Rescued fan favorite "Dollhouse" returns on Fridays, but with a modest lead-in from new comedy "Brothers" and utility player "Til Death" that seems unlikely to reverse its ratings woes. (And, yes, "Terminator" is canceled).

Explaining the pickup of "Dollhouse," Fox executives said the show allows the network to keep scripted programming on Friday nights, which pleases advertisers. Also, Reilly admitted there was concern about the perception of re-launching Friday with an entirely new lineup of scripted programming.

http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/05/foxs-...schedule-.html

Joss Whedon talks 'Dollhouse' renewal

Joss Whedon talks about the "Dollhouse" renewal, how budget cuts may change the show and his plans for season two.

Q: This must have been a roller coaster for you these past few weeks.

I’ve been busy working on a movie in Canada and just sort of let it happen. I know everybody has been on tenderhooks, but I go to a very Zen place during times like this because what are you gonna do? I sort of assumed they were going to tell me I wasn’t going to do more. It looked pretty grim there. I prepped myself so well that when I heard I felt more like Zero Mostel in “The Producers” than anyone else -- “What?!”

Q: How much was making that 13th episode on a shoestring budget part of the renewal?

We had talked about shooting on digital, shooting faster. We still want to make some classical looking “Dollhouse” pieces, but I think there’s ways to do that faster and cheaper and of course Fox had some other ways to make things cheaper -- but not exactly like Episode 13, which had a very specific, hand-held monochromatic look to it. I like that kind of challenge. As a producer I’ve never had enough money to put my shows on and I make them look as good as they could be. So it doesn’t frighten me. It will give us a nice energy.

Q: Some fans will wonder, “Will we notice not as much money is going into the show?”

My hope is “No.” In the fifth year of “Angel” we cut our budget significantly, yet we built a completely new set, we had an episode set on a submarine in the ‘40s. Nobody felt like it was a cut back. Ultimately if the stories aren’t involving and somebody is going, [snobbish voice] “This doesn’t look as expensive as the last episode,” then the person has strange priorities.

Q: You pitched season two as being more like the last few episodes of the season, can you talk about that?

The last few episodes we got to play "the man behind the curtain" a lot. We did less of, “And this week, she’s a neurosurgeon!” Which we’ll still do to an extent, it’s part of the fun. But we got into what makes the place tick, what makes it wrong. It was less, “Murder She Was Imprinted to Write.” The episodes were more satisfying and the network responded to that. And we also responded to their ideas about pacing and it being more of a thriller and a conspiracy so they were seeing what they were hoping for when we got the aspect we were looking for.

Q: Isn’t that a little ironic though since Fox's initial desire was to be very episodic an stand-alone?

Mm-hmm. Every studio or network will always ask for more episodic because episodes rerun better. But some shows are not built that way. This one seemed like it was more than it actually was.

Q: And given the flash forward of the 13th episode, how will that influence on how second season picks up?

My feeling is we will be paying that off around the – the flash-forward in the 13th episode took place long after where we are right now. So we can be moving toward some of those events which are unexplained. We have a few years where we can do anything we want before it would be weird if we didn’t start paying them off.

Q: They’re returning "Dollhouse" to Fridays, lead in is the sitcom “Til Death.” We you hoping for a different time period? Do you think the show can still pop?

We’ve never had much luck with our lead ins. Obviously the “Til Death”/”Dollhouse” conflux has a huge fanbase. [dryly] There’s a lot of cross over between “Til Death” and “Dollhouse.” It couldn’t be a more perfect match, really.

http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/05/joss-...e-renewal.html

DOLLHOUSE ranks #1 in its Friday 9pm time period among Adults 18-34 and Men 18-34 and #2 with Adults 18-49, Adults 25-54, Women 18-34, and Men 18-49/25-54.

DOLLHOUSE delivered FOX’s highest-rated Friday series premiere in over four years (since 1/14/05) among Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34.

DOLLHOUSE delivers an educated audience, surpassing its Total U.S Adults 18-49 average in “Adults 18-49 with 4+ Years of College.”

DOLLHOUSE averages a +40% increase from Live + Same Day to Live + 7 Day, making it the #1 most time-shifted show on network television.

http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main...63z1z8&ID=4934

Now that Amy Acker's Happy Town pilot has been picked up by ABC, what does that mean for Dollhouse's Dr. Saunders? — Lynn

MATT: I ran your question by Eliza Dushku when I chatted her up at Fox's upfront party, and while the Dollhouse lead/producer is unsure just yet Acker's Happy news will impact Dr. Saunders'/Whiskey's presence in Season 2, she said that at the very least, "I hope Amy will pop in and grace us now and then." Beyond that situation, sources assure me that snipped Season 2 budget or not, the Dollhouse staff will suffer no casualties.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/MegaBuzz...Y-1006199.aspx

Question: Since Amy Acker's show Happy Town has been picked up, what does that mean for Dr. Saunders on Dollhouse? Is she headed for the attic? --Mike W.

Ausiello: Not if puppetmaster Joss Whedon has anything to say about it. He tells me he'll be "sending [Happy producers] chocolate and flowers," he laughs. "We're desperate to have her." As such, he is disinclined to put another doctor in the d'house. Only if "we find out that we're not going to use her for the bulk of the season" would he do that, he says. "[But] everyone is not going to be in every episode, so it's perfectly possible that there will just be stories that don't involve Dr. Saunders."

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/05/...siello--2.html

Question: With Sarah Connor Chronicles canceled, please tell me there is a possibility of Summer Glau making an appearance on Dollhouse! --Jenn

Ausiello: The noise you're about to hear is the sound of the Whedonverse exploding. Joss confirms to me exclusively that, well, he's one step head of you. "If anybody thinks [bringing Summer onto Dollhouse] hasn't occurred to me already then they have not met me," he says. "I mentioned it to her before [SCC] was canceled. I was like, 'You know, we should get you in the 'house.' But first we have to come up with something that works." And casting her as a doll would not work, insists Whedon. "Summer would be perfect to play an active, but she's done that [type of role] a lot," he says. "I'd rather see her play someone who talks too much. The most fun I have is when I get somebody who's good and comfortable at doing something, and then I make them do something else. Summer said to me, 'I would like to play a normal girl before I die of extreme old age.'"

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/05/...siello--3.html