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Joss Whedon Builds a New Dollhouse Premiere
Eliza Dushku in Dollhouse by Greg Gayne/Fox
Joss Whedon is going back to the drawing board with the season premiere of his new series, Dollhouse. Whedon says he's making a second first episode of the series a redux that has more "pop" and pulls viewers in and that bumps the original premiere to become the second eppy.
"I think I can hit this nail on the head a little more solidly," he told TV Barn, to invite viewers into what he told Matt Mitovich is a "complicated" show. He explained on Whedonesque.com, "There were a few clarity issues for some viewers. There were also some slight issues with tone I was in a dark, noir kind of place...and didn't bring the visceral pop the network had expected from the script."
Before you go jumping on Fox for pushing around the creatives, Whedon insists the idea was his own. "The network truly gets the premise...loves the cast, is excited about the show," he says "but they're also specific about how they want to bring people to the show and I not only respect that, I kinda have to slap my forehead that I didn't tailor my tone and structure to the networks needs, since that's something I pride myself on."
Yet, despite the redux, Whedon says he's "proud of the ep we shot and the series is making me crazy with the excitement." How will the new opener affect the series or, at least, the series ratings? Anna Dimond
Related:
TCA: Joss Whedon Talks About His "Sexy, Strange" Dollhouse
Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog
Joss Whedon's Scary Trip to the Woods
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Jul 22, 2008 5:50 PM
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Isn't this what happened with Firefly as well? Bad omen....
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Jul 22, 2008 6:25 PM
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Aside from Dr. Horrible (  ), I can't process anything Whedon related right now.
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Jul 22, 2008 6:32 PM
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I'm not a Whedon fan (never watched Buffy *gasp*) but this has always sounded like the best new show of the season to me. I hope it turns out well! Can't wait to see it.
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Jul 22, 2008 7:59 PM
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He probably forgot to kill the most like able character; so naturally he's gotta go back and make sure they start things off on the most dismal note possible.
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Jul 22, 2008 8:22 PM
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The network truly gets the premise...loves the cast, is excited about the show,"
They just had a little problem with the beginning............that stuff in the middle............and could he please do something with that ending?!!! Nothing a little tweak with a wrecking ball can't fix.Not likin' how this sounds, but we shall see.
P.S.-I am 95% kidding-I just don't like the thought of execs possibly getting involved-regardless of what the creaters may say...that kind of scenerio has a bad track record!
Of course this will NOT keep me from watching!! I'm not one of those that deem a show crap before I have actually seen it!
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Edited by Mr. Furley at 07/23/2008 9:05 AM
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Jul 22, 2008 8:40 PM
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Having read the script for the first pilot, I think this is a good idea. The script didn't really explain everything it needed to to grasp a viewer. Joss will have to tweak the now second episode though
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Jul 22, 2008 9:52 PM
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Joss will have to tweak the now second episode though
He posted an "interview" on Whedonesque.com where he said that he will reshoot a few scenes. I'm not ready to freak out and claim "Firefly redux," because it sounds as though he's choosing to do this to clarify things, not that the network demanded more action.
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Jul 22, 2008 10:00 PM
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killerhook321, I feel compelled to tell you that I believe the reason you are not a Whedon fan is precisely because you haven't seen Buffy  Why not give it a try; if you're an Eliza fan, start with Season 3. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain 
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Jul 23, 2008 3:05 AM
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Wow, people never seem capable of taking anything at face value. Always have to read a ton between the lines. I've no problem with what he says here. Makes sense to me. And for the record, he was always upset that the original FIREFLY pilot was moved to later in the season. No parallels with that show at all here. And the people at the top at FOX are completely new. I keep reminding people that the current head of FOX (who is moving into the first season he has overseen the development of) was the guy who renewed THE OFFICE, 30 ROCK, and FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS when each of them had ratings that were in the toilet. He renewed them because they were quality shows. I'm not the tiniest bit worried about DOLLHOUSE.
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Jul 23, 2008 8:06 AM
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Firefly is my favorite Joss Whedon show, hands down. So after that disaster at Fox, I was SOOO surprised when Joss announced he was doing yet ANOTHER show for them. I highly doubt he would continue to work w/ them, new excecs or not, if he felt his show was not going to come out the way it was meant to because the studio was constantly doubting him. I have complete confidence that Joss knows what he is doing and is trying to do everything in his power to make this show succeed the way Firefly could not.
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Jul 23, 2008 10:11 AM
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Yes, jbkflynn, I agree that this is a bad omen...
Dollhouse is officially screwed...
Damn.
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Jul 23, 2008 10:48 AM
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I agree with whosiskid, why read so much into it. Besides, "Brothers and Sisters" had numerous complications with script rewrites, recasting, etc before it even premiered, and look how well it is doing!
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Jul 23, 2008 2:56 PM
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This is not a bad omen. It probably means we will get a longer-lasting show.
With Firefly, Fox basically moved the order of the episodes. Instead of starting with the 2-hour introductory premiere, they opened with an "action"-based episode.
This is something different. This is Joss adjusting the front end so that it matches what is to come. It's as if he revamped (so to speak) Buffy's first season so that it fit in better with seasons 2-5.
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Jul 23, 2008 3:07 PM
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Is this Fox? Have they sent "Dollhouse" back for "more pop" as they did "Firefly" -- what? -- six or seven years ago? Did the network EVER air the real pilot of that fine bit of storytelling Whedon-style? I don't think so. Heaven help "Dollhouse."
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Jul 23, 2008 3:49 PM
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