Question: is it possible for a show to be renewed for a second season even after the show gets moved to Friday nights, gets increasingly bad ratings, and then a DVD set comes out that includes two unaired episodes, including the finale of the show that the network didn't air? The unequivocal answer is ... who knows?
FOX still hasn't made an "official" decision on Dollhouse. The ratings for the season finale (or the 12th episode, which served as the season finale) were some of the worst yet for the show, but until the network says "yeah, it's canceled, stop bothering us Whedon!" we have to say that it's still possible that the show will come back for a second year.
Whedon gave the network his ideas on where to take the show if they get another season just the other day. It involves a story arc where the cast gets involved in a singing competition show in Hollywood, then another story arc where they encounter celebrities who want to dance. He's sure a second season will be a winner.
Until then, the DVD set will contain two unaired episodes: the first pilot for the show and also the 13th episode that FOX pulled. It comes out on July 28.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-13-2009 @ 3:14PM
davem said...
>>Until then, the DVD set will contain two unaired episodes
Will the DVD set stop containing two unaired episodes after that?
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5-13-2009 @ 3:17PM
Edward said...
Why won't the CW pick up this show? It fits its demo.
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5-13-2009 @ 3:21PM
Malren said...
How about a report on the ratings? I can't seem to find them anywhere.
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5-13-2009 @ 3:24PM
Terry said...
It will be a shame to lose dollhouse...I hope fox pulls a fast one on us and renews it!!!
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5-13-2009 @ 3:48PM
j-dubs said...
Sounds like FOX is pulling the same crap with Dollhouse that they did with Firefly. I've never seen Dollhouse, so I don't know if it's any good or not, but I know Whedon is great at what he does. Why does he keep working with FOX? At some point shouldn't he just tell those network twits to find another guy to continuously screw over? Maybe Whedon should just make his programs for direct-to-DVD release ... they seem to do exceedingly well in that format.
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5-13-2009 @ 4:08PM
KDawg2600 said...
"Why does he keep working with FOX?"
The idea for this show stemmed from a lunch he had with Eliza. She signed a deal with FOX and then asked him to write a show for her to do. So it was for her and she was with FOX. Plus, he said that the execs that were there during the Firefly period had all left, so even though it was still FOX, it had different management.
Though perhaps he was being overly optimistic about the situation.
5-13-2009 @ 3:55PM
Scott said...
I've seen interviews where Whedon said that they cannibalized the pilot and included a lot of pieces from it in other episodes. So it'll be interesting, but probably not have much new material. And watching it first will make those scenes in the other episodes feel redundant and have no dramatic value.
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5-13-2009 @ 4:09PM
Midnight13 said...
I just read an article through a link on Whedonesque about why "Fringe" will get a easy second season order, and while "DollHouse" is in limbo. I was the big fan of Abrams' "Alias", but I do not care about "Fringe". It is no "X-Files" as far as I can see. I don't care if the science is psuedo, theoretically based or otherwise. I don't find any of the characters all that intresting. I don't care about who the creepy guy of the week or the creepy lady of the week is on this show. I gave "Fringe" a chance. True admission. I actually dozed off during the boring series premire. I've lost intrest in "Fringe" with each week while I've only gained intrest in "DollHouse with each week. So why does "Fringe" get it so easy while "DollHouse" has to fight so hard for a second season?
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5-13-2009 @ 4:29PM
LRS62 said...
Possibly because Fringe gets decent ratings and Dollhouse got shit ones?
5-13-2009 @ 4:32PM
Eric H said...
Because people watch Fringe
5-13-2009 @ 4:43PM
Victor Mancha said...
Because Fringe is on tuesdays after American Idol.
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5-14-2009 @ 1:01AM
Picviewer said...
Yes because everyone sits around watching idol right? Just maybe some people would rather watch a actual scripted show than some overhyped popularity contest for borderline singers? Give a monkey a decent audio mixing program and you can have a "singer" now.
5-13-2009 @ 4:53PM
Fargus said...
Fox execs need to all be kicked in the nuts (or womanly equivelent)for refusing to air one more episode. Especially when that episode is the true finale.
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5-13-2009 @ 5:09PM
Jake said...
Per an interview Joss had (can't find the link right now, but its linked somewhere around here), the final episode is less a "finale" and more a ... well, there isn't actually a word for it. It uses the same set and some of the same actors, but the plot is entirely different and takes place in a post-apocalyptic reality.
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5-13-2009 @ 6:08PM
hessian said...
As I understand it, that episode is more of an epilogue or coda.
The reason it did not air is because FOX agreed to pay for the production of a set number of episodes. Whedon & Co. nickel and dimed their way through the season and saved enough money to turn out an extra episode.
FOX did not order the episode. They don't want to pay for the episode. So they're not AIRING the episode.
It's not in any way shape or form a finale. And FOX isn't screwing anyone by not airing something they didn't order.
Do some research, Bob.
5-13-2009 @ 7:13PM
Leroy said...
What Fox actually said about the extra episode is that the contract for the DVD was for 13 episodes and the contract for the series was for filming 13 episodes. When they forced Joss to cannibalize the pilot and redistribute it, they ended up with 13 episodes filmed but only 12 episodes edited from them. The DVD people wouldn't count the pilot as a separate episode because it was contained in the others, so it was necessary to film an additional stand alone episode in order to fulfill the DVD contract.
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5-14-2009 @ 9:50AM
Dan Chichian said...
I am torn - do I buy the set in the hopes that FOX will take dvd pre-sales into account when they make their decision (in essence paying ransom) or just wait for it to appear on Hulu?
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