Welcome to Joss Whedon's 'Dollhouse'

In 2005 it was Lost, then the next year it was Prison Break, swiftly followed by the international superhero "phenom" known as Heroes. As for this year, well, the jury's still out on that one - but whatever, this year is so last year. The hunt is already on to find the show everyone will be talking about come Christmas.

Over the next few weeks Tube Talk will be profiling some of the shows in with a shot of winning a place in your hearts. First up, from Buffy supremo Joss Whedon, we have Dollhouse.

What's it all about?
The series follows a group of men and women (the "dolls") who can be imprinted, Matrix-style, with different personality packages, including memories, skills, language and muscle memory, for various assignments. These assignments could be romantic, adventurous, uplifting, illegal and even sexual.

And the Dollhouse is...?
... the place where the dolls live. When not on assignment, the dolls are mind-wiped and sent to live in a futuristic dormitory-cum-laboratory billed the Dollhouse. The dolls have no memory of what they have been up to on their assignments, or much else besides.

Who's in it?
Only one member of cast has been confirmed so far - Eliza Dushku, perhaps better known as Faith from Whedon's Buffy and Angel, as well as the short-lived supernatural drama Tru Calling. Eliza (who also helped come up with the idea for the show) plays Echo, a doll who starts to develop a self-awareness of her situation.

How many dolls are there?
We'll meet at least three others to begin with. There's Sierra (Echo's "strikingly beautiful" best friend), Victor ("distractingly handsome" - can you spot a pattern here? - whose character assignments range from Errol Flynn to a young DeNiro) and November (a "comforting, radiant presence" who also happens to be beautiful). Other characters include Dollhouse manager Adele; Paul Smith, an FBI agent who has been chasing the myth of the Dollhouse for years; Topher, the computer nerd responsible for "imprinting" the Dolls; and Boyd Langton, Echo's handler.

James Marsters! James Marsters! James Marsters!
This is Joss Whedon, so the chance of former Buffy stars appearing at some point is quite high - even though he claims to be reluctant. "When it [starts], I think it's important to be a step forward, and not a reunion," he told E! Online recently. "I never rule anybody out, but my first instinct is to try out new people."

I'm sold! When is it on?
Dollhouse will forego the usual pilot-before-a-possible-series malarkey, as Fox has already picked up the show for seven episodes! Filming begins towards the end of next month for an early September premiere in the US.

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