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Generally speaking, I am a big fan of Joss Whedon. Ever since I was introduced to Buffy the Vampire Slayer on TV, I was hooked. He just knows his schtick very well, and he’s good at crafting new world’s and groups of people. Compare Firefly to Buffy. Both ensemble casts, but the similarity stops there. He’s very good and careful about trying to have some originality to his work. He’s also one of the few people that I’d consider a real, staple name of television. Though he only has a few credits there, how many other director/producer/creators can you name in televisiondom that you get excited over when they announce a new project? Heck, how many of the leading names in television do you even really know?

New project you say? Yes, I do. Turns out the chatter from before the writers strike has continued ahead nicely on the new show he’s pitching to Fox (collective groan) called Dollhouse. As of now, production should be starting on April 23rd, or so I am reading, and the internet never lies to me. Though the writer’s strike set things back some (production would have started in February), it doesn’t appear that it pushed things back too far. He’s developed it with the help of his lead, Buffy alum Eliza Dushku (Echo). The first seven episodes have been ordered by Fox, and though not necessarily written, they have been pitched, which means the ideas are already spinning into stories. And here’s where the interest builds:

In Dollhouse, Dushku plays a young woman named Echo, a member of a group of people known as “Actives” or “Dolls” who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas, including memory, muscle memory, skills, and language, for different assignments. They’re then hired out for particular jobs, crimes, fantasies, and occasional good deeds. In between tasks, they are mind-wiped into a child-like state and live in a futuristic dormitory/laboratory, a hidden facility nicknamed “The Dollhouse”. The story follows Echo, who begins, in her mind-wiped state, to become self-aware.

I watch very little TV, but what I stick to, I enjoy. Jericho, House… Well, that’s really about it anymore. What is getting more exciting is that new noise on the line indicates some other Buffy alums might be getting involved. Whedon has mentioned that he’d generally like the idea of a whole new cast, to avoid looking like he plays favorites or sticks to a core group. He called it “lazy” casting. Let me be one to join in by saying I have no problem with bringing back people. Grab some of the poor folks from Firefly while you’re at it, they all deserve a second chance too. Now that Joss has established himself, I don’t mind seeing chemistry reused that I am familiar with and know works well.

As it stands, here’s some information on the characters you can expect to see (minus Echo):

• ADELLE DEWITT: The fortyish iceberg who runs the Dollhouse where the human Etch-a-Sketches reside.
• PAUL BALLARD: The thirtysomething G-man who is slated to become an offbeat love interest for Dushku’s “impressionableâ€? Echo.
• BOYD LANGTON: Echo’s handler and father figure.
• TOPHER BRINK: The technogeek who enjoys his job as a Doll programmer maybe a little too much.
• SIERRA: The knockout Doll who is as close to a friend as Echo has.
• VICTOR: The distractingly handsome Doll who is called upon to play everyone from Errol Flynn to Robert DeNiro.
• NOVEMBER: The Tracy Turnblad of the Dolls.
• DR. CLAIRE SANDERS: The beautiful older woman with whom Topher is smitten.

So, are you with me on this? Really, I’m just interested in something new from Joss. I can honestly say that I doubt I’d even care what it was about. Yes, I am that biased. You are too, and you know it.