Quirky, Interesting Series Vanish from the Big 4

Posted by Bob Greenberger on March 4, 2009

I haven’t chatted about television in a while but trust me, we’re still watching an awful lot of it.

We’ve seen the first two episodes of Dollhouse and I see it struggling to find its voice.  Missing to date is the snappy Joss Whedon dialogue and memorable characters that populated his other productions.  So far, the most Whedon-like character is Topher Brink, the technical genius who reprograms all the actives. Some of the other characters such as Echo’s handler, Boyd Langton, show flashes of being engaging but I find myself disappointed by Paul Ballard, the FBI agent trying to provide the elusive Dollhouse organization exists.

While produced by star Eliza Dushku, she actually isn’t making the most out of the acting challenges each story provides.  She isn’t showing anywhere near the range Echo calls for and maybe she’ll grow over time.  Recently, she said the show really gets into gear by episode six and with luck, we’ll still have a chance to see it.

As feared, Fox sticking it on Friday nights meant low ratings.  Coupling it with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was a smart move and having it on when geeks are home to watch Battlestar Galactica – currently the best drama on television — was logical.  The ratings, of course, have been lackluster but the Hollywood Reporter noted yesterday that once the DVR ratings are factored in, both shows are seeing a nice bump.

DVR ratings are calculated two different ways, broadcast plus three days and plus seven days.  Live+7 DVR data, as it is know, showed a 30% increase in viewership of the pilot. The return of Terminator also received a 36% bump.  Those are significant gains, enough to justify Fox keep both shows for now. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »