The popular syndicated series, XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS, will finish its six-season long run on television at the end of this season. Producer Studios USA made the announcement on Monday, October 16, 2000 that they were pulling the plug on the series after it finishes its summer run. The reasoning behind the show's cancellation was its declining ratings, which were due to the series being pulled from primetime slots on the WB and UPN. XENA's ratings for the 1999-2000 season were 3.4 down from its peak in the 1996-1997 season when it averaged a 5.7. "It's more a product of the time-period availability decline," Studios USA Domestic Television president Steve Rosenberg said. "When we launched XENA, we had the opportunity to be a true primetime alternative for the traditional independent stations. Tribune launched us in primetime, and the average viewer didn't know the difference between our show and the WB Network. HERCULES and XENA really had a lot to do with getting viewers in those markets used to watching original first-run fare in primetime on what used to be reruns or movie stations." Now with fledgling networks like the WB and UPN filling their entire primetime line-up with their own programming there is less room for syndicated hour-long shows like XENA. Currently, Studios USA has a licensing agreement with Brilliant Digital Entertainment, which produces animated XENA Webisodes that air on Websites such as SciFi.com, Entertaindom.com and TV.Lycos.com.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
