dollhouse
Upfronts 2008: So… You Think You Can Stop Dancing?
May 15th
My silence may be eerie, but I’m sneakily still very much liking TV. In fact, I just got in from the Fox upfront party. It’s been an exhausting and kind of uneventful week, but what better excuse to touch base than the TV equivalent of prom?
So this year marked my first in-person upfront experience, and I have to say, they’re kind of gross. A bunch of sloppy ad folks boozing to the point of public embarrassment and blatant starfucking does not a good time make. It was an education though. My deep love of So You Think You Can Dance (returning in one week!) was slightly challenged by the throng of contestants from seasons two and three that could literally not stop dancing at any point during the night. Brazilian BBQ buffet? Dance! Line at the porta-potty? Dance! Creepy ‘80s cover band? Um… dance!
They have their charms though. And about a month from now I’ll be so thoroughly into their successors, this transgression will be long forgotten. What won’t be forgotten is the fact those two beautiful creatures pictured above and Eliza Dushku all bolted before I got there. Perhaps it’s best that they stay on their respective pedestals, but I sure would have love to see TV actors not on Gossip Girl every once in a while.
Enough of that. Let’s get down to business. This time last year I was an unhappy camper. Veronica Mars was done, I was mostly unimpressed with the pick-ups, and Eliza Dushku’s pilot was passed over by FOX. Things could not be more different in 2008. Friday Night Lights and How I Met Your Mother, the two bubble shows that I desperately needed to see renewed, will both be back with a vengeance. I’m genuinely excited by some of the new offerings. And this year’s Dushku pilot, a little show called Dollhouse by some writer/auteur/genius named Joss Whedon, is a sure bet for midseason. If you can catch the trailer (they keep pulling them), you will see how very drool inducing it is. Full fall schedules for all the networks, if you haven’t already seen them, can be found right here: ABC, CBS, FOX, the CW. (NBC’s is oooooold news.)
There weren’t any surprises this week. News of renewals and pickups, save a few exceptions, all came weeks ago. The only real shock was that after all the hullabaloo over the upfronts being “soooo different” this year, they were more or less the same. No complaints on my part, as I can think of far worse things than tradition. Attention-starved dance competition veterans for one.
Whedon Welcomes Dushku to Dollhouse
Nov 1st
After the premature demise of Nurses, the show that wasn’t, FOX’s guilt and/or lusty adoration for Eliza Dushku prompted them to sign a fancy development deal with the actress to ensure that she would indeed come back to television in a show tailor-made for her. Naturally, she turned to her former Buffy-boss, and all around TV sensei, Joss Whedon for advice on the proper next steps. The mind of Whedon churns faster than you or I could ever comprehend, so in a matter of moments, he decided exactly what her show should be: a science-fiction drama about “human chalkboards” created and helmed by him.
TV Week has this to say about the show: “Dollhouse stars Dushku as Echo, one of a group of secret agents living in a futuristic dorm. Each has the ability to be imprinted with custom personalities and abilities for special assignments. When they return, their newly acquired memories are wiped. The show follows Echo as she takes on a variety of assignments—some romantic, some adventurous, some uplifting, some illegal—and gains awareness of her role and confinement.”
Has the battle between serial and non-serial drama ever been clearer on a single show? Dollhouse screams for rich, elaborate, drawn-out storytelling, but the main characters’ mental conditions almost forbid it. It’s brilliant and dirty exciting for any fans of Whedon, Dushku or good television in general. Even more exciting: the show could be debuting as soon as spring 2008 with FOX committing to at least seven episodes. That means that endless speculation and worrying about the show actually coming to fruition isn’t necessary. I always get confused when shows are given an episode commitment before the network ever sees a finished pilot or even a script, but as a friend pointed out to me, “It is Joss. He don’t do pilots.”