FOX has just announced that the Joss Whedon series Dollhouse has gotten the mid-season axe. Though the show has received mixed reviews, it has a pretty devoted fan following, and I was rather fond of it myself. The real tragedy is that it was just getting good – or rather, it started getting really good the last few episodes of last season, and despite some hit-or-miss episodes so far in the new season, seemed to be hitting a stride. However, this isn’t really a new phenomenon when it comes to Whedon’s projects; he’s been called a notoriously slow starter. Most Buffy fans would agree that the show didn’t really start to pick up until Season 2, and then of course there’s the ill-fated Firefly that wasn’t able to hit its peak fast enough to save it from FOX’s ax (at least Dollhouse made it past the first season!).

For fans, the good news is that it will air the thirteen Dollhouse episodes that have already been ordered. Additionally, if you haven’t seen last season’s thirteenth episode that didn’t air, you can find it on the DVD. Interestingly, it would have served as a great series finale as it jumps years into the future for the show’s characters. Also, it guest-starred Felicia Day.

So with no more Dollhouse, what’s next for Whedon? One upcoming project we know about is The Cabin in the Woods, a horror film he co-wrote with the screenwriter of Cloverfield. And like most of his projects, the cast features some of Whedon’s frequent fliers: Amy Acker and Fran Kranz (who were both in Dollhouse) and Buffy’s Tom Lenk. In the immediate future, he’ll be directing an upcoming episode of Glee.

Fans may also remember rumors of a Buffy spin-off based on the character of Rupert Giles. The previous word on Ripper was that it was being developed as a mini-series for BBC, but was stalled because both Whedon and Anthony Stewart Head were tied up with other projects. So perhaps now it will get pushed a little further up in the queue…

And for those of you who were watching Dollhouse because of Eliza Dushku… not sure what’s on the horizon for her, though her wikipedia page lists a couple of upcoming small films. Of course, if you just want to hear her voice, you can pick up the PS3 and Xbox 360 game Wet – or wait for the animated Noah’s Ark.