'American Idol?' It's all about 'Dollhouse'

Say this out loud, to the tune of "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia:" "Dollhouse, Dollhouse, Dollhouse."

Fox's top brass held a conference call with reporters on Monday to announce next season's schedule. You'd think Adam Lambert or Kara DioGuardi or just the words, "American Idol,"  would have come up frequently in the discussion. Or maybe Jack Bauer and "24," which concludes tonight in an exciting two-hour finale.

Nah.

The press, largely in like with Joss Whedon, was fixated on "Dollhouse."  Word had already gotten out over the weekend that Fox was renewing the low-rated series that premiered with high expectations, but reporters wanted to know what factors persuaded Fox President of Entertainment Kevin Reilly to take another chance on it.

Reilly, who has always been open about his admiration for the popular TV scribe and director, said simply:  "This is a bet on Joss Whedon."

The series, Reilly noted, may not be a hit, but it is one of the top shows viewed by DVR users, and executives find that encouraging.

"It’s a bet on creativity," Reilly added. "You know how inspired Joss Whedon is, and it’s a bet on Joss. . . . That was a pattern for us that we liked, betting on Joss, and I think we’ll continue to see it grow into next season."

Eight weeks into his new job, Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice agreed: 

"We think we can grow the show," Rice said. "The show became much stronger creatively during the course of the season. Joss feels very energized about it, and we believe in him as a creator. We feel he can build the show and grow in the new season and that Friday is a good place for it to do that."

So did Jon Nesvig, Fox's president of sales, who said that advertisers "love" "Dollhouse" and "we love having a scripted Friday night."

Reilly said that for him it was never a choice between "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," which was canceled, and "Dollhouse." He also didn't want to create a completely new lineup for Friday nights in the fall.

"I’d venture to say that if we put on new shows on Friday night in particular there would be a lot of cynicism — well, wait you’re creating an entire new night of television?" Reilly said. "Not to mention, if we had canceled Joss’ show, I’d probably have 110 million e-mails this morning. So if you have something that has a core that you believe is working, it’s better than taking a wild play."

--Maria Elena Fernandez

--Photo: Eliza Dushku Credit: David Strick/Los Angeles Times

 

Comments

[Deb]

Some unknow facts for you folks, #1. Dollhouse Neilsons were low, BUT the DVR rating PUSHED it up 40% higher than Neilson, showed so it was better rated than "Terminator" and #2.Joss himself has put HIS money behind it.

Fox has finally descovered that Neilson rating sare NOT the only factor to be consitered, they consitered DVR's and HULU (and others) downloads. The core group of viewers for "Dollhouse'" is 24-49 with + 4 years of college.

[Kimmy Leon]

I am so excited for tonight, I can't believe its almost over! Get a recap by watching this. OMG the auditions are hilarious, def click to see it and pass on to your idol friends.

http://tinyurl.com/idolrecap09

[Tom Mendenhall]

Dullhouse was interesting for a few episodes then faded fast. My guess it's cheaper to produce due to the limited cast and locations vs. a much superior SCC. Oh well, like a bad marriage soon it will disappear into oblivion where it belongs. Joss Whedon must be nearing the end of his creative years. I will always admire him for Firefly. Remember the best and forget the worse.

[Rick_dollbait]

I don't understand the bashing of DH by T:SSC fans. Many of us DH fans also supported the renewal of T:SSC. Thanks a lot for your "support." I wouldn't act like a loser if DH were canceled and T:SSC lived on. It wasn't about just ratings. You just don't get it do you. It was about total numbers. DVR Hulu Sales of eps. and pre-orders of DVDs and Joss Whedon. And Dollhouse went overseas, Why? Joss Whedon. The UK Sci-Fi channel is loving it. It also is going to Australia, There are fans for it all over the globe. It's getting more press and attention than any show I've seen in a long time. And I've been around a block or two.
Sorry we lost T:SSC. Show some class. Bashing DH isn't going to bring it back.

[JohnMS78]

Joss Whedon is brilliant right along with his dedicated co-writers! There's so much subtle (and obvious) depth and creativity behind Whedon's shows' storylines, and I'm glad Fox is actually seeing this, as well.

A big perk for me is that aside from Elisha being an über hot & a bad ass chick on & off the screen from back in the days of her role as "Faith" on Buffy, it's good to see her back out in the spotlight again trying a little diversity of character acting. Gotta love Joss for being loyal to his previous cast of actors!!

All in all, well done and can't wait for Season 2!!!

[california]

my 16 year old son and I , love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dollhouse. such a smart story, and Elizas such a good actress. Give it another chance, it's addicting. We are now watching Tru calling, all seasons to watch Eliza.

[bluezy_susie]

To cancel Terminator TSCC...p-offing all the sci fi peeps...I refuse to watch Dollhouse anymore. Won't watch anything started on FOX ever. I care not to get involved in a storyline and then be left hanging...

[coin database]

I really liked Terminator:TSCC and in fact I liked the show a lot more than I liked Dollhouse. I really felt like Terminator had potential. They should have put it up against Heroes which has gotten suckier with every episode.

I'm reading that Dollhouse promises to be more of an arc this season than episodical, which I think is a great thing. For those of us who watch every episode, it really makes the show more interesting. I do enjoy watching characters evolve.

[Michele]

To cancel Dollhouse would be incredibly stupid. This is an amazing series. Just take it off Friday night and put on Sun to Thursday.