If nothing else, Joss Whedon is clearly fascinated with the idea of brainwashing. Misguided agencies in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly/Serenity, and now his new series Dollhouse love to mess with people’s minds.

Dollhouse, as its name suggests, is all about an agency of mind-controlled human “robots” who are up for hire - for whatever you want. After each assignment, their minds are wiped. Okay, maybe that isn’t suggested by the name “Dollhouse.” I don’t know. I’m sure it will all make sense someday.

It stars Eliza Dushku, the Boston actress Whedon made famous on both Buffy and Angel, playing the rough-talking, mercenary vamp slayer Faith. (I wasn’t a fan, but if you like your girls evil, cigarette-y, and in tight pleather pants, then Faith is your girl. She was meant to act as a sort of counterpart to the squeaky-clean Buffy, which would have made more sense if Buffy was actually squeaky-clean. But Whedon loved her…which brings us back full circle.)

It sounds as if Dushku will be playing a more innocent role this time around, as one of the “dolls” who gradually becomes self-aware. Along with her fellow employees Victor and Sierra, Dushku’s Echo voluntarily gave up five years of her life to the Dollhouse in return for a large sum of money, and a clear memory - and, hopefully, conscience. But Echo’s brain isn’t the only thing threatening the Dollhouse. A government agent, played by Tahmoh Penikett, is obsessed with urban legends about the Dollhouse’s existence. He and Echo have a twisted romantic relationship.

The first promotional photography for Dollhouse was recently premiered by AICN’s Hercules. While nobody is sure why the dolls don’t wear shoes, it sure does look cool.

Perhaps most interestingly, this new show, along with J.J. Abrams’ Fringe, will be broadcast with half the usual number of commercials. This is an attempt by Fox to draw in viewers who have fled to commercial-free cable channels. By minimizing the number of viewers who reach for their remotes, Fox hopes to increase the popularity of the show.

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