Even the biggest Dollhouse fans knew this day was coming: Dollhouse has been sent to the big TV scrapyard in the sky, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The program has been on the brink of cancellation for most of its televised life, and because of pitiful ratings, it wasn't a question of "if," but a question of "when."
For those of you excited to see how the whole show shakes out, industry insiders say all episodes will still air, with the final episode serving as a finale to tie up loose ends.
But how did a show by a cult-fave producer (Joss Whedon) that starred a sexy actress (Eliza Dushku) and had the support of powerhouse network fail? Let's take a hasty look, shall we? (We'll ignore the obvious: Dollhouse's Friday-night time slot and it's pairing with Brothers.)
1. The standalone-versus-mythology mix was off-kilter: Aside from all the show's problems, there was a solid foundation to build onbut Dollhouse only added to it sparingly, spending too much time on the periphery. We got a peek at the show's potential in the unaired-but-awesome episode "Epitaph One," and Season Two had sprinkles of what the show should have been focusing on: Echo (Eliza Dushku) absorbing her imprinted personalities and using them to figure out how far the Dollhouse goes, while kicking the asses of anyone who got in her way. But all too often, viewers had to wade through 35 minutes of generic standalone story before getting a nugget of the overall arc, and frankly, TV is too competitive and our attention spans are too short to make this tolerable.
2. The story started out too slow: Joss, at the behest of Fox, waited too long to get down to the nitty gritty. By that time (five episodes into the first season) most had alreadyand justifiably sogiven up on the program. A simple tease of the apocalypse from "Epitaph One" early in the show's run (I'm thinking pilot episode) would have given it more legs. You have to build momentum right from the start these days. Ironically, a show that was thematically about identity actually lacked identity.
3. Dollhouse lacked a strong protagonist: Let's face it: Echo was too damn boring for too damn long. Yeah, we know the Actives are supposed to be emotionless, but no one wants to root for someone just because they look good in an American Apparel tank top. How different would the show's reception have been if we'd seen a glimpse of the ass-kicking Echo to come? Joss wouldn't have given anything away if he'd revealed her as a strong heroine by showing us peeks at the future (duh, of course she was going to head in that direction), and viewers would've had something and someone to look forward to. As those cheesy bumper stickers say: It's the journey, not the destination!
4. The show took itself too seriously: Joss' strength is his wry wit. Yet the short Web project Dr. Horrible had a thousand times more of it than hours and hours of Dollhouse. Maybe Joss was trying to go in a different direction and be more serious, but the show could really have benefited from a few chuckles.
5. Hype: This isn't anyone but old Father Internet's fault, but Dollhouse was almost doomed to fail from the outset, thanks to super-heightened expectations. Now with Dollhouse out of the way, we can focus all our attention on buzzing about Cabin in the Woods!
Dollhouse, we hardly knew ye, but what we did knew of ye could have been better.
Comments (161)
I want to say that the author is an idiot, however he is probably a talented analyst that sees the general public for what they are... Idiots. "TV is too competitive and our attention spans are too short to make this tolerable." For 90% of the couch potatoes out there with energy enough to change the channel, this is sadly too true.
Long Live Dollhouse! He he
The dude who wrote this review literally has not a single good taste. I can see where he's coming from a little bit, but if you really really think about it.. "Echo was too boring for too long". No, she wasn't. This show was genius. They were building up character for the characters. I would rather of sat through five episodes of Dollhouse, seeing Echos point of view on things, and how the Dollhouse was ran, and why everyone was there, and met all the other people who were involved with the show, then two episodes in and Echo realizing more of what and why she was doing there.
There has and never will be another show like this guaranteed. The concept was fucking fantastic. One amazing show. The plot twists, the characters, the whole story line was brilliant. I'm on my way to finishing the last few episodes of season two, and I still get the sad feeling knowing that it's almost at its end.
If you haven't seen the show, I would highly recommend you do.moreless
I have waited a long time to see a TV show that appeals to my intelligence level. For all the haters...I wonder if you would be better off watching sponge bob or equally IQ dropping program. Just goes to show that as society moves along the populous gets dumber. Dollhouse gets two thumbs up, and should be picked up by another network.
GLAD TO SEE IT GONE!!!.. If Terminator had to die then I'm GLAD it's taken this down with it!!.. Terminator had a MASSIVE base and ability yet had to be canned cos "Oh no we want more girlies or more lovey dovey reality touchy feely blah blah blah blah *spew*).. Gone are the good ol' days of television I tell you.. Well all I can say is.. Dollhouse may have had multiple personalities/memories etc etc.. atleast Terminator had time travel!... let's hope it comes back!
dollhouse is AMAZING..just finished watching the last episode..im so sad this got cancelled....
I enjoyed every episode. I thought the concept was brilliant and only wish there was more. :o(
i like the last few episodes of dollhouse bcuz it was more exciting and there was always sumthing goin on but the main reason i watched it to start with was bcuz eliza dushku and i think victor is cute
lmao, I knew this would happen.I can finally publish me theory:the greater the number of Whedonverse people on a Fox show, the closer the chance of cancellation = 1C'mon, Tru Calling (Eliza), that show Marti Noxon was involved in, Drive (Amy Acker, Nathan Fillion, Timer Minear) and of course, Firefly. Why these people keep signing on with Fox is beyond me.Oh well, will watch it when it gets released on Bluray.
The only reason I was watching this show was because of Eliza Dushku... She deserves better shows.
dollhouse = fail, dushku = win
It (Dollhouse) was given at least 2 attempts, maybe even 3 to revamp/re air the show. It didn't make any sense.... so why doesn't FOX give Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles another shot, considering they ordered the second season pretty fast; faster than Dollhouse anyway... GIVE viewers a chance to want to watch FOX other than it's fantastic sunday line-up. King of the Hill was cancelled prematurely aswell. So FOX; what have you learned from this experiment....Failure....
I couldn't get enough of Eliza Dushku. She is one of the most sexy actresses that I have seen in a long time. This is not just about the way she looks but how she acts. The show achieved the same standards with each of the ladies that were on this show. For me it never got dull because of each of the actresses on this show. I'm very disappointed to hear that others don't share or understand that this is why we watch the show. The story is relatively unimportant and just provides a distraction while watching the girls.
I agree and I disagree. I thought the show had plenty of humor and chuckles - - mainly provided through the tech character. I liked the overall arc of the series and was glad that some of the storylines didn't go where I thought they may have been uninventively headed: e.g., was glad to see the plot veer from overweight, painstakingly self-conscious neighbor infatuated with FBI man turn into her being a doll and then deftly removed from the show in a way that also got FBI man involved with the inner workings of the dollhouse (although watching him walk is painfully like watching a duck billed platypus strolling - guess it's his marshall arts training that keeps him walking on his toes instead of his full foot). I wasn't as into Echo show after show, so I was more interested when I saw greater focus on two of the other operatives coming into play. I thought what started out as a one character, possibly two character, based show was becoming intriguing as it seemed to be headed into a more balanced multi-character series. There are so many more places to take it, and I believe they would have if granted more seasons and given greater promotion.moreless
I'll second that and add in a dash of "Firefly, anyone?"
>>Incorrect. While the show had problems building up in the beginning (Largely due to Fox's continual interference) it was not pushed by the network and put into a deadly timeslot. Fox plays with genre shows like this all the time. Even Fringe, they took from a successful timeslot and screwed it by moving it to Thursdays. They screwed Terminator as well (No it wasn't for Dollhouse. The screws were in for that show long before DH came around). If a network isn't behind a show it will not make it. Fox was never behind DH, never behind Terminator, never behind Arrested Development. They do nothing for the show, then complain its not getting viewers. The same ratings on FX would have made DH, or Terminator a hit. Both shows would have had time to develop as they used to get to do. That's what went wrongmoreless
Incorrect.While the show had problems building up in the beginning (Largely due to Fox's continual interference) it was not pushed by the network and put into a deadly timeslot. Fox plays with genre shows like this all the time. Even Fringe, they took from a successful timeslot and screwed it by moving it to Thursdays. They screwed Terminator as well (No it wasn't for Dollhouse. The screws were in for that show long before DH came around).If a network isn't behind a show it will not make it. Fox was never behind DH, never behind Terminator, never behind Arrested Development. They do nothing for the show, then complain its not getting viewers. The same ratings on FX would have made DH, or Terminator a hit. Both shows would have had time to develop as they used to get to do.That's what went wrong.moreless
i have no idea about this show, but my new Favortie FlashForward taking same path i belive.Almost every one of this fife thing fits with FF, so, hope they will correct it.
Still can't believe Terminator:SCC was canceled because of this...
FOX+Whedon=cancelOh Joss, why do you keep returning to your abuser?
i hope the next step for joss and eliza is the buffy spinoff we have all been waiting for, angel got a 5 season series, now it is faith's time to get a series.
Saw this coming after seeing the path Season 2 was taking .. they should have saved "Terminator:The Sarah Chronicles"
I liked dollhouse, but the storyline was kinda slow at start, but everyone wants lots of action and rama. nobody appreciates a good storyline now adays.
oh damn that's sad
Just looked it up, I was mixed up w/Cabin Fever.
Wasn't there just a movie out few years ago called Cabin in the Woods?
TV nowadays is all proceduals & stand alone episodes, so I think your argument is flawed in that aspect.
I love Joss and I love Dollhouse. I really hate to see it go, but at least it happened now before things got worse? I don't know. There's not a lot of paranormal/sci fi dramas that I really get into, besides Heroes and Supernatural, and even those aren't doing well ratings wise. I like these shows for the stories and the excitement. I just wish things would be better for them in the long run.
Only reason I watched Dollhouse was because it came on after Terminator. I was sorry to see Terminator end without tying up the loose ends. So, now it's back to Ghost Whisperer, and Medium.
Dollhouse is my and my husbads all time favorite tv show!!! We look forword to fridays to watch it. and if we couldnt watch it that nite we would record it so we can watch it later. Fox should be a shamed and yes i hope another channle will pick it up !!!!
the dollhouse, was the best show on fox on fri. , i really love it . shame on you fox , i hate you , as much as i hate the fox news chan. i hope the wb , sicfi , eta. pick this show up ?
I, for one will moss it.
Dollhouse is the only one of Joss' projects I've not been passionate about. I watch it, but don't freak out if I miss an episode. Let's face it - Dollhouse was no Firefly
Dollhouse is the only one of Joss' projects I've not been passionate about. I watch it, but don't freak out if I miss an episode. Let's face it - Dollhouse was no Firefly
This seriously just pisses me off! I loved Buffy and Angel and absolutely loved Dollhouse! I didn't see anything wrong with it, I was wishing and hoping that it would make it and ugh it just makes me mad. I blame fox they suck!
As an SCI-FI lover i must say that we are down to Fringe and Lost. J.J. is the man!! And as i said before. Terminator wasnt doing well either. And dont get me wrong I LOVED Terminator, but i hated his writer (JOSH FRIEDMAN). In fact i got happy when it got canceled because i have a big respect for the Terminator Franchise and the writers werent doing a good job with the 2nd season anyway the movies were also mindless shooting (The last one). RIP Terminator. :( Miss Summer Glau. :( I Blame Josh Friedman for the demise of the Terminator Franchise i hope that guy never gets a writing job again.
insert thumbs down
YES!! You should have kept Terminator instead!
NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. I mean come on! The main character WAS A DIFFERENT PERSON IN EVERY EPISODE!!! Seriously, Whedon is excellent at character development as is evident in Buffy, Angel, and Firefly. Where was that magic in Dollhouse?
Enough, already! Twelve strikes and you're out!!! ;)
Now if they can just get rid of Fringe which is terribly cliched and obvious. And I say that regretfully because Joshua Jackson is great, but he is the only good thing there. I mean they write the character Walter in such a pathetic way. They make him try too hard to be "weird". So annoying.
Fox never wanted the show to do well. They wouldn't let Joss do what he wanted until it was wayyyyy toooooo late. Looks like I'll have even less on TV to watch now... Down to 4 shows.
good riddance
It finally got canceled, about time.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
I'm not surprised. No matter how many times people say it was awesome, it doesn't change the fact that it wasn't a successful show ratings/viewers wise.
i really do think it was for the best, the show became too bogged down with what fox wanted it to be and not what joss invisioned, i think joss should stop dealing with the major networks and stick to cable chanels where he can flourish and be a hit. i believe syfy is the place for joss