tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post5185458777119585187..comments2024-03-28T18:01:28.997-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Dollhouse 13th/14th episode in limboAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-65155001595957119412009-04-11T07:50:00.000-04:002009-04-11T07:50:00.000-04:00Last nights Episode has been by fare the best one ...Last nights Episode has been by fare the best one of the entire series.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-75664703483866290502009-04-10T11:29:00.000-04:002009-04-10T11:29:00.000-04:00There's precedent for this kind of situation at Fo...There's precedent for this kind of situation at Fox. With The Simpsons and Futurama, Fox's season and the production seasons got out of sync, with holding back certain episodes for a following broadcast season. For Fox, Futurama was usually pre-empted by football, but also occasionally on the air in 5 seasons, even though only 4 seasons (for production and DVD set purposes) were produced. The Simpson's broadcast season started sometime last fall, but the new production season (when the show converted to HD) only started in the last couple of months. <BR/><BR/>This sounds like it comes down to a contractual and bargaining issue between the network and the studio, more than a premature cancellation (ala Firefly, Pushing Daisies, etc.) If Fox does renew Dollhouse, I'm sure that "Epitaph One" will air at some point before the start of season 2. Or perhaps the brisk DVD sales of the show (for fans to watch the epitaph) will encourage the network to pick up the show for a second season. <BR/><BR/>FWIW, I think that single season 13-episode series (longer than a miniseries, shorter than a multi-season 22 episode series) can be great artistically. Lots of room for character building, but not too much time to get sidetracked and diverted from telling a single story. What if Whedon had the opportunity to tell a story every year for a few years in 13-episode chunks, with each year being a completely different story/series? I'd very excited to see what he (or another good TV writer) could do with that type of creative concept.Andrewhttp://www.buzzrantrave.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-86949122343877369742009-04-10T09:35:00.000-04:002009-04-10T09:35:00.000-04:00While you may have been thanked several times for ...<I>While you may have been thanked several times for the posting of the picture from Scrubs, I'd like to personally thank you for posting this picture of Tamikoh Penikett.</I><BR/><BR/>Seemed only fair, I thought.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-51647542442530979972009-04-10T08:49:00.000-04:002009-04-10T08:49:00.000-04:00@Alan: here's how news gets disseminated on Twitte...@Alan: here's how news gets disseminated on Twitter:<BR/>http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/apr/01/guardian-twitter-media-technology<BR/>(please note the date of the article)<BR/><BR/>Regarding this 13th/14th ep... hmn... it sounds to me like they planned 13 episodes for broadcast, as the network required, but the network rejected one of them. At the time, everybody was OK with just 12 episodes to air, and they cannibalized the useful parts of the first episode into flashbacks in other episodes. They realized later that they had contracts requiring them to have 13 episodes for DVD, international distribution, etc., and the unaired first episode that was already chopped into other episodes wasn't going to cut it. They slapped together some half-assed epilogue on a minimal budget to meet their contractual obligation for a 13th episode. It's mostly dream sequences, so it doesn't affect continuity, doesn't tell us anything we don't already know. It's filler, like the blank pages you sometimes get at the end of a book to complete the standard 16 page folio. I don't feel particularly deprived that it's not airing.Traceynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-62295901009640068312009-04-10T02:03:00.000-04:002009-04-10T02:03:00.000-04:00That's happened with various shows before- I belie...<I>That's happened with various shows before- I believe several episodes of the first season of Grey's Anatomy were pushed to the second season (making the second season bigger than usual).</I><BR/><BR/>yes, but they did *air* - in fact they aired before they were released on DVD. (and the pushing also rubbed onto Boston Legal, due to the timeslot problem)<BR/><BR/>It's possible I skipped the middle of the conversation where someone said the episode actually *would* air.<BR/><BR/>Kevin, I stared at your italic thingies for a whole minute before I figured out that the reason they didn't work was cause they should have been angle brackets. :-/ Wouldn't it be nice if message boards and blogs could standardize like the rest of the web? Or something.Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-77784133117518890642009-04-09T23:52:00.000-04:002009-04-09T23:52:00.000-04:00Interesting...does this normally happen with unair...Interesting...does this normally happen with unaired original pilots?<BR/><BR/>The key point of this story is that the studio makes the decisions on DVD content, episodes, etc. So this isn't a case of Fox the network leading us on and trying to get us to buy the DVDs, it's the network and the studio disagreeing about airing the extra episode, so the only place to see it will be on the DVD, which the studio controls.Number Fivenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-88928479787767225812009-04-09T22:58:00.000-04:002009-04-09T22:58:00.000-04:00While you may have been thanked several times for ...While you may have been thanked several times for the posting of the picture from Scrubs, I'd like to personally thank you for posting this picture of Tamikoh Penikett.<BR/><BR/>Other than that TV would be great if it weren't for the networks. blurgAbbynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-12471914486379698002009-04-09T21:41:00.000-04:002009-04-09T21:41:00.000-04:00[i]"This is going to seem awful paranoidy, but if ...[i]"This is going to seem awful paranoidy, but if the show is going to be renewed AND there is another episode in the can, why wouldn't FOX air it?"[/i]<BR/><BR/>That's happened with various shows before- I believe several episodes of the first season of Grey's Anatomy were pushed to the second season (making the second season bigger than usual). <BR/><BR/>I think something similar is happening with Bones- or at least is being considered where they aren't going to air one of the filmed episodes this season.Kevinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-334263075836488892009-04-09T20:41:00.000-04:002009-04-09T20:41:00.000-04:00KINGS is on the way out, too.KINGS is on the way out, too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-10063514032554369852009-04-09T19:48:00.000-04:002009-04-09T19:48:00.000-04:00You would think Minear would jump for joy that a s...You would think Minear would jump for joy that a series on which he worked made it as far as 13 episodes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-86434844819962040322009-04-09T18:59:00.000-04:002009-04-09T18:59:00.000-04:00oh come on, Rachel! you can't Screw it!*I* wanted ...oh come on, Rachel! you can't Screw it!<BR/>*I* wanted to do that first.<BR/><BR/>I was going to say,<BR/>You want me to get hooked into a show where you won't air all the episodes but I'll have to buy the DVDs in order to see them?<BR/>Screw it. I'll just stop watching now.<BR/>(or two eps ago. I think that's how far behind I am)<BR/><BR/>It's bad enough that the studios or whoever are continuously rereleasing previously released DVDs of episodes in new and unique configurations - Captains' Favorite Trek Episodes! - but just leaving an ep out?<BR/>Well, since I can't outrun Rachel, I'll join her.<BR/><BR/>btw, what's that #thing on Twitter?Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-35506318134878296932009-04-09T18:36:00.000-04:002009-04-09T18:36:00.000-04:00There's a similar situation going on with Prison B...There's a similar situation going on with Prison Break apparently. Fox ordered 22 episodes for the season, but the studio made an additional two episodes to wrap up the series, and those two episodes may not ever air.Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-48956590349563598762009-04-09T18:30:00.000-04:002009-04-09T18:30:00.000-04:00Eh. This doesn't affect me personally, since I won...Eh. This doesn't affect me personally, since I won't be watching Dollhouse after tomorrow's episode anyway (after Terminator is done, I'll have no reason to tune into FOX, period -well, save for The Simpsons), but I am sympathetic to those who are fans of the series. For FOX to screw them over like this is just plain wrong, even if there are "legal justifications" for it. <BR/>I find it amusing though, that networks continue to kick viewers in the teeth, and then wonder why viewership is eroding.Joe Beachnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-57722459143456815972009-04-09T17:40:00.000-04:002009-04-09T17:40:00.000-04:00"Which all just proves a personal theory of mine: ..."Which all just proves a personal theory of mine: If you have to deal with networks as a show producer, you're screwed."<BR/><BR/>Go ask Ron Moore and Damon Lindelof and Carton Cuse if they feel the same way, Elgarak.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-25418581764657184182009-04-09T17:38:00.000-04:002009-04-09T17:38:00.000-04:00Best decision Fox has made when it comes to this s...Best decision Fox has made when it comes to this show so far. At least until they cancel it and never hire any of the writers again.<BR/><BR/>Funny that Jossy is going back to dr. horrible... it's all he has! LOL. Next he'll try and do a Buffy movie. Better get Marti Noxon back. Hack hack hack!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-11051890318356737402009-04-09T17:06:00.000-04:002009-04-09T17:06:00.000-04:00Tim Minear just clarified it on Whedonesque (and b...Tim Minear just clarified it on Whedonesque (and backed up what you're saying Alan). <BR/><BR/>http://whedonesque.com/comments/19822SupComTabzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07781339880682360652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-82509817173530477882009-04-09T16:59:00.000-04:002009-04-09T16:59:00.000-04:00The only problem I see here is that FOX (the netwo...The only problem I see here is that FOX (the network) always talked and advertised 13 episodes, which I always meant to mean that 13 episodes will air.<BR/><BR/>It appears that FOX (the network) is sliming their way out of paying for them 'cos they cannot get enough advertising money with the reduced number of ad slots (I still believe the show will make a good deal with hulu streams and iTunes downloads).<BR/><BR/>Which all just proves a personal theory of mine: If you have to deal with networks as a show producer, you're screwed.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09180869163783430296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-13738374038513987692009-04-09T16:50:00.001-04:002009-04-09T16:50:00.001-04:00Except it was just earlier this week that Fox push...Except it was just earlier this week that Fox pushed back the start date of Mental (which takes over the Dollhouse slot) by a week.<BR/><BR/>If it wasn't to free a slot for this episode (i.e. Fox was considering "buying" it), then what was that decision for?<BR/><BR/>One minor caveat: Dollhouse never filmed a "pilot", it was a rejected first episode as they went straight to series.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-24673035314152503842009-04-09T16:50:00.000-04:002009-04-09T16:50:00.000-04:00You know what? Screw it. I'm not buying the DVDs t...You know what? Screw it. I'm not buying the DVDs to get this episode. I'll rent them on Netflix, eventually, or wait for them to be put illegally on the Internet. But I've like about an episode and a half of this show. I'm not supporting this show, and I'm not supporting the network behind it. I'm done. <BR/><BR/>On the bright side, Joss Whedon apparently has a title for the sequel to Dr. Horrible. That, I'll be front and center for. Not this.Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11066020648885170225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-26191092491428986612009-04-09T16:49:00.000-04:002009-04-09T16:49:00.000-04:00When I first heard about this I thought Fox's deci...When I first heard about this I thought Fox's decided the easy way to make money off of a Whedon show is to cancel it early and slap a lot of unaired stuff on the DVD set.<BR/><BR/>Alan's explanation with added detail makes it a bit less mendacious. Cheers.<BR/>(I don't get this 'schedule is god' stuff really. You'd think with a couple of free episodes of a show you're running you'd find somewhere to put them. <BR/>I miss the good old days when TV used to have hours in the day no one knew what to do with so they'd bung on old movies and obscure reruns. That is about where my knowledge of network TV ends.)Muznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-85313661304661744212009-04-09T16:40:00.000-04:002009-04-09T16:40:00.000-04:00That makes a lot of sense, thanks!That makes a lot of sense, thanks!Vegasadelphiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06371006935766378727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-62288749293674330412009-04-09T16:37:00.000-04:002009-04-09T16:37:00.000-04:00That makes some sort of sense. Except - this is al...That makes some sort of sense. Except - this is all news to everyone, it seems. Felicia Day might well have been kept out of the loop because she is 'only' an actor and therefore unimportant (not in my world - theirs!), but what about the show's producers?<BR/><BR/>@DrHorrible tweeted only 2 days ago about 'someone' from Dr Horrible being on Dollhouse. @DrHorrible is not likely to be Joss (since it would involve him having to operate technology) but it is likely to be either Jed or Maurissa, both of whom are writers on the show and have the ear of Joss. <BR/><BR/>All this makes me think that Fox has just pulled off an extraordinary feat. They are using the power of the internet to boost the DVD sales and alienating people all over again in one fell swoop. Maybe they have finally understood the power of the fans and are using that power to boost sales/potential sales. It was only ever about the money, of course! They are a network and those shareholders have been squeezed....I'm going to stop now, my eye is twitching.worldofhiglethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09395655800027831396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-85308167520468792052009-04-09T16:35:00.000-04:002009-04-09T16:35:00.000-04:00Just a little side note to say that this 13th epis...Just a little side note to say that this 13th episode has a very different format from the other episodes this season and doesnt have very many ties with anything. It's going to be a very dream sequence heavy episode that will most likely have no impact on much of the show's overall story.<BR/><BR/>Think Buffy's "Restless episode. Lots of foreshadowing and teasing, but not a big impact on the show or the characters.<BR/><BR/>And to reaffirm what has already been said, this episode IS slated to be on the first season's DVD release.Natenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-61727713814127655492009-04-09T16:31:00.000-04:002009-04-09T16:31:00.000-04:00I guess that after nearly two decades of watching ...I guess that after nearly two decades of watching FOX mistreat series after series that I love, I've grown unaccustomed to giving them the benefit of the doubt.<BR/><BR/>In fact, whenever they air a new series I end up liking, I halfway expect them to come to my house and forcibly stop me from watching it.barefootjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02619403344304134318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-24664010200241961652009-04-09T16:30:00.001-04:002009-04-09T16:30:00.001-04:00How does an episode get made that Fox didn't pay f...How does an episode get made that Fox didn't pay for?SupComTabzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07781339880682360652noreply@blogger.com