Cultural Cuisinart

It's Aliiiiiiiiiive!

Surprisingly, Fox has decided to renew Dollhouse for another season. To be honest, I think most people thought this show was a goner. But, as I said in my last review, since it's going to be back, I'm going to be there (so you readers will have to suffer through another season of my reviews, I suppose).

The show definitely laid enough groundwork for me to want to keep watching, but I'm not going to pretend it was a perfect first season. So, here's a quick list of the things that I'd want improved for next season:

1. Make Amy Acker a regular. Dr. Claire Saunders had some great character moments to close out the season, and I'd really like to see her explored more - who was she originally? How does she feel about being a Doll? Will she choose to keep her current personality forever, even after her contract expires?
2. Assuming Dr. Claire sticks around, I think she and Boyd would make an interesting couple. Both actors are talented enough to give a potential romance a lot of depth and nuance.
   
3. Take it international. We learned in episode 6 that there are 20 Dollhouses scattered around the world, so let's go see some of those.
4. We need to get a lot more information about the mole inside the Dollhouse, as well as the mysterious "true purpose" of the Dollhouse. Keep the focus there - limit the number of silly "Monster of the Week" style episodes. This show will live or die on the strength of its overall plot arc, so dedicate your resources towards making THAT part of the show as good as it can be.
   
5. Make Paul Ballard less stupid. Seriously. Right now he reminds me of my mentally challenged cat - both seem like the type to get their heads caught in the handles of plastic grocery bags, at which point they thrash around all confused.
   
6. Also make Paul Ballard less obsessed with Echo. It's creepy.

The one thing to be wary of about next season are reports that the renewal was earned partially by promising to reduce the budget and reduce the licensing fee. That may mean fewer good writers, or even some character deaths. Still, the show will be back for 13 more episodes, so we'll see what they can do with that.

Hooray for more underdogs!

On the heels of the good news about Dollhouse, a few other shows have been renewed that I think deserve a lot more love from critics and viewers out there.

• Better Off Ted, the quirky and totally excellent sitcom on ABC starring Portia di Rossi (well, the lead is technically Ted, played by Jay Harrington, but di Rossi really steals the show), has been renewed for another season. Seriously, folks - I can't recommend this one enough. Delightful and fun. Part of the reason it's coming back is probably due to the fact that Scrubs was picked up for another season, and BOT had done a tremendous job retaining almost 90% of Scrubs' lead in audience. Expect to see the two paired together again next season.
  
• I was never a big fan of Chuck, but a lot of people out there seem to love it, so they'll be happy to know that it's been granted a third season.
• Party Down is the first original series on Starz actually worth watching, so I'm pleased to report that it's been granted a second season. It started a little slow, but has really grown on me, so if you missed this little comedic gem, check it out, and then hop on the bandwagon for season 2. It's worth watching just for the adorable and quirky romance between Lizzy Caplan and Adam Scott, and the hilarious buddy-buddy relationship between Jane Lynch, who plays an aging actress whose best days of bit roles involving ample nudity in 80's flicks that are thin knock offs of Meatballs, and Ryan Hansen, who plays her friend and semi-protege.

Summer crack

A few series coming out (or returning) or returning this summer that may interest you.

• Nurse Jackie stars the always-welcome-in-my-house Edie Falco, and premieres Monday, June 8th at 10:30 pm ET/PT on Showtime. This black comedy got a great advanced review from Jace over at Televisionary, and he's rarely wrong about these things. I'm definitely going to check this one out.
• One of my favorite summer guilty pleasures, the wonderfully over-wrought and sexy True Blood returns for Season 2 on HBO June 14th at 9 pm ET/PT. While I will totally freak out if Lafayette is really dead (Season 1 left us with a cliffhanger on that), I'm very, very interested to see the new character played by Evan Rachel Wood, as well as what the deal is with Michelle Forbes's character (Forbes was promoted to series regular, so I expect to see a lot more of her character and her backstory with souful shapeshifter Sam). Catch the hot trailer for Season 2 here.
• If you aren't watching AMC's brilliant Mad Men, then you're dead to me. Catch up on Seasons 1 and 2 (or rewatch them to catch the little subtle clues you missed the first time around) on DVD, then get ready to enjoy Season 3, which is allegedly on track to premiere this summer.