Heather Bremer: Close up the ‘Dollhouse’ and say goodbye to ‘Hank’

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November 12, 2009

Anonymous The Herald Bulletin Thu Nov 12, 2009, 10:34 PM EST

"Don’t get too attached.” This mantra should be repeated nightly by viewers throughout each new television season.

It’s inevitable that something you tune into every week (or set up to record on your DVR) will have a short lifespan in primetime.

So far this week, three shows — two in their first season, one in its second — have joined “Beautiful Life” and “Trauma” as casualties of the season.

NBC announced Wednesday that freshman drama “Eastwick” won’t air beyond its first 13 episodes.

The show, based on the John Updike novel “The Witches of Eastwick” and 1987 film of the same name, starred Rebecca Romijn, Lindsay Price and Jamie Ray Newman as three very different women who had one thing in common — magic.

One would think a show centered on chicks with mystic powers would be a success given the current popularity of vampires and the paranormal, but the witches never found an audience.

And unfortunately for “Eastwick” watchers, rumor has it that the show’s demise was so abrupt there won’t be a satisfying wrap-up to the series.

ABC’s “Hank” joined the ranks of the undesired on Thursday. Kelsey Grammer starred in this first-year comedy as an industrial tycoon who moves back to his hometown after being forced out when his company downsized. Grammer’s previous success in “Cheers” and “Frazier” never translated to ratings for “Hank.” Its remaining five unaired episodes will likely never be seen.

And then there’s Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse.” Doomed from the start. Fans were lucky to get a second season.

“Dollhouse” is about a company that’s developed the technology to wipe away a person’s memory and, thus, their personality. These blank slates, known as dolls, are then programmed to meet a client’s needs — romance, espionage or some butt-kicking. Eliza Dushku, aka Faith to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” fans, stars as Echo, a doll who starts retaining memories of these various personalities and is in search of the one that might be the real her.

The show built a cult following, mostly comprised of devout Whedon and Dusku fans. But it wasn’t enough to overcome the atrocious timeslot FOX sealed its fate with — Friday nights, when 95 percent of its target audience is out and about, not watching TV.

“Dollhouse” will close up shop after its current 13-episode order. The show is off FOX’s schedule for November (another great way to build an audience) but will return Dec. 4. The series finale will air Jan. 22. With rumors of its demise swirling since the end of last season, it’s likely Whedon had the foresight to give fans a tidy conclusion.

In the past, when a show was gone, it was gone. Period. No goodbyes or happy endings.

But thankfully in this day and age, networks are allowing most shows to air all ordered episodes or finish out a season. And there’s always DVD — which may be the only place fans see the remaining episodes of “Heroes.” The fat lady is ready to sing on that one.

Contact Heather Bremer, who thinks this is the perfect time for a “Buffy” movie, at 64-4867 or heather.bremer@heraldbulletin.com.

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