Tue 20 Oct 2009
Fox orders 3 additional LIE TO ME scripts – Dollhouse a goner?
Posted by Brad L under Brad L., Dollhouse
[9] Comments
Uh oh. With Fox giving the go ahead for 3 additional scripts of LIE TO ME (bring the Season up to 16 episodes if they turn into real episodes)…
will Dollhouse be the one to go?
9 Responses to “ Fox orders 3 additional LIE TO ME scripts – Dollhouse a goner? ”
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I’m not sure I see the logic behind ordering three additional scripts at this stage.
Unless there are major creative plans in the works for the final episodes of the original 13 or a specific three episode story has been pitched what are Fox actually getting from this? Creatively they know what the show is and where its going and three additional scripts isn’t going to make the commercial decision behind keeping the show (or not) any easier. And I’m not going to buy the idea they need these scripts ready in case they decided to keep the show, since the only open slot they’ll immediately have mid season would theoretically be Friday and I don’t see why they’d order more episodes of the struggling Lie To Me and move it to Friday night.
I just don’t get this move at all.
HOUSE struggled early on too. They think they have something. They’ve definitely changed some of the show. The guy who always tells the truth no longer does (which is sad, that was actually entertaining). They are playing around with locations and events to make it less procedural.
I think a lot of people gave up on it, and haven’t given it a shot. It isn’t as bad as a lot of shows out there, and it scores well in tests. So they’ll try and see if they can save it.
DOLLHOUSE isn’t going anywhere. It will finish its 2nd season run, and if in the long haul it can improve, it will be around longer. It hasn’t hit “cancel,” numbers just yet, but it hasn’t hit “We’re really happy numbers,” either.
Also you order scripts because you’re showing some love to the head writer. They may never be made (likely won’t be).
Nick I’m not kicking the decision to order more scripts but more the decision to only order 3, since I really can’t understand what they’re going to get from three additional scripts/episodes unless major creative changes happen in episode 13 and they wanted to see how they’d play out. I’d love to see Lie To Me get a back nine and a third season because I really enjoy it and think that it could potentially be as big as House with time and the right build but I just don’t understand why they’d only order three episodes.
Personally I’d like to see them just burn Past Life on Friday or over the summer and give Lie To Me another shot behind Idol and, you know, actually keep it behind Idol for the full run this time.
Alex, you order 3 when you’re convinced you’re not likely to order a back 9, but are giving the show a chance to improve on its own. It’s a sign of faith in the head writer.
I can point to multiple circumstances where this has been done, from ELI STONE to CHEERS (way back when).
Showing love to head writers is over rated.
The idea that they’d boycott a network who wants to make a future show doesn’t work for me.
Boycott? Nope. Spend a little extra money on some scripts to say thanks for the hard work, but we’re still killing your show? It’s just common practice. The show could pick up and then they’re ready to produce some scripts while ordering more. It’s just business. They brought him in to take over the show in hopes that if all else fails they could get him to make a show for them.
Boycott may have been a strong word but my point was that the three additional scripts of Lie To Me are ultimately irrelevant because Shawn Ryan (just like 99% of writers and producers) isn’t go to say no when Fox knocks on his door and asks him to develop a show for them. Even after the Firefly disaster Fox was still able to get Whedon in to develop Dollhouse and despite axing Southland before the second season aired NBC would still be able to get a Welles production next season.
Like I said showing pointless love to head writers/exec producers just feels over rated to me. The one exception to that is when you’ve got an old reliable hit that’s fading. I could understand additional ‘token’ orders being given to something like Law & Order and even producing those episodes as a thank you but for something like Lie To Me is just seems like a waste of time and money for everyone.