Fox Cancels Dollhouse

[Giantevilhead]

The executives have their own jobs to worry about. It's not like television shows are cheap. We're talking at the very least $2 to $3 million per episode for an one hour primetime show. If you're investing $30+ million, don't you want to see some results as soon as possible? Not to mention the fact that they're not really using their own money, they have investors to worry about too. Don't forget the little problem with the screen actor's guild that almost ended up in a strike and oh yeah, the economic recession.

[HAL2100]

The executives have their own jobs to worry about. It's not like television shows are cheap. We're talking at the very least $2 to $3 million per episode for an one hour primetime show. If you're investing $30+ million, don't you want to see some results as soon as possible? Not to mention the fact that they're not really using their own money, they have investors to worry about too. Don't forget the little problem with the screen actor's guild that almost ended up in a strike and oh yeah, the economic recession.

But as M*A*S*H demonstrates sometimes it takes time for a series to develop. I would suggest that if you are investing $30 million then that's argument enough to stick with a show to ensure it succeeds.

Also, I find it unlikely that a show like Dollhouse is running $2-$3 million per episode. Stark Trek:TNG ran $1M in 1987 dollars which is roughly $1.8 in 2008 dollars. Yes there's not that much difference between $1.8 M and $2M but Dollhouse is not a CGI heavy show plus costs associated with CGI have come down as well.

[Giantevilhead]

But as M*A*S*H demonstrates sometimes it takes time for a series to develop. I would suggest that if you are investing $30 million then that's argument enough to stick with a show to ensure it succeeds.

Also, I find it unlikely that a show like Dollhouse is running $2-$3 million per episode. Stark Trek:TNG ran $1M in 1987 dollars which is roughly $1.8 in 2008 dollars. Yes there's not that much difference between $1.8 M and $2M but Dollhouse is not a CGI heavy show plus costs associated with CGI have come down as well.

M*A*S*H was a half hour sitcom and it was cheap to make, so were other shows of its kind like Friends and Seinfeld. Those shows basically had three or four sets, their props were easily acquired, they certainly didn't have to make any of the props, their sets were pretty easy to build, they rarely shot at different locations, and all the actors did was talk for 95% of the show with some occasional slapstick. They didn't become expensive until their popularity skyrocketed and the actors began demanding ungodly salaries.

$2 to $3 million per episode for Dollhouse is a low ball estimate. Also, it's not the CGI that's expensive, CGI is actually a lot cheaper now. However, the cost of practical effects like car crashes, fist fights, gunfire, explosions, etc., haven't changed and Dollhouse use a lot of those. There's also the locations, props, sets, training for actors, insurance, etc. I doubt the actors in M*A*S*H had to learn martial arts and they probably didn't have to be insured against injuries resulting from stunts like concussions and broken bones. In action heavy shows, insurance can cost up to 5% of the total budget.

Also there's this:

MGM and Sci Fi loved the spinoff idea but weren't willing to end "SG-1," which was garnering more than 2 million viewers during its Friday-night time slot. Instead, the movie idea was rewritten as the finale of Season 6, and "Stargate Atlantis" launched in 2004 as its own show. In order to keep costs down -- two-thirds of "SG-1's" $2.2 million-per-episode budget is covered by MGM, with the remainder picked up by Sci Fi -- "Atlantis" and "SG-1" share soundstages and production crew.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/..._id=1003018898

Cable shows are generally a lot cheaper than network shows and SG1's production cost was $2.2 million in 2006 when the article was written.

[HAL2100]

M*A*S*H was a half hour sitcom and it was cheap to make, so were other shows of its kind like Friends and Seinfeld. Those shows basically had three or four sets, their props were easily acquired, they certainly didn't have to make any of the props, their sets were pretty easy to build, they rarely shot at different locations, and all the actors did was talk for 95% of the show with some occasional slapstick. They didn't become expensive until their popularity skyrocketed and the actors began demanding ungodly salaries.

$2 to $3 million per episode for Dollhouse is a low ball estimate. Also, it's not the CGI that's expensive, CGI is actually a lot cheaper now. However, the cost of practical effects like car crashes, fist fights, gunfire, explosions, etc., haven't changed and Dollhouse use a lot of those. There's also the locations, props, sets, training for actors, insurance, etc. I doubt the actors in M*A*S*H had to learn martial arts and they probably didn't have to be insured against injuries resulting from stunts like concussions and broken bones. In action heavy shows, insurance can cost up to 5% of the total budget.

Also there's this:

MGM and Sci Fi loved the spinoff idea but weren't willing to end "SG-1," which was garnering more than 2 million viewers during its Friday-night time slot. Instead, the movie idea was rewritten as the finale of Season 6, and "Stargate Atlantis" launched in 2004 as its own show. In order to keep costs down -- two-thirds of "SG-1's" $2.2 million-per-episode budget is covered by MGM, with the remainder picked up by Sci Fi -- "Atlantis" and "SG-1" share soundstages and production crew.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/..._id=1003018898

Cable shows are generally a lot cheaper than network shows and SG1's production cost was $2.2 million in 2006 when the article was written.

You're still missing the underlying concept - TV Networks aren't willing to stick by a show and give it a chance to.

[Giantevilhead]

You're still missing the underlying concept - TV Networks aren't willing to stick by a show and give it a chance to.

You're still missing the underlying concept that they can't just blow $60 to $70 million on a project over 3 or 4 years and hope that the viewers will eventually increase to the point where they can make back their investment.

It would be like if your boss told you that he's going to cut your salary to almost nothing for the next three years but after that he'll double it for as long as you work for him. That may sound like a good deal but what are you going to do for those three years where your salary is cut? It's not like you can just forget about food, shelter, health care, and family for those three years.

Then there's the added problem that network executives aren't just using their own money, they have investors to worry about. The more you borrow, the harder it is to hold off your creditors. Just try going to a bank, borrow $20,000 and when they ask you to pay you back, tell them that you'll pay them back in 3 years with triple the interest but for now you need an additional $20,000 every year until then. See how fast they send the repo squad after you.

[HAL2100]

You're still missing the underlying concept that they can't just blow $60 to $70 million on a project over 3 or 4 years and hope that the viewers will eventually increase to the point where they can make back their investment.

Everyone knows that the real value of a show is in syndication. The general consensus is that takes a minimum of 60-ish episodes for syndication, ideally 100. At a million an episode you're looking at an investment of $60 million - $100 million for the show to earn back its investment in syndication.

Furthermore, the $60M-$70M isn't blown because you have to factor in ad revenue from the advertisers. Yes, ratings directly impact rates for a show, but you will not find a network that gives away 100% of the available time. The network may not make a killing on the show, but they're certainly not loosing their shirts.

[Giantevilhead]

Everyone knows that the real value of a show is in syndication. The general consensus is that takes a minimum of 60-ish episodes for syndication, ideally 100. At a million an episode you're looking at an investment of $60 million - $100 million for the show to earn back its investment in syndication.

Furthermore, the $60M-$70M isn't blown because you have to factor in ad revenue from the advertisers. Yes, ratings directly impact rates for a show, but you will not find a network that gives away 100% of the available time. The network may not make a killing on the show, but they're certainly not loosing their shirts.

First of all, as mentioned before, an episode costs $2 million at the very least. Also, the number of episodes needed for stripped syndication is 15 weeks without repeats, which is at least 75 episodes. That means the very minimum they need to invest is $150 million, although in reality it'll probably be closer to $200 million.

They clearly aren't making the money back from ad revenue nor are they getting much from DVD sales. Dollhouse obviously won't bankrupt Fox. Heck, 20th Century Fox Television earns about $1 billion per year, the company probably won't blink over those losses. However, the executives who made those decisions are going out the door fast. Just because a company is big and can absorb big losses with no trouble doesn't mean it's willing to accept those losses.

The thing you have to get straight here is that the Fox company is not some monolithic entity that makes every decision about every show. It's beholden to its investors. The reason why Fox was willing to take risks back when it first came on was because there was a much smaller number of investors who knew that putting money in this brand new network to compete against ABC, CBS, and NBC was a risk. Now that it is one of the big networks, it has a lot more investors, most of whom do not want the company to take too many risks. They are not acceptable of losses and any executive who can't make back their investment is getting the boot unless that executive is extremely trustworthy and has been able to produce hits. Not to mention the fact that getting a show to syndication generally requires some long term planning. Just look at what they're doing with "Til Death," that show's ratings were always low but it was decided pretty early on that they were going to let it run its course so it could get into syndication.

[lystelle]

I am so very bummed that Dollhouse got cancelled. I really thought that the show was even better this season, and I loved season 1. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised...it is Fox.

I'm glad that they're still playing out all the episodes, since we'll have to no doubt wait forever before it's released on DVD. Hopefully there will be some excellent special features.

[Replicator Todd]

Joss needs to experiment with cable....or NBC.

[Giantevilhead]

Joss needs to get his next show on a premium channel. His fan base is simply not big enough to support a primetime network show. However, those fans are probably dedicated enough to subscribe to HBO or Showtime for a Whedon show. The 2 to 2.5 million fans may not be enough for network TV but 2 to 2.5 million new subscriptions for a premium channel is a lot. Also, premium channels give their shows much more creative freedom and they don't have censors.

[HAL2100]

I think that SyFy should pick it up.

[retiredat44]

even thouygh I am stil very angry with the cancellation of TSCC, Dollhouse has finally got going, into a real plot, instead of just being about the sex trade... it's a shame they took so long to get going.. I wonder what person decided to wait till it was too late to put it in 2nd gear.. the way this world is going, that idiot probably got a raise..

[Replicator Todd]

I think that SyFy should pick it up.

[MathiasE]

even thouygh I am stil very angry with the cancellation of TSCC, Dollhouse has finally got going, into a real plot, instead of just being about the sex trade... it's a shame they took so long to get going.. I wonder what person decided to wait till it was too late to put it in 2nd gear.. the way this world is going, that idiot probably got a raise..

While it was still alot about the sex trade the show got alot better after the first 6 episodes of Season1 when FOX stopped meddling and let Whedon do what he wanted with the show.

[LunaSolTierra]

I think that SyFy should pick it up.

I completely agree.