Joss Whedon: Chances of a 'Dollhouse' renewal are 'not very good'

Right around episode 6, "Dollhouse" kicked into creative high-gear -- but it might have been a little too late.

Series creator Joss Whedon, speaking on a "Dr. Horrible" panel Tuesday night at the Paley Festival, said the possibility of the show receiving a second-season pickup was, well, rather grim.

The chances are "not very good," he said, according to SciFiWire.com. "Obviously our numbers are pretty soft ... but we live in hope.

"I'm really proud of the episodes that are coming out," Whedon said. "More than that, I can't really ask."

His comments follow the recent news that Fox would not be airing "Dollhouse's" 13th episode, a stand-alone episode titled "Epitaph One" that the studio asked to be added on to the first season's 12 to package for sale on DVD and overseas. Whedon elaborated on the episode's set-up: "[I agreed to shoot] a post-apocalyptic thriller that's all on our sets in six days with a cast of four other people ... and peppered with different bits from our regular cast. ... It's one of the best episodes we've ever made."

The most recent episode of "Dollhouse" delivered a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49 and 3.6 million viewers overall. A renewal for its Friday-night lead-in, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," is even less likely. Fox will announce its fall schedule May 18.

-- Denise Martin

Related:
Joss Whedon on 'Dollhouse's' humor, layers and 'ick factor
Complete 'Dollhouse' coverage

Photo credit: Fox

Comments

[Tasha]

omg i LOVE this show. it was cute at first, but after episode 6 it became totally awesome. If Fox doesn't renew it they are shooting themselves in the foot as far as the long term's concerned. Give it a better lead in and give it a chance!! This show definitely has legs. Friday night's where shows go to die, so the low numbers can hardly be a shocker.

[Blue247]

The first 5 episodes blew because Fox executives without a creative bone in their body interfered. My favorite line that sent chills down my spine comes from episode 6 where Whedon's creative juices began to flow, was DeWitts activation of Mellie..." There are 3 flowers in a vase...The third flower is green/yellow." OK people, we have 1 month to save our show! Fans of Jerihco sent peanuts and managed to save the show for 1 season. I propose us diehard fans of Dollhouse to start sending green and yellow flowers in a vase to Fox to get our point across that it would be premature to cancel this show. After BSG ended I never thought there would be a show to replace it for me but Dollhouse is it! We've got to save this show!

[Curits]

I love Dollhouse. Not since Desperate Housewives have I *really* liked a TV show other than American Idol. I'll be very disappointed if it's not renewed for another season!

[claude hungus]

Dollhouse is an outstanding show for Hulu and any other ad-sponsored, web-video venues that may emerge. I, in fact, have watched all episodes of Dollhouse on Hulu thus far. And I know very little of Joss Whedon's past work and fan-base
.
When I say it's a show-for-Hulu, I do not not suggest Dollhouse is somehow second-rate and not worthy of a prime-time TV slot. I think it's actually the reverse: Prime Time TV is not worthy of Dollhouse. Hulu, however, is worthy of the show (As is Hulu's likely more selective, educated audience).

Is Fox showing zombie-like symptoms in its apparent failure to capitalize on Whedon's fan-base and correspondingly repackage Dollhouse for Hulu, DVD/Blu-Ray or cable? Are all the carry-outs in Century City starting to receive large, off-the-menu, lunch-time orders for "BRAINS?"

[chad]

If you downloading this make sure you turn your tv on the next few fridays on fox or they wont be a season 2. Ratings are what its going to take to convince the fox board. If you watch it but know people who just grab off the net tell them the same thing.

[Ozymandiaskzx]

Ok,
Here's the deal.
If the viewing public keeps patronizing these reality shows we will have less and less variety to choose from.
Dollhouse is well done and worthy of Television. Just like many others that have been dropped out of existence.
These Corporations are bleeding quality programs to death. They want whatever gets them ratings so they can bleed someone else to death.
If people want reality shows fine. I am sick of schemes to capture Ratings on the cheap.
I think many of the reality shows are designed for a dumbed down society. If it works go for it but it will not last. I am so tired of much of the American based television I am going to switch international and try to find something worthwhile.
I will still watch quality shows through other venues but I am so done.
I wish there was some real competition from a network that has the guts to go after all of us who have been disenfranchised by the junk they are shoveling.. This is another reason to not support any network who drops good shows and scream for the terminations of execs like Moonvees and other spineless dinosaurs.
NBC is the only Major we have out there who is making some good moves along with TNT USA and a few others.
Scifi is hit and miss but when they have credible stuff its good.
I would try and shop any genre of quality show to one network like NBC and it's affiliates and draw a line in the sand. Fox is a lousy pimp with too much money. A great number of shows they try are good and they just flush them. Anybody but Fox but hey Fox tries them in the first place. What a waste. You get in the swing of an interesting story line and it can never develop. or move it somewhere and you never see it again.

I guess the smartest this would be to just throw the TV away!

I like to see a good show and support working actors and connected jobs. Hey just out source it to China or Fox WTH.

[DarkAngelAAM]

I have been a huge fan of Joss Whedon since his Buffy the Vampire Slayer series started in 1997 (or was it '96?). If I remember correctly, he switched to a different network in the early years of that show.
The problem then was similar; he ran his pilot episodes, and the initial viewing response wasn't what that network wanted. So they dropped Buffy. Another network picked it up and we had a seven-year run! Who knows, maybe Fox's stupidity, will be another networks windfall.
Then again, I have stayed away from 'Prime Time' Television for a while. All the "Reality" shows were ridiculous and genuinely had no merit, with the exception of the few that are looking for undiscovered talent.
The rest are reminiscent of "The Running Man". That concept belongs in the past, and most of these other shows belong in the toilet.

[neminem]

It's been a whole day, and these are all the comments this has gotten? Well, crap on a stick. I came upon this rather obscenely ugly piece of news after rewatching episode 9 (on Hulu), and googling in desperate hope that episode 10 would be up, even though I knew it wouldn't be yet. Yes, I, like many others, don't have a tv. There's just never been much of a point to having one, when the vast majority of shows are garbage. Ironically, the ad up for episode 9 right now on Hulu, repeated every commercial break, was for some other show, that looked like it'd make me physically ill trying to watch an entire episode.

But Dollhouse is something else. Somehow, I knew that, like Firefly, they wouldn't possibly let anything halfway intelligent by for long, but I had a dream. And I still have a dream: not that Fox will decide to give it another chance, cause then they'll just screw it over more. Rather, I have a dream that Whedon will get wise, and somehow figure a way to move his property to a location that *won't* screw him over. Pretty please?

Yes, this is a show for Hulu. Or, heck, a show for general internet publication. I won't pay for cable, because they don't deserve my money; but if you made me pay 10 bucks an episode directly to Whedon's pocket, so he could keep shooting - I'd do it, no questions asked.

[Jessa]

So very typical of Fox. They get a great show, stick on a terrible night, and wonder why it's failing. It's going the same way as many other great shows: Firefly, Dark Angel, Futurama, Titus... Why people are still trying to air shows on that network is beyond me. Get it on a decent channel, like Sci-Fi, and Dollhouse will get the chance it deserves! Until then, we're going to have to fight in order to save a show that has a LOT of promise, unlike most of the trite, annoying stuff on television these days.

[Jeremy]

I agree with the comments made on this site. I have only been able to view Dollhouse on Hulu.com and from the first episode I was hooked. The first few episodes set up the idea and background of the characters. and then Whedon kicked it into gear in episode six with setting his characters into motion and thickening the plot lines. By adding new dimensions with a "24" like atmosphere with intrigue and suspicion. Episode nine was probably the best I have seen so far where Wheldon started at the end and showed the different story lines using the imprint on each main character with a focus from different points of view of the same main story line. In doing so making this show not just about main character/one actress, but the rest of the cast. In episode nine, the audience gets to learn more about Dewitt, who appeared cold and distant towards the other characters. But you see a vulnerable side to her that is human. I know from watching a couple episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that Wheldon was a good writer/director, but Dollhouse maybe better than Buffy, if given the chance to let the story naturally unfold. If Fox goes ahead and cancels this show, then they are shooting themselves in the foot. I would give Dollhouse a chance at another season to truly evolve into show similar to 24.

[Robin Rogers]

Please renew Dollhouse! Don't make the same mistake that was made with Firefly! That was even better than Buffy and Angel, and Dollhouse could be as great. Somebody needs to give it a chance. Or bring back Firefly. Or both.

[W.K.]

I have written Fox urging them to renew Dollhouse at askfox@fox.com, and I urge anyone who wants the show to continue to do the same.

[Cindy Leeloo]

I agree with much of the sentiments here. I also refuse to pay for cable services, and with the wonderful digital transmission, receiving Dollhouse is a hit and miss deal, so I have turned to Hulu to watch the episodes I haven't seen. I didn't care much for the first 4 or 5? shows, but then suddenly the show switched gears - we found out so much information with that one episode - sorry I don't remember what number it was -- but suddenly there was all this information being given about the plot. Wheels within wheels... Television is really bad. I got rid of cable and rent shows to watch commerical free, and program my own television now. I guess I will just stick to reading. Both the television industry and the music industry are lazy.