UpDated 7-2-09

Last year at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, the event was ruled by several big named movies that ranged from youthful vampires to illegal vigilantes.  TV was more a side-note than anything else.

This year at the 2009 Comic-Con, things will be a bit different as television programming seems to have a bigger presence than last year.

For instance, the Warner Brothers Television Group will have 11 different panels for their shows.  That’s a studio best for them.  ABC Studios will have 7 panels.  20th Century Fox will have 9 panels.

Do you think your favorite television show will be represented?

If you remember, back on the week of May 18th we let you know what shows were renewed and dumped with the following:

• 2009 CW Fall TV Line Up
• 2009 ABC Fall TV Line Up
• 2009 CBS Fall TV Line Up
• 2009 NBC Fall TV Line Up
• 2009 Fox Fall TV Line up

The only snags with these listings were that they were just lists of shows renewed or dropped, with no specific dates.

Fox has released their list of dates and times.  Just to be thorough, we’re including all shows that they’ve announced.

Now that Joss Whedon has wrapped upped his work on The Cabin in the Woods, he’s starting to focus on his 2nd season of Dollhouse.

We’ve got different chunks of news for you today.  First, we chat a little bit about the new writers for the show then some character news.  Later on we make note on Joss’ opinion on the new Buffy The Vampire Slayer project.

It is Thursday again and the weekend looms in front of us.

Today I’m going to chat about Summer Glau maybe being on Dollhouse, a tiny bit about Law & Order: SVU, a bit of Doctor Who news and some info about Ronald D. Moore’s Virtuality including the air date and scenes from the show.

And as usual, we’ll take a peak at ratings from last week.

Oh!  I’ve jammed in a subtle note about Burn Notice.

While you’re here, if there’s anything TV related on your mind, slap it in the comments and let us know what you’re curious about or have an opinion on.

Shall we get on with it?

Yesterday (Monday, the 19th) Fox announced it’s upcoming Fall lineup today and we will be seeing some of Screen Rant’s favorites like House, Lie To Me, Bones, Fringe & Dollhouse return this fall.  These are the shows we here at Screen Rant are more focused on.

The news in and about the industry this last weekend was swirling in a dance on what was being renewed and canceled.  Specifically, some were focused on the fates of Dollhouse and The Sarah Connor Chronicles and why one show was given the axe, and the other given a reprieve.

Though the networks are making official statements in the coming week, news is coming out slowly but surely on what is going to happen with shows like Dollhouse, Chuck, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Scrubs among others.

Here’s the news that’s come out of this weekend about some of our favorite shows…  after the break.

The word on the street is that the Fox network is thinking about renewing Dollhouse.  Color me shocked.  Even Eliza is holding her head in shock!  (Read this article carefully.  There’s a surprise tidbit in here.)

Despite miserably low ratings in its Friday night time slot, Dollhouse brings in strong online streaming numbers and DVR viewings.  Initially thought to be a non-issue to advertisers, it’s still apparently an influence on the waffling of renewals.

Today’s Weekly TV Wrap Up will have a little One Tree Hill (Something a bit new, but a reader asked about the show.), some more on Dollhouse after the finale and Lie To Me news. We also touch on David E. Kelley’s disappointment, the dumping of a few shows by NBC and how Fox seems to be treating Ronald D. Moore’s Virtuality just like Dollhouse, but worse - If you can imagine that. I also have some David Tennant news for you.

Despite the season finales, it’s a bit of a quiet week for me.  Of course, I have the TV ratings from last week and a bit of a surprise at the end of the post, if you make it that far.

Shall we get on with it?

DISCLAIMER:  The front half of this article is spoiler free.  There will be a warning as you approach the time-shifted spoilers and a link that allows you to skip the spoilers altogether when you get near them.

To answer my own question about whether Dollhouse was about to get good, oh yea. It became good… no, it became entertaining and fun.

This is the weekly TV update coming at you yet again.  Today I chat about how Numbers has survived on Friday nights, I share my suspicions on what will happen with Chuck on NBC and I celebrate a bit about Fringe on Fox.

I’ll also touch on how the new Wolverine movie has already had its TV rights secured while I tell you about a couple of upcoming Sci-Fi Channel marathons, and then I’ll close with some depressing inclinations about Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.  At the very bottom, past my ratings chart, I actually make a suggestion about an episode of Criminal Minds that I suggest hunting down to watch.  (Yes, I make a recommendation.)

Let’s get on with it, shall we?

This week’s weekly TV report from April 30th, 2009 chats a little about Chuck’s sandwich run, the probable return of Fringe, a new character for Burn Notice and how Harper’s Island is not only sinking, but moving - much like the island on Lost!  We’ve also got some syndication news on My Own Worst Enemy, Knight Rider and Dollhouse.  Yep, syndication news on Dollhouse.  That can’t be good.  Read on folks!

Chuck Takes Fans To Subway

Though they feel they’re currently on the good side of the ratings / cancel bubble, the cast of Chuck are still trying to take care of their sponsors.

While the cast was attending a Starfury convention T1 event in Birmingham, U.K., a fan suggested they try to help the show by supporting a sponsor, in this case, Subway. Zachary Levi and Adam Baldwin (who else would have done this?) then asked those in attendance if they’d follow them to a local Subway. Sure enough, they ended up leading about 400 convention attendees to the poor beleaguered sandwich shop. That would have sucked to be the guy behind the counter when this unruly gang showed up!

After its season (series?) finale, The Sarah Connor Chronicles seems to be in a gray area. The ratings for the April 10th finale brought in only 3.6 million viewers. That’s a far cry from its premiere episode that attracted almost 19 million sets of eyeballs. After a lot of conjecture, mostly from watching the ratings drop over the last two years, most feel that the show is looking at its demise.

For reasons that are beyond our own logic, even though TSCC was bringing in an average of over 11 million viewers on Mondays, Fox pretty much set the fate of the show when they moved it to Friday nights. There, in its 2nd season it received an average of 4.7 million viewers.

The above numbers seem to reference all viewers and are from ABC Medianet.  When I look at specific numbers from overnight reports through last season, I saw the following interesting trend:

AVERAGE VIEWERS - When TSCC was on

• Monday nights: 5.4 million
• Friday nights: 3.5 million

So… what, exactly, is the deal with Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse?

Thursday and Friday, the Internet went nuts with worry that the number of episodes the Fox Television Network is said to be airing for Dollhouse was being short changed. The info distilled into a hyperbole of rumors saying Dollhouse was canceled because the season was being cut short. The truth of the matter is that Fox paid for 13 episodes, but only planned on airing 12.

Which makes us wonder: What’s up with that?

It’s Thursday. That means another round of news from the TV landscape. This week, I’ve got some conjecture and observations with the occasional possible SPOILER in place.

There are some new shows coming up this weekend, some Dollhouse noise, Law and Order cast updates, Dr. Who tidbits and observations or questions about Life On Mars, ER and other shows. And FYI, my ratings aren’t missing: I’ve moved the ratings section down towards the bottom of the post, right before my zany entries of the week!

Due to technical difficulties beyond my control, the digital dog ate my homework. Or, I had to write this article twice! The digital dog just sounds more light-hearted than what the second line implies. Enough about my woes with technological gremlins.

There wasn’t a ton of news to report or snark on this week, so I had to dig up enough to make this yet another interesting read. Well, at least I think it is! I do have a few snippets that might be spoilers for The Office (Guest appearance) and Lost (Possible finale shoot notes).

Shall we get on with it?

It’s another week and another Wrap Up article. I have a lot going on this week, so scroll slowly and keep your eye out for your favorite show! There is a cast note on Burn Notice, that I don’t believe is a spoiler, but now that I’m shell shocked, well, there you have it! Let’s get the ball rolling, shall we?

“What was that?”

That is the last line uttered in the Joss Whedon movie, Serenity. It can also be applied to the new Joss Whedon show, Dollhouse, a show that seems to have been heavily tampered with by FOX, from what I can tell.

I envision that final line as being something Joss finds himself continually asking every time someone from a studio wants to change his vision. And it takes a strong kind of character for a man to have his vision he’s worked hard at, be mucked with.

DANGER, DANGER: CAST SPOILER ALERT IN THE SECTION: “Despite the Studio Interference” after the break.

So what’s happening this week with some of our favorite television shows? I’ll fill you in on the vaporizing ratings for Dollhouse, The Sarah Connor Chronicles and others. I touch on some Supernatural & NCIS casting news and a season ending story development. I then sprinkle some CSI:NY bits and round it out with some Lily cast updates.

Let’s check it out.

When we all heard that FOX was going to put The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse on Friday nights, we all went ballistic. We know that Friday nights are a death knoll for a show. It’s hard to ignore the fact that when your favorite gets to replace reality skeins Cops, or My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad, it just ain’t good news. Just start saving up for that single season DVD pack. Right?

Well hold your horses on this one folks. There may be a glint of light at the end of the usually very short Friday night tunnel, or is there?

Hello Screen Rant readers. There isn’t a lot of TV stuff going on, but I did manage to dig up some noise on a few things. Namely some info on the upcoming Caprica DVD, Tin Man, The Mentalist, Dollhouse, Heroes and ER.

Let’s get to it.

As we all know, ratings weren’t too hot for Dollhouse and Sarah Connor Chronicles. Dollhouse did better than expected, while The Sarah Connor Chronicles did suffer the consequences of the dreaded Friday night time slot. That’s an ouch. But I also touch a little on what I saw on Battlestar Galactica, have a bit of Smallville cast news and more cast has been hired for the NCIS spin-off that everyone waiting for. And a few other tidbits & dribbles along the way.

In one of the articles I was reading, a line in the opening paragraph said:

“…Dollhouse, has convinced him to abandon TV for good. His alternative medium: Web serials.”

Wow. Is that for real?

Wharton University of Pennsylvania was talking about how Joss Whedon wants to change the way Hollywood does business. As I’ve said before, he’s working within the system when he doesn’t balk at things like getting his new show shoved to Friday nights. Then again, maybe collectively FOX and Whedon knew something was up.

Early Ratings For Dollhouse On Fox:
So as Vic said in his review of the premiere, the premise of Dollhouse is a bit creepy, but I thought the story line involving the clients wasn’t too bad.  Oh great, a he said - he said article!

At first glance, the ratings for the show are just not that impressive and if the networks are consistent in their responses to the antiquated ratings system, both Dollhouse and The Sarah Connor Chronicles seem lacking, though some call Dollhouse’s ratings a success.

Based on past experience I’ve learned not to judge a new TV series by its premiere episode, but I didn’t really like the opening episode of Joss Whedon’s new Fox TV series Dollhouse.

The concept always sounded creepy: An organization has a number of operatives whose minds are “wiped” in between assignments. They can be programmed with completely different personalities for each new assignment and left with no memory of who they were or what they did.

This week, we chat about Caprica, Supernatural, the NCIS spin-off, a new vampire pilot from The CW, Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer, Bones, Grey’s Anatomy and some bits about ABC renewing some shows. Also, since we reported that Dave Letterman was announcing the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model last week, it’s only right that we finish what we started with a little something at the bottom of this post. Shall we get on with it? I knew you’d say that.

But before I say anything else, I would be remiss to not remind you that Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles are coming to your TV this Friday night!

I always figured I would hate Joss Whedon, which is surprising based on the fact that I have enjoyed most of his work.  After seeing him speak at the Dollhouse panel this weekend at Comic-Con I can say for sure that I actually really enjoyed him and wish him no malice.

While promoting his new Fox series Dollhouse, Whedon managed to be both funny and insightful about his show, making it as a creative person in the entertainment industry and life in general.  In fact probably more so than any other panelist.

How do you spell butt-kicking, bombshell babes?  D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E.  I’ve been excited by this show for a while.  I’ve always found Eliza Dushku to be endlessly attractive and am a big fan of Joss Whedon, but until now, I wasn’t sure if the general pace and personality of the show would be directed towards me.

Especially considering the fact that Dollhouse is set to air Friday nights after Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronocles…  A time slot that is usually the slow death of a show.  This, combined with Dollhouse’s general lack of solid television promos, had me fearing the worst: A swift death at the hand of lofty viewers.

Kevin Reilly, the president of Fox Entertainment, was having a group chit chat with reporters about a few things that are on all our sci-fi-loving minds.

Even though we as a collective tentatively look at Fox with apprehension, they do have the largest collection of sci-fi genre shows out there (barring the Sci-Fi Channel, of course). They’ve got The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Fringe on the air; they’ve got Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse around the corner and they’re developing Ronald D. Moore’s Virtuality (I’m going to use the word “develop” lightly here).

“Did I fall asleep?”
“For a little while.”

Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse is about a young woman, Echo (Eliza Dushku), who is a member of an illegal organization, has her memories and personality wiped clean and imprinted with new ones in order to fulfill assignments catering to the wealthy and powerful.

The show is coming at us in February and fans are a bit concerned about the show since it was relegated to its newest time slot on Fridays.  But for now, we await its premiere. Now WE haven’t seen this yet, but Eric Goldman over at IGN.com got himself a preview copy of the first episode of Dollhouse (I’m so jealous) and gave his take on the episode, which we’ll summarize for you here.

Is Fox “Foxing Up” again?

The Joss Whedon fans who were thinking of starting a “Save Dollhouse” website/campaign might have been on to something long before the rest of us.

Despite the previous report that Dollhouse will be airing on Mondays in 2009, Fox has distributed a press release last week announcing that the series will now premiere in February, on Friday the 13th.

WHAT are they thinking? Is this a demonstration of some massive amount of faith in the realm of Whedon fans to overcome the statistical fact that Friday nights are the worst time ever to air a show?