Spring Break
Joss Whedon's 'Dollhouse': Will it survive the Friday night curse?
Erin Shea
Issue date: 12/5/08 Section: Entertainment
12/05/08 - As an avid fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and the internet-only miniseries Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, I must admit I was overcome with geeker joy when I heard Joss Whedon would have a new series "Dollhouse," coming to Fox midseason.
I was even more thrilled to find out that Eliza Dushku, aka Faith, Buffy's twisted rogue slayer with a daddy complex, would be taking the lead role in said new series. It all seemed to good to be true, a bright light following the horror that has been the Buffy: Season Eight comic books.
And, as I suspected, it was. A dark cloud settled over the Whedonverse as Fox announced it would be airing "Dollhouse" Friday nights at 9 p.m., starting February 13. Why such a panic you ask? Well, how many shows do you stay in to watch on a Friday night?
Friday is the night for second-rate comedies and cheesy dramas, like Reba or Ghost Whisperer. Not many shows survive on Fridays, let alone an intelligent but hard to categorize show like the ones Whedon is known for.
"Dollhouse" centers around the illegal organization from which the show derives its name, a place where wealthy clients hire "actives" to fulfill their every need and desire. Actives are people who have chosen, for their own reasons, to give up their bodies and minds in exchange for a stay at the Dollhouse, and for every job, said actives are given new personalities and skills, which are then forgotten when the job is done.
Dushku plays Echo, an active whose memories from past jobs and her former life, start coming back to her, leading her to begin questioning her life at the Dollhouse.
As is typical of Whedon, "Dollhouse" has a sci-fi bent, which means it will most likely be difficult for it to find an audience, especially on a major network. A select few, namely Heroes, have succeeded, but even Heroes has been losing footing among audiences.
Sci-fi series, like Battlestar Gallactica to name one great non-Whedon example, have often been much more than just sci-fi, bringing with them some of the best dramatic storylines and wittiest humor on television. With their wild premises and complicated plots though, most viewers seem to avoid them like the plague, unless they are lucky enough to have well-known stars or producers (Heroes and Lost, I'm looking at you).
I was even more thrilled to find out that Eliza Dushku, aka Faith, Buffy's twisted rogue slayer with a daddy complex, would be taking the lead role in said new series. It all seemed to good to be true, a bright light following the horror that has been the Buffy: Season Eight comic books.
And, as I suspected, it was. A dark cloud settled over the Whedonverse as Fox announced it would be airing "Dollhouse" Friday nights at 9 p.m., starting February 13. Why such a panic you ask? Well, how many shows do you stay in to watch on a Friday night?
Friday is the night for second-rate comedies and cheesy dramas, like Reba or Ghost Whisperer. Not many shows survive on Fridays, let alone an intelligent but hard to categorize show like the ones Whedon is known for.
"Dollhouse" centers around the illegal organization from which the show derives its name, a place where wealthy clients hire "actives" to fulfill their every need and desire. Actives are people who have chosen, for their own reasons, to give up their bodies and minds in exchange for a stay at the Dollhouse, and for every job, said actives are given new personalities and skills, which are then forgotten when the job is done.
Dushku plays Echo, an active whose memories from past jobs and her former life, start coming back to her, leading her to begin questioning her life at the Dollhouse.
As is typical of Whedon, "Dollhouse" has a sci-fi bent, which means it will most likely be difficult for it to find an audience, especially on a major network. A select few, namely Heroes, have succeeded, but even Heroes has been losing footing among audiences.
Sci-fi series, like Battlestar Gallactica to name one great non-Whedon example, have often been much more than just sci-fi, bringing with them some of the best dramatic storylines and wittiest humor on television. With their wild premises and complicated plots though, most viewers seem to avoid them like the plague, unless they are lucky enough to have well-known stars or producers (Heroes and Lost, I'm looking at you).
