5 Reasons Why I'm Not (that) Sad Dollhouse is Ending

5 Reasons Why I'm Not (that) Sad Dollhouse is Ending

(NB this isn't meant to be a post bashing Dollhouse, though it may come across like that in some parts as on the whole I actually like the show)
(no major spoilers coming up)

1. The show had numerous chances and failed to deliver.

As a Joss Whedon show, this show already had a built in fan base. This included not only rabid Whedon fans (like myself) but also other more casual fans who would be interested to see what Joss did next. This fanbase alone should've brought about a decent viewership even on a Friday night (NB the show did have very good DVR viewership)

The show, on the basis of this fanbase managed to get a second season, when most shows in its position would've have been cancelled. There have been plenty of shows who have had better first season creatively that were axed. However the Whedon name and probably the desire to avoid another Firefly situation, a second season was granted. However despite the show getting a bit better in the second season, it still struggled creatively (see below)

2. Epitaph

A lot of fans blame Fox for not showing Epitaph One. As easily the best episode of the season, it could've helped bring in viewers.
However, without Fox refusing to the 13th episode in the first place, Epitaph One would not have existed as it was only created as a standalone for DVD's and international sales. This also means that all the best creative bits about the second season which has careened towards the Epitaph future, would probably not have happened, or at least not in the way that it did.

Plus lets face it, anyone who really wanted to watch the 'unaired' episode would've/could've watched the episode on itunes or got the DVD.

3. The show didn't have the creative longevity to go for multiple seasons

Without the apocalyptic future created in Epitaph One to direct the show, most of what we would've got is more of the earlier episodes: Echo as a sex doll going on missions and due to her 'special-ness', something going wrong. Dollhouse to me could've easily been a brilliant mini-series or movie; after a brief introduction into what the Dollhouse is/does, the rest of its story could its downfall, therefore losing the repetitiveness of the constant sex missions (which is probably what the Dollhouse was most used for). The final few episodes in which everything about the corporation was revealed were the best episodes of the series but we only got these dramatic episodes because the show was ending. Therefore in a way 2 shortened seasons was perfect for Dollhouse.

4. Humour

Buffy/Angel/Firefly/Dr Horrible were all funny. Yes the shows were full of heartache, but even in some of the saddest episodes episodes there were moments of funny (Willow changing her clothes constantly in The Body is a great example). There were few funny moments in Dollhouse. There were some episodes (eg 1x7 Echoes) and certain characters that were funny (Topher, Adelle and Victor) but by in large this wasn't an incredibly funny show. This is a huge shame as Joss excels at blending the light and the dark, but we just didn't see that here.

5. Characters

I think one of my main problems with the show was that the main character- Echo- was just that. Eliza Dushku as executive producer (cleverly on her part) placed herself front and centre, with the supporting characters being just that. Buffy and Angel, despite having titular characters, never focused so much on the main characters as much as Dollhouse did.
This is especially problematic as the main character doesn't actually have a personality, which makes it hard to like her and to warm to her in anyway. She became a little bit more likable at the end of the show, but as I noted earlier, this was probably a result of the story moving forward quickly to its conclusion.
The show has also been frustrating as the supporting characters are terrific actors and many are hugely interesting as characters, yet we see very little of them, and what makes them tick. This reluctance by the show to turn into the ensemble cast it needs to be has largely contributed to its creative problems.

Still, the show, especially in the second season was a good one. It was very dark and not quite as good as Joss Whedon's other creations, but it was a hell of a ride into the dark underbelly of a multinational corporation bent on world domination.

Mini Reviews- March 2nd

Grey's Anatomy- 6x06 I Saw What I Saw
A great episode which shows that the show can excel without a couple of key cast members. The re-telling technique using different viewpoints (which weren't that different) is a fairly common one, but the show used it to its advantage and did it well. I picked up on April missing checking the throat when they first showed it, but honestly if it wasn't for the way in which they did the episode, it wouldn't have been as obvious. I was a little sad to see April fired over that mistake, it was a fatal one and she should've been punished, but we've seen doctors do worse on this show. However with the merger, it was an easy axing for the Chief and the board to make. I'm glad Derek called the Chief out on it though.
One thing I liked about this episode was the banter between the Mercy Westers, as a casual viewer I'm enjoying their addition to the show (though I have to ask where are the Mercy Wester attendings? There was Callie but she's the only one to make the transfer- its a little weird)

Dollhouse- 2x11/12 Getting Closer/Hollow Man
Two incredible episodes to send the main arc of this show off in style. The reveal of Boyd being the head of Rossum floored me as did the various deaths- Saunders killing Bennett, Mellie killing herself. Maybe I'm naive but I didn't see any of those shockers coming. There was so much to enjoy in the episodes, Echo was way less annoying here than she has been before, the flashbacks did a good job in explaining what Caroline had been up to and how she got into the Dollhouse and it was fun to watch the gang go to war with Rossum. Honestly, though I'm impressed with the way the writers wrote the episodes to explain the future episode (eg Boyd leaving Claire, whilst hurt was explained by him getting shot when he protected Adelle). It can't have always been easy to make it all fit together.
I am a little disappointed that Boyd was the head of Rossum. Of course as an emotional punch it made for excellent TV but its sad that he wasn't one of the good guys. I think there were a few clues though the season, but I'm not he was always going to be the evil creator.

Dollhouse- 2x13 Epitaph Two
I wish I had re-watched Epitaph One before watching this one as I must admit, I was a little confused on the timeline in places. Otherwise though it was such a good episode. We got to see what the main cast was up to in 2019 and also we got to see them save the world as well. Another review pointed out that this was slightly Hollywood as endings go, but I think the destruction that had taken place in the interim years meant that it wasn't exactly a happy ending (though Priya, Tony and T got a mostly happy ending).
It was an emotional ending though, I was shocked when Paul was dramatically killed and I shed a tear at Topher's sacrifice/death as well (poor Topher). It almost makes me laugh that it was mostly the girls left standing, whilst apart from Victor/Tony all the main male character died- very Joss Whedon! It would have been nice to get some answers as to where the main cast had been and what they had been doing in the last few years. We had some sense of that, but there was a lot left unanswered. Great to see Alpha, Bennett and the future cast back again and I have to give props to all the cast for doing a fantastic job both in this and the final few episodes. Overall though a great and fitting finale to the show.

Brothers and Sisters- 4x07 The Wig Party
I'm a bit annoyed by the stock description of this episode as it only referred to the last few minutes of episode, which spoiled the impact of the episode a little.
Firstly of course, there was Kitty losing her hair. An emotional moment at the fundraiser led to Kitty shaving off all her hair. The scenes were very heartfelt and I like that Kitty chose to do it with her mum and sister rather than her husband, as its obviously a very difficult and horrible thing to go through and it kinda makes sense that she wouldn't necessarily want her husband to be the first person to see her.
The second spoiled reveal was Rebecca's pregnancy, which in all honesty is a bit yawn, is there no other storyline for the pair? Justin constantly diagnosing Rebecca due to his studies at school was funny though and very true to life.

Elsewhere I was thrilled to see Scotty get a storyline separate of Kevin and the Walkers. The cheating dad thing is perhaps a little much in this show considering William's past, but the story had a sweet of predictable ending, and I liked Scotty's maturity in dealing with his father's infidelity and parents separation.
I also liked seeing Nora being pursued by a younger man. Nora in relationships is always good to watch, mostly because Sally Field carries it off so well, but especially this time round as it gives her a break from cancer and from being the overbearing mother that she is. Plus this new guy seems like a lot of fun!

Mini Reviews- February 22nd

Greek- 3x12 Pride and Punishment
This episode nicely wrapped up the fire and song fest storyline from last chapter even if the ending was a little cheesy and completely implausible. It was stupid of Casey to admit what happened but at least the story won't be hanging over the rest of the season.
Still the episode was a good one, I love the Rusty/Ashleigh pairing, bizarrely it works and we also got some nice genuine banter between Rusty and Dale, though I was expecting more fall out from Rusty getting the grant.
We also got to see the brilliant Rebecca/Cappie pairing, as they play girl/boyfriend swap. It was a silly but funny storyline and its sweet to see that Cappie still cares for Rebecca. Also hopefully this is the last of we've seen of the Amphora society, which was an annoying and silly storyline.

Greek- 3x13 Take Me Out
A much more enjoyable episode than the last and some classic Greek on Greek action to boot. I thoroughly enjoyed Casey and Cappie setting Ashleigh up with Beaver as it felt very true to life. Whilst they would make a horrible couple and I hope to see more of Ashleigh's hunky Omega Chi, it gave us some excellent and hilarious Beaver moments.
Rusty also had an enjoyable storyline learning to respect Grant whilst also growing into his role of pledge educator. Grant isn't a hugely likable character and Calvin could definitely do better, but their relationship is interesting for now.
Another enjoyable relationship is Rebecca and Evan. They're well matched with each other and Rebecca is refreshingly realistic against the fairytale, sickly sweetness of Casey and Cappie. Speaking of I'm thrilled Casey didn't throw the game for her boyfriend, winning made a much more emotionally satisfactory outcome to the game. Also I must say I'm enjoying the Gamma Psi girls as the Zeta Beta's enemies. I've always said the girls need an arch rival in the show and Frannie's house last season didn't quite work out. The Gamma Psi's make worthy adversaries.

Greek- 3x14 Tortoise and The Hair
An enjoyable episode. It was great to see Dale mixing with more of the Greeks becoming the ZBZ's new hasher and the sexual confusion with Ashleigh was very funny and quite plausible, considering Dale's high self-confidence. Liked seeing Rusty's blossoming romance (probably) with Dana, but it was silly of him to turn down the interview with Engineering Weekly (nice acronym joke there!) as his professor pointed out, these opportunities only come once or maybe twise in a lifetime.
Casey pursuing her political career felt a little false considering she has tired law and politics before and dismissed them so what is different now? The politics makes some sense, but I can't buy her doing her LSAT's; she could've easily chosen another post-grad course to do. Even though Cappie was a little cheesy, it was nice to see Casey and Cappie facing up to the future maturely, especially Casey in choosing her career first and foremost.

Desperate Housewives- 6x04 The God Why Don't You Love Me Blues
A decent episode, though like the last this felt a little rushed. Bree came across as overly harsh and self involved as she sacked Katherine for her obsession with Mike. Call me crazy also but I don't think Katherine believing Mike will come back to her is that crazy given Mike and Susan's history. The watching through the windows is admittedly going to far but Bree is sending Katherine down a dangerous path by sacking her.
The Lynette boob storyline was in part funny, I really liked her scenes with Tom, but with Carlos it felt sleazy and perhaps a little exaggerated (they weren't that big!). Would Carlos be so openly leery of his wife's friend?
Maybe his behaviour was done to make Gaby's in making Ana lie for her seem less bad. Whilst I'm thrilled that Gaby is committed to Carlos and sets both John and Ana straight, it was unfair of her to make Ana do that. Hopefully that's the last we'll see of John as his returned was not really welcomed.
Angie and Danny whilst being very mysterious have a twisted and yet quite sweet relationship, lets hope that whatever's happened in their past, their relationship stays that ways as its quite refreshing.
I enjoyed finding out what Julie has been doing for the last few years and that she is not the perfect daughter she once was, but Susan's shrillness was a little tiring. I already knew that Nick was Julie's ex lover, but it could be interesting to see how it plays out now that we know.

Eastenders- 25th Anniversary Live Episode

Its been a while since I've watched Eastenders (though I did watch the Christmas Day murder episode) but its 25th anniversary and a live ep was too hard to resist. It was actually a very good episode. Whilst I don't totally buy the surprise ending thing (I think more than a few people would have had to know about the killer considering all the following episodes have been filmed already) and the writing and acting was a little hammy, it was an enjoyable and very suitable episode for the momentous occasion. Dot and Ian watching the video of old Eastenders was a nice way to remember and commemorate the past 25th years and the Archie murder and Bradley's death was a great way to mark the occasion. The stunt was well done and who have to give props to the crew and cast for pulling off such a stunt live. There were a few slip ups, but in a way that good as it gives the show the live feeling.
The aftermath show on BBC 3 afterwards was suitably cheesy and its a shame that they didn't have more old cast members on the show and I did enjoy Larry Lamb being interviewed by son George as it was one of the funniest things of the night (apart from Bradley's death, which I rather morbidly found to be really quite funny!!)

Dollhouse- 2x09 The Attic
Wasn't sure about this episode when it started and some of the human brains acting as CPU's feels a little bit dubious to me, but all in all this was an excellent episode, mostly due to that killer reveal at the end. Adelle proven not to be a bitch was very satisfying and the events through the episode; Adelle talking to all key characters and Dollhouse employees, but us not seeing all of the conversations; are now explained and make perfect sense.
The living hells of the dolls were okay, but I would've liked to have seen more of Victor's and Sierra's. Clyde's living hell of the future was the most interesting as well as finding out key details of Rossum's inception. Really looking forward to the final episodes now.

Brothers and Sisters- 4x06 Zen and the Art of Mole Making
Ah, despite his annoyances, what joy it was to have Tommy back in the fold and the family complete. The whole episode had a lovely family feel to it, especially with Kitty and Nora at the beginning freaking out (like in the season 1 days when they lived together), the family conference call, and of course the explosive family dinner.
Storyline, the episode was less impressive, I liked that Kevin had doubt's and he and Scotty shared some sweet moments over their surrogacy woes, but I'm a little skeptical now that she's likely going to be their surrogate. Think Sarah had it right to begin with, even with Paige's blessing, allowing Luc to stay in her home and inviting him into her children's lives after knowing him for a couple of months feels a little irresponsible. The Holly/ Ryan storylines weren't that compelling, but I did like that Kitty counseled Tommy through whats effectively his mid life crisis. She's the best person to do it really considering they have a lot in common children wise. The ending was great though with Tommy going to patch up his family and Nora for once staying out of it.

Grey's Anatomy- 6x05 Invasion
The invasion of the Mercy Wester's. As a casual viewer, the injection of new blood is definitely a good thing as it keeps the show fresh. The Mercy West residents are a viciously competitive bunch and its kinda refreshing to see- surgery from what I understand is a competitive branch of medicine and the Seattle Gracer's should be more competitive sometimes. The format of giving each of the residents a rival resident to compete with worked perfectly and resulted in a few changed opinions. Poor Alex though with Izzie leaving him at the end. Though it was done for behind the scenes reasons, it works perfectly on screen and adds a sense of drama that even one of the core doctors could lose their jobs.
As a side storyline, Callie got some acceptance from her father. This was a sweet storyline, if a little saccharine. I thought Arizona was refreshingly mature, seeing things from Hector's point of view and encouraging Callie to patch up her relationship with him. Also the bible verbal contest was pretty funny.

Mini Reviews- February 15th

Desperate Housewives- 6x03 Never Judge A Lady By Her Lover

Not a very good third episode unfortunately, probably because there was too many storylines going on with each main housewife (minus Katherine) having their own mostly separate storyline. This meant that Bree's quite interesting and funny storyline was finished with very quickly into the episode and forgotten about by the end. Susan's storyline was completely silly and annoying, but I did like Lynette's and want to see where they go with this one in the next few episodes. Can't quite decide on the new family, they seem mostly likable and Angie and Danny seem to have a close relationship. However we know they are hiding something and for the sake of the show's mystery format, I want it to be something interesting and shocking. The worst bit about this episode was the return of John Rowland, a character who should've never returned post season 1. The producers must really like the actor to bring him back because as a character he is smarmy and one dimensional. Plus the fact that Gabby is still holding a torch for him is just stupid and spoils one of the few likable couples in the show.

Dollhouse- 2x09 Stop Loss

Quite a disappointing episode I thought. I was hoping to get more Victor screen time but we actually got very little in the only episode centred on him. The Echo is special spiel we keep getting is annoying me a lot and I found myself rolling my eyes at the end when she was in the attic, despite the attic reveal being quite cool. I'm also getting increasingly annoyed with the Victor/Sierra 'our love transcends all' farce. Its yet another thing I'm finding hard to suspend disbelief for, even if the pair can be cute at times.
Olivia Williams was brilliant at being an utter bitch in this episode and I loved it especially when she came back fighting after her drunken binge. Not sure why but I oddly find myself rooting for her rather than Echo et al, perhaps because Echo's 'specialness' as stated earlier.


Brothers and Sisters- 4x04 Last Tango in Pasadena

A fairly frivolous episode. The dancing bits with Giles Marini are a little tacky, even if the background behind it is a cross promotion with Dancing With the Stars. Although maybe its his uneven and weird French accent that's off-putting. (NB apparently he's actually French and used to live in France when he was younger. The accent must be one of those Americanised accents that they usually do with British accents. Its still uneven however)
I liked seeing Paige and Coop though, they have been away from the family fold for too long. Kitty and Robert had some lovely scenes, I really liked the fireworks at the end of their date. Sarah and Nora had some good moments together confronting each other about what the other needed to do as well as learning from their mistakes. Really not sure about Scotty and Kevin using their absent yet very close friend from season 1 as their surrogate. Seems strife with problems. It makes me laugh that up until only recently they are portraying Holly as a shrewd business woman, yet in this episode we find out she put all her money in one investment. Marked character change yet quite ironic. Sadly it probably means more storylines for her which we could do without.

Mini Reviews- February 8th

Modern Family- 4x11 Moon Landing

A funny episode from the new hit show (aren't they all?!). Gloria's road rage storyline was funny and I liked the way in which they dealt with it; would've liked to see her drive into the giant cupcake at the end though. Cameron and Jay are a great comedic pairing and whilst that storyline wasn't the funniest, the ending with Jay 'splash landing' with a stranger certainly was. My favourite storyline was the Dunphry's. You could see the punchline coming from a mile away, but Claire's jealousy and longing for her old single life was nicely dealt with in the end, with her anger towards her family and their acceptance of her at dinner back into the family fold.

Grey's Anatomy- 6x03 I Always Feel Like Somebody's (Watching Me)

Another dramatic episode for the show with the looking Mercy West merger causing everyone to run around like headless chickens and stay at the hospital without sleep in order to keep their jobs. I must admit I didn't feel that bad for anyone until the end when people actually started to lose their jobs. This might be because there isn't too much danger of most of the cast getting fired so the fear everyone was feeling didn't really translate. The medical storylines were touching, especially with Arizona and Mark having to reattach a newborn baby's arm- very sad but happy when they actually manage to do it. Alex was very sweet with Izzie, getting her meds and a banana so she can carry on in surgery and Lexie was great at dealing with the schizophrenic.

Dollhouse- 2x08 Love Supreme

A good return for Alpha, he was at his usual crazy best and damn Alan Tudyk is looking good these days! However whilst I enjoyed his focused agenda, his obsession with Echo, as well as everyone else's was boring. As often happens with Dollhouse I couldn't feel much sympathy for any of the characters as the dolls turned ninja, mostly because few of them are likable. Plus especially with Paul, there's the little matter of Epitaph One, which means we know he's okay in the future, so there's no real reason to share Echo's tears at his 'death'. We got to see a little more of Victor and Sierra this week, it was enough to remind the audience what terrific actors they are and what a shame it is they aren't featured more. Adelle was a brilliant bitch here though,sacrificing Echo (who can take care of herself) to Alpha was one thing, but the poor schluppy client? Very cold.



Brothers and Sisters- 4x04 From France With Love

I was expecting this to be a slightly more frivolous episode than it was, with more tales from Sarah's time in France. Thankfully since those flashbacks were mostly weird and tacky we didn't get too much of them, though I loved the twist at the end with Sarah hiding the real reason she came home and also the Frenched title card- very cute.
The Kitty stuff was wonderful, managing to be both highly upsetting and very uplifting at the same time. Calista Flockhart is doing such a great job with this storyline.
I also really liked the Holly/Rebecca storyline, its unusual and welcomed to have Nora in the middle with the Harper women fought around her. The storyline worked though and the scene with the porn film was very funny. Justin also had a great storyline at college. His professor asking Justin to help Carter live a little was nice as was his motivational speech about Kitty's cancer and Justin's career, even though its a little obvious that Carter and Justin cancel each other out so they should help each other out.

Desperate Housewives- 6x02 Being Alive

A bit meh for me, they went over the same things a lot of the time and the neighbours were very quick to jump to suspicion about the Bolens and even if their was foul play involved with Julie (before the police had even got there!) Still Mrs McCluskey getting some loving was sweet (glad they've given her a proper storyline) and I liked that Bree chose to be with Karl even though Susan said she would never speak to a friend who slept with Karl. Shows Bree's deep unhappiness with Orson and also that she really has made a connection with Karl. Also Gaby's proving to be a great mum to Ana, I was doubtful at first of the storyline but if it continues like this, it was inspired.

End of season, Mid season Break, and On Hiatus

Wow American networks like to take breaks in their shows and they have a lot of ways to describe it. Three shows I watch finished their runs this week until the New Year and here are 3 quick reviews of their seasons/most recent episodes. (spoilers for all shows up to their most recently aired episode)

Chuck season 2

Whilst this was an uneven season, it was mostly enjoyable. Chuck is a very endearing and funny show and when it is at its best, action packed, which makes it a good show to watch. What I didn’t like about the season was the repetitiveness of the episode. So many of the episodes were very formulaic and therefore weren’t that interesting. The Chuck/Sarah ‘romance’ in particular is a storyline that keeps going around and around; tbh its got to the point where I don’t care that much about the pair getting together. Or not.

The BuyMore storylines have increasingly become separate from Chuck’s story and though I enjoy the BuyMore characters for the most part, it has become ridiculous that Chuck even works there anymore. He just starts and ends most episodes in the BuyMore before he rushed off for some national emergency. The best episodes were where the two worlds (spy and BuyMore) collided. Hopefully next season they can find a way to either integrate the BuyMore or from the looks of the season finale, get rid off it altogether.

The best episodes were undoubtedly the Christmas episode and the two final episodes. The finale really set up a really intriguing premise for season 3 and I hope that they follow it through convincingly.

Greek Chapter 5 (Season 3a)

Probably the shows worst chapter and this could be because its the second half of one semester meaning that this one semester has been really dragged out. So much has happened in just this semester and couldn’t possibly happen in real life. Jordan, Rusty’s girlfriend is a key example of this, who managed to move to the college, have two boyfriends and leave again all before Thanksgiving, which means she did this in about 6/7 weeks! That said I’m glad she left as she was annoying!!

More generally this chapter dealt with the Casey/Cappie romance, which tbh I find quite dull especially as I don’t buy them as a couple really. We also had Evan and Cappie become friends and breaking-up again which would have been a lot more interesting if Casey hadn’t meddled continuously.

Rebecca was once again turned into a villain and not a good one but an annoying one. The cliffhanger at the end of the finale means she’ll remain the villain next chapter again.

One storyline I was hoping the show would pick up on more was Dale, a purity pledge, losing his virginity and then his faith because of it. I think it’s an interesting storyline and is something which happens to a lot of people in college and not something really explored in other shows. Instead Dale disappeared for quite a few episodes or just made brief appearances whilst the show dealt with all its relationship drama which was a shame.

Overall I though it was a really disappointing chapter and although the storylines were there they were badly handled and the humour the show once had was gone. At more than point during the chapter I considered giving up the show but persevered. This paid off somewhat as the finale was decent and included some really interesting threads and big decisions. (Wade and other Kappa Tau brothers getting kicked out of college) The writing was also a lot better than it had been all chapter. Hopefully next chapter will improve on this one.

Dollhouse (Season 2a)

Really this has only been 4 episodes before the show was forced into a hiatus. The first 3 weren’t that great and though there were some enjoyable moments, the episodes were largely average. The fourth episode however was very strong, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Echo appeared very little and Ballard wasn’t in it at all. Priya/Sierra proved to be a very convincing lead and her story was very tragic. Topher, also proved interesting here and is quickly becoming a lot more likeable. It was interesting that he chose the morally right thing to do whilst Adelle just sat in her office and drank. I think the Victor and Sierra love story is very cute, even if its a little implausible given that they have no memories.

Its a shame that the show hasn’t been more consistent especially after re-watching the early years of Buffy, I’ve seen how inconsistent the early episodes of Buffy were. The show is likely to be cancelled and if it wasn’t for the promise showed by ‘Belonging’ (and of course Epitaph One), honestly I wouldn’t be too bothered.

Cancel or Renew Chart and 90210

I stumbled across the latest cancel/renew chart in SpoilerTV today, provided by TVbyTheNumbers, which (I think) uses various numerical data about shows to rank them to determine whether the show is likely to be renewed or not. These charts are usually more important come May time but they also tend to be fairly accurate. The list won't post so here's a link: Cancel/Renew Chart

This chart posted this week ranks the shows that have already aired and for the majority of shows things are looking good. Out of the shows I watch (or am planning to watch) Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Modern Family, Flashforward, Glee and 90210 (my guilty pleasure see below) are all 'likely to be renewed'.

Two shows I watch are not looking as good. The first Dollhouse is in the 'likely to the cancelled' group. Now this isn't a huge surprise given its timeslot and day and creative quality last season. To see it at the bottom of that list is a little ouch though.
The second more suprisingly is Brothers and Sisters, one of my favourite TV shows. It finds itself in the 'some danger of being cancelled' category. Now Brothers and Sisters has never been the biggest ratings show, but has a decent fanbase and is mostly liked by critics. However it has had some problems last season with Balthazar Getty, Ryan and the Rebecca not being a sibling aftermath. Now hopefully its ratings will pick up over the season, as I would be truly upset to have this show finish or worse be cruelly cancelled with closure this season. I know the show won't do a desperate Housewives and get up to 7 seasons, but its stellar cast and brilliant first 2 seasons has to be enough to get it till its fifth season right??


Guilty Pleasure

I had some time last weekend and decided to watch the new season of 90210, just some mindless TV to semi watch whilst I did other things. I've watched bits of the first season and whilst it was fun to watch, it was hardly quality TV. However the show has recently been taken over by Rebecca Sinclair who is known for her work on Buffy and Gilmore Girls and given somewhat of a re-boot, and she has done a great job in turning the show around. Now this is hardly award winning TV, but she has sorted out a lot of last seasons problems by getting rid of characters and turning annoying characters into less annoying ones (Annie). She also added an element of consistent friendships to the show between the boys and the girls instead of last years flitting from friend to friend. Its also pretty funny to watch, especially Navid and Dixon, who bounce off each other pretty well.
The new credits are also pretty awesome I love the retro vibe and the cool laid back song:


So far I think this will definitely be a show I'll watch when I have a little time, especially since I don't mind watching it in bits or skipping the boring bits!!

Duh! News of the Week

Duh! News- stuff that happened this week that was really no surprise to anyone

Glee was picked up for a full season- obviously, its easily one of the most anticipated American shows in years and has easily had the most promotion. The last 9 episodes will start filming in January and air in March. :( thats a long time to wait- luckily we have the next 9 to keep us entertained in the mean time


Glee was picked up by E4 in the UK- obviously there's really no other channel for it here. ITV2 and Sky1 were the only other options but Sky1 likes big, epic programmes and ITV2 isn't really known for picking up quality programming (apart from Entourage obviously!!) There was no confirmed air date or even month which means it might be a while before its shown here.

The Beautiful Life was cancelled after 2 episodes- whilst the swiftness of the axe is a little surprising, the fact that it happened really isn't, it looked like a terrible show with a terrible premise and was plagued with problems from the start.

Neil Patrick Harris was awesome whilst presenting last week's Emmy's- I don't watch HIMYM but he's great on Dr Horrible, so he was bound to be good. Plus he had to be better than last year's awkward reality TV hosts performance.

Problems with the Dollhouse
I found this really interesting Zap2It article on one writer's take on the problems with the first season of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. I have to say I think he's pinpointed the main issues with the show.
Now I'm a big Joss Whedon fan, Buffy, Angel and Firefly are some of my favourite TV shows and I think with Buffy and Firefly/Serenity he changed the face of TV forever (with Buffy he changed the way genre's were melded within shows and Firefly became the first cancelled TV show to become and film- therefore triggering fans of every cancelled TV show to now start campaigns for their prematurely ended TV shows to be made into a movie/comic book).

However despite these reasons meaning that he has earned his place in the TV Fame of Hall as a TV genius, his latest creation has not been as entertaining as his last 3. There are many excuses for this- network interference, too heightened expectations, Buffy's first season wasn't good either so give it time, but this article does look at many of the underlying issues for the show and I think he's pretty fair. The article is a bit spoilery for the first episode of season 2 so I'll give the main points here along with some commentary. Although if you don't mind a few spoilers the article really is very interesting as are some of the comments.

• The Dollhouse and its engagements seldom make sense.- The one that got me was the midwife- why would you spend all that money, when you can get someone much cheaper, whose probably just as qualified?? The constant escort engagements are a little dull as well, alright for the first few episodes but they need to come up with some more creative engagements

• Eliza Dushku's acting isn't up to the role.- This oneI totally agree with. She was great in Buffy and Angel but I think she's better in a supporting or ensemble role. I don't mean that in a harsh way but she's not great as a lead where she's require to take on multiple personalities. I think this show would be better as an ensemble.

• The writing isn't as good as what we should expect from Whedon's series.- There are definitely some instances where this is true, but it's always so.

• There's a fine line between sexy and sexist, and "Dollhouse" often falls on the wrong side.- Yeah I'm a little tired of all Dushku's skimpy outfits, I know they need to get ratings but as the article points out she's pretty enough to fulfill teenage boys fantasy's without needing to be half naked all the time

• "Epitaph One." The problem with this awesome episode is that it actually would have better served as a series finale. Plus the article points out that the future could and I think should be changed or its a little boring that we know what future the Dollhouse is headed for

• Hope for season two?- Personally I hope this second season can step up like Buffy did in it's second season. I want to see more of the other characters and less of Echo and Paul - who are quite frankly dull together. I think having Epitaph One factor into the show will be interesting, but it sucks that it wasn't shown meaning that the show will have to pander to those who didn't see the episode, even though the majority of the watcher's will have by now (legally or otherwise). Whatever happens, Dollhouse will need to improve or definitely face the axe this season.

Chuck in 3D!

Chuck's 3D episode airs on Virgin 1 next week! 3D glasses are available by buying this week's TV and Satellite Weekly. However I got my own glasses through Virgin1's competition. They arrived the other day- I was very excited!!

If you've got the 3D glasses you can test them here.

In other TV news:

• Dollhouse will air in the UK just a few weeks after its original broadcast. Good news methinks, will be nice not have to wait.

• Glee have posted this awesome video of the cast performing Kayne West's 'Golddigger'. I seriously can't wait to see the performance in full. All the spoilers and promos coming out for the show look amazing, easily my most anticipated show for next year.

• ABC have released these cool Key Ingredients clips for some of its best shows; Brothers and Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty. Admittedly the clips chosen to exemplify the chosen 'ingredients' aren't always the best, but its a cute and quirky way to promote the shows.