An Echo Doesn't Last a Great Deal Longer: FOX to Shrink "Dollhouse" to Twelve Episodes

It looks like FOX won't be airing all thirteen episodes of Dollhouse, after all. (Sort of, anyway.)

In a press release issued by the network yesterday, it was stated that Joss Whedon's drama Dollhouse, which stars Eliza Dushku, would end its run on May 8th with the series' twelfth episode, entitled "Omega," rather than run for the full thirteen-episode order.

No reason was given for the reduction in Dollhouse's episodes, although it should be noted that FOX will wrap up Prison Break's run with a two-hour episode the following week from 8-10 pm ET/PT. Nor has FOX made any announcement that the series has been cancelled.

An email to FOX publicity seeking clarification yesterday went unanswered.

Actress Felicia Day, who guest starred in the already filmed thirteenth episode of Dollhouse (entitled "Epitaph One"), confirmed that Dollhouse will end its run after the twelfth episode and stated that the thirteenth episode would only appear on Dollhouse's DVD rather than on air.

"Man, day getting worse and worse," said Day via Twitter earlier this morning. "Found out my Dollhouse ep, #13 isn't gonna air. Only on DVD. Such a great part too. Thx Fox."

Likewise, the news was confirmed by Jed Whedon via the Dr. Horrible Twitter account: "It's true. Dollhouse ep 13 isn't going to air. This makes @feliciaday sad. How do you feel? Why don't share those feelings with FOX?"

While FOX hasn't yet publicly commented on the episode reduction, it doesn't bode well for Dollhouse's chances of renewal. Personally, I'm not sure why the network would continue airing episodes of Dollhouse only to cut it off before its intended season finale, especially given the amount of publicity and promotion the network has given the series following its much-hyped "Man on the Street" episode, written by Joss Whedon.

One thought is that the episode in question, "Omega," seems--from the title, anyway--to offer some sort of finality. Is it possible that it does wrap up the season's storylines in some fashion while the thirteenth episode "Epitaph One," functions as a sort of epilogue? Or is that just wishful thinking on the part of the series' fans?

UPDATE: Just received word from an insider close to the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity and told me exclusively: "'Omega' is a finale in everything but name and should provide more than enough closure for people watching on FOX. All lingering questions from 'Omega' won't be resolved until Season Two anyway."

Not that FOX has ordered a second season of Dollhouse yet. But the above does explain the decision to end the season run after the twelfth episode, if it does provide closure for the series' viewers. Hmm...

UPDATE #2: According to Alan Sepinwall, "Day's episode, called 'Epitaph One,' was apparently filmed by the studio independent of the agreement -- or, at least, independent of what Fox network considers to be in the agreement -- and does not seem to be tied in to the story in 'Omega.' In other words, if there's a cliffhanger in 'Omega' (and I don't know if there is), it's not going to be resolved in 'Epitaph One.'"

(See above about that.)

UPDATE #3: Dollhouse executive producer Tim Minear posted a comment over on Whedonesque to further clarify the current situation:

"So maybe I can help clarify this somewhat. Because we scrapped the original pilot -- and in fact cannibalized some of its parts for other eps -- we really ended up with 12 episodes. But the studio makes DVD and other deals based on the original 13 number. So we created a standalone kind of coda episode. Which is the mythical new episode 13. The network had already paid for 13 episodes, and this included the one they agreed to let us scrap for parts. It does not include the one we made to bring the number back up to 13 for the studio side and its obligations. We always knew it would be for the DVD for sure, but we also think Fox should air it because it’s awesome."

Stay tuned.