• Network: FOX
  • Series Premiere Date: Feb 13, 2009
  • Season #: 1 , 2
Metascore
57 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 28
  2. Negative: 6 out of 28
  1. 80
    Dushku plows into her role with gusto. I've seen three episodes of this strange, mesmerizing show, and it has grown on me.
  2. The shows are fun and exciting, Mr. Blow, perfect for a stay-at-home Friday night, having a few guys over for beers, or recording and watching when you wake up Saturday afternoon, after all that hard partying.
  3. 80
    Combining intelligent layers of mystery with sly dialogue and a steady flow of action, Whedon has crafted a provocative, bubbly new drama that looks as promising as anything to hit the small screen over the course of the past year.
  4. Dollhouse is less about the ninja kicks and witty banter than it is about instant transformations, and about making the audience care about a character who's likely to behave differently every time we see her. That Dushku mostly pulls this off is a happy surprise, as is Dollhouse, which has survived "Firefly"-like trials of its own to get this far.
  5. 80
    There is genuine drama in Dollhouse--or, at least, all-engaging narratives of action-adventure.
  6. 75
    There are caveats, but they would trouble me more if the creator were someone other than Whedon.
  7. 70
    Even as Dollhouse sounds like other TV shows and movies, it is also utterly strange, its premise literally ridiculous and intriguingly metaphorical.
  8. Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    70
    Though the show is quick and exciting in its particulars, slick and captivating in its details, it is unfolding slowly as a whole, with perhaps one too many investigations, conspiracies, return-of-the-repressed traumas, and busy backstories curling leisurely into view.
  9. Although Whedon infuses Dollhouse with an impressively detailed story line and social structure as well as nifty production values, the show lacks something for viewers to grab onto.
  10. All those ingredients make for a stew that, initially anyway, needs salt....Having seen two more promising later episodes, I say give Dollhouse time. And in the meantime, enjoy the set, the so-called dollhouse.
  11. Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    70
    While it's haunting, cerebral and gorgeous, it's also a little cold, though the flashes of humor help. Like its actives, it's a marvelous piece of engineering. But I hope it develops a personality of its own.
  12. Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    67
    Given the artfully vague hints of an intriguingly desperate past for Echo, as well as Whedon's track record, we ought to cut the show some slack. Let's see if Whedon can bring this doll to greater life.
  13. Reviewed by: Misha Davenport
    63
    The first episode's biggest flaw is that it lacks humor, a hallmark of Whedon's writing. Thankfully, this is rectified in future episodes.
  14. 63
    The result is a show that his most devoted fans will debate and embrace, and a mass audience just won't get.
  15. No doubt Dollhouse will make a good computer game, although it looks like one already.
  16. Whedon is a vastly better storyteller than anyone involved in "My Own Worst Enemy," so Dollhouse can be very engaging, even if the premise doesn't make sense. Dushku isn't as versatile as the role demands--many weeks, the only difference in Echo's persona seems to be her wardrobe--but Whedon and his writers certainly are.
  17. Joss Whedon is one of television's most talented visionaries, but his latest series--the highly anticipated midseason drama Dollhouse--is a major disappointment.
  18. 50
    Ultimately, you'll want to think about Dollhouse more than you'll want to think about watching Dollhouse.
  19. Dollhouse isn't awful, but neither is it remarkably good. It's a passable hour of entertainment that shows potential to improve but flails and confuses (and occasionally bores) from the start.
  20. Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    50
    The pilot is, in fact, baffling, and needlessly so.
  21. Dollhouse has an amusing premise, but the universe it inhabits in the early episodes is thin and bland.
  22. Overcrowded with plotlines, high-tech gimmicks and ambition yet empty of emotional connection and purpose, Dollhouse tries so hard to be so many things it winds up being nothing much at all.
  23. Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    30
    Dushku does wonderful things to a tank top, but her grasp of this vague, personality-changing character is a bit of a muddle. What's left, then, is a series with a hollow center that doesn't initially make you care about its mentally malleable protagonist.
  24. 30
    If Dollhouse, a pretentious and risible jumble premiering tonight on that most quixotic of national networks, were a piece of music, it would have to be some sort of funky-junky, hip-hop, rinky-tinky, ragtime madrigal.
  25. Reviewed by: Len Sousa
    25
    Dollhouse is stuck between two worlds, unable to lead us from reality into fantasy.
  26. In a perfect world, Dollhouse would be a good show. It's not.
  27. 10
    To the extent this sounds interesting, it isn't: Half the dialogue seems to have been written for barking dogs, the other half for mewling kittens, and the cast performs accordingly.
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 335 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 14 out of 149
  1. Dollhouse is a truly original concept which introduced a lot of intriguing and complex ideas. The first season had it's hiccups to start, showing loads of potential but the usual meddling by FOX crippled many of the early episodes into being more of the "case of the week" variety instead of building up the overarching mythology. Once the excellent sixth episode "Man on the Street" hit, it was clear that Dollhouse was about a lot more than it seemed. By the end it had becoming compelling and addictive, featuring impressively strong performances by the supporting cast. Season 1 makes up a lot of points for the strong finish, including the surprisingly effective post-script episode "Epitaph One", which deals with events 10 years after the main storyline. Dollhouse still had yet to have its best moments, but Season 1 is still very entertaining and worth watching. Overall score: 8/10 Individual Episode Ratings: E1 "Ghost" 8/10 E2 "The Target" 7/10 E3 "Stage Fright" 6.5/10 E4 "Gray Hour" 8/10 E5 "True Believer" 7/10 E6 "Man on the Street" 9/10 E7 "Echoes" 6/10 E8 "Needs" 8.5/10 E9 "Spy in the House of Love" 9/10 E10 "Haunted" 8.5/10 E11 "Briar Rose" 8.5/10 E12 "Omega" 8/10 E13 "Epitaph One" 9/10 Full Review »
  2. As a huge fan of Joss Whedon, I have to say that Dollhouse was his worst creation to date. Why was this so bad when Firefly, Buffy, and Angel were so unbelievably good? Well, for starters it lacked Whedon's trademark HUMOR. The premise was so dark that there was no room for the kind of witty banter and hilarious references within the dialogue that we've come to expect from Joss' shows. In addition, Dollhouse had another major problem: the cast just wasn't as good. Dushku is simply not a lead actress. No matter how hard they try to make her seem sweet, it just never works. Call it the 'Faith syndrome' if you want, but she just appears totally awkward and fake whenever she tries to act the 'good guy'. Furthermore, the other cast members were only adequate at best, and annoying at worst. I hate to criticize Joss' work so much - and part of me is pained even typing this - but this show just didn't stand a chance. Full Review »
  3. An interesting if not original premise but none the less succeeds thanks to Joss Whedon's quirky characters and dialogue. Season 1 is slow to start granted, however it does pick up the pace and shows itself to have more substance than you might expect. Great to see some old familiar faces from the Joss Whedon universe and whilst Dollhouse may not be his greatest work, give it some time and it can be great. Full Review »