Snobbery

My belief is that Dollhouse is a show that will be rediscovered on DVD and Blu-Ray by people who either have not seen it or gave up on it early on. This has turned out to be a rich, complex, and fascinating successor to Buffy and Firefly. Joss Whedon’s problem has always been that his shows are too intelligent, too challenging for broadcast TV. There will never be more than a limited audience for his shows because there are simply not enough Americans who value intelligent TV.

I'm going to let my Pop Culture Elitist flag fly, but I agree 100% with Robert Moore and his analysis of contemporary television. The only place for people like Whedon is on cable. The major networks are so starved for income that they water down everything and anything to make it more palatable to the most viewers. With the exception of a few thought provoking series, most network TV fare is cotton candy. I want media that makes me think, that surprises, and leaves me mulling over ideas for days, weeks, or months. What is there to think about after watching the latest Dancing with the Washed Up Stars? I guess we could talk about whether or not Donny Osmond bleaches his teeth (most certainly) or takes steroids (probably not), but that doesn't seem all that important in the extreme scheme of things. Shows like Dollhouse, on the other hand, feed my inner post-structuralist and challenge me to think about the implications of identity, subjectivity, and the collapse of modernity.

Despite the conclusion of Dollhouse (I gave the 1st season a C+; this season gets an A), there's hope on the horizon: there's a rumored meeting between Whedon and the head of FX sometime next week. Let's hope he's floating an idea for a new cable show.

Help us Joss Whedon; you're our only hope.*

*Which isn't entirely true. There is some good TV out there but you really have to dig (and have a DVR) to catch it. I'll post my list of worthwhile shows to watch in the next few days.