Dollhouse is still, roughly, seven weeks away.  While I still remain very much interested in its premise, I can't help but feel that it would fail in a way—no, it's not going to be Joss Whedon's fault, but more of the network's fault, with all of its interfering in the months leading to its February 13 premiere.  But here's something that perked me up: a sneak peek at what the show will bring!

The show's premise is pretty simple: a group of people, called “actives”, have their memories added and erased as they see fit, before they are hired for different missions.  It's a simple idea that's already been elaborated on the promo that went online over a month ago, but nothing beats seeing a little more, and that's what we got.  Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello first got his hands on two minutes of footage from the show, and shared it to the world—and that's what we're going to do, too.  Sure, some of it is in the promo, but hey, who's complaining?  The clip, and a little more, after the cut.


The clip actually tugged at my heart.  I don't really know why, but it felt that those two minutes said a lot more about Dollhouse's premise, as well as its inner battles, while managing to make me want for more.  Well, much more than I used to.  So, why again is Fox putting this on a Friday night, on a time slot that's generally considered as a low-expectation spot where shows are left to die?   Why not, say, right after American Idol, which will surely give it a guaranteed huge audience?

“It's a night where there's not a hell of a lot of competition,” Peter Liguori, chairman of Fox Entertainment, explained to the Los Angeles Times.  “[That's why] we're able to get the show on there.  We're able to allow the show to grow.  The expectations may be slightly lower for its performance.”

“By nature, this show has a particular kind of audience,” Kevin Reilly, president of Fox Entertainment, added.  “That's just what Joss does.  You could say, ‘why Lie to Me after Idol [on Wednesdays]?'  I think that's a broader show.  You don't want to put something with more of a sci-fi bent.”

But what about Fringe?  It's another show that I really like—and yet, despite its sci-fi slash geeky nature, it's not on Friday, but instead on a lucrative Tuesday night slot, which means it'll come after Idol next year. A nd, it premiered with low ratings, before settling down with around 8 million viewers weekly.  “We were never worried!” Reilly admitted, before mentioning that baseball, the presidential debates and the Olympics kept ratings down despite people liking the show.

Well. I still hope Dollhouse gets the due it deserves.  And yet, I hope it doesn't fail me.  But it doesn't seem to be going that way right now.  Again, the show premieres on February 13, from 9pm ET, on Fox.


-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Times
(Screen capture courtesy of Fox)