In its second season on air, Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse has reportedly been averaging fewer than 3 million viewers per episode. In light of these figures, Fox decided to put the show on hiatus until December 4th, after November sweeps. Undeterred, Whedon posted the following commentary on Whedonesque:
“Howzabout that schedule? Well, I’m not as depressed as everyone else. We weren’t about to rock sweeps anyway, and though there’s a chilly November, December is CRAZY. It’s like an Advent calendar of episodes! We get November to try to spread the word (which I’ll be leaning on Fox to do, though it’s hard to imagine them doing as good a job as the WhyIWatch guy) and then December is pure gluttony. Plus the episodes line up extremely well in these pairs, and we’ll have an absurdly appropriate lead-in.”
It appears as though people desperate for more Dollhouse content will not be forced to wait until the show returns from its hiatus December 4th. Yesterday, Dollhouse fans noticed a new website for Rossum Corporation, the organization responsible for Dollhouses around the world. In addition to advertising an attractive 5-year paid internship for “candidates of superior genetic disposition,” Rossum Corporation provides details about its ongoing Senate investigation. Even the website’s Terms & Conditions strives to establish its authenticity, noting that “all agents shall remain the property of the Company at all times.”
Digging a little deeper, fans who called Rossum’s phone number received a short phone message instructing them to “ditch the tech,” leading to DitchtheTech.com. The website includes a video alongside a message from the future world of 2019 depicted in the episode Epitaph One. The website’s source code notes, “[c]ivilization will fall apart in the year 2019. The Rossum Corporation is responsible. It is already beginning at the L.A. Dollhouse right now. Don’t let them wipe the future!” The source code also provides a reference to WipetheFuture.com, indicating there may be more to discover soon.
While Fox never aired Epitaph One, the show’s 13th episode, its dystopic look into the show’s future provided some of the show’s most compelling moments. By returning to the show’s future plotline over the coming weeks, Joss Whedon’s hopes of using November to spread the word about the show might turn the show’s November hiatus into a blessing in disguise.
Last February, February, 20th Century FOX Television and the Fox Broadcasting Company partnered with The company P to produce Dollplay, an interactive participation drama exploring the show’s mindwipe technology through interactions with a girl named Hazel.
Click Here for our previous coverage of Dollhouse experiences.
field studies institute
meow wolf
postcurious
silent hill arg
welcome home
infinite rabbit holes
There’s a few more strands to this – check out @SENDanielPerrin and @RossumCo on Twitter, it’s been bumbling around online since before the season began, seems to be ramping up now.
I’m looking forward to seeing where this one goes. Epitaph One was amazing. Very cool!
Already this game is working, as my husband {after hearing the game} suggested i pop in my DVD for him to finally start watching. 🙂
And the FOX goes ahead and cancels the show. Shameful. This was one of the bright spots on television and it will be missed. I wonder if a show like thus could be produced and distributed solely through a service like iTunes, avoiding the networks altogether.
I created a group on Facebook called ‘DitchtheTech’ if you care to join me in the organization against The Rossum Corporation.
Never mind fighting the Rossum Corporation: where do we go to fight Fox?
I agree with Jonathan Waite…I’d like to see Dollhouse continue to be produced and distributed through a service like iTunes.
“Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” demonstrated that high quality work can be produced outside of the traditional studio system. Nobody should understand this better than Joss Whedon, his talented siblings and the exquisite Maurissa Tancharoen.
How about giving “Dollhouse” fans the opportunity to purchase the DVD’s of yet to be produced episodes in advance, and then use the proceeds to fund production? Three million viewers per episode is only a small number to the small minded.
Think outside the sleep chamber!
Also found http://twitter.com/AlexfromPR embedded in the code of http://www.wipethefuture.com/