Special Report: The Truth about Dollhouse’s ‘dropped’ episode
Various websites are reporting that Fox has axed an episode of the new Joss Whedon series Dollhouse and will end the series after 12 episodes even though 13 episodes have been produced. However, the truth isn’t as clear cut as that so to find out what really has happened regarding the ‘dropped’ 13th episode read on!
No doubt by know you would have read on various websites about how Fox has axed an episode of Dollhouse, the struggling new Joss Whedon’s series, and will end it after 12 episodes – even though 13 episodes have been produced. Various sites are reporting it as though it spells the end for the series as the “finale” has been axed but as ever the truth and the stories don’t bear up.
Tim Minear, consulting producer of Dollhouse, has spoken out to clarify the situation. Minear explains that the finale of Dollhouse was always intended to be the 12th episode and the 13th is an added bonus. Deals for the DVD release of the series require 13 episodes but after the original pilot was axed only 12 episodes were left and so an extra episode was filmed specially for the DVD – although with the hope that Fox might air it – so bump up the episode numbers.
“Okay. So maybe I can help clarify this somewhat. Because we scrapped the original pilot—and in fact cannibalized some of its parts for other eps—we really ended up with 12 episodes. But the studio makes DVD and other deals based on the original 13 number. So we created a stand-alone kind of coda episode. Which is the mythical new episode 13. The network had already paid for 13 episodes, and this included the one they agreed to let us scrap for parts. It does not include the one we made to bring the number back up to 13 for the studio side and its obligations. We always knew it would be for the DVD for sure, but we also think Fox should air it because it’s awesome.” – Tim Minear on Whedonesque.
So folks there you have it. It hasn’t exactly been axed from the schedules as it was produced for the DVD to bump up numbers.
