Shame on Fox.

That’s the television network, not the animal, they’re nice.

This, my first proper post, is going to be a moan off at production companies for not giving programmes a chance. In particular Joss Whedon’s latest series Dollhouse, co-created by Eliza Dushku.

The show has a simple premise, a large company rent out people imprinted with other personalities out to rich people for pleasure, or to kill someone or other such stuff. Sounds like a terrible concept yes, but once the full story starts you begin to feel for the charachters, and by the time the end of the episode comes, it leaves you wanting the next episode to come quicker.

The actors playing the “dolls” are temendously talented, playing numerous different roles with perfection. But it doesn’t just rest on their shoulders, the workers in the Dollhouse are also massively likeable, especially the rather cool science geek Topher, played by Fran Kranz. Probably not a name you’ve heard before, but a name well worth checking out and keeping an eye on.

But back to the point of what this ramble is meant to be about, Fox seems to have a problem with Joss Whedon projects now. His last outing was Firefly, was cancelled before the first season had even completed it’s airing, but due to massive DVD sales a film was then made to complete the story off, produced by Whedon and Universal Pictures.

Dollhouse is like this again, only without the film. After the first series they had to fight for a second series, and to help this there was a lot of fan support across the internet which is seen as a factor for why the second series was commisioned. Unfortunately during the filming of the second series, the show was officially cancelled, which meant Whedon was able to make a final episode and bring the story to a close.

Yes, it was good of Fox to let the production team know early enough so they could complete the story, but my point is, many television series are bought to an end very early on after only one or two series, but things need time to grow. Joss Whedons first major project was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this also started off with a low audience like Dollhouse and Firefly, but they let it grow and it then became one of the biggest programmes of its time, but in the current climate, production companies want instant hits, many of these instant hits then growing stale after a few series.

There is a brilliant and very long line at the start of series 4 of Family Guy, this was the first episode after they were bought back from being cancelled, and all the line is, is a huge list of all the shows that Fox had cancelled in the few years before. I would just like to know how many of them shows, if given some time to grow and flower, would have gone on to be succesful series’.

Really I’m just saying, come on Fox, give things some times.

Peter: Everybody I’ve got bad news. We’ve been cancelled.
Lois: Oh no Peter! How could they do that?
Peter: Well unfortuantely Lois, there’s just no more room on the schedule. We just gotta accept the fact that FOX has to make room for terrific shows like Dark Angel, Titus, Undeclared, Action, That 80’s Show, Wonder Falls, Fast Lane, Andy Richter Controls The Universe, Skin, Girl’s Club, Cracking Up, The Pitts, Firefly, Get Real, Freaky Links, Wanda At Large, Costello, The Lone Gunman, A Minute with Stan Hooper, Normal Ohio, Pasadena, Harsh Realm, Keen Eddy, The Street, American Embassy, Cedric The Entertainer, The Tick, Louie, And Greg The Bunny….
Lois: Is there no hope?
Peter: Well I suppose if ALL those shows go down the tubes we might have a shot.