Guess what show isn’t cancelled yet? Dollhouse!
Despite the aura of imminent doom that accompanies the premiere of any Joss Whedon production, fanboys and girls—like, okay, us—have reason to feel semi-confident about the show’s performance. Granted, a 2.0 rating/6 share isn’t dazzling by most measures, and coming in second in the coveted 18-49 demographic to a show called Supernanny is a little disheartening. But the nice thing about airing on Fridays is taking advantage of diminished expectations and edging out a host of other ratings-challenged shows—in this case, CBS’ Flashpoint and NBC’s Friday Night Lights. (The latter’s failure to perform, despite being one of the best shows on television, is like ash in our mouths, but we’ve gotten used to it by now. And rumor has it that the DirecTV deal could mean another season for FNL.) Another in the plus column: Dollhouse marks a significant improvement over former Fox Friday slot-filler Don’t Forget The Lyrics, which bottomed out at around a 1.5 rating.
But with every silver lining, there’s still the dark cloud. It’s unclear how many first-time viewers will stick with Dollhouse in subsequent weeks—for all the show’s potential, the debut episode didn’t necessarily put its best foot forward—and the lead-in, Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles, posted a beyond-anemic 1.3/5 in the 18-49 group. Nevertheless, the episode is currently ranked #2 on iTunes’ TV download list, and we hear the kids are really into their iPods these days. For now, let’s take it one week at a time.