Dollhouse

The Friday night slot for TV shows has always been known as the Death Slot, and the series premiere of Joss Whedon’s "Dollhouse" fell victim to it just like many other shows before it. "Dollhouse" was seen by just 4.7 million viewers on Friday night, below even the network’s modest expectations for the series.

The new show was beaten in the 9 pm hour by ABC’s "Supernanny" (8.5 million viewers) and is the lowest-rated drama series premiere on a major broadcast network this season, aside from NBC’s now-defunct "Crusoe."

"Dollhouse" was paired with the mid-season return of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," which moved from its previous Monday-night timeslot, and that show also saw its ratings fall: 3.7 million viewers. "Terminator" came in third place in the hour and hit a series low (by 27 percent).

"Terminator" beat NBC’s "Howie Do It," but not by much. Both CBS’ "Ghost Whisperer" (8.9 million) and ABC’s "Wife Swap" (4.3 million) did better.