Small reminder post, Dollhouse will begin its last 9 episode run tomorrow, Dec. 4, with back to back episodes starting at 8/7c on FOX. Some shows haven’t gone on winter hiatus yet, so there’s still some competition (especially since USA Network’s Monk is ending its run at 9/8c). I have to DVR Monk and Medium, and record Dollhouse over the air, right to DVD, as 9pm hour is really congested, since Stargate Universe is also new, but Syfy re-airs new episodes later in the night, so I’ll catch the 11pm showing. Smallville is a repeat, so 8pm is just Dollhouse for me, and 10PM is just 2 shows that record fine on DVR, Syfy’s excellent Sanctuary and USA’s newest hit, White Collar.

Oh, and I’m working, don’t get off ’til 8pm, lovely huh?

I could come up with a more interesting title, but it doesn’t make the news any better. FOX has canceled Dollhouse. There is no surprise, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t an uproar. FOX killed the show before it aired when they premiered it on a Friday. They surprisingly renewed it, yet kept it in the shitty timeslot, where it suffered even worse now. It was pulled from the November lineup, and will now air the remainder of its order (it’s currently filming the 11th episode of a 13 episode order) starting on Dec. 4 at 8/7c, with two episodes throughout December (the 4th, 11th, and 18th), then return to its regular schedule on Jan. 8th (9/8c), air on the 15th, which means the series finale will air on January 22nd, 9/8c.

Therefore, I updated the Countdown Timer I have on this blog to reflect each of those dates. I feel that this is an amazing show, that had a little rough and tumble in the beginning (also FOX’s fault, interfering with the man, Joss Whedon), but the last half found its footing, and now we have a true Joss Whedon series, innovative, unique, and very compelling drama. Which, in FOX’s terms, spells out the word ‘Cancellation.’

Dollhouse canceled – What went wrong? – TV.Com

I guess the only good thing to come out of all this, Joss Whedon able to focus on a sequel to the Internet smash, ‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog.’

Hulu.com has the trailer for the upcoming 5th episode, which will guest star Summer Glau (Terminator Sarah Connor Chronicle, Firefly), here’s the link: Dollhouse Ep. 2-5 ‘Public Eye’ trailer

Catch up with Dollhouse on Hulu.com

Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles in Supernatural Season 5. the CW 2009.

Tomorrow is September, yep already. With majority of Summer TV winding down (oh, the season finale of HBO’s True Blood is September 13th, sucks we have to wait two weeks, but I can’t wait), the broadcast networks of NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and CW are about to premiere their television lineup of favorites and new series, with the CW pretty much leading the way with 90210 and Melrose Place on September 8th. But the biggest premiere of all of TV, comes from the CW’s very own Supernatural, returning for a milestone 5th season with the rise of Lucifer, on September 10th. But instead of following Smallville (which doesn’t return until Sept. 25), a new series will premiere in the Thurs 8PM slot, The Vampire Diaries, which, like True Blood and Twilight, is based on books, but more closer to Twilight in that its teeny, so I don’t expect much from it, it won’t even touch the greatness the WB had with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, much less touch the latest TV-Vamp sensation, True Blood. Anyway, it’s got vamps, I’ll still check it out. There are other CW shows, but if I mention all shows coming back, this will be a long post, so I’ll stick with what I’m watching (note, that doesn’t include Melrose or 90210, those were just for the purpose of noting the main beginning to Fall TV).

FOX is next in line, with their own Thursday night lineup, with Bones (also 5th season) and the 2nd season of Fringe on Sept. 17. NBC’s comedy night returns, but w/o Earl, the only show I think worth checking out is Community, which will start in the 9:30 slot, before moving to 8PM in early Oct. and stars Chevy Chase.

And then there’s CBS and ABC, and very few NBC shows to watch (mostly due to the Jay Leno Show, starting Sept 14):

Monday, September 21 will mark the, yeah, 5th season of How I Met Your Mother on CBS at 8PM (actually all of CBS Monday Comedy night, and one drama). ABC will also bring back Castle on Sept. 21 as well at 10PM. NBC’s Heroes returns to a 4th season at a new time (8PM), and the 6th season of FOX’s House at 8PM as well (busy busy Monday, certainly make full use of DVR & my DVD Recorder).

CBS’s 7th season of NCIS returns Tuesday, Sept. 22, along with the new spin-off series, NCIS: LA. ABC’s V premiere’s Nov. 3 on Tuesday 8PM. Wednesday, Sept. 23 will bring back CBS’s Criminal Minds (no surprise, a lot of 5th seasons), and also that night ABC’s comedies, including Courteney Cox’s new show Cougar Town (9:30PM), and the TV adaptation of Witches of Eastwick, simply titled Eastwick at 10PM. NBC also has a new series, starring former Buffy alumna Michelle Trachenberg, in Mercy, airing at 8PM.

Thursday, Sept 24 will see the 10th season return of CSI, unfortunately, with FOX’s moving of Fringe, and Superntural still on, and for a few weeks, the new NBC comedy Community, I won’t be watching it, but I feel need to mention it, as I did like it, a little. ABC also has a new show, Flash Forward at 8PM that may be worth checking out.

Eliza Dushku stars as Echo. FOX promo.

And Friday, September 25th, we will once again enter the Dollhouse on FOX at 9PM, plus the CW’s move of Smallville to Friday at 8PM, and CBS bringing Medium back and premiering it in the 9PM slot, between Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs (which I’ve lost interest in).

And, then there’s the FOX animation-domination night (really, it’s a Seth MacFarlane animation-domination night), coming back Sept. 27, with new series The Cleveland Show, a Family Guy spinoff, which will still lead into the other MacFarlane show, American Dad. And, the record-breaking season of the Simpsons (officially, the 21st season now), starting it all at 8PM. (note, there is an NFL overrun, so set DVRs accordingly). CBS’s new series Three Rivers premieres Oct. 4th, which stars Alex O’Loughlin, aka Mick St. John from CBS’s canceled vampire series Moonlight which I’m still pissed about (one year later, and it would have still been on).

And let’s not forget the cable shows, though most bring in the goods during the summer, doesn’t mean they don’t try to take over from fall nights.

Recently premiered returns of Monk and Psych on USA’s Fridays overlap into the fall, well, Monk appears to be airing it’s final season through, while Psych goes on hiatus after Oct. 16 to make room for the new series White Collar (Oct. 23), which seems to be USA using the final season of Monk to lead into a new show, to gain viewers, so when Psych returns, they both end this season together and become the new Friday-night pair for the USA network. Also, we still of SyFy’s Ghost Hunters on Wed. 9pm, and its buddy Destination Truth returns on Sept 9 at 10PM. Comedy Central’s South Park returns on Oct. 7. F/X will bring back Nip/Tuck for its 6th season on a new night, Wednesday at 10PM on Oct. 14.

And of course, SyFy has their Friday nights, with the latest Stargate spin-off, Stargate Universe on Oct. 2 at 9PM (2 hour premiere), and the next week will see the return of Sanctuary. (BUSY busy, Friday for me too).

And then there are midseason shows, including the return of Chuck on NBC, which will be in March, after the Winter Olympics.

Full Guide to Fall 2009 by the futon critic

Last week’s episode of FOX’s Dollhouse was a great example of the extraordinary writing behind the show, and the overall creative genius that is Joss Whedon. Those of us that watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly have already known of this genius, and just want to help others broaden their TV habits to go beyond that of mindless American Idol or ridiculous reality shows after reality shows (such as that of this stupid I’m a Celebrity, get Me Out of Here that NBC is gonna air). TV has the ability to expand into a bright imagination, or colorful characters and engaging plots. Dollhouse is one of these shows. With a cast that has proven they are capable of a multitude of different kinds of characters (smart negotiators, talented singers, thrill seekers, lovers, assassins, spies, etc, etc).

But last week’s “Briar Rose” has definitely shown that Dollhouse has finally found its mark. There have been several episodes before, that kept us engaged, but “Briar Rose” gave us a twist, that no one saw coming. We know that Alpha was gonna be revealed, but we didn’t know that Alan Tudyk (who played Wash on Whedon’s Firefly), who was introduced on the show as a nervous, coward architect of the Dollhouse’s self-sustaining system, who Ballard found and asked for his help, was in fact, the doll that malfunctioned, slaughtered many dolls and staff, left Echo alive in the middle of dead bodies, carved up Dr. Saunders face, the mysterious Alpha.

Never saw it coming. Now Alpha, after getting into the Dollhouse, taking advantage of Ballard’s need to save Caroline (“Echo” before she was an active) played by the wonderful actress Eliza Dushku (played a slayer on Buffy andAngel), Alpha now has Echo and imprinted her with a personality of, well we don’t know yet, but they seem to know each other, quite well.

So, in conclusion, tune your TV’s live to your local FOX affiliate, Friday May 8th, at 9PM ET to watch the exciting conclusion of this season (and let’s keep it season as oppose to the dreaded series finale), which, knowing Joss and finales, is gonna leave you wanting more…

Your DVRs can record your other shows, remember, Friday Night Lights is safe for two years, thanks to DirecTV. And Flashpoint is a Canadian production, so even if CBS doesn’t want it (which wouldn’t make sense, since CBS isn’t gonna do any better) it could still survive in Canada, and I don’t know what’s on NBC, nor do I really care. As far as movies go, Star Trek will still be playing on Saturday and Sunday, and in some areas, maybe you can catch a matinee.

If you missed the last episode: here it is, right from Hulu.com:

Catch more full episodes, for free, at Hulu.com

TV.Com has posted an article on 10 shows at risk of cancellation. I could post them all, but I think I’ll just give the highlights of the ones I actually watch (Sorry, I had started this post earlier, and tried Tabbing and Backspace, don’t ever do that in WordPress, it sent me back and when I went forward everything I typed up was gone, so I need to save time)

So I’m really doing the top 4 (though Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles and My Name is Earl is in the list as well.

4: Castle (ABC) : Starring the wonderful and underrated actor Nathan Fillion, this show is actually better than I thought it would be. Airs Mondays 10PM, on ABC.
What you’re missing (Pilot promo):

3: Reaper (CW) : The only CW series on the list, this show has it all: humor, drama, action, and the Devil. What’s not to like? Airs Tuesday 8PM on the CW.
What you’re Missing: (Season 2 promo)

2: Dollhouse (FOX) : The highly buzzed series by the mind of Joss Whedon opened to poor ratings (though better than its lead-in, Terminator, and also enjoys great DVR numbers). Airs Fridays at 9PM on FOX.
What you’re missing (series promo):

1: Chuck (NBC) : Mondays have gotten a little harder for our little spy/Nerd Herd supervisor, as it is now up against FOX’s House and ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, and the CBS comedies, though it seems fairly consistent in ratings (I think that’s something NBC should consider), but given the whole Leno thing happening next year (5 nights a week at 10PM is taken), could our little beloved show fall victim of crowded programming? Airs Monday 8PM, on NBC.
What you’re missing: (promo for the next new episode, since it guests Chevy Chase, and shouldn’t be missed):

Full TV.com article: http://www.tv.com/story/13568.html for the other 7 shows (#10 was a tie).

And don’t miss new episodes of Castle (Monday 10 PM ABC), Reaper (Tuesday 8PM CW), Dollhouse (Friday 9PM FOX), and Chuck (Monday 8PM NBC).

Eliza Dushku stars as Echo on Dollhouse. Image:FOX promo.

We are less than a day away from the premiere of the new series by Buffy the Vampire Slayer mastermind, Joss Whedon. Starring former Buffy alumna, Eliza Dushku, Dollhouse follows a group of people who are called “actives” that get their memories wiped and then re-written for certain tasks. This secret agency hires out their actives to clients that need a certain job performed that requires a specific skill, or they want a fantasy played out for them. Whatever they need, they can get. Dushku stars as Echo, an active that is becoming aware of herself, and wonder why she volunteered to become a “doll” in the first place.

Overall, this is the first series by Joss Whedon since Angel went off the air in May 2004. So it’s good to have a new series by him, but also to keep in mind, he had Firefly on FOX, on Friday also, and that didn’t do so well, despite the acclaim (wonderful show, if you haven’t seen it, I recommend catching the pilot episode on Hulu.com, or better yet, renting/buying the complete series on DVD (now on Blu-Ray)).

But through it all, one thing you have to admit, Joss Whedon’s shows are creative, and among the best you can ask for from television. If you’re not gonna go to the movies (afterall the same movie will be playing on Saturday), and you’re not gonna be on a date (might as well hold for Saturday, being Valentine’s Day), and you love quality scripted programming, then might I suggest tuning to FOX on February 13th (FRIDAY) at 9PM ET for the series premiere of Dollhouse. And then afterwards, tune to CBS at 10PM for a new Numb3rs, with special guest (I say special guest, they may not) James Marsters (Spike from Buffy/Angel and Brainiac from Smallville).

Grailwolf on Dollhouse | TV.Com