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NewsFlash: Fox cancels Dollhouse


Fox, in a move that is surprising no one, is canceling Dollhouse. The good news is that all of the episodes will air, and that Joss Whedon will have enough advance notice to put a (hopefully) satisfying end to the series.

On Whedonesque, Joss Whedon commented:

Hmm. Apparently my news is not news.

I don't have a lot to say. I'm extremely proud of the people I've worked with: my star, my staff, my cast, my crew. I feel the show is getting better pretty much every week, and I think you'll agree in the coming months. I'm grateful that we got to put it on, and then come back and put it on again.

I'm off to pursue internet ventures/binge drinking. Possibly that relaxation thing I've read so much about. By the time the last episode airs, you'll know what my next project is. But for now there's a lot of work still to be done, and disappointment to bear.

Thank you all for your support, your patience, your excellent adverts. See you again. -j.

18 comments:

  1. I wouldn’t put it past Joss to deliberately leave things open ended just to mess with us. And kill off most of the characters we all really like.

    Mark my words either Victor or Sierra (and possibly November) is going to leave the show in a body bag. That man is capable of anything.

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  2. I'm surprised. Not so much that they canceled it, but with the timing. Why did they decide this now? They have this back to back episode thing coming up, so why not wait until January to make the decision? What are they going to do if the numbers double? Well, that won't happen -- certainly not when it is already canceled -- but still, there's no rush, right?

    One good thing comes from this. The noisy TSCC fans don't have their weekly place to be annoying any more. Fucking morons. Yes, I'm also a TSCC fan.

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  3. I'm a TSCC fan, too, and all those comments about how it was all Dollhouse's fault that TSCC was canceled just drove me nuts. TSCC was canceled because it didn't get enough in the way of ratings. Dollhouse was canceled for the same reason. They are both exactly my type of show. Nearly everything that is exactly my type of show gets canceled. I'm used to disappointment.

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  4. I'm trying to find the good:

    1. Joss can make movies.
    2. Enver Gjokaj can become famous, which he very much deserves.

    And that's all I can come up with. But I do think we'll get some kind of closure, although Joss famously 'gives us what we need, not what we want.' The series finales of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly all felt final to me. Yes, even Angel.

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  5. I was just thinking that Joss Whedon has discovered the most amazing and talented actors. Maybe Enver Gjokaj will do as well as David Boreanaz, James Marsters and Nathan Fillion some day.

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  6. My comments are as follows:

    Joss, why in the world did you trust Fox for a second time? They killed Firefly with the timeslot from hell and they did it to you again. They treated your show like the bastard redheaded stepchild it didn't want from day one. It deserved better. I really wish you had taken it (and can take it) to a new network that can appreciate your talent and not just humor you because you're known in the industry. Fox is beneath you. I hope that you can rise above this, and maybe find a better home for your show at some point.

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  7. Airdates for the final episodes from io9;

    Dec. 4 - 8:00PM-10:00PM ET/PT (Episodes 5 & 6)
    Dec. 11 - 8:00PM-10:00PM ET/PT (Episodes 7 & 8)
    Dec. 18 - 8:00PM-10:00PM ET/PT (Episodes 9 & 10)

    Jan. 8 - 9:00PM-10:00PM ET/PT (Episode 11)
    Jan. 15 - 9:00PM-10:00PM ET/PT (Episode 12)
    Jan. 22 - 9:00PM-10:00PM ET/PT (Episode 13 / Series Finale)

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  8. So, does this mean a Dr. Horrible sequel is on the horizon?

    I agree with Remco, in that I'm surprised they announced this now. I would have expected them to wait until after the run of December episodes. Of course, this way the crew knows before they are done with the last few episodes, so there is more opportunity to wrap things up.

    I, too, am tired of the "Dollhouse killed TSCC" talk. I seriously doubt it was an either/or situation. TSCC was much more expensive than Dollhouse. And with its low ratings, it was going to be canceled. They didn't choose one over the other. If anything, both shows should have been canceled.

    I'm also kind of tired of the "FOX wanted Dollhouse to fail" talk. No network commissions a show with the express desire of wanting it to fail. And they certainly don't renew a low-rated series for a second season because they want it to fail. Not even for the supposed "prestige" of being in business with a show creator who has a passionate, cult fandom. The network's creative notes/ interference (though possibly ill-advised) are intended to make a show more marketable and successful, not less.

    The fact is (which I've said elsewhere) that Dollhouse was a tough, tough sell. "Intelligent, complex science fiction" (to quote Billie from her discussion group) just doesn't have mass market appeal. Same with seriously gritty, heavy drama. Most people want escapism, or mysteries that wrap up in one hour with the bad guys behind bars, or relationship dramas. They don't want stories about people being mind-wiped and being made to serve as sexual slaves by immoral organizations and morally grey characters. Even if said slaves are starting to become self aware and fight back.

    It is not FOX's fault that this show failed. Nor are Eliza Dusku's acting abilities to blame. It was an inherent problem with the premise, which was largely too uncomfortable and distasteful for the masses.

    I do agree that Joss should seek a cable outlet for his next television venture. If he is willing to do his thing at a lower budget, then the couple million people who want to watch his kind of tale would likely be considered sufficient for success on cable.

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  9. Yeah, saw this coming. I mean it sucks, but I saw this coming. With any luck maybe Fox will let him take the show to another network. I for one think it would do well on Sci-Fi, though I'm not holding my breath.

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  10. Fair enough. I'm totally gutted, but it's fair enough. I just hope Joss can find a good way to finish telling his story without leaving loose ends such as happened with Mal and Inara.

    Please let Enver Gjokaj go on to become a massive star.

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  11. While this is hardly surprising news to anyone, the thing that really bugs me about this is the timing. While i enjoyed the first season, it was more the premise than the episodes that kept me watching. But with season two, i've really enjoyed the individual episodes. It felt like Joss was beginning to tell the story he wanted to tell. I just hope he'll have the time to give it the ending it deserves (and give us backstories on Victor and Boyd and bring back Dr Saunders too)

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  12. FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!!!!
    You did it! You finally did it! Gorram you all to hell!!!

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  13. D, this may be one of my favorite comments, ever. Outstanding.

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  14. I feel like I'm saying something bad but I really won't miss Dollhouse that much.

    But I will miss Fran Kranz and Enver Gjokaj appearing on my tv every Friday night!

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  15. Heh,Billie. As a long,long time fan of your website and your reviews, I'm glad you enjoyed my comment. Now, on a more specific rant, part of me will always be upset at Joss for the mistakes he made this time around. I mean, we already expected Fox to be,well,Fox,but Joss made Firefly's sacrifice pointless by allowing, again, Fox to change the pilot because it wasn't "interesting" enough and was too "confusing", when he should know well by now that the people that couldn't handle that level of complexity at the premier would never become long term fans of the show. Fox, like with Firefly(and oh so many other shows)never understood what it had at hands,nor that the concepts of the show would always have been too alienating to the so called "mainstream" audience who watches Fox for shows like "The O.C."(which ironically got cancelled as well). Executive meddling left us with, for the first episodes, a show too complex for the large audience but too boring for the cult fans. The sad truth is that nowdays Buffy would have been been cancelled after the first season, and Joss should bloody well know that. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice..." Either he was dumb, or he just didn't care. Don't know what's worse. Sight...Oh well, all in all,Dollhouse still had better treatment than Mal and his crew. Ummm,yay?

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  16. I'm weary of blaming Fox again. Joss Whedon (genius that he is) should have created a more engaging series. Instead, it was a almost complete vehicle to show Eliza Dushku's talent. Even the credits for the show reflect this. I really enjoyed episodes in the latter half of the first season and one or two this season and I'm looking forward to seeing how Joss ends it!

    Hopefully Joss will go back to television instead of concentrating on comic books and internet venues.

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  17. In a harsh economic landscape sometimes you have to take what you can get. Perhaps Fox were the only ones willing to pay for "Dollhouse". So, no it's not that strange that Whedon tried it with them again. It's still a shame that it got cancelled. I hope Whedon still gets to do much in different venues in the future.

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