TVSquad

It seems like everyone has an opinion about whether or not Dollhouse will survive its second season on Fox. Our own Brad Trechak is certain the show will be dead before the end of the year. Io9 has a more hopeful prognosis for the show's future. They say we might even be in for a surprisingly stable year for the show.

I'm not willing to go that far, but I'm hopeful that season two of Dollhouse will deliver more of the quirky and engaging storytelling Joss Whedon fans have come to love and expect instead of the dull "case of the week" plots that almost sunk season one. Last May's weird and wonderful game-changing season finale only left me wanting more -- more mythology, more mystery and more witty and subversive dialogue. Whedon is writing and directing the season two opener, now set to premiere Sept. 25. Hopefully, that means he's setting the tone for a more imaginative and interesting season of Dollhouse.

The strike resolution has come at an ideal time for Lost fans. Executive producer Carlton Cuse told the Hollywood Reporter that he and Damon Lindelof hope to produce up to five more episodes for the current season of Lost. This brings the Season Four episode total to thirteen, only three episodes short of the sixteen-episode season that was initially planned.

The five episode goal isn't set in stone just yet, but fans can count on getting a complete season. According to USA Today, Cuse said that, despite having to "accelerate" some of the storylines, Season Four will reach its intended conclusion. The remaining three episodes will be carried over into Season Five. This could be the best news I've heard all day!

[via BuddyTV]

On July 9, Comedy Central will kick off the third and final season of Chappelle's Show, a cobbled-together farewell consisting of segments Dave taped before he walked away from the show because, well, for whatever reasons he might have had. I saw an advance copy of the premiere episode, but before I talk about it in vague terms so as not to reveal anything, I should preface this by saying I was never as fanatical about the show as most people. I think most sketch shows falls into two categories: those that are consistently funny throughout (Mr. Show, Kids in the Hall) and those that aren't consistent but still have some great moments (Saturday Night Live). I think Chappelle's Show has always fallen in the latter category, but that's only the show itself I'm talking about. The man, however, is as sharp and irreverent as any working comic today, and his show had moments of brilliance when everything jelled and the sketches were able to bring to life the same thoughts and insights that made his stand-up specials so hysterical. Moreover, at the risk of succumbing to that blog tendency of talking about celebrities as if I know them personally, I've always liked Dave Chappelle the "regular guy." There's a reason his show was so popular and the DVDs have sold so well. Besides being funny, Chappelle comes across as a very genuine personality. He was able to transcend the gap between himself and the home audience, so watching the show was like seeing a bunch of friends performing for friends. If one sketch didn't quite work, it didn't matter. You just sat back and waited for the next one.

And such is this final season, it would seem. The premiere episode, with segments introduced by series regulars Charlie Murphy and Donnell Rawlings, has some very funny moments, many centering around a Dave who has been driven crazy with greed and revenge from all the money he made. Still, though, without Dave to bookend the segments and offer up that kind of "kick back, open a beer and chill with your friends" vibe, the show just isn't the same. Is it worth watching anyway? Well, that's for you to decide, but no fan of this show is going to tune into these "Lost Episodes" without knowing it's not going to be like it was before.

It's been over two months since there has been a new episode of Moral Orel on Adult Swim. So far out of the ten episodes made for this season we've seen only seven, which means we have three episodes still unseen. It also means I can do basic math in my head. Good for me.

Anyway, last night I caught one of Adult Swim's always informative "bumps" which read that those "lost" episodes will air starting next Sunday. If you're a fan of the show like I am and you thought it had gone away, don't worry. Here's what's coming up:

Episode 9, "Maturity," will air on May 14.

Episode 8, "Loyalty," will air on May 21.

The second episode will also air, though they haven't announced a date for that one just yet. Of course, I'll be covering these episodes once again in all their blasphemous glory. 

Hey, animation fans, John Kricfalusi has posted some clips from the upcoming DVD release of Ren and Stimpy: Adult Party Cartoon on his blog. The set is actually being called "The Lost Episodes" and will contain cartoons from the short-lived SpikeTV series which brought Ren and Stimpy out of the confines of children's animation and into a more ribald setting. Essentially, once the duo was re-imagined for SpikeTV very little remained of their Nickelodeon days. This was either a welcome change or utter blasphemy, depending on your stance as a fan. Personally, while I enjoyed the original Ren and Stimpy, I loved seeing them brought back, even if it wasn't quite the same as before. Besides, I've never seen an animation studio push the boundaries of TV cartoons the way Spumco does. See the clips here.