TVSquad

Way back in April we reported that Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, creators of The CW's Reaper, had signed a deal with 20th Century Fox and would most likely be leaving Reaper behind. Now that The CW has officially canceled Reaper to make room for its upcoming slate of bubblegum teen TV, Fazekas and Butters are joining the writing staff of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. The Reaper duo will begin their Dollhouse stint in season two, which kicks off Friday, Sept. 18 on Fox.

I have mixed feelings about this news. I'm glad that Dollhouse nabbed these two obviously talented and funny writers, but I'm still bummed about Reaper's cancellation. And while this might mean that Dollhouse will deliver more smart, nerdy comedy in season two, that Friday night death slot still has me worried.

There is nothing inherently wrong with turning a TV series into a video game spinoff. It can fill in the gaps between seasons to quell the viewers' hunger, let audiences explore characters from new perspectives and even give the more hardcore couch potatoes some much needed exercise even if they only burned 1/100ths of a calorie solely through their thumbs.

The problem is video game developers pick TV shows that should never even become a travel sized board game. Developers have given the greenlight to games based on shows like American Idol, Desperate Housewives and even ... Grey's Anatomy?!? I hope that last one was a first-person shooter.

There are far better shows that offer far more entertaining elements for a kick-ass video game. These are the shows that should be next in line for a pixelated re-treatment.

Fox is releasing an exclusive, limited-edition Dollhouse DVD set for this July's Comic-Con in San Diego. The full details about the Comic-Con set still haven't leaked, but you can pre-order a similar limited-edition DVD or Blu-ray Season One set from FoxStore.com starting July 6.

Those sets will only be on sale through July 20. Fox is making 5,000 of the numbered sets, which will include a special Comic-Con faceplate and a "lenticular letter" by show creator Joss Whedon. The sets available at Comic-Con will most likely feature some extra goodies.

If you're a Dollhouse fan heading to the big show in July, I highly recommend picking one of these up and hanging around the hot dog vendors in the late afternoon. That's where I spotted Mr. Whedon during last year's Comic-Con. The man is very fan-friendly. He was nice enough to chat with me for a bit and even pose for a picture. Unfortunately, I went home without an autograph. I didn't have any copies of his Buffy or X-Men comics for him to sign, and I was too timid to ask him to sign my man breast. (Ah, opportunities lost.)

I'm not sure how many people watched both Dollhouse and The Sarah Connor Chronicles, though both were on Friday nights at the end, so they probably had a lot of fans in common. If you were a fan of the latter show, this news might ease the pain of knowing that show will not be returning in the fall.

Joss Whedon tells Michael Ausiello that Summer Glau, who played Cameron on The Sarah Connor Chronicles, is going to be on Dollhouse!

Former Ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd is talking about strapping on the ol' proton pack one more time for a third Ghostbusters movie. Aykroyd is saying his co-stars from the first two films -- Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver – are also on board, and that production could start as soon as this winter.

Aykroyd wants the new movie to introduce a team of five younger Ghostbusters, including several female members. He's hoping to land Dollhouse star Eliza Dushku and Alyssa Milano to be a part of the "next generation" of Ghostbusters.

Fox showed some surprising stability in its schedule (our network is growing up) for the 2009-2010 season. But they are bringing in four new comedies, two dramas and a late night Saturday show.

Returning Summer: Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, Don't Forget the Lyrics!, So You Think You Can Dance

Returning Fall/Winter: 24, American Dad, American Idol, Bones, Dollhouse,, Family Guy, Fringe, House, Kitchen Nightmares, Lie to Me, The Simpsons, 'Til Death (for some reason), So You Think You Can Dance (yeah, two separate seasons summer and fall)

Gone: Do Not Disturb, King of the Hill (though there's still episodes in the can which will air sometime next year), Prison Break (a 2-hour film is being produced that may air next year), Sit Down Shut Up, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

New: Brothers, The Cleveland Show, Glee (sneak peek tomorrow), Human Target, Past Life, Sons of Tucson, The Wanda Sykes Show (late night Saturdays)

The schedule and some details on the new shows after the jump.

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.

• TNT has Basketball Playoffs all night.
• At 8, CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer, followed by new episodes of Flashpoint and Numb3rs.
• FOX has a new Prison Break at 8, then the season (series?) finale of Dollhouse.
• The CW has the season finale of Everybody Hates Chris at 8, followed by a new episode of The Game.
• PBS has new episodes of Washington Week, NOW, and Bill Moyers Journal.
• MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• Cartoon Network has a new Secret Saturdays at 8, then a new Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
• At 9, History Channel has a new Patton 360.
• BBC America has a new Mistresses at 9.
• National Geographic Channel has a new Dog Whisperer at 9, then a new Dogtown.
• At 10, ABC has a new 20/20.
• HBO has a new Real Time with Bill Maher at 10.
• STARZ has a new Head Case at 10, followed by a new Party Down.
• Also at 10: E! has a new episode of The Soup.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Ever since Hulu's incredibly funny first advertisement starring Alec Baldwin (it premiered during the Super Bowl back in early February), I've been salivating for more.

If you pay any attention to what Baldwin says during the ad, apparently salivating is all I know how to do know since my brain is mush. It's true though - my brain is mush. I've blown through the entire first season of Friday Night Lights in about two and half days thanks to Hulu. Anyway, after the Baldwin ad, Hulu followed up with a mediocre second try featuring Eliza Dushku rallying for Dollhouse more than Hulu. The third attempt with Seth MacFarlane trumped them all though as he went through his entire catalogue of Family Guy voices to pitch the online video service.

To kick off May, Hulu just released the fourth ad in the campaign and Rescue Me fans are gonna be happy with this one. It features Denis Leary talking faster than he did on his No Cure for Cancer album, so try and keep up with him. Enjoy!

• TNT has a Leverage marathon all night.
• ESPN has Basketball Playoffs all night.
• At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, followed by new episodes of Supernanny and 20/20.
• CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer at 8, then new episodes of Flashpoint and Numb3rs.
• FOX has new episodes of Prison Break and Dollhouse.
• The CW has a new Everybody Hates Chris at 8, then a new episode of The Game.
• PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, followed by new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• Nickelodeon has a new Fairly Oddparents at 8.
• At 9, NBC has a new, two-hour Dateline.
• History Channel has a new Patton 360 at 9, then a new Battles B.C.
• BBC America has a new Mistresses at 9.
• Also at 9: National Geographic Channel has a new Dog Whisperer.
• At 10, HBO has a new Real Time with Bill Maher.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

10 - Dollhouse, FOX

9 - Better Off Ted, ABC

8 - NCIS, CBS

7 - Castle, ABC

6 - The Mentalist, CBS

5 - Privileged, The CW

4 - Bones, FOX

3 - Chuck, NBC

2 - Reaper, The CW

1 - How I Met Your Mother, CBS

Want to see the pictures or leave a comment? Click here.

• At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, followed by a new, two-hour 20/20.
• CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer at 8, then new episodes of Flashpoint and Numb3rs.
• NBC has two new episodes of Howie Do It at 8, followed by a new, two-hour Dateline.
• FOX has new episodes of Prison Break and Dollhouse.
• The CW has a new Everybody Hates Chris at 8, then a new episode of The Game.
• There's a new Washington Week on PBS at 8, followed by new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• Nickelodeon has a new Penguins of Madagascar at 8.
• ESPN2 has the Magic/76ers game at 8.
• Also at 8: Cartoon Network has a new Secret Saturdays.
• At 9, History Channel has a new Patton 360.
• At 9:30, ESPN has the Rockets/Trail Blazers game.
• At 9:55, STARZ has a new Head Case, then a new Party Down.
• At 10, HBO has a new Real Time with Bill Maher.
• E! has a new episode of The Soup at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

The networks haven't announced their official fall schedules yet. That happens next month at the network upfronts, or whatever each network is now calling them - upfronts, announcements, presentations. But just from seeing the ratings of certain shows and stories that have leaked to the press already we can get at least a fairly accurate idea of which shows are going to definitely be renewed, which are probably canceled, and which shows are "on the bubble." ("On the bubble" means they're in the middle, balanced on the fence between getting canceled and being renewed. It's named after Sebastian Bubble, an executive at NBC in the early 50s.)

USA Today has a complete rundown of all of the network shows you might be wondering about (in handy chart form!). After the jump, a look at some of the more interesting possibilities.

Fans of Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles know that both shows are not pulling in the live ratings that make Fox execs happy.

As TSCC approaches the end of its second season (the finale airs April 10) and Dollhouse fails to improve in the ratings, it's time to face an ugly truth: At least one of these shows is probably going bye bye.

Our friends at Airlock Alpha seemed convinced that Fox will renew Dollhouse and dump TSCC. The site claims that lower production costs and good reviews might keep Dollhouse afloat while low ratings coupled with a high licensing fee might sink TSCC.

So will Dollhouse survive while TSCC gets canceled? Or will both shows get yanked?

• At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap.
• NBC has two new episodes of Howie Do It at 8, followed by new episodes of Friday Night Lights and Dateline.
• FOX has new episodes of The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse.
• The CW has a new Everybody Hates Chris at 8, then a new episode of The Game.
• PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, followed by new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• The N has the season premiere of The Best Years at 8.
• At 9, CBS has a new Flashpoint.
• National Geographic has a new Dog Whisperer at 9.
• BBC America has a new Mistresses at 9.
• At 10, ABC has a new 20/20.
• HBO has a new Real Time with Bill Maher at 10.
• E! has a new episode of The Soup at 10.
• Comedy Central has two new episodes of Comedy Central Presents at 10.
• Also at 10: Travel Channel has a new Most Haunted.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.