Dollhouse was not a huge success. While having an interesting idea the show’s plots sometimes felt forced and repetitive. I think with more time it could have developed into something very good as evidenced by the unaired Dollhouse episode Epitaph One.
This was the episode that was the cheapest to make, unaired in the U.S., and barely featured the star, Eliza Dushku, but turned out to be the best Dollhouse episode of season one or two. Set in a post apocalyptic future we follow a band of “actuals” (people who are not imprinted as that is the norm in the future) are trying to get underground to avoid over-the-air imprinting. The plot isn’t important right now. What is important is FOX probably thought they were getting a throw away episode but they failed to see the potential for something greater. Like season 4 episode 19 of Fringe, Letters of Transit, where we are transported into the future to just give us a taste of where the show could eventually go, Epitaph One could have piqued audience’s interest of things to come and given the show a longer run.
People watch TV and get used to the characters and the setup of the shows they watch. CBS is particularly good at creating shows that fall into this pattern. You know what to expect from the characters and plots, but when viewership falls off it tends of fall off hard. Characters are boring, plot is predictable, and there are a lot of things vying for your attention. The odd episode that throws what you thought you knew into chaos makes for better entertainment. As an example: Castle is, for the most part, predictable and safe, but every now and then they throw in that strange episode that doesn’t fit. When I’m deciding what to watch I think back to those odd episodes and that is what helps keep me as a viewer.
The creators of the Battlestar Galactica remake first had to figure out the series long over-arching plot. This part was easy: “Cylons try to kill all humans.” Simple, to the point, exciting. Done and done. Then you add in the extras like why are they trying to kill humans, what the gritty details are, who is a cylon, and so on.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Chuck, NBC – A spy comedy that usually doesn’t take itself too seriously. The character dynamics are great and there is a lot of subtle humor mixed in with the obvious slapstick. Shows typically are self-contained with an overall main plot (any readers of this blog will know this is often important to me). I keep watching because it tends to be light hearted comedy-action that puts me in a good mood no matter how shitty my day was.
Top Gear, BBC America – British TV show about cars. It might sound dull, but the show is fucking hilarious. The host’s outrageous stunts, bloated egos, and resulting mishaps make this one of the best series on television.
Pushing Daisies, ABC – I love this slightly-supernatural detective comedy show. It is creative, funny, quirky and filled with great stories, characters, and visuals. The second season had a bit of a rough start but all was redeemed when the police pulled dead clown after dead clown out of a wrecked car in episode three.
Dexter, Showtime – Now in season three Dexter, the sympathetic serial killer, continues to impress me with top notch acting and new story line twists. The shocking premise of the show has worn off a bit so the main story has become more complicated to compensate but this is not a bad thing.
The Quote:
under the guidance of Jack (Carlos Jacott, from Kicking and Screaming, Angry Boy, Common Law, The Home Court, Hudson Street, Townies, Highball, Grosse Pointe Blank, Mr. Jealousy, Cracker, Principal Takes a Holiday, The Larry Sanders Show, Since You’ve Been Gone, Seinfeld, The Last Days of Disco, The Real Howard Spitz, Buff the Vampire Slayer, She’s All That, Being John Malkovich, Bats, Angel, Conrad & Butler Take a Vacation, It’s a Shame About Ray, Alley McBeal, Thirty, Frasier, Attention Shapers, Spin City, These Old Broads, 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Geena Davis Show, Dead Last, The West Wing, Buttleman, Grounded for Life, Firefly, The Movie Hero, CSI, Jiminy Glick in Lalawood, Guilt, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Fun with Dick and Jane, Desperate Housewives, Psych, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Two Familes, Big Love, K-Ville, Cavemen, Scrubs, Welcome to the Captain, CSI: Miami, and Eli Stone). The show is silly and intentionally dumb, often making fun of itself for the fact that it is syndicated, and that they are exploiting beautiful women for jokes, viewers, and replacement for good plot and dialog.
The Quote: