Do You Remember: Dollhouse

I was reminded yesterday – thank you Twitter! – that it was on February 13, FOURTEEN years ago that the FOX drama series Dollhouse, from then TV “God” Joss Whedon, debuted. The show consisted of 26 episodes [all of which except one actually aired on its home network] and ran for two seasons before being cancelled.

What was so special about this show was not just the “pedigree” [if you will] of the cast but also those who worked behind the scenes on this show.

First, let’s talk about the show. Dollhouse revolved around a corporation running numerous underground establishments, known as “Dollhouses,” around the globe that programmed individuals referred to as Actives (or Dolls) with temporary personalities and skills. Wealthy clients hired Actives from Dollhouses at great expense for various purposes, including heists, sexual encounters, assassinations, expert counsel and all manner of unique experiences. The series primarily followed the Active known as Echo, who was played by Buffy, the Vampire Slayer alum Eliza Dushku, on her journey toward self-awareness.

The cast also included the following:

Henry Lennix, best known for his work on the long-running NBC series The Blacklist, who played former cop Boyd Langton, who was the Dollhouse handler assigned to Echo

Fran Kranz, who went on to appear in The Cabin in the Woods, played Topher Brink, the scientist who operated Dollhouse’s technology and used it to imprint new personalities on the Actives.

Tahmoh Penikett, who was coming off of years on the acclaimed Battlestar Galactica reboot, played Paul Ballard, an FBI special agent assigned to the Dollhouse case.

Enver Gjokaj, who has gone on to appear in Marvel’s Agent Carter, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Rookie, NCIS: Hawai’i and Resident Alien, played an Active who was originally introduced as Lubov, Paul Ballard’s informant inside the Russian mob, before being revealed to be a Doll.

Dichen Lachman, who has gone on to appear in The Last Ship, Altered Carbon, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Animal Kingdom and Severance, played Sierra, the newest Active in the Dollhouse

Olivia Williams, who has appeared in countless movies as well as The Crown, The Nevers and Counterpart, played Adelle DeWitt, the highest-ranking official at the Los Angeles Dollhouse.

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Just some of the recurring actors, some of whom were Whedon-universe actors, included:

Amy Acker, from Angel and later Persons of Interest, The Gifted and currently The Watchful Eye on Freeform

Reed Diamond, from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as well as Franklin & Bash, Underground, Designated Survivor, 13 Reasons Why and most recently The Mosquito Coast

Miracle Laurie, who got her big break in the show and has gone on to appear in the Alan Cummings movie Any Day Now and more recently has appeared in episodes of SEAL Team and S.W.A.T.

Liza Lapira, who had a recurring role on NCIS prior to Dollhouse and is now a series regular on The Equalizer

Alan Tudyk, from Firefly and Serenity, as well as countless movie roles and who is now the star of the Syfy series Resident Alien

Alexis Denisof, from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Angel, who has gone on to appear in How I Met Your Mother, Finding Carter and Legacies

Summer Glau, also from Firefly and Serenity, as well as Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Arrow

The show didn’t stop there with familiar faces. Among the guest stars in this series were:

Aisha Hinds, who can now be seen in 9-1-1
Mark Sheppard, who has appeared in Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Doom Patrol and Walker: Independence (just to name a few)
Felicia Day, also from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, The Guild, Eureka, Supernatural and Mystery Science Theater 3000
Patton Oswalt, from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., United States of Tara, Caprica, Veep, Veronica Mars and A.P. Bio (just to name a few)
Mechad Brooks, who went on to star in True Blood, Necessary Roughness, Supergirl and the Law & Order reboot
Ian Anthony Dale, who has gone on to appear in Murder in the First, Hawai’i Five-0, All Rise and The Resident
Valerie Cruz, who has gone on to appear in Dexter, The Following, the reboot of Charmed and most recently One Of Us Is Lying
Janina Gavankar, who has gone on to appear in True Blood, The Mysteries of Laura, Sleepy Hollow, Big Sky and The Morning Show
Jaime Lee Kirchner, who has gone on to appear in The Mob Doctor and more recently Bull
Anson Mount, who has gone on to appear in Hell on Wheels and most recently Star Trek New Worlds
and

Rhea Seehorn, of Better Call Saul fame.

The behind the scenes names included Whedon-universe alums Jane Espenson, Tim Minear, Andrew Chambliss and Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon, the husband and wife team (and sister-in-law and brother to Joss Whedon himself), who went on to be showrunners and executive producers of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The series ran from February 13, 2009 until it was cancelled on November 11, 2009 with its final episode airing on January 29, 2010. During its first season it averaged about 3.7 million viewers and during its second season it fell to about an average of 2.2 million viewers. To say the least, ratings was a major factor in the show’s cancellation.

Here is a trailer for Dollhouse (when it was to air on Australian TV):

Do you remember Dollhouse?