DJariya

Synopsis:




I'm going to start the series premiere thread 1 day early just to give some of you an early headsup. I assume alot of you don't log onto this forum on a Friday or aren't watching live TV, so at least you will be able to set your DVR. I'm going to predict 5.5-6M viewers watch the series premiere.

BTW, it's going to be weird seeing Tahmoh Penikett (Helo on Battlestar Galactica) on 2 series simultaneously on the same day.

Lone Wolf

Terminator also returns tomorrow. It's playing right before Dollhouse.

Snowmaker

Heard Eliza on Howard this morning. Good interview.

Being a fan of both Firefly and Tru Calling, I'm really looking forward to this show.

riley_dude

Since the audience for TCCC has been dwindling, I hope that it doesn't kill Dollhouse.

boc4ever

Looking at the recent promos, it seems they are trying to appeal to the sensibilities of a 13 year old boy. Specifically, one with nowhere to go on a friday night. As much as I am looking forward to this, I am not hopeful they will give it a chance. Reshooting the pilot, friday night at 9p time slot doesn't fare well. FOX and ABC have to be the most unforgiving, impatient networks. If the show doesn't strike gold immediately, they don't seem to give them much of a chance. For example, Millenium was cancelled before a proper conclusion was made. Harsh Realm, Lone Gunmen, Freaky Links - anything out of the ordinary, with an edge, or has a surrealistic feel gets the axe. Meanwhile, every teen oriented piece of crap stays on the air forever.

If you want another good example. Look at Family Guy. They killed it off, then stuck their tail between their legs and brought it back. Watch the episode (I think it was the return premiere) where Peter lists all the shows they took off the air. It really puts a perspective on the situation.

With all that said, I hope Whedon has a hit with this and it gets better and better.

DJariya

The whole thing about a show having a strong lead-in is so overrated. If your a fan of Eliza or Joss, your gonna watch. That's the bottom line.

Rypro 525

but the question is, how many fans are there of those 2? I'm gonna guess anywhere between 4.5 mil to 6 mil watch the pilot, and if its bad or too weird, then it'll drop like a rock.

DJariya

If the premiere gets between 5-6M viewers, I think FOX will consider it a success. Considering NBC's Friday lineup has been struggling badly, I think there is a good shot Terminator and this can beat ABC and NBC.

wendersfan

Whedon was on Fresh Air today. Great interview.

wirefan

Generally agree, with the possible exception of half hour shows (especially if they are up against full hour shows). While I don't have any statistics, there has to be some effect for shows starting at the middle of the hour if they have a strong show in the first half hour (I don't see people tuning into the 2nd half hour of a 1 hour show on another channel)

For one hour shows, I think there is minimal impact, and I resent the scam that ABC attempts by having 61minute shows that end at XX:01,in hopes it will lead viewers into the next 59minute show.

Back on topic - the show is one that is probably a "TIVO for a while and wait to see if Fox kills it off before committing" show.

Red Dog

Sounds like a good idea.

riley_dude

Joss has already said he won't do TV again after this which leads me to believe FOX keeps sticking their nose in to make a show that they like not....the fans.

LickTheABCs

Agreed.

Having read the synopsis for the series, it doesn't sound all that intriguing. But those two are thee reason it's an automatic season pass on my DVR without having seen more than a teaser.

DJariya

Yes, this is a definitely watch mainly for Eliza. Loved her in Tru Calling and Wrong Turn.

I also like Tahmoh Penikett from Battlestar Galactica.

Again, noone thinks it's weird that Penikett is on this show and Battlestar simultaneously on the same night? Has that ever happened before an actor playing a lead character on 2 series simultaneously?

Superman07

I feel like this would make a good pairing earlier in the week with Fringe. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

How many episodes is this first season? 13? If it's anything like the first season of Buffy, then I'd hope we could get a second.

I know it's a business, but these networks drop shows so quickly and have nothing to put on instead. I certainly don't watch reality shows, and I certainly wouldn't bother watching reruns even if I did. I think it would be a stroke of brilliance if NBC ran BSG starting in May every day straight through the summer (less weekends). Never going to happen, but inspired idea nonetheless (at least I think ).

DJariya

It got a 13 episode order.

Considering how patient FOX was with Terminator and giving it a full season with barely 5M viewers a week, I think Dollhouse will make it through to episode 13.

Rypro 525

Oh, Eliza's on Conan tonight which will prob be a half an hour or so.

RichC2

CBS is easily the most impatient network, followed closely by ABC then NBC in a distant third. Fox is one of the more lenient but they do have the worst advertising (I do like the Dollhouse/Terminator ad though). Their shows just don't pull ratings, at all. If a show starts on CBS with less than 10 million, it's pretty much doomed. If a show pulls over 5 million viewers on Fox, odds are they'll let it stick around for a while.

To put things in slightly better prespective, at least they give these scifi/different shows a shot, minimal as it may be.

LickTheABCs

Yep, already got the DVR set.

Rypro 525

all i can say GOD DAMN!

kevinlord190

looks really good definately giving it a shot

Chew

I think he just needs to switch to cable. I'll bet he'll not only have more breathing room there, but the show will also last a lot longer.

marty888

NY DAILY NEWS:

(one star out of five)

"It's probably not accidental that Fox's new sci-fi series "Dollhouse" is premiering just as its Tuesday-night sci-fi hit "Fringe" is going on winter break.

In a perfect world, fans of the strange science that drives "Fringe" could now get their weekly fix from the similarly strange science that drives "Dollhouse."

But then, in a perfect world, "Dollhouse" would be a good show.

It's not.

It has less in common with "Fringe," an engaging show with great characters, than it has with "My Own Worst Enemy," the Christian Slater disaster that died a merciful death this year because it was incomprehensible.

"Dollhouse" has some potentially engaging characters, including its apparent lead, Echo (Eliza Dushku from "Buffy"). But halfway into Friday's premiere episode, it's already feeling like way too much trouble to sort them out, or figure out what they're doing, or care."


NY POST:

(three out of four stars)

DID you ever have a really great date, and then the person inexplicably disappeared, never returned your phone calls and even blocked you from his/her email list like you were a freaking stalker?

Well, hey, don't feel bad. Maybe it's not you, after all. Maybe you didn't misread the signs, you don't have cat breath and didn't talk with your mouth full. OK, you did that, but that didn't cause the full-frontal rejection. Maybe you had the world's greatest date with an "Active."

I know this now because I just watched Fox's new, much-hyped show "Dollhouse," from the guy who brought you "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel." And unlike the aforementioned ideal date that went south, I'm not in love, but I am intrigued.

NY TIMES:

Viewers may also have trouble maintaining interest in the perils of Echo, even if Agent Ballard can help salvage some of her memory banks. “Dollhouse” has an amusing premise, but the universe it inhabits in the early episodes is thin and bland. The sinister corporation behind the Dollhouse is ill-defined, and the show’s main characters are one-dimensional, including the real-life dolls. The plot lacks the metaphoric allusions and richly imagined contexts that enliven other science-fiction series like “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” and “Battlestar Galactica.”

Preternatural events are only as interesting as the human predicaments that bracket and complement them. Though based on the two “Terminator” movies, “Sarah Connor” finds its voice in the juxtaposition of John Connor’s efforts to fit in at high school while trying to save the world from Armageddon. (The heroes of “Heroes,” in contrast, seem to have given up any attempt at daily routine.) Similarly the labors of John’s mother, Sarah, are Herculean, yet they also serve as bleak metaphors for the struggles of a single mom.

“Battlestar Galactica” has a similar apocalyptic vision, and it too weaves classic human conflicts into a broader, more fanciful canvas. Its central premise — war between humans and rebel robots — is founded on moral ambiguity. The enemy Cylons are a robot race created as slaves that rebelled and founded their own civilization and monotheistic theology. (Their god commands them to destroy the pagan human race.) Some Cylons think they are human, and some of the humans fear they may be Cylons. And almost everybody has an uneasy conscience.

Even the soulless cyborgs of “The Sarah Connor Chronicles” have more spark than Ms. Dushku’s Echo. The actress is sexy, but as a Stepford problem solver she has little to offer besides her fit physique. She is no match for Summer Glau of “Chronicles,” who plays Cameron, the rebel robot who is aligned with John Connor and embellishes the robot’s blank stares with a sulky overlay.

“Dollhouse” is fun to watch, but it could and should have a more compelling story to tell. Science fiction works best when the fiction is as inventive as the science.

GenPion

Can't wait! I am definitely tuning in to this tonight.

Josh-da-man

I hate to say this, but this show sounds like a mess.

The entire premise seems to be riddled with plot holes and faulty logic, with the whole thing being designed as a vehicle for an actress to do a lot of different things.

My problems (and I've spoiled them for the sensitive):