Submitted by Cris_Braga t3_10mtvr9 in television
Apparently, the ratings remained strong and was a consistent performer to the end, even surpassing Hercules, so why did they decide to end it?
Comments
mugenhunt t1_j6535b8 wrote
The ratings didn't remain strong, and Lucy Lawless's contract expired and she was ready to move on and do other shows.
RelicBeckwelf t1_j653aij wrote
According to articles at the time, Lucy Lawless was planning on leaving the show when her Co tracked ended after the 6th season.
cronedog t1_j653etj wrote
>the ratings remained strong and was a consistent performer to the end,
Why would you think that?
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>viewership has declined over the last three years.
Cris_Braga OP t1_j654nv0 wrote
It did but not to a great extent. It was still a Top 5 show on syndication. Ratings always fall as it goes on.
Scott2700 t1_j65fm9p wrote
I thought it was cool seeing her in Spartacus
WeDriftEternal t1_j65i3la wrote
Contracts are usually 5 seasons, not 6, but you renegotiate generally each season or so anyways. If the show is a success in s1, you renegotiate for your s2+, if season 2 is a success... and so on. Which means when you start getting to seasons 5+ things can get really expensive as you stated. Thats a big reason why shows often fizzle out in S4-6, ratings will be down and its just not worth it to up the expense side when the revenue side is declining
evilcleric_ho t1_j65pdoq wrote
Honestly they were spinning their wheels in the last season anyway. Five ended perfectly and then they ruined it with season 6.
TheDood715 t1_j65vvtg wrote
My favorite was Evil Dead and a guest role in the 90's on Just Shoot Me.
She had comedic chops and I could definitely see her in her own CBS sitcom.
CarltonSagot t1_j65vzv1 wrote
Man that show gets wild in the later seasons.
Xanderic t1_j66nqbh wrote
And Battlestar Galactica.
Solidsnakeerection t1_j66v0ks wrote
Plus it was a syndicated show. By that point they probably felt they had enough episodes to keep making money from syndicating it
dadindc84 t1_j67hqi1 wrote
They had enough but probably would have liked more. They wanted Kevin Sorbo to sign a contract for three more years of Hercules, but he had committed to the Andromeda series. So, they rushed an eight-episode final season before he became unavailable.
The successful Star Trek series of the time, TNG and DS9, ran for seven seasons in first-run syndication.
horseren0ir t1_j67wcbc wrote
Didn’t they kill off all the Greek gods and time travel 20 years in season 5? Not much to do after that
evilcleric_ho t1_j67zbir wrote
Pretty much. That season ended perfectly, with Xena, Gabrielle, and her adult daughter looking forward to their new life together, free of petty gods trying to terrorize them. I read that the producers were not sure if they were going to get renewed after season 4 or 5, so both seasons had endings that could be taken as definitive. 5 was a great way to end the show, but then they just had to make another season, which really scraped the barrel when it came to finding storylines.
notthephonz t1_j68z0ic wrote
She was also on Burn Notice!
donsanedrin t1_j6cf8za wrote
The show had already reached its peak popularity. And those episodes near the end were just ridiculous, and were only going to get worse if they continued.
She doesn't have many options to grow her career if she keeps on filming in New Zealand. You gotta come to the Western Hemisphere if you want more acting gigs.
Contrary to what people say, those shows had absolutely run their course.
Efficient_Paper t1_j652ul9 wrote
It was cancelled after six seasons, which is the usual duration of actors' contracts.
Renewing it probably would have meant new contracts for the actors, which means the show would have become more expensive.
(This is just speculation, but that kind of stuff happens often.)