Dollhouse Confirmed for Season 2!

BrooklynKnight

First Post
By way of io9 the Hollywood Reporter claims that Dollhouse is getting a Second Season. Whedon showed the 13 episode, done on a small budget, as proof he could do a full season with less money!

May 15, 2009

Surprise: Fox RENEWS 'Dollhouse'

UPDATED: In a stunning move, sources say Fox has renewed Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” for next fall.
The official announcement will not be made until Monday at the network's upfront presentation, but sources confirm a deal has been struck for another 13 episodes. Fox plans to continue the show on Fridays next fall.
The low-rated series was last seen given up for dead by the media in a field somewhere.
But the show's DVR numbers are huge (averaging a 40% bump), online streaming is strong. It’s a sci-fi show, which tend to bring in strong ancillary revenue such as DVD sales for sister-company studio 20th TV. And it’s said that Fox execs rather like the series, especially the latter half of the season. Besides, a show airing in the fall on Fox is a bit like running in midseason on most networks -- it’s not the network's strongest part of the year and maybe ... maybe ...
All right, fine.
The move is tougher to explain than most, especially based on the show's ratings. A “Dollhouse” pickup is a shock, an underdog comeback that blows away NBC’s will-they-or-won’t-they hand-wringing over “Chuck” (psst, they almost certainly will). In fact, "Dollhouse" might very well be the lowest-rated in-season scripted drama to ever get a renewal on a major broadcast network. Almost certainly if based on where the show concluded -- a 1.0 among adults 18-49.
Basically this is a case of a bunch of minor decision-making factors successfully ganging up on the biggest factor (ratings). In addition to DVD sales, streaming and DVR influences, Fox received some serious budget concessions from 20th TV and Whedon to continue the show, with 20th now shouldering a greater portion of the load.

Another factor was the show's unaired 13th episode, which Whedon shot on a shoestring budget for the "Dollhouse" first season DVD set. Whedon presented it to the network as an example of how "Dollhouse" can achieve a high-quality production with a lesser budget.
The renewal also means Fox is bringing back all three of its freshman dramas for a second season -- "Fringe," "Lie to Me" and "Dollhouse" -- which is a nice boast in challenging year for broadcasters.
Along with NBC renewing low-rated "Friday Night Lights," and strongly considering modestly performing "Chuck," and the CW stations considering bringing back very weakly rated "Reaper," there's seeming trend this spring toward networks looking beyond live-viewing ratings when contemplating the fate of shows with passionate fanbases that they can monetize in non-traditional ways.
Last year, in the wake of CBS canceling fan favorites "Jericho" and "Moonlight," the sense was that vocal minorities could no longer sway the suits.
This year, cult TV shows have been like creatures in a George Romero movie; you can never trust that they're dead.


w00t!
 

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AdmundfortGeographer

Getting lost in fantasy maps
The second half really impressed me. Rather, it turned around for me exactly at the episode Joss himself wrote. I was ready for it to be gone in a year up to that point. I watched it out to the end though and my opinion changed to that of really wanting it back again.

Makes me wonder if season 2 will be do-or-die? Shoestring budget or not . . .
 

Brown Jenkin

First Post
Does Joss not learn? Negotiating with Fox is a losing battle. While they are renewing it, this is still Fox. Unless the show can maintain its patheticly weak 1.0 (Most shows drop between seasons) I suspect Fox will end up canceling it anyway after 3-4 episodes.
 

coyote6

Adventurer
As long as Fox pays for a full season order, and the eps get made, we'll get the full season on DVD. So, I'm happy.
 

Perhaps I'm just still coming to terms with my Firefly grief, but.... they're willing to renew Whedon's worst show ever, but the one that had the potential to be his best couldn't even finish out one season?

Color me boggled.
 


Rhun

First Post
Perhaps I'm just still coming to terms with my Firefly grief, but.... they're willing to renew Whedon's worst show ever, but the one that had the potential to be his best couldn't even finish out one season?

Color me boggled.


I agree with this COMPLETELY!


With that said, the second half of the Dollhouse season was much better in my opinion. I'm glad to hear FOX is renewing it. My biggest concern is that I've always thought of Friday evening as the "Death Slot" for most shows. Everything dies on Friday night. Perhaps this isn't as big of deal as it used to be with DVRs and such, but I haven't seen anything really good survive on a Friday night for a long, long time.
 

Mistwell

Crusty Old Meatwad (he/him)
Does Joss not learn? Negotiating with Fox is a losing battle. While they are renewing it, this is still Fox. Unless the show can maintain its patheticly weak 1.0 (Most shows drop between seasons) I suspect Fox will end up canceling it anyway after 3-4 episodes.

You are asking how could Joss choose to work at doing something he loves, rather than sit unemployed during a recession? Really? How could this in any way be construed as a bad result for him, given your worst case scenario is better than him not negotiating with Fox?
 
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Mistwell

Crusty Old Meatwad (he/him)
Perhaps I'm just still coming to terms with my Firefly grief, but.... they're willing to renew Whedon's worst show ever, but the one that had the potential to be his best couldn't even finish out one season?

Color me boggled.

Because Firefly cost the budget of a third world nation, while Dollhouse costs a bucket of peanuts and some shiny rocks?
 

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