05.18.09 YOUR FAVORITE SHOW GOT RENEWED (PROBABLY)

Catching up on Friday’s late-breaking news: pretty much everything but “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” has been renewed.  The biggest and/or most pleasant surprises are renewals for Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” on Fox, NBC’s “Chuck,” and ABC’s “Better Off Ted,” which (along with “Southland”) was my favorite mid-season replacement.  More on “Dollhouse”:

The move is tougher to explain than most, especially based on the show’s ratings. A “Dollhouse” pickup is a shock, an underdog comeback that blows away NBC’s will-they-or-won’t-they hand-wringing over “Chuck”… In fact, “Dollhouse” might very well be the lowest-rated in-season scripted drama to ever get a renewal on a major broadcast network…

Basically this is a case of a bunch of minor decision-making factors successfully ganging up on the biggest factor (ratings). In addition to DVD sales, streaming and DVR influences, Fox received some serious budget concessions from 20th TV and Whedon to continue the show. [THR]

So there you go, sci-fi nerds.  Don’t say we never gave you anything.  Besides wedgies and swirlies, I mean.

(Side note: ABC also renewed “Castle” and “Scrubs.”  Why?  Because coming up with new ideas for shows would take all kinds of effort.)