Whedon is back at bat with 'Dollhouse'

At long last, TV critics have had a chance to see the pilot of Joss Whedon's new series "Dollhouse." And I have just four words for you:

Don't expect too much.

That's not to say that the show isn't good. It is.

But if your expectations are through the roof because of Whedon's past TV work — "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel" and "Firefly" — it's going to be hard for anything to live up to those lofty expectations.

"Dollhouse," which is set to debut on Friday, Feb. 13, on Fox, revolves around a group of operatives ("Actives") who work for a highly secret and illegal organization. The Actives are sent out on various missions after having their memories and personalities wiped clean and replaced with a personality chosen specifically for that mission.

Eliza Dushku, who played rogue vampire slayer Faith on both "Buffy" and "Angel," stars as Echo, an Active who begins to remember things she's supposed to have forgotten.

Given that Whedon developed such a strong following with his previous shows — cult hits though they were — the progress of "Dollhouse" has been tracked more closely than most shows. When he decided to produce a new pilot — Whedon said the "concerns" expressed by Fox executives were "valid" — the Internet was abuzz.

(The original pilot will still air; the new pilot will precede it.)

When Fox decided to air "Dollhouse" on Fridays instead of Mondays, there was endless debate about whether this was a good or bad thing.

But, Whedon insisted to TV critics, he's not complaining about all the attention "Dollhouse" has already been getting.

"I am so sick of reporters and fans. Is that the right thing to say?" he joked. "We are kind of living in the fish bowl a little bit. But, that should be our problem — too much publicity, damn it, why?"

Still, Whedon admits that have such a seriously devoted (obsessed?) fan base is sort of a double-edged sword. It was that way with both "Angel," with "Firefly" and now with "Dollhouse."

"Every time, I'm, like, 'Here it comes. This is the big miss. This is where I fail. This is where they tear me down. This is the one that they don't like,' " he said. "And you do feel a little bit of pressure. … But at the same time, you learn to let go of that or not one word can you write.