It seems like every couple days I see another article about Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse. There has been a lot of rumors about how the show has been having trouble behind the scenes. The basic jist is that the coorporate executives are concerned that the plots are too complex and will not appeal to the mainstream audience.

I think the reason that there has been so much news though, is because there are so many people have are really rooting for this show to be a success. Unfortunately, only about 50% (at the most) seem to believe that there is even a chance that it won’t be cancelled.

It was recently announced that Dollhouse will air in the 9:00 timeslot on Fridays (also known as the “death slot”) starting on Febuary 13th. That’s right, the show’s premiere episode will be on Friday the 13th in one of the most poorly rated time slots on television. That just seems like a bad omen.

Despite all the bad signs, the core concept of the show sounds genuinely intriguing and Whedon’s loyal army of fans (among others) seem to be really embracing the show. There are a lot of people that remember the quality shows that Whedon has created including Buffy, Angel, and Firefly (my favorite) with reverence and hopefully this dedicated fanbase will help get the show off the ground.

In fact, I just read this great article over at io9.com that really pumps up the show. I’m becoming cautiously excited about the show. I’m not willing to get too excited because of the seemlingly high probability of cancellation, but I will definitely be giving the show a chance. With any luck, being paired with Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles (which is my favorite show right now) will be exactly the right combination to see both shows prosper.

Monday night’s episode of Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles might have been the best one yet. “Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today” proved yet again that this show is the best thing on television. In addition to some of the best action sequences this show has seen, the plot was deeply thought-provoking and the characters continued to exhibit a broad range of emotions.

The majority of the episode takes place in a small town in Mexico where John lived as a child. He and Riley sneak off for a night and all goes awry when Cromartie breaks into the Conner house and kidnaps Sarah. John gets into trouble and calls Sarah, but realizes that she is in trouble herself when she doesn’t respond correctly to the phone code. Cromartie grabs Sarah and takes off after John. John then sends a distress call to Reese, who also takes off to Mexico with Cameron. But the party isn’t over yet. A friend of Ellison’s finds out about John’s arrest and gives him a call. Ellison too makes his way down South.

I though it was really awesome they way the plot brought everyone together for one big confrontation. Ellison arrives first, right before Cromartie and helps John and Riley avoid being killed. They steal his car, only to realize that there is someone in the trunk: Sarah. The four of them evade Cromartie and hook up with Reese and Cameron. Together they plan the take down and pin Cromartie down in a crossfire in a church. Amazing scene. Very well done.

Fox revealed that one major character would be killed in this episode and I guess the title was a bit of a clue. Cromartie first appeared in Season One posing as substitute teacher in John’s class. His first words were “Mr. Ferguson is ill today.”

The weirdest part of the show was the whole “seduction” scene. Early in the episode, Cameron goes to talk to John, but decides to add a new variable to the mix: sex. Cameron leaves her sweater at the door and lies down on the bed (a nice little twin-size), next to John while she talks to him. It was definitely a little creepy, but at the same time…well, I won’t go there…it’s just not right.

I really like they way this episode played out. I think it was possibly the best yet. I think it was good timing to kill Cromartie. With him out of the way, the show can begin to focus on the real villain: Catherine Weaver.

Fox recently announced that Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles was picked up for a full season. So after we get through this first batch of episodes, there will be a hiatus (which is normal for televsion shows in the winter) and then we’ll get the second half of the season on a new night.

It looks like TSCC will be moving to the 8:00 timeslot on Fridays and will be followed by Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse at 9:00. This worries me because Friday is known to be one of the worst nights for television ratings. If ratings were to drop off in the second half of the season, I’m just not sure if TSCC will be picked up for a third.

Perhaps with Terminator and Dollhouse airing on the same night, there will be enough sci fi appeal to save the two shows, but I’m not sure. So far, Dollhouse has had a lot of trouble convincing corporate execs that it can be a mainstream success. Despite Whedon’s genius, an awesome cast, and an intriguing concept, there has been enough turmoil behind the scenes for many to predict the show to be an immediate flop. That wouldn’t bode well at all for TSCC. With this move, it may be that the two shows have tied fates, and if one fails, the other may too.

Nonetheless, it is still good news that TSCC has been picked up for a full season, because it has just been one the highest quality programs on tv so far this season. With Heroes going through a transitional phase and a lot of corporate drama, I feel that Terminator is the best sci fi show on television right now. I really enjoy every episode. For a show that you that you might expect to be all explosions and violence, it really has great character development and thoughtful plot lines. Of course, it does still have all of the great action sequences that you would expect too.