Five TV Shows That Suffered From Network Interference

Wouldn't it be a fun world if networks just gave creative freedom to creators and showrunners? Sure, sometimes corporate executives know better what to do with someone else's story (one out of fifty times), but in most occasions their meddling is of no help. Let's take a look below at some shows that struggled with network interference and just how much it affected them.

Warning: spoilers follow.

Joss Whedon Chat Thread

We're big fans of Joss Whedon's television shows here at Billiedoux.com. I have personally written episode reviews for the entire runs of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (including the season eight comics), Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse. Some recent comments that were posted suggested that we could use a place to discuss the Whedonverse as a whole. (That's you, Gus.)

So here it is! No spoiler restrictions, no worries -- post any comment about any or all of these shows you like, including the spinoff comics. Fair warning, though. If you haven't seen one or more of these shows or read the comics, you run the risk of getting seriously spoiled.
---
Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

Dollhouse: Epitaph Two, Return

Adelle: "You're not coming back."
Topher: "Small price to pay. I didn't want to cause any more pain."

Talk about going out with a bang, huh? I'd like to thank Joss Whedon for giving us such a positive ending. I honestly wasn't expecting it.

Dollhouse: The Hollow Man

Boyd: "Topher. Think."
Topher: "That's what got us here in the first place. I'm going for mindless destruction now."

Dollhouse: Getting Closer

Topher: "I always had a crush on you even when I thought you were a dude. (Pause) This is better."

This episode was like plotty-paloosa. All those terrific returning characters. Huge happenings. A shocking reveal that I found confusing.

Dollhouse: The Attic

Clyde: "This isn't a nightmare. This is the shape of things to come."

Wow. And it bears repeating. Wow.

Dollhouse: Stop-Loss

Priya: "Do you think that was our first kiss?"

I really wanted to see Victor's backstory before the end of this show, so thank you, Joss Whedon. Too bad this wasn't enough, since it's probably all we're going to get.

Dollhouse: A Love Supreme

Echo: "He's ten times the man you are. And you're, like, forty guys."

Alpha! You're back. And you brought your knives!

Dollhouse: Meet Jane Doe

Echo: "There is a me. This is me."

So let's see. Our two romantic leads had very little in the way of romantic connection, so they removed them from the Dollhouse for three months and slapped them together.

Dollhouse: The Left Hand

Topher: "Is it weird that I asked about your arm?"
Bennett: "Honestly, it's refreshing."

The entire episode was terrific. But Victor out-Tophering Topher was just perfect. Possibly my favorite scenes in the entire series.

Dollhouse: The Public Eye

Echo: "I think her bad guys are badder than my bad guys."

What an exceptionally cool episode, with an exceptionally cool twist. There wasn't a moment that I didn't like.

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.

Dollhouse: Belonging

Priya: "You disgust me. Nothing in this world could ever make me love you."

Best episode of the series. So far, anyway.

Dollhouse: Belle Chose

Ivy: "Paul is going to take you on a little spree."
Echo: "Shopping or killing? Joke!"

We've come a long way from "Eleanor Penn," haven't we?

Dollhouse: Instinct

Topher: "Perhaps triggering lactation was a bridge too far. Live and learn."

Joss Whedon managed to find a whole new way to creep me out.

Dollhouse: Vows

Echo: "Wait. What did they make me this time?"

Fake wedding in the beginning. Real wedding at the end.

Dollhouse

Season 1 | Season 2 |
Related Links | Cast |

Dollhouse (2009-2010) is Joss Whedon's series about a secret house where people called dolls, supposedly volunteers, are brain-wiped and given new personalities to suit the people purchasing their services. In other words, slave trafficking – but much worse because the real person doesn't know what is happening to them. Dollhouse may have gotten mixed reviews during its run, but I thought it was excellent, cutting-edge science fiction. And the ending was just outstanding.

Season One

1.1 Ghost
1.2 Target
1.3 Stage Fright
1.4 Gray Hour
1.5 True Believer
1.6 Man on the Street
1.7 Echoes
1.8 Needs
1.9 A Spy in the House of Love
1.10 Haunted
1.11 Briar Rose
1.12 Omega
1.13 Epitaph One (unaired)

Season Two

2.1 Vows
2.2 Instinct
2.3 Belle Chose
2.4 Belonging
2.5 The Public Eye
2.6 The Left Hand
2.7 Meet Jane Doe
2.8 A Love Supreme
2.9 Stop-Loss
2.10 The Attic
2.11 Getting Closer
2.12 The Hollow Man
2.13 Epitaph Two: Return

Related Links

The Saga of Joss Whedon by Sunbunny
Five TV Shows that Suffered from Network Interference
Joss Whedon Chat Thread
Buffy the Vampire Slayer reviews
Angel reviews
Firefly reviews
Review of "Echo" (unaired pilot) by Billie Doux
Review of the premiere episode by Josie Kafka

Cast

Eliza Dushku (Echo)
Harry Lennix (Boyd Langton)
Fran Kranz (Topher Brink)
Tahmoh Penikett (Paul Ballard)
Enver Gjokaj (Victor)
Dichen Lachman (Sierra)
Olivia Williams (Adelle DeWitt)
Miracle Laurie (Mellie)
Amy Acker (Claire Saunders)
Reed Diamond (Dominic)

Dollhouse: Epitaph One

[This is the unaired thirteenth episode of the first season of Dollhouse, which is now available streaming and on DVD.]

Dominic: "How does it feel to end the world, Ms. DeWitt?"

Dollhouse: Echo (Unaired Pilot)

[This is a review of the unaired pilot episode for Dollhouse, entitled "Echo," which is available on the fourth disk of the DVD set.]

Topher: "This is cutting edge science in a house full of hot chicks."

Dollhouse: Omega

Alpha: "I will shoot it. I will blast the wedge."
Echo: "Go blast it. What's stopping you, Edward Scissorpud?"

We got a lot of answers, as well as a lot of intriguing questions. And they still managed to leave us with great possibilities for a second season.