UPDATED: FOX renews ‘Dollhouse’ for second season.
It’s official. Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse is returning, as we reported on earlier today (and this week).
The show will return for 13 episodes, with an option for more episodes if required. Return is seen likely for Fall. The show budget has been slashed, however the show is moving from 50 minutes per episode to 42 minutes per ep, which should help bring down some production costs. The move will also mark a shift in creative direction of the show.
Updates:
Creator Joss Whedon confirmed online saying “anything that reunites me with my stunning cast and my crazy staff (or “room fulla Tophers”, as I call them) is nothing short of a gift.”
The show shall be restaffing writers shortly for a return to the writers room. Production on the new series is scheduled to start during July in LA.
Popularity: 80% [?]
I love Fox!
YES! \o/
Well, Fox… You have just redeemed yourself for prematurely killing off Firefly. You have no idea how happy this news has made me… x3
Nothing will make up for killing Firefly, at least this is a step in the right direction.
Thank you, Fox! You just made my weekend!
I think they definitely learned their lesson from the Firefly fiasco and are willing to give Joss another chance this time. Thankfully so.
And I actually see these potential changes mentioned in the post as good things — even though I liked the show, I didn’t think they were realistically be able to sustain that sort of premise over the long haul. I always thought it would quickly move on to something else.
only downer is that it’ll still be on fridays…
[...] UPDATE: The rumors appear to be true. [...]
More commericals and “creative changes”? It’s way better than nothing, but do try not to ruin the show like you did Firefly by forcing episode changes that made no sense, eh Fox?
FYI (I wrote the article), the creative elements come from Joss. He went in and pitched to FOX.
Whew, that’s a relief. The article had me worried there!
I am thrilled! I say better to have a more creative show with less air time than no show at all.
Are you saying he thought up a new package so to speak, and went to fox and pitched it to them – and they thought “Hm.. ok with these changes we’ll give it another chance” ?
You can bet the decision had alot to do with the success of Firely on dvd and also the feature film ticket sales, plus the money from the film’s dvd and special edition dvds. They’ve figured out that Scifi fans are more likely to purchase dvd sets, and special editions. I just hope that Amy Acker will be back next season i’m more interested in her character than Echo.
With streaming music and video so available on the internet, I’ve ceased buying entertainment like DVDs. Dollhouse is a show I’ll actually get.
I know we’re all still disgusted with Fox over Firefly, but it’s only fair to give them our honest appreciation for renewing Dollhouse. If they chose to cancel it, they were covered six ways to Sunday: its ratings (at least in the “standard” calculation) were awful, and no one can argue with a straight face that the quality level started out nearly as high as other Mutant Enemy shows. (I know Fox’s meddling in creative issues might have played a role there, but still: those first few eps were pretty bad.)
But Dollhouse improved basically every single week, and even though the season finale kinda went haywire in the climax, it was at least three-quarters pure unabated kickass Whedon & Co. awesomeness. Given another 13 episodes to “find” a broader audience, it might just do that. Buffy sure did.
Dollhouse is never going to be a “mainstream” hit, face it: it’s too genre, too quirky, too… interesting for that. But it can grow at least a little. Fox deserves thanks (this time, at least) for recognizing that.
I feel fox was not completely covered as they for some reason put the show on fridays. Im sure it would have rated better on another night. Of the target audience, who is home on friday night watching tv shows?
oh, thankya massa Fox! thankya! i sho’ duz luuuuv yo’ show!
please. just the idea that i should EVER be grateful to any arm of a billion dollar media conglomerate for MAYBE opting to make a few less thousand on hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of commercial sales?
those parasites should be grateful that Joss Whedon brings with him an audience that is so committed to his work that THEY get the opportunity to appear responsive to the actual viewers rather than just toadying along with whatever their taste-free sponsors and butthead focus groups demand.
[...] End of Show [...]
Thankyou so much Fox! This is a great show and it’ll be great to get 13 more wonderful episodes of it on our TV screens.
Thank you, FOX!! The show is a bit campy, but I like the premise and the show was finally starting to gel. I’m an old lady (51!!), but a life-long sci-fi fan. I got my daughter (20) and her friends watching Dollhouse with me now. They will be buying the DVD. See, FOX — it does pay!
I agree with Adam!
Well…I am speechless…thanks Fox…giving the Dollhouse a chance is huge… it’s Joss’s & Dushku’s grown up superhero show/Alias on acid…Reality tv is your bread and butter but smart scifi is what the people need in these scary times…look at the Boxoffice…there just aren’t many guys on Tv like Joss anymore…play yer cards right and when the tech for cg gets cheaper…somewhere in the near future… ask… & he’ll give ya his rendition of the New Mutants…and you’ll think back to now and be like …we did a good thing!
[...] The End of Show blog reports that the renewal is a done deal: Fox offered Joss Whedon a 13-episode new season with [...]
[...] says “Fox is close”, and End Show has already called it. We just might have ourselves a season [...]
Excellent news! So looking forward to more episodes.
[...] The End of Show blog reports that the renewal is a done deal: Fox offered Joss Whedon a 13-episode new season with [...]
I loved Alias and I like the description above of Alias on steroids. Thank God they saved this one. And yes, I’m over 60 so my opinion doesn’t count any more, but it is what it is.
[...] even us, Fox has renewed Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse for a second season, set to start in the Fall of this year. While I’m still a couple of episodes behind (at [...]
Very surprising, I must say. Not that it will make me love Fox, they stilled killed Firefly and I think Dollhouse is way inferior. One problem is the lead, which we are unfortunately unlikely to get rid of.
[...] Dollhouse is officially renewed for a second [...]
[...] I posted that FOX had agreed to a second season of Dollhouse. Thanks to End of Show, we now know what concessions had to made in order for this to happen. The show will return for 13 [...]
Woo-Hoo!
YEAY!!!! Can’t wait for the second season.
I have been sitting on the edge of my seat for days waiting to hear this good news! I was so worried that Fox would axe yet another fascinating series before it’s time. I hope now the network executives will find a decent timeslot for this series, one that will help it to grow a larger audience in it’s sophmore season.
Now that the show has gotten to be awesome, it’s somewhat heartening to see it getting a second chance. If I had to guess, I’d say that the extra 13th episode (which was done on a very low budget) gave Fox the idea. Of course, the question is: who has creative control? Those first 3-4 episodes sucked.
YES!!!!!!!!!! I love this show so much. It explores some great themes about personality and self, and it needs more time to grow into some conclusions about all those wonderful questions.
[...] Woo hoo! “Dollhouse” gets renewed! [...]
YES!!!!!!!!!! thank you so much fox, you killed tru calling, firefly and a few others, please keep this going. dont do anything drastic please, keep amy acker and eliza dushku, they make the show for us buffyverse fans!
[...] New series “Human Target” takes over the Friday at 8/7c spot, with “Dollhouse” continuing at 9/8c. [...]
[...] The End of Show blog reports that the renewal is a done deal: Fox offered Joss Whedon a 13-episode new season with [...]
Best news all day!
We don’t get Dollhouse in New Zealand yet. By the time it’s on TV here, most people who would watch it, will already have watched it.
Please put out a Region 2/4 PAL DVD and a Region B PAL Blue-ray Disc soon!
[...] all odds, Dollhouse has been renewed for a Second Season! But ominously, “The move will also mark a shift in creative direction of the [...]
[...] END OF SHOW » BREAKING: FOX renews Dollhouse for second season.. The show will return for 13 episodes, with an option for more episodes if required. Return is [...]
Yes yes yes!!!! Dollhouse renewed!!!
I hope the “shift in creative direction” will not affect the awesomeness of this show
If you put more action in the show and less sex you would come up with quite a hit.Everone still wants to know why it is? and what is it’s real purpose? If it’s just to program hookers you’ll loose!!!! Last season had 4 really good epsoides action and drama combined!!! more epsoides like them and you’ll have a hit show , man on the street was awsome!!! so was target the crazy guy tryinmg to kill eco!!! The one with Alpha in it was awsome to, would love to see eco and Alpha go at it again only this time she is programed to battle alpha if he ever shows up again. Eco needs her first handler back with her they are just great together,you get the feeling one would die for the other, great chemistry, Ballard can take over internal security!!!! I really want to know W H Y this place exist, to what end????? please try to bring this out in season 2.