Fox Orders New First Episode Of 'Dollhouse'

Fresh from the sensation created by online musical miniseries "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," and on the heels of Comic-Con International in San Diego, Whedon posted a message on Whedonesque late Sunday night sharing the news that the first episode of "Dollhouse" will look a little different than originally planned.

"The fact is, I'm very proud of the [episode] we shot and the series is making me crazy with the excitement," Whedon said. "But I tend to come at things sideways, and there were a few clarity issues for some viewers. There were also some slight issues with tone – I was in a dark, noir kind of place (where, as many of you know, I make my home), and didn't bring the visceral pop the network had expected from the script. The network was cool about it, but not sure how to come out of the gate with the" episode.

But it's not Fox's fault that a new episode was needed, Whedon said.

"It was mine. I understood their consternation, and saw the gap between my style and their expectations, and I suggested I shoot a new [episode] and make the one I'd shot the second," Whedon said.

The "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly" creator went on to reassure fans that the new show "isn't going to be buried, like the pilot of Firefly. It's simply coming after another, slightly cleaner [episode]. And because unlike 'Firefly,' it isn't a two hour-epic which introduces everyone to each other, the onus isn't on the new [episode] to explain a million things."

In 2002, Whedon encountered numerous problems with Fox on his short-lived series, "Firefly." He had filmed a two-hour pilot meant to introduce viewers to the characters and the beginning of a carefully planned-out saga. Fox wasn't pleased with the pilot, and insisted a new pilot be made to start off the series. According to Whedon, he and Tim Minear had to write a new pilot within a weekend, and by Monday, they had the script for "The Train Job," which aired as the first episode of the series.

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