVD and Blu-ray release, which drop on July 28, TVShowsonDVD.com reported. The discs will contain all 13 episodes: "Ghost," "The Target," "Stage Fright," "Gray Hour," "True Believer," "Man on the Street," "Echoes," "Needs," "A Spy in the House," "Haunted," "Briar Rose," "Omega" and "Epitaph One," as well as the original unaired pilot episode, "Echo," the site reported. (Amazon.com is already taking pre-orders for the DVD.)
Just to recap, here's what is happening. Fox is NOT airing the final episode of Dollhouse. It'll only be available on DVD. Oh, and the original pilot episode for the show was never aired either, but that'll be available on DVD too. Does this behavior sound at all familiar to you? It should. This is pretty much exactly what Fox did to Joss Whedon's other show Firefly when they cancelled that a few years back.
Oh, and here's the real kicker. Episode 13 is the episode in which Audiences actually get to see the show's main villain Alpha in person. It's the episode in which Alan Tudyk makes his first appearance as the knife wielding former doll who just happens to be a psychopath with multiple personalities. And just to add further insult to injury for Joss Whedon fans, Episode 13 was also set to feature actress Felicia Day (from Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog and The Guild) in a guest role for the episode. Earlier today on her Twitter account, the actress had the following to say:
Man, day getting worse and worse. Found out my Dollhouse ep, #13 isn't gonna air. Only on DVD. Such a great part too. Thx Fox. :(
Joss Whedon himself has also left a statement regarding Fox's announcement on his Twitter feed. Here's what he had to say:
It's true. Dollhouse ep 13 isn't going to air. This makes @feliciaday sad. How do you feel? Why don't share those feelings with FOX?
Personally, I can't say that I'm actually too upset by this news. I've got to reasons why too. First off, I really haven't cared for the show. It's been kind of crappy ever since the first episode. Sure, its had its moments here and there, but for the most part it's been bland, boring and altogether unengaging to me. Secondly, I am not in any way suprised by this move as the show's ratings have never been all that good, plus this is Fox and cancelling shows is what they do best.
But to all of you Dollhouse fans out there, you'd better start preparing yourselves. The end is near. I can feel it.
speaking of series ending. Did you hear how Life On Mars ended? I never saw a full episode but it didn't look all that great. Still the season/series finale would have seriously pissed me off if I had been a fan of the show.
ReplyDeleteWith the exception of cartoons, I only really watch 3 shows (including Dollhouse) and honestly this news does not bother me. I've stuck with Dollhouse simply because of Joss Whedon, but honestly I haven't enjoyed any of the series. I've tried to stick with it hoping that as the show progressed, so would it's quality. This has not been the case and it is unfortunate. It is true that Buffy took a while to grow on you but I would argue that that show had engrossing characters from out of the gates. It did take on many shapes and metamorphoses over the years but was always fresh and exciting and never dull or bland. Firefly was immediately enjoyable beginning with the first episode and didn't even need to get into the swing of things to grow on you. I still haven't watched all of Angel so I can't speak for that series and even Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog was genius. Why does this show suck so much? I mean it isn't horrible, just ultimately forgettable and not something I would even give a second glance if Whedon's name were not attached. This is the only reason I'm sticking around to see if it improves at all or finally picks up (as all the Whedon die-hards are assuring me it will), but I just don't care about the concept at all. I don't like a different program a week. Programmable chicks? Lame. The characters are boring and I'm not just talking about the people that they program to be "dolls", but while we are on the subject how could they be interesting? It's even the actual characters without their minds wiped that bore me. The show as a whole bores me. I am sad to see a Whedon creation go before it was even given a chance, and who knows? Maybe I would have enjoyed it in a second or third season. Probably not. Programmable people again, lame. But I am not sorry to have no new season or no thirteenth episode. I'm not buying any box set or caring if it ever comes back. Bring me more Firefly!
ReplyDeleteHere here! I'm all for more Firefly and less Dollhouse but I admit that I'm a totally biased opinion here. I still say that if Whedon were to be able to get the rights to Firefly and was able to make a deal with the Sci-fi Channel to air new episodes, it would instantly become Sci-fi's highest rated series and would go on for seasons. It would be like BSG's replacement show for the channel, ratings wise.
ReplyDeleteAs for Angel, it's a good show overall, but it does have some kind of crappy moments. The first season is sort of iffy while the show tries to figure out what it is. Seasons 2 and 3 are fucking awesome. Season 4 is so god awful I'm still trying to purge the memories of it from my brain. Season 5 though sees Spike show up, and the show gets great again and another awesome season is had.
As for Dollhouse, I'm in full agreement with Matt. I just couldn't care less about a group of characters that are literally different people each week. As a viewer, it's impossible to build up any sort of emotion for people who are basically brain dead automotons that. And the characters on the show who aren't dolls are just as boring. Even the one truely geeky character on the show, Topher, I don't really like. Whedon is known for his ability to make great ensemble casts of characters that viewers develop a deep fondness for. That just totally hasn't happened here. All we have is a group of bland, boring people and a group of bland, mind wiped people. The only interesting character so far has been the concept of Alpha, the rogue doll who's gone crazy, but now I find out that we'll never even see his episoded aired? Then what the hell is keeping me around wanting to watch the show? Jack shit, that's what.
And to Mike, no, I haven't heard how Life on Mars ended. I do know how the original british series ended. Is it anything like that?
there was a british show? didn't know that.
ReplyDeletefrom what i heard, the present day cop who wakes up in the 70's, at the end of the final show, wakes up on a space ship going to... you guessed it... Mars! it turns out him being a cop was a programmed dream and the whole 70's angle was a glitch in the system.
i try not to use this saying anymore, but that is the gayest ending i've ever heard of for a show. and of course by "gay" I mean "lame" and not actually homosexual.
Wow, that's pretty fucking stupid. Yeah, I'd be pretty pissed off too if I was a fan of that show. And yes, Life on Mars was originally a very popular british TV show that was adapted for american TV, much like The Office was. Unlike The Office though, the american version of Life on Mars (from what I had heard) was generally pretty crappy when compared to the original version. In my personal opinion though, that generally tends to be the case. Of course, I'm generally of the belief that British TV is better than American TV though, so I'm a completely biased opinion here. The final episode of the British version of Life on Mars has absolutely nothing to do with a spaceship, or with the main character going to Mars. I promise you that.
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