Fox’s Friday Blues: Is Dollhouse’s Future Really That Bright?

Posted by Michelle Graham (michelle@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 18, 2009

This is the news I have been waiting months to report, at least in part. Whilst it gives no pleasure to report that Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (T:SCC) is no more, having been cruelly axed after weak ratings performance, there is an enormous flash of silver within this dark cloud. The unthinkable has happened. Dollhouse, despite lagging ratings in the last few episodes, has been renewed. Fox execs. are apparently petrified that the Whedonites will either abandon ship or attack their headquarters if another of the Joss-master’s shows goes the way of Firefly, and so have granted a second season to the drama. Rumblings persist that only one of the two floundering Friday night dramas could stay on, and it seems that Dollhouse has won the battle and will live to fight another day, while T:SCC fades into memory.

News of this started leaking late last week, but it seemed too good to be true. Whilst the show’s content has only increased in strength from episode 6 of the season, Dollhouse never quite won the ratings battle, toughing it out in a dead end spot on the Friday night timetable. As with T:SCC, the ratings never lived up to shows such as Ghost Whisperer, a Friday night fave, and cancellation seemed assured. Some have posited that Dollhouse has been granted the same sort of reprieve given to T:SCC itself last year. Another season to sort itself out and gain traction in the audience stakes, but if it doesn’t perform better next time, it’s out.

T:SCC had a tough time of it this year, it was moved from a decent night to a dismal one and it had to deal with quite a deep lull in plot mid-way through the season which didn’t help in viewer retention. However, the ratings were stabilizing and even increasing towards the end of the season and the plot was skyrocketing off. Indeed, one very interesting theory was posted over on MTV, saying that the people behind T:SCC were even doing the unthinkable and repairing the paradox regarding John Connor sending his own father back to father him. Yet even with the might of Terminator Salvation’s publicity kicking in and bolstering possible numbers for next season, the show was, in a word, terminated. Whether Dollhouse’s destiny is to follow in these footprints and survive only one more season remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure. It’s nice to know it’ll be back.

What do you think, will Dollhouse go the way of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles after its second season?

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