Can Summer Glau Help Dollhouse? Does Dollhouse Need Help? What’s Going On?

Back at the end of March, I put up an article that talked about television ratings which focused on Dollhouse, True Blood, and The Chopping Block, and it actually stirred some people up. The basic idea was simply that television networks and advertisers had to look at a lot more than ratings, and maybe the simple overnight ratings aren’t particularly relevant anymore at all. True Blood had been renewed, surprising many, after only a couple of episodes, The Chopping Block (a reality competition show mind you) was pulled after only a couple of episodes, and Dollhouse wasn’t doing very well… but, other numbers which factored in DVR viewings said maybe it wasn’t doing so bad.

Now months later, True Blood has another season under its belt and is the biggest thing on wheels, The Chopping Block (oddly, because who cared by then) got the rest of its episodes aired, and Dollhouse seems to be back in the same position.

The numbers aren’t that great, and is it really any wonder? The fate of the show was uncertain as spring approached, and a lot of viewers aren’t interested in investing when they don’t know what’s going to happen to a show. New shows in the fall schedule are a little different, because that’s the gamble we’re forced to take, but this show has a history of very nearly being shot down already. FOX has now come out and said that the entire season will air, but not in a way that was very comforting. Don’t hold your breath for season three.

Of course, some other rating information came out which included DVR numbers, and it turns out that things don’t look that bad actually… but, does anyone care about those numbers?

The point of my previous article was that no one is paying attention to a lot of other factors that ought to play a big role in the process of making decisions about television shows (except maybe HBO). Not at all the least of which is obviously DVR data. Look, if you want to know how many people are watching 60 Minutes, look at your standard ratings, and Shazam, you’re home free. Dollhouse is on Friday night, and its best chance demographic just might, especially on any particular Friday night… here’s a crazy thought… leave the house. They’re also outrageously likely to have a DVR.

But, there’s a lot of other indicators as well. Few are the shows that more people talk to me about, and at Comic Con the season 1 DVD sold more copies than How to Pick Up Women For Nerds – The Oh My God You’re At Comic Con in Costume Edition.

On October 30th, Summer Glau has a guest role, and people are starting to throw out the idea that this might be helpful. I don’t see it really. She’s popular for being on Firefly and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, so if anything she’s targeting the people who aren’t the people who aren’t watching Dollhouse already.

The ship has probably already sailed on Dollhouse actually, because we’re already a few episodes into season two, and barring the biggest ratings turn around in history, there’s just no chance for a season three. It’s hard to get a ratings turn around out of the gates when everyone knows there’s no point in investing at this late stage. Sometimes you just can’t get fresh apples.

The simple fact is, there’s a lot more going on in the world of television than there was back in the day. Ratings made sense several years ago, because… well, there wasn’t anything else going on. Today, networks and advertisers are going to have to figure out new ways to judge shows. You know your show is targeting people who are probably disinclined to stay home on Friday night, but you put your show there anyway… well, you may have to look at a bigger picture.

Face the facts. The numbers really are meaningless. I don’t have any idea what the numbers are for PSYCH, but I know a lot of other things about the show, apart from the mere fact that I love it. I know that I can say, “Is PSYCH awesome, or what?” at just about any time on Twitter, and get a response (and I don’t have that many followers). I know that I can give away a few PSYCH goodies and get several hundred entries before you can say, “Bob’s your uncle.” And, I know that up until a couple of weeks ago, I used to get several emails a week asking where and/or when a person could buy the PSYCH iPhone cover seen in the show. Me, you understand. Because I’m at those meetings right?

(by the way, you actually can now get them, just click the picture below)

The times are changing. Tivo, DVRs, Hulu, iTunes, Amazon, and the legion of other viewing options are not the only things that are different and/or that make straight ratings obsolete. Viewers are different as well. Just on one small front, I know several people who almost never watch live TV, as far as scripted shows go, because they wait for the DVD. Odd as that may sound to some, they wait to get the reviews, and don’t have to commit to something that’s going to get yanked out from under them. They wait until the die is cast, the reviews are in, they know there is another season coming, and they pick up the full season… and they get bonus features.

Perhaps more importantly, there seems to be a significant shift in viewing audiences as far as the importance they put on the degree to which they feel the network is going to stand behind the show. How people make that call can be tough to put your finger on. Maybe the right kind of marketing push leads people to believe that it’s safe to make some amount of investment. Maybe having a big star translates into people believing the thing is less likely to get pulled quickly. It’s hard to say exactly how it comes about, but what is pretty clear is that it does come about, and people give it real weight.

Another thing that seems pretty clear (both from listening to people talk directly to me, and listening to the general chatter) is that when a new show starts (whatever it may be about, what genre, etc.), it has a big plus helping it along if it comes out on USA, and a big minus it has to work against if it comes out on ABC. USA has a history of sticking with shows even if they don’t shoot out of the gates, and that helps them shoot out of the gates. When White Collar premieres next Friday, people may not be all that sure about tuning in insofar as the show itself and whether or not it’s right for them, but by and large they will feel that it’s safe to give it a try. No matter what happens, USA is not going to air two episodes and throw it away. On the flip side, I can’t tell you how many people have told me that they are very hesitant to start watching new shows on ABC. From this season alone, the big ones that have been mentioned to me repeatedly are Modern Family and Eastwick. Whether people thought they were going to be great, or were unsure, but thought they were worth trying out, they were almost universally hesitant.

What’s all this babble mean for Dollhouse?

Not much really, because Dollhouse is over. It’s not getting a new season, and it isn’t likely to get new converts now. What’s interesting is that while many people were talking about whether or not it would get a full run for this season, not many people were talking about whether or not it should. It wasn’t really the point. That’s something the suits just aren’t picking up on their radar.

It’s actually a pretty fun show, even if it is rather screwy, and it probably could have become something interesting if anyone had the slightest chance of feeling safe. FOX may now say that all the episodes of this season will air, but that’s the exact opposite of hope for the future, and to be honest, not exactly a legally binding contract in any case.

Can Summer Glau help Dollhouse? No. If you know the name you’re already watching, or already watched as much as you’re going to.

Does Dollhouse need help? No. Any help now is beyond pointless.

What’s going on? Millions of viewers know, and very few people in suits have any clue at all. And, those millions of viewers know that the suits don’t know.