The Fox Network can bite me & other news

As you can tell from the previous post on this blog, I'm a wee bit excited for Dollhouse to premiere on Fox early next year. I have been hopeful that Fox wouldn't screw the show over (and the poor viewers as well) again as they have so many times in the past, but I was wrong.

Dollhouse will premiere in its regular slot on FRIDAY, February 13TH.

Friday?!?! Seriously?!? The worst possible timeslot ever?! Ooooof course. I can just see the programming executives in the meeting, "Now let's see, we have a highly anticipated new series on a network that only has about 3 decent shows, so we could take this opportunity to add to our meager total, but... Nah. We'll put Dollhouse in the Friday night death slot and then blame it all on Joss when the show fails. Brilliant!"

What it really boils down to is the fact that the god-awful, inexplicably popular, crap-fest that is American Idol has taken over the network.

Not only is Dollhouse getting screwed over due to American Idol, but the only other scripted shows on the network are also getting shuffled around:

Starting Jan. 19, House will be airing Mondays at 8, leading into 24. Bones, too, is getting a new home: Thursdays at 8, as of Jan. 15. Because what casual viewer doesn't just love having to track down their shows week-to-week. I'm no casual viewer, so I'll be fine, but the shows themselves always seem to suffer.

Oh yes, and the powers that be at Fox figured, "Hey, as long as we're going to destroy Dollhouse, we may as well decimate Terminator as well. I know, we put it on Friday as well! Double brilliant!"

Poor, struggling Terminator is going to be Dollhouse's lead in. Not that it doesn't make for a decent pairing, but Terminator is having a hard time in the ratings these days, and putting on Friday is pretty much the last nail in the coffin... a nail which has decided to make a name for itself in the world, and will try to take Dollhouse down as well. And knowing the Fox Network, will likely succeed. Bah!

In other news, here are the latest pick-ups and drops:

FULL SEASON PICK-UPS:

• American Dad: Never seen it...


• Samantha Who?: Well, it has been picked up to a total of 20 episodes (which, for the record, is two shy of a full order). The brass at ABC said that the way the schedule worked out, they would only need 20, or something like that...


• Kath and Kim: In case further evidence that NBC is in a seriously craptacular state was called for (the pick-up of Knight Rider being one of the first harbingers of the network's demise), Kath and Kim, the positively embarrassing American remake of an Australian hit show has been picked up. It's painful, peeps. Oh, NBC. When did you start defying Bart Simpson's laws of physics by both sucking and blowing? In related news, my reserved box seats in hell are frozen solid. (That picture alone should be enough to convince you that it's terrible (read: don't waste your time giving it a shot--you'll want to gouge your eyes out.))
  

CANCELLED:

• Valentine: What can one say? Everyone was so thrilled when Dexter stabbed Lila through the heart that seeing her vampiric self emerge on another show was just too damned disturbing to endure. Here's hoping she receives a similar send off.


• Easy Money: It's not easy being on the CW. There's no money in it.


• The Ex-List: Don't believe me about the Friday night death slot? Enter The Ex-List. I never saw it, but by most accounts, it was a good show in a terrible position. Also, the concept didn't really lend itself to more than one season, so I'm guessing it was pretty easy for the network to drop the axe. (Also, anyone appearing in Twilight probably deserves this, so it's all Elizabeth Reaser's fault.)


• King of the Hill: It hasn't so much been cancelled as retired. After 13 years (good lord, really?), King of the Hill will end its run. Or will it... Word on the street is that ABC is courting the long-running show... I doubt anything will come of that, but the possibility is out there.