Sci-Fi News and Reviews

Money Drives "Dollhouse", "Chuck" Renewals

Great news! Both "Chuck" and "Dollhouse" are going to be back next season!

I am very happy with the decisions of the NBC and FOX executive to retain both of these shows on their respective Fall schedules. However, their reasoning is very interesting.

To wit, check out these quotes:

(via io9)
"Fox received some serious budget concessions from 20th TV and Whedon to continue the show, with 20th now shouldering a greater portion of the load. Another factor was the show's unaired 13th episode, which Whedon shot on a shoestring budget for the "Dollhouse" first season DVD set. Whedon presented it to the network as an example of how "Dollhouse" can achieve a high-quality production with a lesser budget."

and

(also via io9)
"The network had asked for significant budget reductions on top of the cuts producing studio Warner Bros. TV had already made going into the second season. After weeks of back-and-forth, the two sides are said to be very close to a compromise that would bring the karate-enhanced intercept back next season."

Heck, I understand the economy is bad. But, who would have predicted that both "Chuck" and "Dollhouse" would have their renewals (seemingly) solely based on their ability to be produced *cheaply*? In my opinion, both of these shows deserved their respective renewals based on quality. So, this is kind of a "you made the right decision, but for the completely wrong reasons" moment.

As a fan of both shows, I'll take it. But, with this kind of logic, I am not expecting more that 13 episodes of either show next season.

Posted by Fred on May 18, 2009 5:29 PM
Permalink |

I like 'Chuck' alot, glad to hear it will be back again next season. Thanks for the info.

-- Posted by: dish network at May 23, 2009 7:22 PM

Glad to hear that Dollhouse is coming back. The last couple of episodes have been great!

-- Posted by: Lori at May 26, 2009 1:03 PM

Especially since Chuck won't start airing again until March. NBC's recent decisions seem to be directed at keeping it a 4th place network for years to come. I recently found out we're to be subjected to 52 weeks of Jay Leno at 10p, not just the 13 that a normal series would get....

-- Posted by: Matches Malone at June 18, 2009 8:33 AM

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