Surprise (and semi-surprise) Renewals – Dollhouse, Better Off Ted, Castle, And Lie To Me

Mid-season efforts are tricky at the best of times, and as I recently commented this leads to a downward spiral of the audience’s ability to invest in these shows. When competition shows, like The Chopping Block, are getting taken off the air after only a couple of episodes, we know something is going wrong. How can people be expected to tune in for these mid-season runs, when they have no reason to have any faith in the networks sticking with them?

Dollhouse, Better Off Ted, Castle, and Lie To Me have all been renewed, and while Lie To Me was a pretty easy decision, the rest were not only up in the air, but are pretty serious surprises.

Dollhouse never did take off, and the talks that it wouldn’t be renewed started early. It even closed its run with its worst ratings, and it seemed the final nail was in the coffin. That’s already after the odd news that there was another episode which wasn’t going to air. It seems the show is getting renewed after all, though with a reportedly smaller budget.

Whether you like Dollhouse or not, I think the renewal is an interesting and notable step in the right direction. This is a show that needs to build a little before it really gets its hooks in you, and it’s about time networks looked at more than just numbers. In this case, FOX was not only battling ratings, but also a good deal of negative critic response, and even a general buzz that often included the phrase, “I’m a big Joss Whedon fan, but…” on it’s way to just making it to the end of its initial run.

The thing is, Dollhouse isn’t the greatest show ever. It is, however, at least fairly interesting, and certainly something different. It had a somewhat rought start, I think because it needed to lay so much out by way of establishing text, but it has gotten to some rather interesting points now. I probably even agree with most of your points if you really don’t like the show, but it’s something that’s worth a chance. More importantly, for purposes of the renewal discussion, it really stands out to me as the kind of show that you’ve either got to give it at least a shot into a second season no matter what the ratings, or just don’t put the thing on in the first place. Much like a competition show that gets shown the door after two episodes, my main question is, “Why did you bother me with it at all?”

(ABC/BOB D'AMICO) MALCOLM BARRETT, PORTIA DE ROSSI, JAY HARRINGTON, ANDREA ANDERS, JONATHAN SLAVIN

Possibly even more surprising, Better Off Ted (reviewed here) has reportedly also been renewed. Not only did the show get off to a somewhat rocky start, it’s a quirky little number that networks often see as dangerous. They figure them for instant success, or hopeless. It’s also one of my favorite new shows, and I’m very glad to see more of it… but, I wasn’t holding out a lot of hope. It’s a kind of saucy, oddball attempt, and the show comes to you from a fairly brilliant comedic viewpoint. From the thoroughly goofy characters, to the fake promos for Veridian Dynamics, to the blistering pace, Better Off Ted has a lot going for it. It’s not a lot that routinely sells well though, and it’s something of a credit to ABC that the show will go on.

This is a show that really exemplifies that viewer dread of these mid-season slots, because as the episodes rolled out and my love continued to grow, I really just got more and more upset at the whole world, because I figured there was no way it was going to make it.

Here’s a clip from a recent episode.

(ABC/CRAIG SJODIN/BOB D'AMICO) MOLLY QUINN, SUSAN SULLIVAN, TAMALA JONESTAMALA JONES, NATHAN FILLION, STANA KATIC, RUBEN SANTIAGO-HUDSON, JON HUERTASJON HUERTAS, SEAMUS DEVER

On the not as surprising side of things, Castle (reviewed here) is getting another shot. This started off almost too far on the corny side, but brought things together nicely. It’s had solid ratings, largely a result (perhaps) of its spot following Dancing with the Stars, but it’s also had some good buzz. Even with some positives going for it, this was another one that left fans unsure how far they should commit. Yet another investigation show might not get top priority in the current market, and viewers know that even a strong showing is no guarantee when networks are trying to work out their fall schedule.

Castle brings a new flavor to the genre, in much the same way Bones does, and Nathan Fillion’s character falls somewhere in the realm of “just crazy enough to work,” but nothing about the show makes for a no-brainer renewal. It’s certainly not a shock, but in the mid-season world, seeing it fall by the wayside wouldn’t have been much of one either.

(ABC/RICHARD CARTWRIGHT) NATHAN FILLION

Castle takes some getting used to, and that’s the wrong road for mid-season. It even has it’s genre placement working against it, because it isn’t really all the way in drama, and certainly isn’t comedy. Like fellow ABC mid-seasoner The Unusuals, Castle is often playing around with its drama and that’s not always a quick sell.

Here’s a clip.

LIE TO ME: The Lightman Group is a private agency hired to expose the truth behind the lies in the new series LIE TO ME premiering Wednesday, Jan. 21 (9:03-10:06 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Pictured L-R: Kelli Williams, Tim Roth, Brendan Hines and Monica Raymund. 2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Frank Ockenfels/FOX

On the flip side of things, and exemplifying the rule that makes life so difficult for most mid-seasoners, Lie To Me (reviewed here) has enjoyed great success from the beginning. When you feel like you’ve got to wait until a show comes out this strong before you let yourself get attached, that’s a troublesome perspective if networks are trying to get you to watch a show. Lie To Me managed to make you feel pretty safe by going forward with a huge marketing campaign and the inclusion of big names, but I heard quite a bit of hesitancy floating around at first. Especially when similarly benefited My Own Worst Enemy got axed pretty quickly.

This is a tough game, as already mentioned The Unusuals (reviewed here) is finding out. That show, which I’m loving more with every episode, is another quirky misfit that isn’t doing well in the ratings. But, like Ted and Castle, it’s a show that needs a chance to grow on you. Which is part of the reason this is not only a tough game, but a fundamentally unfair one.

You’ve also got the generally unfair atmosphere of a time of year riddled with specials, movies, and sports that are eating at your ratings. Following Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, or similarly popular short-runs is great if you can get the gig, but something has to be on against them too.

Networks and advertisers have to come up with something better than ratings. The comments kicked in the last time I mentioned this, but people have DVRs now, and the numbers are growing fast. I took some flak over that idea before, but I’ve got a little secret for you, I didn’t watch commercials long before I could skip past them. There’s some chance I am not alone in this.

More importantly, as I’ve also said before, networks have got to commit to their shows to some degree if they expect us to do the same. These renewals are solid statements toward that end, but here I am with The Unusuals leaving me hanging. Not only do I like the show, but I think it really has the makings of something that can put together an extended run. There’s still a chance at this point, ABC has its big press affair Monday, but if it goes the wrong way I’m just a little bit less willing to give my time to things when we come around next year. Whether you love these renewed shows or hate them (or haven’t heard of them), it’s nice to see networks giving some chances to things that aren’t necessarily taking the world by storm.

I’d love to get your thoughts on the general subject, and any of these or other mid-season shows, and to spur you on, I’m giving away another great shirt from muzeclothing.com. Click on the image to go to muzeclothing.com’s page for more information on the shirt. Winner will be chosen at random from all comments on June 14th.