Well, I was hoping my first post wouldn't have to be about this. I was hoping I'd get another idea I really want to write about. This is a thought I've been mulling over since Dollverse first predicted that Dollhouse would be canceled. I was hoping the official news wouldn't come until those other ideas came to me, but no luck. So without further ado, here's my theories on why Dollhouse failed and how to avoid a Whedon failure in the future.

Quality-wise, Dollhouse is awesome. I've heard the writing quality described as uneven, and I don't think that is at all accurate. The first few episodes were bad. A lot of great shows start out badly. The cast members are still getting to know each other and the writers are still working out what works and what doesn't. If Warehouse 13 had stayed at the quality level of its first few episodes, I wouldn't have watched it. Babylon 5's entire first season needs to be apologized for profusely. Dollhouse started badly but after episode 6 it is consistently great, on par with House and Bones.

Here's what Dollhouse lacks; broad appeal. I like to read the Wordplayer articles, and I've noticed a common pattern in the arguments Ted and Terry make. If you want your work to be popular, stick to the tried and true themes. Mental real estate is what they call it in one article. The more you can relate your core premise to things that the audience is already familiar with, the more mental real estate it takes up, and the more likely they are to try it. Dollhouse's problem is that even as science fiction goes, its a strange and untried concept. Compare it to Fringe, which is in my opinion good but lesser quality. Fringe's concept is essentially X Files updated. Furthermore their advertising focuses on familiar concepts. Look at their opening credits. What are the words written in bold? Pyrokinetics, neuroscience, parallel universes and mutation. Those are all pretty common in sci-fi and even people who hate sci-fi probably can define all of them, except maybe pyrokinetics. Joss Whedon himself is an example. Buffy was good, but not as good as Firefly or Dollhouse (again, my opinion). Buffy survived for so long because people know and love vampires. When I am describing Dollhouse to people, I can't say "Dollhouse is about (insert word or phrase that people are familiar with)." I have to describe the full concept, "there are these people who've had their minds erased so they can be reprogrammed with new personalities and then they are rented out for various jobs. No, trust me, its awesome." Its a harder sell.

We need shows like Dollhouse because they introduce science fiction to new realms. Someday "mind erasure plus personality imprint" might be a popular science fiction subgenre. Its shows like Dollhouse that save us from an eternity of nothing but Star Trek and X Files imitators. The problem is that those exploratory shows will inevitably be slightly less popular in their time than they deserve. So what do you do? You put it in a medium where it is viable.

Dollhouse would have done much better if it had been produced at a lower cost and given to Sci-Fi (sorry, Syfy *eye rolls*) in the first place, just as Eureka wouldn't have lasted more than one or two seasons on Fox. Sorry to be Captain Obvious here, but original, inventive science fiction should be marketed to people who are likely to enjoy inventive science fiction. That is the Syfy audience, not the Fox audience. On the flip side, I'll bet Dollhouse could have done well on USA. Its not a science fiction channel, but what Joss is good at is science fiction concepts that are low on the overused gimmicks and high on the character. USA is good at marketing inventive shows that emphasize original characters. It could work.

On a sidenote, I'll bet USA wouldn't have canceled Firefly. It wouldn't have needed to. They'd have marketed it as the character study it is. Jayne, River, Mal, Wash and Kaylee would have rocked the "Characters Welcome" promos. People like my older brother, who loves Monk and Burn Notice and considers Firefly one of the few science fiction shows he enjoys, would have checked it out. Firefly would have gotten the popularity it deserved.

I'll bet Dollhouse could also do well online. Joss Whedon has already made the internet work for him with Dr. Horrible. It goes without saying that people are willing to watch TV shows on the computer; Netflix instant watch, Hulu and the online replays that every major network has these days all prove that. Its about time someone took that to the next step and reversed the order. Air weekly episodes online first, and once it gets popular let it run on TV. As a bonus, the show's duration could be decided more directly by the creators. As long as the show is making enough money, it can be renewed, or canceled when the creator feels the story has reached its end. The internet would allow easier access to the rarer breed of person who wants to watch something as original as Dollhouse.

So Joss, do us Whedonites a favor. Next time you have a burst of genius, don't waste it on Fox. We love you, we love Dollhouse, we don't want your next show to be prematurely canceled.

Here's the Wordplayer article I referenced - http://www.wordplayer.com/columns/wp42.Mental.Real.Estate.html