The new Fox TV show Dollhouse follows in the traditional vein of shows by Joss Whedon by being something different. Joss Whedon's first show was Buffy The Vampire Slayer which, despite its cheesy name, is a show with quite a bit of depth. He also created a spin-off series based on Buffy called Angel. His next show took a very different tact and combined science fiction with westerns. The movie Serenity is based on the show Firefly. His latest creation is the show Dollhouse.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of those shows that some people are almost afraid to admit they like. Most fans of the show tend to be quite passionate, but because of the name and the movie that preceded it, it tends to be looked at as geeky and cheesy. The show, however, is excellently written and has the ability to not take itself too seriously much of the time. Despite the world being such a horrible reality the show also has a fair amount of humor. In the episode Hush from season 4, where everyone has their voices stolen and cannot talk, Buffy mimes staking a vampire which is misinterpreted by her friends as masturbation. Until she pulls a stake out of her purse and mimes staking a vampire again that is. The show does have its serious side though and explores many different relationship issues from the case of two people that absolutely should not be together (Buffy and Angel), to same sex relationships and experimentation in college (Willow and Tara). I could go on for a long time about Buffy and much has been written about the show, but on to the next show.
Angel, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is about a vampire who had his soul returned and now feels horrible guilt about all the things he did before his soul was returned. In the show he takes on many of the issues that occur in large densely populated areas like Los Angeles where the show is set. Some themes include the wannabee starlet, and the urban gang trying to protect their own. Angel also has its share of well placed humor and witticisms like the show it came from.
Firefly is another show with a premise that initially doesn't seem like it would work. The show is often described as a Western set in space. Firefly however is really the story of a group of individuals who prefer to be just that, individuals. The best way I can find to tell what the show is about is with this quote:
Simon: Are you always this sentimental?
Mal: I had a good day.
Simon: You had the Alliance on you, criminals and savages... Half the people on the ship have been shot or wounded including yourself, and you're harboring known fugitives.
Mal: Well, we're still flying.
Simon: That's not much.
Mal: It's enough.
Unfortunately Firefly was canceled before the first season even finished production. Fan support for the show was so strong that. even being unfinished, it was still released on DVD. Fan support continued to be so strong that thousands of dollars were donated in an attempt to get the show back on the air. Unfortunately the show did not come back. The money, however, did go to charity. Incredibly although the show didn't come back it was actually made into a movie. How many shows can claim that kind of fan support! NASA has opened a vote to name the new section of the ISS and Serenity has over 80 percent of the vote and has kept it for over a week! http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/name_ISS/index.html
Joss' latest show Dollhouse is set in a world where an organization has the ability to wipe a person's personality and replace it with whatever a customer wants. The people who have this done to them are known as Dolls and their personalities are wiped after each occasion. Despite the fact that only three episodes have aired the show has become quite intriguing. One episode involved a high stakes hostage case where the Doll was created as the perfect negotiator. However, in a twist, one of the personalities used to create the Doll had actually been kidnapped by one of the kidnappers she was dealing with and recognized him. She realized that he did not intend to go through with the exchange and when he failed to do so actually managed to track him down.
Now that I am done rambling I guess I should get to the point of this post. Most people that are fans of a show Joss Whedon has done tend to like new shows he comes up with. The fans of his shows are often highly dedicated and passionate about their fandom. The shows often have long involved arcs that deal with many common social issues in a realistic fashion. Despite the often serious story lines the shows still keep an irreverent humor and trademark wit to them which makes them very much worth watching.
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