The trouble continues for Joss Whedon’s latest project, Dollhouse. Plagued by reshoots and a production shutdown last September, the drama — about a creepy organization that strips people of their personalities — got another hit of bad news last week when Fox announced it would air on Friday evenings starting in February. (That’s the equivalent of a football team playing to a half-empty stadium.) The news is particularly alarming to fans of sci-fi mastermind Whedon because his last series, Firefly, aired on that night for just 11 weeks in 2002.
Problem is, Fox had a limited number of time periods to choose from. When 24 returns to its normal Monday slot in January, it’ll be paired with House. The network wants to nurse the fragile (and expensive) Fringe, so it’ll go on Tuesdays after American Idol. Lie to Me, a new drama with Tim Roth as a professional fib detector, was given a Wednesday berth after Idol because of its potential mainstream appeal. (It helps that Lie resembles this season’s lone new hit, CBS’ The Mentalist.) With proven performers Bones and Kitchen Nightmares filling Thursdays, the most lucrative night of television, that left Fridays for Dollhouse. Worse, it will air after the low-rated Sarah Connor Chronicles.
If there’s any upside to living in TV Siberia, it’s the lowered expectations that come with the territory: The night’s highest-rated shows don’t even clear 10 million viewers on a regular basis.
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Ah, Friday night at Fox–where all good Fox Sci-Fi shows go to die (X-Files, anyone?). Seriously, do they even want this show to succeed? Like most Whedon fans, I’ve been geek-spasming over Joss’ return to TV land, hoping against hope Fox had wised up to give the man the respect he deserves. Hopefully DVR and online viewing won’t make this scheduling faux pas the death knell it usually would be. I also hope all Whedon fans will band together to tune in to keep the show alive despite studio nonsense. Really, really trying to remain positive here but I don’t know that I trust Fox to do the right thing after Firefly and Drive.
This may be a little too optimistic, but I feel that Dollhouse may actually help TSCC – and maybe vice versa.
I love TSCC and joined with Dollhouse that’s the greatest news I have heard in a long time since there is never anything to watch on fridays.. hopefully they won’t get chucked due to low ratings, then there won’t be anything to watch ever!
hopefully it will outlast the derivitaive Lie to Me and Fox will move it to wednesday after Bones.
I don’t care what night it airs, I’ll show up for anything Josh does. Friday nights are rough, but I think a good show can make it work.
If it stays on long enough, it can help fill the void after BSG is gone. (sniff)
Ugh that sucks, I’m going to watch it but I’ve had many Friday night shows cancelled so I’m feeling pretty pessimistic.
So, I assume it’ll air Fridays at 9pm. And I also assume that BSG will continue to air Fridays at 10pm. This is just enabling the giddy sci-fi geek in me a little too much, because there is no way I will leave my house on Friday nights, and I’m actually excited about that. I may never date again, but man will I ever be drooling over Tahmoh Penikett!
Fringe is so terrible. It’s so sweet of Fox to keep on trying to cram it down our throats. Too bad they aren’t so supportive of GOOD shows. As for Dollhouse, hopefully it’ll fly under the radar. I will never forgive Fox for killing Firefly. EVER
I’m still betting FOX makes history and cancels the show before it even airs.
Straight to ITunes, anyone?
Maybe thanks to DVRs and downloads, Friday won’t be the death-slot it once was. Record on Friday, and you have the whole weekend to watch at your convenience.
Ultimately, tv shows need to break their relationships with American networks and sell themselves directly to the public via downloads, because networks cannot be trusted.
Let us see… Fringe… I think is a great show. Creepy enough to be believable… and my chemistry lab now is full of new toys… and concoctions. As for Friday Night… Well… just like network to kill a show before it gets out the door. I think Joss needs to mend some bridges before cramming another show on screen. Buffy… sucked (only the guest stars could act). Firefly… was the greatest thing since sliced bread. (but gets canceled, like St. Elsewhere/Picket Fences/Star Trek/Stargate…). I know… maybe they should have made Jewel and Summer turn Platinum Blond and get large impants. Instead of just let them actually act.
The current new try by Joss sounds retreaded and familiar… and probably will end up dead as well.
I’ve read that the first couple of episodes of Dollhouse are pretty bad, and considering that it’s really expensive and that it’s late by six months, I can see why Fox isn’t exactly super proud of it.
Um, Friday night can be a way to create a strong base audience that will then follow it to a more visible time slot later. X-Files and CSI both started on Fridays with cult audiences and became mainstream hits when they shifted to more visible timeslots.
I’m already preparing myself for the inevitable cancellation. I don’t know what Joss was thinking going back to Fox after what they did to Firefly…and now they gave him the timeslot of death. Super. I’ll still tune in but will expect the worst. It’s what I do for most of the TV shows I watch these days. All the good ones get canned.
Fox deserves all the trash they get. Whenever they get a show worth something, whether it’s Kitchen Confidential, Firefly, or now Dollhouse, they kill it in favor of trash like Fringe and AI. If Dollhouse gets cancelled, I’m done with this network (AI is boring now, anyway).
My complaint is that my Friday nights are dedicated to the Sci-Fi Channel anyway (Sanctuary, Stargate: Atlantis) – the only saving grace is that Sci-Fi replays their shows the same night. But this is yet another example of networks counter-programming against the fans who would most likely support this genre.
It is so true! Fox has totally done this to many t.v. shows (including Arrested Development-I totally loved that show!) It’s almost like they set these shows up for failure. I understand that the stars salaries may be high, but hello…they get more critical acclaim from anyone else out there. FOX just doesn’t get it. I hope that I am wrong…but they have really upset me in the past.
what about sundays? not mentioned at all…
Sundays? Animation Domination! There is no way Fox is going to clear their lineup for this trainwreck.
Why can’t Kitchen Confidential be moved to Friday nights? Reality tv is so lame, anyway. Dollhouse would make a perfect companion to Bones. Dollhouse has a built-in audience, to a certain extent, and could also follow American Idol as a possible mainstream hit. Buffy went on for 7 years, remember??? If Lie to Me is supposed to be like The Mentalist, why not air something ORIGINAL after Idol. Oh yea, that’s right, stupid tv execs HATE originality….
Sunday is Animation night, with The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy and American Dad. And football!
Why don’t they pair Dollhouse with Fringe? I think that’s a good combo.
Brilliant, T, absolutely brilliant–I love it! TSCC, Fringe and Dollhouse lineup would make for a fantastic night of telly. But for the love of geekdom everywhere, please don’t relegate it to the dread Fox Friday night curse!
I thought Kitchen Confidential bit the dust a few years ago – no?
Way to go Fox. I don’t know why Joss bothers with you.
I, for one, love SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES. It’s gotten really good — like, REALLY good — this season. In fact, it’s way better than HEROES, now. I know the ratings are weak — but why aren’t critics giving it any love and support?
WHY would fox move BONES to thursdays?!?! Doesn’t FOX know that both NBC and ABC have awesome thursday programing that Bones would have to compete with?!? Wednesday is a good night for Bones…
It’s like Joss Whedon has a “Kick Me” sign on his back that only Fox can see. After the Firefly debacle (for which I will never forgive Fox), I don’t see why Whedon continues to give Fox the time of day, let alone produce television shows for them. Fingers crossed that Dollhouse even makes it out of the gate; sounds interesting.
I hate Fox. I’ve been dying for JW to come back to TV only to have him wind up in an almost guarenteed to be cancelled time slot.
why why why why WHY would Joss work with Fox AGAIN!? Hello!? I really hope Dollhouse is a great show, and if his fans get behind it, it should be okay, but it’s just ridiculous that his work still doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves. Grrrr!