Echo’s

I didn’t love the first episode, but thought last week’s was greatly improved. I’m curious to see where they’ll take the show with tonight’s character. One of the most intriguing things about the Dollhouse is the near limitless possibilities for stories. Eliza Dushku, talking to reporters before the premiere, said those chances to stretch as an actress were what she wanted.

“One thing that Joss gave me in this project is the ability to sort of show some other colors of mine that other creators and other writers, directors, executive producers haven’t given me in the past, but he has seen them in me and wanted to give me the stage to act them out,” she said.

So far we’ve seen her as a hostage negotiator, the ultimate hunting date and some other fantasy scenarios. And Echo is already having some flashbacks of her previous engagements. In future episodes we’ll see Echo portray a blind cult follower and – ahem, a prostitute.

©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Isabella Vosmikova/FOX

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Dollhouse, as expected, saw a bit of a dip. Joss Whedon’s latest offering dropped 10 percent to 4.22 million viewers. I really thought this ep picked up the pace and was an overall better offering than the pilot. Some of that may be chalked up to Eliza Dushku playing kick ass chick better than she plays vulnerable girl.

We saw more of the relationship between Echo and her handler and the “Rogue Active” scenario answered my question of “Why are the actives not just programmed to ninja all the time?”

I still weep for America that Howie Do It and Supernanny are doing better than our shows. We’re going to wake up one day and wonder where all the scripted dramas went, I promise you.

©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Isabella Vosmikova/FOX

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ABC’s former watercooler show is losing viewers weekly and having a heavyweight like Idol move into the same timeslot is not good news. FOX’s new project Lie To Me will move to 8 p.m. Wednesdays. The Tim Roth vehicle has more than held its own against Lost, so it makes sense FOX would want to see what it does without any big competition.

I’m a Tim Roth fan, but sheesh. Taking into account Psych and The Mentalist, Lie to Me gives us three TV shows on the air right now about a guy that can tell who the criminal in the room is just by looking at them. Yet  somehow shows like Sarah Connor can’t draw an audience. Dismayed sigh.

Image:CTV

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Dollhouse drew 4.7 million viewers, making it the lowest non-reality show debut on a network since NBC’s now deep-sixed Robinson Crusoe revamp. Even more depressing was that the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles lead-in lost nearly 30 percent of its audience by moving to Fridays. That wasn’t a show that had a great deal of spare viewers to begin with.

FOX hoped pairing the two sci-fi shows together would be a beneficial relationship, but if anything the move really hurt Terminator this week. Combine that with generally unimpressive reviews for Whedon’s latest project and FOX may soon have to separate the two to try and save Terminator.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t blown away by Dollhouse. The question we may never get the answer to is whether the changes suggested by FOX executives helped or hurt. If the show was more confusing than this before, wow. I hope things will get better, but if this is the best number the show can pull it would be unrealistic to expect FOX or any other network to keep it around.

Joss Whedon (L) directs Eliza Dushku (R) on the set during production. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Greg Gayne/FOX

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The Hollywood Reporter

Virtuality details the exploits of a spaceship crew on a journey so lengthy they are linked to virtual reality machines to pass the time. The show is one of four pilots FOX is currently looking at and word is it could be reworked as a “more mainstream drama.”

Um, it’s got spaceships and VR chambers so I have no idea how it can get “mainstream” and keep the concept intact. Let me guess? FOX execs didn’t get it and want everything reshot? Nah, what are the odds of something like that happening at FOX.

There is good news for genre fans, though. FOX is reportedly very high on the space comedy Boldly Going Nowhere that comes from the creators of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The network apparently ordered a pilot and some additional scripts to get things into production quickly.

Pictured: Ron Moore– SCI FI Channel Photo: Trae Patton

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Rather than reruns or replacement shows, FOX appears to be banking on Terminator enjoying the ratings bonus from the impending return of American Idol. In any case, one of SFUniverse’s favorite shows will get at least one full season to stretch its creative wings and pick up more viewers.

©2008 FOX Broadcasting Co. CR: Frank Ockenfels/FOX

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