Tuesday October 17
01:53 AM EDT
Battle's over for 'Xena' as Studios USA slays series

By Cynthia Littleton and Steve Brennan

LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- "Xena" is hanging up her
sword and shield. Or at least Studios USA is hanging them up for her
as it calls curtains on its hit syndicated weekly "Xena: Warrior
Princess."

The series will wrap production on its 22-episode sixth-season order
in the spring and will air through the summer. The announcement was
made Monday by Studios USA Domestic Television president Steve
Rosenberg and series creator and executive producer Rob Tapert.

Rosenberg confirmed during a telephone news conference that another
Studios USA show, "Jack of All Trades," has been canceled. But
"Jack's" companion half-hour action show, "Cleopatra 2525," will be
expanded to an hour format in January. The shows were syndicated as
the "Action Pack" hour.

Rosenberg said the audience declines endured by former ratings
champion "Xena" owe largely to the show being moved out of primetime
and prime access slots, in large part because of schedule expansion at
the WB Network and UPN. He hinted that if "Xena" station affiliates
had collaborated to give the show better time slots, the show probably
would be continuing forward.

"Xena" averaged a 3.4 rating during the 1999-2000 season, down 15%
from 1998-99 and 40% from its peak in 1996-97, when it averaged a 5.7.

"It's more a product of the time-period availability decline,"
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."

Tapert added: "We're excited about the ('Xena') shows we're currently
producing and hope to deliver some of the best episodes we've ever
done. Having said that, all of us on the show feel it will be time to
move on to new creative challenges at the end of this season."

Distributed to more than 115 nations, "Xena" starring Lucy Lawless
debuted in national syndication in 1995. It quickly became one of the
top-rated action hour shows along with its companion hour "Hercules:
The Legendary Journeys." Together, the action duo became a
billion-dollar franchise.

But Rosenberg acknowledged that the first-run action hour business is
being restructured with more dual cable/broadcast-type deals like that
for Studios USA's "The Invisible Man," which airs on FX and in
syndication.
 
 

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