AirLockAlpha.com

The ratings were never all that good, but that might not stop Fox from ordering a second season of "Dollhouse."

Despite all the proclamations that the show is as good as dead, especially since its season finale's ratings rivaled that of what was found on The CW, it seems that Fox isn't ready to fully shut the door just yet.

Series star and executive producer Eliza Dushku told her Twitter followers Tuesday afternoon that not only has Fox not made a final decision on her show, but they're still talking about.

"'Dollhouse' talks are goin' on," Dushku wrote. "It'd be an extravaganza bonanza to return" for round two.

A couple hours later, Dushku added a second note saying "this innocent Tweeting sure does travel ... keep spreading my words, guys. I'm on the road and need my Browncoats," referring to fans of another Joss Whedon series that many fans believe was canceled too soon, "Firefly."

But does "Dollhouse" even have a chance? The people at TV By The Numbers say no, with writer Bill Gorman as late as last week saying there's "no drama at all in Fox's renewal announcements."

"I mostly see the talk is just that, talk," another writer for the site, Robert Seidman, said in a post April 27. "TV is a sales business, and positive spin/putting lipstick on the ratings (as opposed to quality) pigs seems the rule rather than the exception. It's just in their DNA."

Airlock Alpha, however, is not so quick to judge. Although ratings would indicate that "Dollhouse" doesn't have a chance in hell of seeing a second season, sources with Fox have told the site different things over the past few weeks. While some people are talking DVR numbers and potential DVD sales, what seem to be selling points for "Dollhouse" are actually quite different.

It's biggest positive is the fact that its produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television for the Fox network, two different companies but under a common corporate umbrella. That means licensing fees usually paid to a production studio still are paid out by the network, but it remains pretty much in the same giant cookie jar.

The same couldn't be true for "Dollhouse" sister program for much of its first season, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." That show was produced by Warner Bros. Television for Fox, meaning any fees paid out to the studio was actually leaving News Corp.'s coffers.

There are two other production companies attached to "Dollhouse," Boston Diva Productions and Mutant Enemy, but those are simply the production shingles for Dushku and Whedon.

Also helping "Dollhouse" is the fact that it's not terribly expensive to produce. A lot of its upfront costs, namely permanent set construction, were defrayed from the lack of a series pilot. Typically, networks pay a large sum of money for a pilot, including upfront costs to build permanent sets, for a pilot episode. Fox chose not to take the pilot route with "Dollhouse," and instead paid simply for permanent sets.

Although "Dollhouse" was likely not a huge money-maker for Fox during the first season, it's likely with some cost-cutting and maybe a new night, Fox could see better profit margins with the show.

And while it seems that DVD sales are not a primary item of discussion, it seems to be on the minds of network officials, because Fox will profit from any DVD packages, and not some outside studio like many other programs.

Finally, at least one executive is rumored to be in love with a possible Monday night pairing of "Dollhouse" and a show the network is said to be picking up, the DC Comics-based "Human Target," which could attract similar audiences. That show is based on the comic series that debuted in 1972 from Len Wein and Carmine Infantino, where a private detective can take on the personalities and skills of his clients.

Don't get your hopes up too high. The chances are still not good for a "Dollhouse" pickup, but it seems fans aren't ready to read its eulogy until Fox makes an official announcement, expected later this week.