Help save "Dollhouse"

The latest Joss Whedon TV show - which will go down as one of the best cult TV shows in ages - is in trouble. And it needs your help.

Like Firefly before it, Dollhouse airs on Fox on Friday nights. This is the timeslot affectionately referred to as the "Friday Night Time Slot of DOOM!". In other words, the series is at risk for being cancelled.

For those of you that have not even heard of this phenomenal series, here is a quick explanation. If you want more details, please see the list of links about the series on the right side of the page.

Dollhouse is a show by Joss Whedon (Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Serenity). He known for creating shows with fiercely loyal cult followings. It is about an organization that takes people and wipes their memories and implants them with new ones and personalities to perform certain missions. These include undercover operations, bodyguards, doctors, government officials, escorts, and a multitude of other uses. Some of these people are implanted with "squicky" personalities - the main character, Echo, has been imprinted as a weekend fling more than three times so far in the series - but as has been revealed, these missions are only a small part of the overarching mythology of the series. The genius is that we don't know what this mythology is... yet. All we know is that there is a much higher purpose to the Dollhouse than pimping out people to fulfill their dark, repressed fantasies.

Joss Whedon fans expecting his usual witty dialogue, rich relationships, pop culture references, and twisty wordplay will be mostly disappointed. Early episodes were completely devoid of the usual characteristics of a Joss Whedon show, except for the emphasis of gender roles and feminism. Luckily, in recent episodes, the series has taken a much different tone and will remind viewers of the best episodes of Firefly, Buffy, or Angel.

This ties into an issue with Fox's involvement with the show. Fox has meddled with aspects of the series in order to create accessibility (and apparently to show off Eliza Dushku's hawt body) for first five episodes. The series received mixed critical acclaim in its first run of episodes, and the Fox meddling showed. But starting with "Man on the Street" (which I have awarded an "A") Joss Whedon was allowed to take full reins on the series. Dollhouse is easily as richly detailed and entertaining as Joss Whedon's other shows, and in the 2008/2009 TV season, it is the funniest, deepest, best show out there along with "Lost" and "Pushing Daisies" (rest its soul).

So, why should you care?
At this point in the series' run, any increase in viewership is incredibly important. Please watch the season finale next week (on Fox at 8 p.m.). Also, please watch or catch up on the show on Hulu or iTunes. Fox will determine which shows will return next season in the next few weeks, so any help you can give this ratings-struggling show, the better.

So, please, please give this show a chance if you have not already. If you have seen some episodes and started tuning out, please give this series another chance and catch up on Hulu. From "Man on the Street" and on, this is the most entertaining set of episodes on TV since... a very, very long time.

Episode review grading

This is some basic information about how I grade episodes of "Dollhouse." I will not be grading episodes of "Dollhouse" against other episodes in the series. Instead, I will be reviewing episodes against the vast body of intelligent TV work found on the airwaves today.

Grading scale explanation

A+ episodes
These are television achievements of the highest order. These episodes are superb in their artistry, directing, writing, and acting. These episodes are extremely memorable and tend to be name-dropped in the media as the crowning glory of their respective show. Some will also make up the basis for all comparisons in each show.

Just for clarification, not EVERY show has a specific A+ episode.

Here are some examples of A+ episodes.

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer – “The Body” (Episode where the mom dies)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer – “Once More With Feeling” (Musical episode)
• Lost – “The Constant” (Desmond episode)
• Heroes – “Company Man” (HRG/Noah flashback episode)
• Battlestar Galactica – “33” (The TV-series first episode; the cylons attack every 33 minutes)

A episodes
These episodes are superb. They perfect that difficult balance of tone, writing, and directing, and depending on the show, humor. The thing that separates this from an A+ show is simply that the episode is lacking something the A+ episode has. Maybe a scene runs a little long, a line of dialogue feels wasted, or an actor chews the scenery.

A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, or D- episodes
These are episodes that exist in difference variations of excellence and terribleness.

F episodes
An F episode is truly, truly awful. There is absolutely no redeeming value. To qualify for an F episode, it has to be so terrible that audiences will consider the show to “jump the shark” or compare all other crappy episodes in the future of the series to it. It has to be well-known in the show’s audience as the exemplar of all suckitude. There are a few obvious episodes that would fit into this category:

• Battlestar Galactica – “Black Market” (The episode where Lee Adama dates a hooker, children are molested, and everything pretty much sucks).
• Lost – “Stranger in a Strange Land” (The episodes where Jack gets a tattoo from Bai Ling… Possibly a “D” because of Diana Scarwid is in it, and she is awesome, but the “D” qualifies only for Wonderfalls fans).
• Alias – “Façade” (The episodes where we have to experience terrible writing not once but twice, one from Sydney’s perspective and one from Mellissa George’s perspective, because she is eeeeevil).