Exclusive: From Buffy to Dollhouse, Joss Whedon loves the gays

Photo: Miranda Penn Turin/FOX

Dollhouse, Joss Whedon's latest attempt at a prime-time follow up to the epically popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer, makes no effort to hide its roots. Starring Eliza Dushku (the evil-slayer Faith from Buffy or the punk cheerleader from Bring It On, pick your poison) as Echo, the show revolves around Whedon's favorite topic: powerful women who teeter back and forth between good and evil. Envisioning a secret organization, known as the Dollhouse, the series follows one "active," an agent who unknowingly swaps personalities depending on the deep-pocketed client who hires her, as she begins to wake up from her stasis.

We caught up with Joss, no stranger to the gays or a fanatic gay fan base, at New York's Comic Con last week to chat about gays and prostitution from Buffy to Dollhouse:

From a lesbian witch, Willow, in Buffy, to his recent cult-favorite online film, Dr. Horrible, starring Neil Patrick Harris ("I love him," Whedon gushed), Whedon has never failed his gay fans. Dollhouse promises plenty of raunch -- Dushku shows off her roping skills in the first episode and hottie Tahmoh Penikett boxes shirtless -- and a plethora of plot twists as federal agents hunt down the title organization. And, if the first episode is any indicator, Dollhouse is sure to be another Whedon classic as long as it can survive its Friday night time slot.

Dollhouse premieres Friday, February 13 @ 9 Eastern on FOX.

-- PARKER ANDERSON

Previously > The return of Whedon gets us all geeked out