Its no secret we’re fans of Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse here at The Flickcast. Its a great show full of interesting possiblities, good performances and a unique premise. Sadly, it doesnt seem to be doing so well in the ratings and it probably won’t get another season. We’re also huge fans of another show on Fox called Fringe, which is doing very well and already has a commitment for another season.
Both shows are basically one form of Sci-Fi or another and deal with similar issues, themes and feature attractive casts of people springing into action each week to take on whatever antagonist happens to be in their way. And, both shows were created and produced by two of the biggest names in the geeky sci-fi genre world these days: Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams. But if they are so similar in so many ways and have the geek pedigree from two of the world’s most popular creators, why is one doing so well and one seem to be failing?
That’s an interesting question and fortunately writer Nathan Alderman at The Incomparable has taken the time to analyze it and provide what I consider some very good reasoning for why Fringe is doing well and Dollhouse isn’t. Some of the reasons Alderman cites are that Fringe has clear-cut good and evil characters, the fact that Fringe is a sci-fi show with a touch of philosophy while Dollhouse is a show that tries to make you think while also throwing in some action and the fact that audiences generally consider themselves underdogs but identify and want to watch a show where the protagonists are not.
Its a great read and worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan of these shows.
