Probably the most anticipated new show for me is Joss Whedon's scifi tv series Dollhouse, premiering this Friday the 13th. While I was late jumping on the Buffy bandwagon, I was a HUGE fan of the all-too-short-lived series - Firefly. I mean think about it ... Joss Whedon (and his fans) pulled off the unthinkable by getting some closure to the cancelled tv series, by getting the film Serenity on the big screen. Who has ever achieved THAT ... in ANY tv genre?

Dollhouse is a secret facility managing a group of individuals, called Actives, who are "programmed" to basically do whatever a paying client wants them to do ... or be.

This new series kinda reminds me of the film Soldier, starring Kurt Russell as a human born and bred and programmed to do one thing ... go to war. Or more recently, video-game-turned-film, Hitman, programmed also to do one thing ... kill.

However, Dollhouse takes this premise to new levels, as the "Actives," assuming they actually volunteered for this, have no personailities of thier own. They are imprinted with whatever skill-set a rather wealthy client needs, then wiped clean after the job is completed. The actives all live together at the Dollhouse, until they are hired out for the next assignment. None have any memories of who they were, or what they have done as Actives ... save one. Echo is becoming a very special Active, as her memories begin to surface and she starts to piece together her mysterious past.

You can wipe away a memory, but can you wipe away a soul?

Mind you, Dollhouse is an illegal operation, which gets the unwanted attention of the FBI and the Russian Mob. So, having one of the Actives remember anything is a real bad thing.

• Echo, an Active - co-exec producer, Eliza Dushku (the infamous badass Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Series and spin-off Angel, Tru Calling, Soul Survivors, True Lies, and upcoming horror flick - Open Graves)
• Paul Ballard, obsessed FBI Agent - Tahmoh Penikett (Helo from Battlestar Galactica and Battlestar Galactica: Razor, Trick 'r Treat, Robot Chicken, Stargate SG-1, Dark Angel)
• Adelle DeWitt, THE Boss of the Dollhouse - Olivia Williams (X-Men: The Last Stand, Krakatoa: The Last Days, 2003's Peter Pan, Below, The Body, 2000's Jason and the Argonauts, The Sixth Sense, The Postman)
• Boyd Langdon, Echo's Handler - Harry Lennix (Suspect Zero, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, Titus)
• Topher Brink, the Brains behind the technology  of the Dollhouse - Fran Kranz (Rise: Blood Hunter, M. Night Shyamalan's The Village, Donnie Darko)
• Sierra, the newbie Active - Dichen Lachman (Aztec Rex, Aquamarine, and the upcoming DVD horror flick - Bled)
• Victor, an informant inside the Russian Mob - Enver Gjokaj (Eagle Eye and the upcoming Tale of the Tribe)
• Dr. Claire Saunders, the Doc of the Dollhouse - Amy Acker (Fire & Ice, A Near Death Experience, Ghost Whisperer, Drive, Alias, Supernatural, Angel, Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt, The Visitor, Special Unit 2)
• Laurence Dominic, head of security for the Dollhouse - Reed Diamond (the all-too-shortlived Journeyman tv series, Stargate SG-1, The Darkroom, Medium, Spider-Man 2, The Twilight Zone, The Breed)
• Mellie, Agent Paul's neighbor and BFF - newcomer, Miracle Laurie

Dollhouse will also feature FOX's "Remote-Free-TV" campaign, just as Fringe is presented with fewer commercials ... more fun for us fans! Also look for Eliza and Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) to host the Friday premiere.

For more about the show, loads of pictures, and much more ... check out the Official FOX website for Dollhouse:

http://www.fox.com/dollhouse/