"Dollhouse" New series to star Eliza Dushku

[Ben Varkentine]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111797 ... 1&nid=2563

[JustSkipIt]

The series sounds totally creepy but Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku? Heck yeah. I'm in.

[Gatito Grande]

Can we talk about this here? Hmmm---OK.

While Kristin's fangirlie gushing is embarrassing (regardless of who it's for!), I am intrigued . . . specifically, because Eliza is going to produce, and use her life experiences to inform the show.

GG Because I believe Eliza "gets women" moreso than the one she attributes that quality to Out

ETA: Ooops---I didn't even realize, Ben, that you weren't linking to the same E Online "Watch w/ Kristin" article/interview(s) in which I had learned about the show. That's here: http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristin/detail/index.jsp?uuid=972f7d73-e0a2-43ea-abad-0abf6afba1f3

[LesbianJedi87]

Oh hell yes....Eliza back on TV makes my life

[Emms]

Sounds interesting. I'm in.

[umgaynow]

Anything where Eliza plans on getting even more in shape than she already is hell yeah I'm there!

[AmbersSecretAdmirer]

All we need of course is for Amber to guest star in an episode, one in which she can't get killed off, regardless of how much JW may want it. Now that would be sticking the knife in.

As for the premise, other than it being a blatent homage to "Joe 90" it does sound intriguing, and I am happy that Joss is not the creative force here, merely an executive producer. Hopefully this will ensure that his more negative and vile excesses are curbed to a minimum.

[da101uk]

OMG...... you just made my day, cheered me up good and proper THANK YOU
Eliza Dushku
AND a new x-files movie coming, i'm all giddy

[Thorn]

I didn't find out about the show until this weekend when I was at Borders and got into a Buffy conversation with a guy who worked there. I felt so out of the loop. And I can't wait to see it.

[inlerf]

possible buffy stars in dollhouse?!

highly doubt alyson given her schedule (oh guest star, guest starrrr); maybe amber?! oh come on, just to appease us fans, plus amber has deffo shown her acting diversity/talents.

http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry ... e=12345678

from http://www.dollverse.com/ , there are only 3 spots left for regular/recurring characters. i have this vision and prayer for amber to be Dr. Claire Saunders.

actually, come to think of it, if joss wants alyson on board for a guest star, chances are we'll have it!

[JustSkipIt]

AfterEllen posted the new trailer for Dollhouse. It looks totally fantastic.

[LesbianJedi87]

ahhh it looks so awesome. I cannot wait

[Alcy]

I agree, the trailer looks great and this is one new series I'm eagerly anticipating - I just hope i dont get hooked only for it to get cancelled!

I trust Joss to incorporate some LGBT content! Still wish Stephanie March could've played Dr Claire! Not that Olivia Williams isn't a perfectly respectable choice for the part though.

[JujuDeRoussie]

Awesome!
Now I just hope we'll see more soon!

New Joss' goodness AND Eliza hotness.

Yum.

[WebWarlock]

I give it 5 episodes.

I just can't see this lasting.

Tim

[emma peel]

As much as I love Eliza I tend to agree with WebWarlock for probably some of the same reasons he's probably thinking.

[Feena]

I don't always understand the US way of doing things with shows.

As I understand, the Pilot is made and due to show next year. Does the extension to 13 episodes mean that they will make all 13 beforehand and show as a full series (season)? Or does the Pilot go out and the Network waits to see if it gets good reviews?

How many episodes of FF were made, and did they have an order for more than they made, before it was cancelled? Were there two that weren't shown in the US but released on DVD?

Apologies if we shouldn't talk about those shows, please see it as a general query about a hypothetical show from an English girl who knows nothing about US showmaking

[Hemiola]

Hi Feena!
Generally, after a producer "talks up" an idea with a network, if the network executive gives the nod, the producer will put together a short "demo"-type of presentation, just to give them an idea of what the "tone" and/or theme of the show might be (a good exemple would be the famous 20-min. demo JW made for BtVS--the one with Riff Regan instead of Alyson as Willow).

If this is then found to be interesting, the network can go ahead and provide financing for a pilot, which would be fully-prduced episode of the show. If the network execs then like what they see, they usually proceed to go ahead and order thirteen (the standard number for a "first order") episodes of the series. If the series gets good ratings and/or seems to develop a substantial following of some kind (cf BtVS again ), they can proceed to order more episodes, up to and including a full season order of 22 episodes. Of course, even with the money spent on 13 episodes, this is no guarantee that the show will not be cancelled (even after one showing!!!!) if it proves to be a dud or unpopular (or, most importantly, that advertisers don't like it ), or even aired at all!

Regarding Web Warlock's comment, I agree that the premise is not promising, but then again, who would have thought that a TV show based on a failed "B" movie would have had a chance of success?

[Feena]

Thanks for your post, Hemiola. I'm a lot clearer now.

It'll be interesting to watch and see what happens.

[JujuDeRoussie]

http://www.scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw18953.html

An interview of Joss about Dollhouse on SciFi...

An actore from Battlestar's going to play in it. It's cool.

I really am looking for this show. It seems really fun an it will give the possibilites for Eliza to show her ability to play many things.

It would be nice of course to see Amber in some episodes...

Oh and yay! we get to see actors in the day light!

[SithLordWiccan]

I give it 5 episodes.

I think you're being too generous. Apparently there's discussion on saving the show before it's even aired!

[Rocktoddy]

Oy, is it too bad of me that I want to see this bomb rather than be successful?

The plot seems a little bit too rehashed for my taste and it looks like it wants to be something that it just isn't (i.e: a well-written and attention-grabbing show).

Face it Joss, J.J. Abrams you ain't. I'm guessing TV has found and settled its other new wonder child.

And if it indeed does well, then... good for Ms. Dushku. Whedon himself can still suck my metaphorical balls. Oh yeah I'm pissed off, having just now read the story again on some board about the supposed "Wish"-episode late S7 that would've brought Tara back. Yeah. Right.

And I hate to be the one to bring this up (because I've felt a little icky ever since I saw this thread popping up) and subsequently ruin other people's fun of discussing this JW show (read: praising it beforehand), but... does this rule still apply, or has the expiration date of the Kitten FAQ gone by without me noticing?

3. What is off topic?
Most topics can be discussed in one of the forums that we have, but there are a few topics that cannot be discussed anywhere on this board: BtVS, its creator and any other show made by him and or Mutant Enemy are off topic.

On the other hand, if it DOES GO DOWN THE TOILET, I'd be happy to discuss THAT in this thread!

[urnofosiris]

Oh that was put in there back then because we were rather tired of people using any of his other works as an excuse to sing his praises and telling us how grateful we had to be and not say mean things about the man as clearly he is the only person in the history of tv and movies that ever produced anything good and nothing bad. As it is we have been discussing some alterations in the FAQ recently, changes may be made, but we´re not in a hurry.

In any other TV show thread we have here writers and producers sometimes get a general comment thrown their way in there, but the topic of discussion is the show itself, it´s merits or lack thereof, so please do try and keep this thread on topic and discuss it like any other show on this forum and any further moderating questions can be sent to us via a PM or email.

[JujuDeRoussie]

So this thread is currently closed while the FAQ isn't changed yet?

That's sad.

Let us know if it ever becomes "licit"...

[kisstheviolets]

my understanding of the mod post was that the thread would stay open as long as the discussion didn't veer off into one about JW specifically.

looking forward to the show, the trailer looks great.

[inlerf]

the Save Dollhouse before it's even aired is a joke on how Fox (20th?) tends to treat Joss's shows (FF, Drive): they get canceled and the fans strike back too late. now they're having a head start ;P

Joss tells good stories, although when he isn't fully committed the story goes kaput (ahem, S6 magic addiction, S/B porn, Tara). Serenity is a good example, Firefly, as are BtVS 1-5 (ignoring those filler crap) and 8. Because he writes well, people invest a lot emotionally to his stories, so for Dollhouse I expect nothing less.

The plot? What plot? I don't think we'll be watching for the plot, in the sense that won't be what'll keep us hooked. Who watched BtVS or FF for the plots? No, it's the characters that are the limelight of the show. It's why this board is still alive, as many others like it.

However, for Dollhouse I doubt he'll be writing or overseeing much of it, so that might turn out only to be a slightly better version of Tru Calling. And it hinges massively on Eliza's acting skills; the trailer seems to weigh on the side of nuh-uh, not so much Eliza good acting. I'm willing to give her a chance seeing she's never been something more than the tough girl and that the trailer's too short to do her justice. There's hoping.

(About the wish, maybe he did intend it, maybe he didn't; though I doubt he expected the massive backlash from fans. Killing a secondary-primary character to advance the plot and then intend to pull a deux ex machina...what's the worth of her death then? Just a plot device. Bad idea.)

P.S: AMY ACKER IS A RECURRING CHAR/GUEST! woo cutie.

[SithLordWiccan]

Here's an article about the show done up by the local (for me) 24 Hours free newspaper, noteworthy for showing a particularly good photo of Eliza.

http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/Entertainment ... 6-sun.html

[Ben Varkentine]

And here's a talk with Joss and Eliza from the TV with MeeVee site.

http://blog.meevee.com/my_weblog/2008/0 ... .html#more

I'll give this to Whedon, he shows a certain amount of self-knowledge when he describes one of the male characters this way:

"...He is kind of a genius, and in that way, he can't stop playing around. But he is also very likeable and delightful and kind of amoral. And he looks down on everybody else, and he has got red hair and thinks he is really cool but he is kind of a nerd. I read about a character like that once, so I based him on that."

And Dushku is funny talking about why they filmed a new first episode.

I, for some reason did not get to wear my leather pants in the first episode, and that was kind of a problem…that was like a deal breaker

Personally, I'll only make one prediction about the new series...but I think we all know we can take it as gospel.

If the show is a hit, fans will say it's because Joss is a genius. If it misses, fans will say it's because Fox didn't take good care of Joss's new baby!

They're so predictable.

[NotAnotherExPat]

I saw the trailer on AfterEllen and was intrigued. People keep saying it's an "overused" concept, but honestly I haven't seen or read anything like this. Eternal Sunshine is the closest thing I can think of. Maybe I'm dorky and naiive, but I'm really excited to see how this one goes.

Also anything that stars Eliza Dushku is FINE by me.

[Feena]

Shame....

Whedon's 'Dollhouse' shuts down

Production has been suspended on Fox's new TV series Dollhouse for two weeks to allow creator Joss Whedon to retool scripts.

According to Zap2It, Whedon directed two of the series's three episodes but couldn't find enough time to work on the scripts for upcoming episodes. Fox obliged Whedon's request to suspend production in order to bring the scripts up to standard.

A representative said: "We have every confidence that [the extra time] will allow Joss to make the show the best it can possibly be. It's very rare that you have a head writer who is also directing two episodes in a row. But we are happy that Joss is directing, because this is his vision."

Whedon had previously reshot the Dollhouse pilot to resolve "clarity issues".

Dollhouse is the second major Fox show to halt production in a week, with 24 closed down due to script issues.