Dollhouse Receives Time Slot of Death

Joss Whedon fans, it is OK to go ahead and hit that Dollhouse panic button now. The Los Angeles Times reports that Whedon’s new sci-fi drama will debut in the worst time slot on television, Friday nights at 9 p.m. The march begins February 13 as part of “Sci Fi Fridays,” pairing Dollhouse with Terminator:The Sarah Connor Chronicles as a lead-in.

You may be familiar with that time slot, it’s where Whedon’s Firefly appeared and subsequently died in 2002 on FOX. Vampire show Moonlight is also a casualty of the Friday night death slot. The news comes amid concerns that FOX is still not happy with the show’s direction. Taping that was supposed to begin Monday got delayed because of script problems, according to an unnamed Times source.

The show, which reunites Whedon with Buffy The Vampire Slayer alum Eliza Dushku, is about people programmed with the personalities to do specific jobs for those willing to pay. It has been fraught with delays and difficulties leading Whedon faithful to begin efforts to “save” the show before it has even hit the air. It looks like those fans were right to mobilize, as the sci-fi world is now counting the weeks until the Friday night 9 p.m. slot claims yet another victim.

©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Greg Gayne/FOX