Blast from the Past: Brilliant, But Cancelled

Well, when I decide to take a blogging break, I can really get into it. Especially when something monumental, like the release of 15 long-awaited Arrested Development episodes come out on the same day. In one of the rarest moves in episodic TV history, seven years after the too-early cancellation of the beloved show, Netflix produced a season four, and made a lot of people very happy. Getting a cast as talented--and busy--cast together to do was a remarkable accomplishment on its own.

Anyway, because of this big event, I didn't write my Blast from the Past column this weekend. So, I'm rerunning one that featured the show, from last year. Maybe it will inspire you to check Arrested Development out, if you're still not sure what all the fuss is about!

ORIGINAL POST:

I don't know if the term "brilliant, but cancelled" is copyrighted. . .I hope not. I mean, it's just a concept. But then, I've used Blast from the Past for six years, so I guess if I'm gonna get in trouble, I'm already screwed! Anyway, this being a Labor Day weekend, I'm a little behind in my blogging chores. But I didn't want the week to start without a new edition, since I've already skipped one recently.

So, I got to thinking that I needed to do something different this week, not music related, not current events. Then, today I re-watched a couple of episodes of Better Off Ted, the badly named but wonderful sitcom from a couple of years ago. It got me to thinking of my favorite shows that got cancelled far too soon. Keep in mind that these are my personal favorites, and that it is a partial list. Hey, it's labor day, why should I over do it? Heh. It does strike me that all of these shows managed more episodes than some classic British programs, even those considered to be very successful.

1. Better Off Ted (2009-2010, 26 episodes) - BOT had a marvelous cast, a manic, off-kilter style and originality off the charts. It took place in the corporate offices of "Veridian Dynamics," a behemoth of a company with sketchy morals. It involved mid-level executives, product testers and nerdy science researchers. The stars--including Jay Harrington as Ted, Andrea Anders as Linda, and especially Portia de Rossi as Veronica, Jonathan Slavin as Phil and Malcolm Barrett as Lem--formed a dream cast that could only be rivaled by the next show in this list. I can't say enough good things about this show, or how likely the chances that viewing it will lift your mood.




2. Arrested Development (2003-2006, 53 episodes) - AD did get a two-and-a-half-year run, so it lasted longer than most "brilliant but cancelled" shows. But it was the kind of show that just felt far too good to be treated so badly by its network (FOX TV). Its fan base is rabid, so it has managed a sort of rebirth, with new episodes and a movie on the horizon. Which is astonishing when you consider the heft of the cast: Jason Bateman, Jessica Walter, Michael Cera, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, Will Arnett, Tony Hale and. . .oh, looky there, Portia de Rossi. TWO brilliant shows, both cancelled too soon. It's a crime, I tells ya. Anyway, if you never caught the Arrested bug, by all means do so now. You'll increase your pop culture knowledge, and have a helluva time doing it!




3. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008-2009, 31 Episodes) - I wrote about this one a lot when it was on the air. I was a huge fan of the first two Terminator movies, but not so much on the follow-ups. This show took care of that by starting an alternate timeline right after T2. Lena Headey made a great Sarah, Summer Glau a terrific Terminator chick, Shirley Manson was the icy liquid Terminator, and Garret Dillahunt fantastic as Chromartie/John Henry, the captured, reprogrammed Terminator. The show is probably derided by Terminator "purists" (though there are  probably more splinter groups in this franchise's fandom than I could ever sort out), but think of it this way: the running time of this series amounts to about a dozen movies, in 31 chapters; far more than the movie series can offer. And though the series ends on a cliffhanger, it also resolves most of the story threads, and merely offers a new tangent to potentially be explored.




4. Dollhouse (2009-2010, 27 episodes) - I could easily put Firefly in this brilliant but cancelled group, but that one has been done to death. Dollhouse, also by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Marvel's The Avengers) actually got a little longer life than Firefly did, but still only eked out two half seasons. Still, since they had a good inkling that they'd get no more rope, they fashioned a complete narrative for the series, ending it with a (literal) bang. The show dealt with moral ambiguity, offering programmable "dolls"--actual people with their real minds stored on hard drives, and new identities installed--out to paying customers. The logical extension of this sort of technology getting into the wrong hands plays out pretty much how you think it would. If you read a lot of dystopian future fiction! Anyway, I adore Eliza Dushku, so will mourn this one for a while.

And that's it for this week kiddies. This theme will probably be sequelled eventually. They're always cancelling shows I like, in fact I think it's something of a curse. So, stay tuned for that. And this time when I say "Happy Monday," you can actually have one, because it's a holiday! So, Happy Monday!

Joss Whedon: Vote for Romney, Vote for Zombie Apocalypse!

Image found at BoyCulture.com

It would be fair to call me a Whedonite. I'm Whedonesque. I'm ridiculously Whedon-affected. I'm a Joss Whedon completist--when it comes to video recordings at least--and would follow him almost anywhere. Who is Joss Whedon you ask? Only the man behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, Dollhouse, The Cabin in the Woods and. . .let's see, what else? Oh yeah, Marvel's The Avengers.

Joss wants you to vote for Mitt Romney. If you want a zombie apocalypse, that is. . .

Found at: Boy Culture

Blast from the Past: Brilliant, But Cancelled

I don't know if the term "brilliant, but cancelled" is copyrighted. . .I hope not. I mean, it's just a concept. But then, I've used Blast from the Past for six years, so I guess if I'm gonna get in trouble, I'm already screwed! Anyway, this being a Labor Day weekend, I'm a little behind in my blogging chores. But I didn't want the week to start without a new edition, since I've already skipped one recently.

So, I got to thinking that I needed to do something different this week, not music related, not current events. Then, today I re-watched a couple of episodes of Better Off Ted, the badly named but wonderful sitcom from a couple of years ago. It got me to thinking of my favorite shows that got cancelled far too soon. Keep in mind that these are my personal favorites, and that it is a partial list. Hey, it's labor day, why should I over do it? Heh. It does strike me that all of these shows managed more episodes than some classic British programs, even those considered to be very successful.

1. Better Off Ted (2009-2010, 26 episodes) - BOT had a marvelous cast, a manic, off-kilter style and originality off the charts. It took place in the corporate offices of "Veridian Dynamics," a behemoth of a company with sketchy morals. It involved mid-level executives, product testers and nerdy science researchers. The stars--including Jay Harrington as Ted, Andrea Anders as Linda, and especially Portia de Rossi as Veronica, Jonathan Slavin as Phil and Malcolm Barrett as Lem--formed a dream cast that could only be rivaled by the next show in this list. I can't say enough good things about this show, or how likely the chances that viewing it will lift your mood.




2. Arrested Development (2003-2006, 53 episodes) - AD did get a two-and-a-half-year run, so it lasted longer than most "brilliant but cancelled" shows. But it was the kind of show that just felt far too good to be treated so badly by its network (FOX TV). Its fan base is rabid, so it has managed a sort of rebirth, with new episodes and a movie on the horizon. Which is astonishing when you consider the heft of the cast: Jason Bateman, Jessica Walter, Michael Cera, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, Will Arnett, Tony Hale and. . .oh, looky there, Portia de Rossi. TWO brilliant shows, both cancelled too soon. It's a crime, I tells ya. Anyway, if you never caught the Arrested bug, by all means do so now. You'll increase your pop culture knowledge, and have a helluva time doing it!




3. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008-2009, 31 Episodes) - I wrote about this one a lot when it was on the air. I was a huge fan of the first two Terminator movies, but not so much on the follow-ups. This show took care of that by starting an alternate timeline right after T2. Lena Headey made a great Sarah, Summer Glau a terrific Terminator chick, Shirley Manson was the icy liquid Terminator, and Garret Dillahunt fantastic as Chromartie/John Henry, the captured, reprogrammed Terminator. The show is probably derided by Terminator "purists" (though there are  probably more splinter groups in this franchise's fandom than I could ever sort out), but think of it this way: the running time of this series amounts to about a dozen movies, in 31 chapters; far more than the movie series can offer. And though the series ends on a cliffhanger, it also resolves most of the story threads, and merely offers a new tangent to potentially be explored.




4. Dollhouse (2009-2010, 27 episodes) - I could easily put Firefly in this brilliant but cancelled group, but that one has been done to death. Dollhouse, also by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Marvel's The Avengers) actually got a little longer life than Firefly did, but still only eked out two half seasons. Still, since they had a good inkling that they'd get no more rope, they fashioned a complete narrative for the series, ending it with a (literal) bang. The show dealt with moral ambiguity, offering programmable "dolls"--actual people with their real minds stored on hard drives, and new identities installed--out to paying customers. The logical extension of this sort of technology getting into the wrong hands plays out pretty much how you think it would. If you read a lot of dystopian future fiction! Anyway, I adore Eliza Dushku, so will mourn this one for a while.

And that's it for this week kiddies. This theme will probably be sequelled eventually. They're always cancelling shows I like, in fact I think it's something of a curse. So, stay tuned for that. And this time when I say "Happy Monday," you can actually have one, because it's a holiday! So, Happy Monday!

Locked in the Attic of the Dollhouse

Image from Wikipedia

You may have noticed that I haven't posted anything new today until now. I've had kind of an odd day. Saturday, we had some fun and libations at some friends' house, rendering me red-wine sleepy.  So, I hit the hay early for me, around 9:45, and you'll remember we gained an hour thanks to the end of Daylight Saving Time.  Since I'm usually something of a night-owl, this had me fully awake at 4:00 am!

So, I spent the wee hours watching a little TV Land, notably some very early Three's Company episodes (when it was silly, rather than stupid, and Chrissy was naive, rather than brain dead. Oh, and John Ritter was adorable). When my morning finally caught up to my usual routine, I watched a couple of the morning political chatfests--which have reverted to full-on Republican lineups--and then on to some errands.  Once I was done with that, I decided to spend my remaining Sunday catching up with Joss Whedon's Dollhouse.

I was a major cheerleader of the show during its two half-seasons on FOX, for all the good it did. As a big Whedon and Eliza Dushku fan, I really dug the show, whether or not anybody else did.  So that's where I've been all day.  While watching a season of TV on DVD can be a mind-suck, it's a very interesting way to watch a sci-fi show, particularly one like Dollhouse, which was forced into an accelerated storyline in order to wrap up before cancellation.  I find myself unable to stop, so I'll be away for a couple more hours. I'll be back before the end of the day (the wee hours for the east coast, most likely), with a Blast from the Past entry, and hopefully a thing or two more to get the week started properly here at the blog.  Until then, try to be your best.

Joss Whedon's Dollhouse to get Comic Book Treatment!

Image from source, ComicBookMovie

A big woo, and a big hoo! I was a huge fan of the tv show, Dollhouse, as has been amply presented here on the blog.  It was a show about a company that hired troubled people, blanked their minds, and then reloaded them with the personality and attributes wanted by a rich, elite clientele. It was a Joss Whedon show, so the there was a lot more to it than that, and like most Whedon shows, it wasn't highly rated, but had a fervent fan base.  When the show ended after two seasons, the whole thing was wrapped up in a dystopian future, leaving most plot points tied up.

I may be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure that all involved vowed there would be no continuation, no adaptation, no comic book series to follow.  But in the sci-fi/fantasy/action genres, never say never.  I may have to subscribe to this one, even if I let my Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight comics addiction lapse.

[Excerpt]

Dollhouse gets its own Comic book!

Another cancelled show for Joss Whedon proves a valuble asset for Darkhorse Comics, who have made an announcement that it will release a Dollhouse comic book in 2011. . .

Read more at: ComicBookMovie

Thanks to @ElizaDushku via Twitter

Is Your Favorite TV Show "On The Bubble?"

Image from source, The Hollywood Reporter

Every year, a show I'm rooting for (like Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse--damn you FOX!) gets canned too early. So this year, I'm not saying anything about which shows I hope stick around. I already gave the Greenlee Curse to Better Off Ted. Best that I just keep my big trap shut.

[Excerpt]

Bubble wrap! Endangered shows status report: '24,' 'Chuck,' 'Smallville,' 'V,' 'Fringe'...

This could be Jack Bauer’s final day.

Fox’s “24” is on The Hollywood Reporter’s list of endangered shows this year, along with fan faves “Heroes,” “Chuck,” “Smallville” and “FlashForward. . .”

Read more at: The Hollywood Reporter

Actor to Watch: Enver Gjokaj

Image from Pop Power

Enver what now? The actor (whose name is pronounced En-vair Jo-kai) is one of the ensemble cast of the recently cancelled (but still airing) FOX sci-fi show, Dollhouse. I've been a vocal supporter of the show, which apparently leads to series cancellation--see Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles--sort of a "Greenlee's Law" if you will. The star of Dollhouse is Eliza Dushku, who also appeared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (all produced by genre great, Joss Whedon). But Dollhouse grew into a true ensemble piece, with uniformly good actors regularly outshining Dushku.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not on the Dushku-bashing band wagon so many other viewers are perched upon. Love her, seriously. But up against the acting of co-stars Olivia Williams, Amy Acker, Fran Kranz, Dichen Lachman, Alexis Denisof, Tamoh Pinekett, Harry Lennix and especially Enver Gjokaj, Dushku was bound to find herself a bit dwarfed. The premise of the show--if you don't already know--is that a shady business called "Dollhouse" takes wayward souls, wipes their memories (consensually, mostly), and reprograms them for use as, well, just about anything. Mostly as fantasy fulfillment for the rich, but also for more useful purposes.

So it was either lucky or by design that Gjokaj (along with other co-stars) is so gifted as so many different types of characters. The first time he was introduced, it was as a Russian, and we weren't as an audience aware that he was a "doll" at all. Later, he was put into other roles including as a secret lover to boss lady Williams. But it was his stunningly good impressions of other actors on the show where he really shone. First the contents of the brain of one of the characters, Laurence Dominic (Reed Diamond) was dumped into Gjokaj's Victor character. Dominic was a mole, and had his real self sentenced to "The Attic" for punishment. Through Victor, they found out what Dominic was up to.

The thing is, Gjokaj's take on Dominic's/Diamond's character was so spot-on, if you weren't watching the screen, you'd have sworn it was Diamond and not Gjokaj in the scene. Later, Victor was programmed with the memories of a serial killer. Here again, the acting nuances were so perfect, he almost became the other actor. Later in that same episode--through a mishap with the technology--Victor became Kiki, the empty-headed party girl Echo (Dushku) had been portraying. It was comedy gold.

Most recently, Victor was called upon to help brainy (and amoral) Topher be in two places at the same time. Gjokaj's performance as Topher blew every other attempt at mimcry out of the water. Other than hair color, the difference between Gjokaj's and Kranz's "Tophers" was almost indistinguishable. And again, the scenes managed to inject a significant amount of humor.

Dollhouse may sadly be cancelled, but I have no doubt that Enver Gjokaj will have a bright future. And given Whedon's propensity for using his actors again and again, hopefully it will be in something as entertaining as Dollhouse. Let's just hope it's more popular.

Enver Gjokaj's official Web Site

Joss Whedon's Dollhouse Cancelled, Blogger Sad

Image from source, New York Magazine

Well, I knew this was coming. FOX has finally cancelled Dollhouse. Sigh. I'm an unabashed fan of the show, and of its creator Joss Whedon. . .and frankly, all of the other Whedon creations. I'm also a fan of its star, Eliza Dushku, who has been on the receiving end of far too much negative criticism in this blogger's opinion.

And that's part of the problem. Niche-y genre shows have their passionate followers, but have at least an equal number of detractors. Oddly enough, most of the harshest critics of Dollhouse are also genre fans. It's bizarre. A similar thing happened to the Star Trek franchise. Beginning with Deep Space Nine, and continuing on through Voyager and Enterprise, Trekkers themselves complained and whined about all that was dreadfully wrong with those shows.

Not to say that everything Trek or Whedon is perfect. For every batch of good episodes or movies, there is a clunker. But any episode of Enterprise or Dollhouse is more entertaining than three quarters of everything else on television. I'm convinced that irrational fan resistance is partially to blame for the decline of Trek (until the reboot/remake movie, of course), and the demise of Dollhouse. And of course, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

And there is another wrinkle. Fans of T:TSCC and Dollhouse often saw themselves as adversaries, each wishing doom on the other, hoping that their show would "win." As a fan of both, this was discouraging. And now both shows are dead. Were they perfect? Nope. But they were both a hell of a lot of fun.

My biggest fear is that Whedon will just stop trying, having had now two (counting Firefly) ambitious, character-rich shows cancelled before they had a chance to catch fire. Hopefully, he will find a berth on Syfy, AMC, Showtime, HBO or FX (or hell, even the CW), where low ratings are expected. It's becoming increasingly clear that Americans mostly like their TV dumb.

[Excerpt]

Good-bye, Dollhouse, It’s Been Nice; Hope You Find Your Paradise

To quote Joss Whedon's favorite musical creator, I'm sorry/grateful that Dollhouse was canceled. (Basically, my feelings mirror those of our wonderful recapper Joy Press, who tweeted, "It had potential. But like a lot of people, I was too ambivalent about Dollhouse to feel sad about cancellation.")

Read more at: New York Magazine

Frivolity Break: Joss Whedon to Direct Glee!

Image from source, EW

If you type "Joss Whedon" into the search box above, you'll likely have several pages of previous posts of mine to scroll through. I'm a huge fan, and have recently plowed through every episode of every show that Whedon has created. Yeah, I'm that nuts. His current show Dollhouse has been featured here as much as anything, but it looks unlikely to survive for the full TV season. But to help squelch my sadness about that likely eventuality, Whedon will be directing an episode of Glee! Which, given his spectacular success on the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Once More, With Feeling!" bodes very well for fans of the show.

[Excerpt]

'Glee' exclusive: Joss Whedon to direct!

If I hadn’t been warming to Glee already, this for sure would’ve begun defrosting me: Dollhouse-keeper Joss Whedon has agreed to direct one of the back nine episodes that Fox just ordered. . .

Read more at: Entertainment Weekly

Dollhouse to Get 13 Episodes, Likely No More

Image from source, nj.com

I've been championing the Joss Whedon show, Dollhouse, for its entire existence. But the writing seems to be on the wall, and I'm going to have to face the reality that it will likely die an early death. Brilliant but cancelled, as they say. And it's a damned shame.

As brilliant as Whedon's shows are, they've never really had mass appeal. They're probably too smart, too different and too niche-y. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel had an easier time of it due to the low expectations of the (now defunct) UPN and WB networks. Neither show ever got great ratings, though the number of people watching them then vastly outnumber those watching Dollhouse. Thank the splintering of media, the mainstreaming of the internet and the dumbing down of America for that one.

Firefly, Whedon's sci-fi/western hybrid from a few years ago is still lamented for its early cancellation. Firefly, like Dollhouse was also on FOX, but at a time when viewership hadn't eroded to the present abysmal levels. Both of these shows are densely plotted, and require a viewer's attention. Sometimes to the point of requiring multiple viewings to catch all of the layers. People just don't seem to want to invest so much brain wattage (or maybe most don't have it in the first place) to let a show like this grow. Or rather, they don't care to seek it out on a Friday night on FOX. Fortunately, shows like Lost, FlashForward, Fringe and Heroes (yes, I'm still hanging on to that one) have managed to have viewers show up in large enough numbers to keep those programs on the air.

The saddest thing about the likely cancellation of Dollhouse has more to do with its creator than the actual show. I fear after having two low-rated shows on a major network, either that Whedon won't try again, or that no one will let him. While I'm quite sure he'll continue to be creative in other venues, I think it would be sad if his big juicy brain didn't get the opportunity to create a real mainstream hit.

But I'm not ready to give up hope for what we already have. Dollhouse has had dismal first-run ratings, true. But it's doing big DVR numbers, I'd suspect decent Hulu numbers, and has a fervent--if small--fanbase. Maybe, just maybe, there's a way to keep this thing going.

[Excerpt]

Can DVRs save 'Dollhouse'? Probably not.

. . .First, the good news: Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman said that, in light of this news, all 13 "Dollhouse" season two episodes will air. Though you'll note he didn't say when they would air, and admitted they might have to pull the show off the schedule for November sweeps. . .

Read more at: NJ.com

Fall TV: New V to Have Odd Schedule

Image from Collider

When a sci-fi show premieres on FOX, I immediately get wary, and might even avoid it, since they tend to cancel them so quickly. Quick, name a sci-fi show on FOX that has lasted more than two seasons in the last few years. Right now Fringe and Dollhouse are getting their second try, but Dollhouse already looks to be in trouble. Damn it.

But the new V is on ABC, so everything's OK, right? Well, that remains to be seen. Lost has been around a while, but what else in the genre has ever made it for very long? I have hopes for FlashForward, and hopefully that one will catch on. But V is the one I'm anxious for. I absolutely loved the original, and its sequel, V: The Final Battle on NBC back in the 80s (the subsequent short-lived series, not so much). Done right, this show could be mind blowing.

So what are they doing? Waiting until November to start the show for one. And secondly, they're only going to air four episodes, and then take it off the air until the Olympics are over. Great. That'll work. Well, maybe it could work, if the show is really awesome, and ABC is smart enough to be very clear that the first four episodes are an "event" leading up to a full-fledged series this winter. Or something. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[Excerpt]

ABC to break up 'V' debut; first four episodes air in November




An ABC spokeswoman confirmed exclusively to EW that V, the network’s much anticipated reboot of the old NBC miniseries, will air for a limited, four-episode run in November and then return to the schedule after the Olympics in March. . .

Read more at: Entertainment Weekly

Dollhouse Season One Recap

Hey, since this is my blog, I thought I'd do my part for my favorite newish show, Dollhouse. I've written about it a lot, so I won't elaborate here.* I do know that not everyone has the DVD set, and may not have time to run out and get it and watch it all before season two starts. So, I found a nifty recap episode that will explain the premise and the story so far. It's by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly and Serenity), it's sci-fi, it's action, and it has hot babes (of both sexes). And Eliza Dushku. What more could you want?



*If you want to read other posts on the subject, just type "dollhouse" into the search box at the upper left.

Complete Your Whedonverse: Dollhouse & Firefly

During the last few weekends, I finally completed my viewing of the Whedonverse, which to the uninitiated, would be the jewels of pop culture created by Joss Whedon. Until recently, I was only a member of the Buffyverse, a late-coming aficionado of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I completed that knowledge with the viewing of the complete Angel, the spinoff starring sexy vampire, David Boreanaz. This was vampire chic before it was cool.

I'd skipped most of Firefly and Serenity, Whedon's foray into sci-fi (via pseudo-western). I got in on the ground floor with Dollhouse, Whedon's latest offering. But this summer, I decided it was time I became a completist. I got all of the missing pieces and watched them over several weeks. Here are my findings.

I started with the DVD set of Firefly, the brilliant-but-cancelled fan favorite. The cast, lead by Nathan Fillion as Capt. Mal Reynolds does not disappoint. They are uniformly good looking, and also very good actors. The show melds shoot-'em-up westerns with star-spanning sci-fi, and manages the feat quite well. Unfortunately, the concept is quite complex and convoluted, and required that I do some on-line research to fully grasp it. In the future, so the storyline goes, the Earth became overpopulated and run down, and so mankind spread its wings and terraformed several planets, moons and planetoids in a new star system.

This created conflict between government and "frontiersman" factions, culminating in a war. The government was controlled by an American-Chinese alliance, and the rebels lost the battle. Capt. Reynolds and his ragtag team were on the losing side, and after the war become minor league outlaws. The morality of the crew is quite gray, and the rightness or wrongness of their missions is difficult to nail down. The Whedonesque dialog crackles, and the swashbuckling melds nicely with the humor, the pathos and the sexiness. . .much like on Buffy and Angel.

But it was all a little too highbrow to catch on quickly, and it was summarily executed by FOX long before it should have been. Still, fan support was strong enough to commission a theatrical film, and thus Serenity was born. The movie plays like a kick-ass extended episode that fits very well with the series. It was surprising that Whedon killed off two major characters, something that actually kind of pissed me off. And watching Summer Glau as River Tam was a little weird after having first seen her as the Terminator, Cameron, in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. There are a lot of similarities between her two characters, chief among them her mastery of waif fu.

Small wonder that Glau will be appearing in the second season of Dollhouse. Bigger wonder that Dollhouse is getting another crack at bat at all. The show was positioned as the lead in to Sarah Connor last year, and neither show did well in the ratings. Connor was by far the leader in name recognition, but Dollhouse won renewal. And I'm so glad it did. I just wish it wasn't at the cost of the other show.

Dollhouse concerns a super-secret "house" of beautiful people who can be downloaded with any personality with any mission that the super-rich can pay for. They can be lovers, fighters, anything a client might want them to be. As with all of Whedon's other shows, motivations are colored with many shades of grey, morally. And, as with the other shows, things are very complex, and require more of your brain to follow than ordinary TV shows do. Again, the actors are well chosen, and very good. The star, Eliza Dushku (Faith, from Buffy) has been unfairly derided as a "limited" actress, in my opinion, performing very well in her difficult role as an "active." She plays Echo, the blank slate personality, as well as Caroline, her "core" identity, and then as a different personality in every mission.

The show didn't really take off until about the sixth episode, after all of FOX's notes had been absorbed, and the real story started being told. So if you get the DVD set, hang in there. It gets terrific. But upon second viewing, even the early episodes have nuggets I didn't notice before. The set goes very fast, and I was surprised how quickly I got to the end of the network run. But it is in the final episode, Epitaph One, that things get really interesting. The unaired episode (which as far as I know, will remain so) is a ten years in the future flash forward. In a dystopian future, the logical conclusion of the abilities of the Dollhouse are played out to spectacular dysfunction.

Epitaph One serves a similar function to Dollhouse as Serenity does to Firefly. It puts a neat coda onto the series. At the time of filming, they didn't know if the show would continue. So it could have been a finale episode. As it stands now, Season 2 will be filling in the gaps between the regular episodes and the final one. It could also sort of paint them into a corner, and confuse people who have not seen the DVD-only episode. It remains to be seen how they will deal with that.

All-in-all, I'm glad to have plugged the gaps in my Whedonverse knowledge. And I feel a little glum not having any new installments to view. I guess I'll have to wait patiently (only a couple of weeks!) until Dollhouse's second season begins. And I'll be crossing my fingers mightily that somehow--somehow--the show gets a full-season order beyond the promised 13.

My review: Firefly, Serenity, Dollhouse Season 1: Highly recommended

The Friday Night Death Slot

The socially awkward and we old married folks don't treat Friday night much differently than any other night. Sure, occasionally, we'll get our freak on. But more often than not, we're in front of our TVs, our computers or both. But the majority of television viewers are either not home, or not interested in TV on Friday nights. This has lead to a TV trope known as "the Friday night death slot."

That's where network executives stick sci-fi/fantasy shows, seemingly in an effort to kill them off. FOX is notorious for this, having killed numerous shows by placing them on Friday nights, and then cancelling them after they couldn't overcome the lack of viewership on that night. Only The X-Files seems to have overcome the situation.

Last year, two of my favorite shows were relegated to the TV hell that is Fridays. Surprisingly, one of them--Dollhouse--survived to a new season. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles wasn't so lucky. I'm one of a rare breed who was head over heels for both shows. Dollhouse has a limited amount of time to prove itself, and I'm desperately hoping that it pulls off a miracle. Joss Whedon's previous programs (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) didn't have to muster much of an audience on the defunct WB and UPN networks. But on FOX, Whedon failed with Firefly, an awesome show also relegated to the death slot, and now Dollhouse is in the same situation. Here's hoping.

[Excerpt]

Scott Brown on Saving Sci-Fi From the Friday Night Death Slot

Ah, the early '90s: that Eden. I was so innocent then, I barely knew which demographic I was. And I certainly didn't know that just by doing what came naturally—staying in on Friday nights and watching The X-Files—I was changing the world. I had no inkling that we, my nerdy ilk and I, were actually saving dozens of unborn science fiction shows from the Sarlacc maw of the Friday Night Death Slot. Surely you've heard of the Death Slot. It's a circle of programming hell traditionally reserved for the weak, the sick, the family- oriented—and the sci-fi-derived. . .

Read more at: Wired

FOX TV's Sorry Track Record with Science Fiction

Image from source, Topless Robot

(Yes, The Tick was a super-hero parody, but super-heroes are sci-fi in my book.)

I've been a fan of sci-fi (SyFy, if you prefer) ever since I was little. When I had to pick elective literature courses in high school I opted for "Mystery & Suspense," and "Science Fiction." Luckily for me, I grew up in the age of sci-fi movies, both cheesy (Logan's Run) and superb (Star Wars). On TV, there was The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, Battlestar Galactica, The Incredible Hulk and many other sci-fi/fantasy shows.

As I got older, I never lost my affinity for sci-fi. And every so often, the TV powers that be would tantalize me with a new offering. I'd excitedly watch from episode one, only to have the show yanked from the schedule two, six, thirteen episodes. If I'd get really lucky, I'd a full season, or possibly a second, usually aborted somewhere in the middle of season two. Sometimes the show deserved it (V, Manimal, M.A.N.T.I.S., Misfits of Science, the new Bionic Woman) More often than not though, if the program was good, and I was really getting into it right as it was cancelled, FOX was the network that dropped the axe. Damn that Rupert Murdoch!

Now, I have to give FOX credit for putting them on in the first place. And there have been rare exceptions like The X-Files. Currently, FOX has renewed two very good shows with sci-fi elements, Fringe and Dollhouse. As grateful as I am for that, however, I cannot forgive them for cancelling Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles after an insanely good run of episodes. I don't care what the excuse is, that show was just too cool to die. Here is the original promo for that show. Tell me this show wasn't made of awesome.

The article below is not focused solely on the sci-fi genre, but it is heavily represented.

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The 20 Greatest Shows Canceled By Fox Before Their Time

I'm going to come right out and say it; The Fox Network is the f***ing devil. How many times in the last 20 years has this story repeated itself? Fox greenlights an awesome show. Many viewers love it and practically become obsessed with the show. Fox then cancels the series after a handful of episodes because the ratings did not climb fast enough for the impatient, small-minded execs at Fox. Imagine if a classic, long-running show like Seinfeld had aired on Fox (which actually almost happened) instead of another network. . . .

Read more at: Topless Robot

DVD Review: Angel the Series

Image from EW.com

I'm sure the creators of most TV series never envisioned the advent of DVD "complete series" compilations. And they are especially interesting if you never really watched the show in question until you bought the DVDs. TV series usually play out in real time, or in 5-days-a-week reruns. In those scenarios, you still have to wait to see how the plot lines play out.

But with DVDs--especially if you are into marathon viewing sessions--you can watch the creators' visions play out in a dramatically compressed time frame. Which can either expose the weaknesses or the strengths of the creative teams involved.

In the case of Angel, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I'd have to say the strengths outshine the weaknesses. I was a latecomer to BtVS in its original run. I caught a couple of stray episodes when there were newsworthy calls to watch. The Columbine tragedy brought attention to an Buffy episode that dealt with guns in schools. And there was some sort of controversy with the violence in season three's cliffhanger. Also, there was a lot of news around Buffy's death in season five. In each of those occasions, I caught an episode, and it was after that season five one that I started watching and became a fan.

But because of this, I only caught the earlier seasons in reruns, and I never developed a very strong attachment to the character of Angel, Buffy's "vampire with a soul" boyfriend. And when he was spun off into his own series, I wasn't there to find out what it was all about.

I eventually watched every episode of BtVS on television, and then again (and again) on DVD. Eventually, my curiosity was whetted enough to check out Angel on DVD too. And while I initially wasn't hooked, it wasn't long before I became (almost) as enamored with the spin off. Now that I've finished the last of my Angel DVDs, I feel it's time to weigh in on the series as a whole.

Season One

The first season was a fairly thin spin off at first. They took Angel--the good vampire--and transplanted him to Los Angeles. By (extraordinary) coincidence, he runs into Cordelia Chase, the vapid, stuck-up "popular girl" from BtVS. They are joined by Doyle, a half-demon who has visions that give Angel motivation to help the helpless. They all set up a private investigator business, and embark on a supernatural/procedural drama. Episodes are fairly self-contained, and while interesting and enjoyable, do not rise to the level of a great series.

One third of the way through the first season, the character of Doyle is killed off, and passes his gift of visions off to Cordelia, giving the character more of a purpose in the series. A female detective, Kate, is introduced, though her character never amounts to much. And the "evil" law firm of Wolfram & Hart is brought in as a force for Angel to fight. Lila and Lindsey are the two most prominent lawyers featured, and they will play much more significant roles in seasons to come. But it is safe to say that Angel was not a particularly engaging show just yet, and that if it had ended here, not many viewers would have missed it.

Season Two

This was the season when Angel started to gel as a series, and began to hook me at last. The central setting became the Hyperion Hotel, where Angel Investigations had set up shop. Wesley Windom-Price, Faith's watcher from BtVS, who'd joined the cast after Doyle was killed off, assumed a more substantial role. The story lines became a bit more serialized, and characters were introduced that would become series regulars (though we didn't know that at first).

The Host/Lorne was a green-skinned, horned "good" demon who ran a karaoke bar. Seemingly just comic relief at first, he became a main character shortly thereafter. Charles Gunn, a vampire hunter who'd been featured briefly in season one was back, and later, Fred, an odd and chatty girl who'd been trapped in an alternate dimension (Lorne's home world) joined the group. Darla, a vampire who'd appeared in the very first episode of BtVS returned as well, and her appearance would start a story-arc that swept through the next two seasons.

The stories in season two set into motion several plot lines that would play out over the next three years. I don't know if all (or even most) of them were considered at the outset. But either way, it is a testament to Joss Whedon--the writer and co-creator of the series--and the rest of the writing staff, that so many plot points played out so well in the coming years. The Angel group finally had a semblance of the Scooby Gang, as Buffy and her co-horts were called.

Only partway through season two, the DVD set came to be the "book you can't put down." One after another, I whiled away the hours. During the long Memorial Day weekend, I plowed through two seasons, which leads me to. . .

Season Three

Season three is to me, the "core" of Angel. It is when all the pieces were in place, and the show had become a show. All the main characters were known and loved, the plot moved at a brisk pace, and I really cared--craved--to know what would happen next. It was the year that the show was the most stable. There were changes, of course. Most notably the pregnancy of Darla by Angel, and the birth of his son. And of course what happened after that.

Season Four

Season four had its flaws. The character of Connor, and his relationship with Cordelia this season sort of squicked me out. And Cordelia's development as a character was troubling and disconcerting. We'd find out why eventually, of course, but the journey was an odd one. How this storyline plays out is both satisfying and then again not so much. I enjoyed it, but I truly missed "the real" Cordelia. Which is saying something, because her original character was so one-dimensional.

If season one was kind of thin, season two layered it on thicker, and season three solidified into drama/comedy/horror goodness, season four is where it all starts to crumble. I assume that Joss felt that this must happen. Too much status quo was just a little too predictable. Joss has gotta shake things up. So long-forgotten story threads are picked up, characters betray each other, and nothing is what it seems. Interestingly, while things are falling apart for each character, the show is still very compelling, and I still couldn't put it away.

Things finally got as "back to normal" as they could in the Angel universe. Then came the last episode of the season, which played like a "backdoor pilot" for another spin off. . .

Season Five

The final year of the series feels like a different show. To call it a "revamp" (excuse the pun) would be an understatement. Angel & Co. now run the evil Wolfram & Hart "law firm," which is much more than a law firm. The vagueness of "the powers that be" are matched by the vagueness of the "senior partners." The company that has been for four years Angel's arch nemesis is now being run by our heroes, with all the gray areas that implies.

There are still plot threads from previous seasons that are tied up, characters that return. As this was the year after BtVS ended its run, there were even a few hints as to what happened after that show's last season. And though this whole season feels like a different animal, they managed to keep it interesting, and also to have some incredible episodes. "Smile Time," a show dealing with evil Muppets was on par with Buffy's "Once More With Feeling." The addition of Spike, another vampire with a soul from the original series was inspired, and saves the entire season for me.

Unfortunately, the writers' continual need to "mix things up" could sometimes change things too much. The scuttling of Cordelia at the end of Season 4 was bad enough (and she returns all too briefly here). But what they did to Fred, and the character changes to Gunn (not to mention Connor) were a little hard to take. Still, Angel season 5 feels a lot like a new show, and as Joss Whedon keeps proving, his new shows get better as they go on. And Angel managed to finish with a bang, with all of the changes finally clicking into place right as the series finishes. The promise of a season six was appetizing, but never fulfilled.

I'm going to go through a little bit of withdrawal having finished the last multi-season Whedon show there is. To put a little salt in the wound, the original producers of the original Buffy movie are said to be prepping a remake that doesn't include any original cast members or Whedon. The success or failure of such an endeavor could sour the prospects of a continuation of either of the great shows in the Buffyverse. And that bums me out. At least I have the prospect of one more season of Dollhouse, Whedon's newest show, on FOX next year to look forward to.

Oddly, as long as this post is, it is woefully incomplete. If you're still reading this and wondering if the DVD set is worth adding to your collection, I most heartily recommend it. It's a great combination of comedy, horror, drama and storytelling. The actors are uniformly terrific, even the guest stars, many of whom you'll recognize from other genre and Whedon productions. If you haven't discovered Angel yet, go do it already!

I Love Eliza Dushku

Photo from Celebitchy

You know, when I started this blog, I proclaimed that it wouldn't be a "gay rights" blog. And it hasn't really been that, primarily. I've featured "the gay thing" often, but not overwhelmingly so. And I'm still not sure that it will ever become that, but with my new move to change the blog up a little, I'm no longer worried, no longer bothered by what the blog becomes.

I survived as a blogger for two years. Managed to get linked by CNN and others. Managed to stick it out when many others just fizzled out. So I won't apologize for going too deep into "the gay thing." I won't worry if I post too many posts of Rachel Maddow. And I'm not going to worry about geeking out about celebrities, or my love for all things Joss Whedon and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

So of course I'm not going to apologize for posting something that is nothing more than a post about one of my favorite actresses from one of my favorite genres of pop culture, from one (actually three) of my favorite TV shows.

Here is a picture of Eliza Dushku, star of Buffy, Angel and Dollhouse--a former (perhaps Jack?) Mormon--supporting gay rights. Thank you, Eliza!

Summer Glau on Dollhouse?

Image from source, TV Squad

Some of you might be saying, "aw, geez, he's going on about Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles again?" I know, I know. I'm still having trouble getting over the fact that the latter was cancelled, and being happy that the former has been renewed.

But this news will make fans of both shows go "squeeeeee!" Well, maybe. Fans of T:TSCC were mightily pissed at FOX-TV, and took it out (via message boards) on Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. DH fans got defensive, and sniped right back. As a fan of both, I'm just tickled that Summer Glau (who played the "nice" Terminator, Cameron) appears to be getting a role on Dollhouse! Which is crazy cool.

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Joss Whedon plans to put Summer Glau on Dollhouse

I'm not sure how many people watched both Dollhouse and The Sarah Connor Chronicles, though both were on Friday nights at the end, so they probably had a lot of fans in common. If you were a fan of the latter show, this news might ease the pain of knowing that show will not be returning in the fall. . .

Read more at: TV Squad

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Cancelled

Image from source, TV by the Numbers

Exasperatingly, this is not 100% confirmed, but the writing has been on the wall for some time. I had high hopes for the 1-2 punch of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse, and they both became my favorite shows. The irony is, both shows became insanely good in their last few episodes. The good news is (again, not 100%) that Dollhouse did make the cut.

I've written a lot about both shows, and there is no need to rehash here. I had my fingers crossed pretty hard, and I got half of what I wanted. Still, this following video clip from the 70s series Good Times will give you an idea of how this cancellation makes me feel.

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Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles canceled

Sources confirm that not only has FOX officially passed on renewing Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, it’s even dead as far as Warner Brothers is concerned and they are no longer shopping it to other networks. . .

Read more at: TV by the Numbers

Joss Whedon's Dollhouse Renewed (?)

Image captured from FOX.com

It sure seems that way. But the article stops short of making it official. At the same time, there is the sadness for my other favorite "on the bubble" show, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which this article (like so many others) considers doomed. Of course, nearly everyone was saying that about Dollhouse too, and it seems. . .I said seems as though it will survive. For at least 13 more episodes, at least. So woohoo! I think.

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Fox Makes It Almost Official: 'Dollhouse' Renewed

Fox has done what many people said was not possible: It has renewed "Dollhouse" for a second season.

That is the nearly official word coming from Fox through trade publication TV Week and its columnist Josef Adalian, and filed appropriately under the tag "WTF."

"Many media types had written off the show for dead, since its ratings on Friday have been ... suboptimal," Adalian said in his blog post. "And yet, insiders at the network have been cautioning for weeks that the show shouldn't be cut out. . ."

Read more at: AirlockAlpha