How does Fox keep scoring new TV shows from geniuses?
As a specific example, let’s take Joss Whedon. Buffy (which I never watched) was on WB. It seemed to do well there. He moved over to Fox for Firefly, which they treated like absolute shit, and then canceled. But now he’s starting Dollhouse with Fox as well. Perhaps they just made him a great deal in this case, but it seems like this pattern repeats itself. His shows have a strong track record of gathering a very dedicated fanbase. Is that worth nothing to another network?
Dollhouse was dreamt up by Whedon specifically for Eliza Dukshu, who has an exclusive development contract with Fox she just signed last August. So it’s not about a great deal, in that case. And while Whedon’s earlier shows were broadcast on WB and then UPN, Fox did the production. I imagine that has something to do with Fox handling production of the original Buffy film.
Joss Whedon: Has never had a hit show. Buffy and Angel barely hung on for most of their runs. This, and similar comments by other posters, fails to appreciate those shows’ value to two networks that were struggling to find an identity and an audience. Buffy put the WB on the map. It was the WB’s first breakout hit, when they needed a hit very badly. It broke that network’s ratings records. It brought in new advertisers. It established a whole new demographic niche (teen/college girls) for them which they successfully exploited and expanded with a host of followups including Angel. It was in fact so widely recognized as their biggest asset that UPN was willing to ridiculously overpay to buy the show, and even caved in to accepting Roswell in a package deal, all in hopes of imitating the success that it had made for WB. Yes, compared to the 100 or so shows that air per year, Whedon’s shows have always lingered near the bottom of the overall list.
