"Cancelled": the Joss Whedon Way

Yeah... it's gone. Dollhouse after two glorious and over hyped seasons... is dead as the shows ratings have been since the end of Season One. Never before has so much promise met such an untimely and uncalled for demise...

(Except for Firefly,Dark Angel, The Bionic Woman, Dead Like Me, Family Guy, Jericho, Angel, Terminator:TSCC, Farscape, Space Above and Beyond, My Own Worst Enemy, Galactica 1980, The New American Gladiators, The Old American Gladiators, and just about any other show canceled after early success.)

But Why you ask? Was it the subterranean ongoing story arc? The sub par acting on the part of Elisha Dashiki...Dooku...Dudster? The lack of meaning-full ensemble cast episodes? The over the top sudden face change of Paul Ballard? The introduction of that vital and almost radioactive element known as Glau-minite?



No?

Perhaps its simply the dwindling audience for good ol' Genre Television. You know the type grandpa Roddenberry used to make...



That's right your pa's Genre TV is dying. Ratings are down across the board for most Genre shows, and while a few shows have retained their core audience's it appears as if we maybe in the final age of the scripted sci-fi show on Network TV. If true then no amount of fixing or changing could have changed Dollhouse's fate. "But wait JayT" You say, "What about Stargate Universe... it's ratings are strong? And Fringe is still holding on, and what about "V"?"

Ok, ok, those shows are doing pretty well... but Remember V only has one more episode before a major break in production. Will people forget about the show when it's gone for a month or two after four epy's? Does a rip-off 'Platinum' Omega watch turn your wrist green?

Fringe while still 'holding' hasn't been renewed yet...if people don't watch, it's done. This is Fox we're talking about remember? And Stargate? Well Stargate has a long history of being continued even when ratings are low. The simple fact is that Stargate is the comfort sci-fi that many geeks and nerds alike turn to when everything else goes all Whedony. Call it what you will, but like a friendly ex-girlfriend who's frumpy and eccentric, but makes a mean sammich... we keep going back to her when things aren't going to well and we need comforting.

So what hope is there?

1. Well there's hoping that we can have our minds wiped to completely forget Dollhouse...

2. Perhaps Dollhouse can move to the Syfy channel.

3. Perhaps we get a Dollhouse Movie?


Until then, Ypsilanti!