BROADCAST NEWS - US

NO SUMMER REPEATS?

05.05.2001 - Variety reports that the WB is likely to repeat 7th Heaven in a Monday night double-bill from June, thus reducing Roswell's chances of summer repeats.  With the WB also likely to shunt Buffy and Angel to a less desirable slot over the summer as well as launching a movie night from early June, the slots available for Roswell repeats are few and far between.  This could be another sign that the WB is planning to drop Roswell on May 15.  The only upside to this is that E! Online's Wanda claims that UPN will pick up the series in the event of the WB not renewing it.  The obvious caveat here is that it is Wanda we are talking about here.  Back to the top

ROSWELL CANCELLED?

02.05.2001 - Thanks to Ghosty for posting this piece from AICN to the RoswellUK list:

The Good: Roswell was the "on the bubble" show most USA Today readers voted to save, according to paper's Tuesday edition (The Geena Davis Show and The Weber Show, for those keeping track, received the fewest votes).

The Bad: Media buyers and ad execs have been e-mailing [AICN] all day, suggesting that Fox (which produces Roswell) has already gotten unofficial word that, despite the fan outcry, the WB will definitely not renew Roswell for next season.  Fox, you'll recall, also produces one of the WB's highest-rated shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is leaving the WB for UPN at the end of this season.  The WB is said to be none too happy about Fox moving Buffy to UPN.  The WB also has another teen-alien series, Smallville, from sister company Warner Bros. Television, set to debut this autumn.  Official word of Roswell's cancellation is expected at the WB's New York "upfront" presentation in two weeks.  Back to the top

FOR TV'S VULNERABLE SHOWS,
IT'S FEAR-AND-LOBBYING SEASON

02.05.2001 - This is the time of year in television when writers like Paul Attanasio grow nervous.

"The network says they like our show, they support our show, but it's meaningless if they don't support us for another year," said Mr. Attanasio, who created ABC's Gideon's Crossing, a medical drama that has struggled to find an audience.  "I'm really trying to fight for our show."

It's also the time of year when television executives like Jordan Levin, co-president for entertainment at the WB network, are not only watching new series pilots that may be ordered for next season but also receiving phone calls, e-mail and even gift baskets from talent agents and producers imploring them to keep series on the air that may be vulnerable.

"The pressure gets turned up, and everyone tries to leverage their relationship with you," Mr. Levin said.  "And there's so much misinformation being passed around town that people here could give lessons to the C.I.A."

The new schedules, marked by more uncertainty than usual this year because of possible strikes by writers and actors, will be announced for potential advertisers in two weeks in New York.  Television executives are now screening possible new shows and listening to the plans and pleas of writers of current series as they decide about the new schedules.

Perhaps as many as a dozen series are "on the bubble", or vulnerable to cancellation.  The shows are often first- or second-year series that have floundered in the ratings or proved disappointing to the networks.  But the size of an audience watching a series is only one factor in the decision making.

Television executives say, for example, that NBC may have a hard time cancelling the potentially vulnerable series Third Watch, about firefighters and emergency rescue workers, because its creator, John Wells, has an entrenched relationship with the network as an executive producer of hits like E.R. and The West Wing.

Similarly, ABC executives are weighing the cancellation of Once and Again, the critically acclaimed series starring Sela Ward and Billy Campbell about two divorced people trying to forge a relationship.

That show's ratings have been modest.  But working to its advantage is ABC's interest in maintaining a strong tie to the show's creators, Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, who also developed Thirtysomething and are top television writer-producers.  The show is produced by Touchstone Television, a unit of the Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC and would benefit if Once and Again generates enough episodes to make it viable for syndication, where profits mushroom.

"I love the show," said Stuart Bloomberg, co-chairman of the ABC Television Group.  "And I would get such grief in my house if this show weren't on ABC, I can't imagine it going anywhere else."  Yet Mr. Bloomberg said no decision had been made on Once and Again.  "You can't look at any show in a vacuum," he said.

The shows on the bubble this year include CBS offerings with heavily female audiences like Family Law and Kate Brasher as well as Nash Bridges, That's Life and The Fugitive; NBC's Fighting Fitzgeralds, Three Sisters and Weber Show; the ABC shows The Job, Two Guys and a Girl, Norm, The Geena Davis Show and What About Joan; and Fox's Lone Gunmen.  On the smaller WB, Angel, Jack and Jill, Popular and Roswell are among the shows that may not be renewed.

Internal politics have always stamped renewal decisions.  CBS's Everybody Loves Raymond, one of television's most successful comedies, floundered in its first season, 1996-97, and was saved from cancellation not only because network executives found it appealing but also because David Letterman's company, Worldwide Pants, was one of the producers.  By all accounts, CBS executives did not want to offend the network's late-night star if possible.

Similarly, in 1997 NBC struggled mightily to placate the creators of the hugely successful sitcom Friends by placing their new show, Veronica's Closet, in the choice time slot at 9.30 on Thursday nights.  Veronica's Closet, with Kristie Alley as a successful businesswoman, failed to stir audiences but lingered until 1999 largely because of the clout of its creators.

Jeff Zucker, the recently appointed president of NBC West Coast, said: "Ratings are only one factor in making these decisions.  There's also the question of whether the show has potential, where you think the show can go and how it stacks up to what we have."

Sandy Grushow, chairman of the Fox TV Entertainment Group, said the phone calls often come from executives at studios who are producing multiple shows on a network.

"They can certainly make life more painful," he said.  Studios sometime use their contracted writers as bargaining chips and say, essentially, "This is what you what we're prepared to do for you with these writers," he said.

The network decision making is often intense.  As many as two dozen executives view each new pilot and discuss the bubble shows.

"You look at the competition, you look at the lead-in, you ask yourself if this show is going in the right direction," said Leslie Moonves, president of CBS Television.  He said he had been listening to executives who work for him before making up his mind on the current shows.

"I keep my mouth shut, I do," he said.  "The worst thing you can do as network president is to speak first."

Especially active in applying pressure are top talent agencies, which, like studios, can use potent leverage: their strong client lists.

For the creators of the vulnerable series, the waiting if often marked by quiet desperation.  Mr. Attansio, who has written films like Donnie Brasco and was one of the creators of NBC's Homicide - Life on the Streets, said that although ABC had been supportive of Gideon's Crossing, the experience on the show had been frustrating.  The show has an average of 8.7 million viewers, which leaves it trailing CBS's Family Law and NBC's Third Watch.  (None of those three shows have performed well.)

By contrast, a top-rated dramatic series like NBC's Law and Order has an audience of nearly 18 million each week.

Mr. Attanasio said his show was initially pitted against Law and Order on Wednesday nights at 10, which proved extremely difficult, and then was moved to Monday at 10.  But that also turned sour because, he said, movies like These Old Broads were often placed on the schedule right before his series, offerings that appealed to a comedy crowd not interested in staying on to watch the serious, often dour Gideon's Crossing.

But Mr. Attanasio acknowledged that his show had inherent problems, too.  Some critics have found the star, André Braugher, a bit humourless and self-righteous.  Mr. Attanasio has told ABC that if the show is retained, the Braugher character, who is a doctor, will evolve into a slightly different personality.  He will become a widower recovering from a heart attack who will be dating women and will, Mr. Attanasio hopes, generally be more accessible to audiences.

But Mr. Attanasio is not sure the show will survive.  He said that over the years hits as varied as Seinfeld, Law and Order and Hill Street Blues had begun modestly, but their networks had allowed them to grow.

"Because of shows now like Millionaire and Survivor, the networks realise they can make so much money quickly, they can catch lightning in a bottle, and they don't have to be patient and nurturing of shows," he said.

In their offices in Santa Monica, the writing-directing team of Mr. Zwick and Mr. Herskovitz are in a similar state of uneasy limbo.  They are waiting to see if the network will cancel Once and Again as it completes its second season.  The hour-long show, with about 8.4 million viewers, has earned its strongest ratings in recent weeks, especially among adults 18 to 49, but has hardly reached the hit category.

"We feel vulnerable, and in our case it's not a particularly happy experience, and neither is it a new one," said Mr. Zwick, whose shows with Mr. Herskovitz, including Thirtysomething and My So-Called Life, were perenially on the bubble.  Mr. Zwick said with a laugh, "We've grown accustomed to the state of constant anxiety and dread."

Source: New York Times.  Back to the top

WANDA SAYS THE WB WILL KEEP YOUNGER-SKEWING SHOWS BUT...

01.05.2001 - Yesterday's Wanda column on E! Online featured a round-up of which shows will be renewed and which shows will be cancelled for next season:

Popular and Roswell: Only a week ago, my sources were calling both dead in the water [although the week before she said that Roswell was 60/40 for a third season].  But now that UPN has snatched Buffy, they're saying the Frog net might not want to lose any other younger-skewing cult shows.  Still, Brendan Fehr seems to think his Tabasco-chugging days are over - he hinted that Roswell had been cancelled earlier this week.

Against this is the fact that Roswell is one of, if not the, least younger-skewing shows on the WB.

In an article in USA Today on 19 April, ad-buying firm TN Media's latest study of viewers showed a wide youth gap among shows and networks.  CBS perennially reached the oldest viewers (median 51.2 years), and the WB (28.9 years) the younger.  (ABC's median is 46.5, NBC's 45.2, Fox 36.3 and UPN 33.8 years.)

Of the WB's shows, Roswell has an average audience age of 30.2 years, ahead of Buffy (28.5), The PJs (28.4) and Felicity (27.7).  (Although Angel and Charmed weren't listed in the extracts posted to rec.arts.tv.)  Popular, which Wanda thinks could share a slot with Roswell next season (à la Felicity and Jack and Jill this season) has the youngest average audience on the WB - just 22.1 years.

Perhaps UPN wouldn't be such a bad move after all?  Back to the top

UPN INTERESTED IN PICKING UP ROSWELL?

26.04.2001 - It's likely the WB will dump Roswell, but there's still hope for a third season, according to Tuesday's San Jose Mercury News (24 April).

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was never the WB's highest-rated show but it was the network's linchpin series: a critically acclaimed programme with a tremendously loyal following that defined the WB's commitment to strong dramas.

But starting this fall, Buffy will move from the network that it has called home for five seasons to the WB's testosterone-driven rival, UPN.  In addition, there's a good chance that its spinoff, Angel, will shift to UPN come September and some possibility that cult favourite Roswell will also join the move from WB.

The deal sending Buffy to UPN, announced late Friday, marks the first time a modern hit TV series has jumped from one network to another.  Shows have changed networks in the past - CBS's JAG, for example, started out on NBC - but only after they had been cancelled.

Buffy is a different matter entirely.

The WB wanted to keep the series - which draws 4.4 million viewers weekly and has a pop culture impact far beyond those numbers - but was unwilling to pay more than $1.8 million per episode to renew its contract.  20th Century Fox, which produces Buffy, wanted no less than $2.1 million.  The result was a war of words and press releases.

Instant credibility

That's when UPN - which currently has only one high-profile show, WWF Smackdown! - leaped in with a bid of $2.3 million per installment, $1 million more than Buffy is currently getting.  That price ensures the network will never make a profit on the series.

But it gives UPN a show that provides instant credibility to the much-maligned network and a cornerstone to build the kind of schedule that might actually draw an audience.  Dean Valentine, UPN president and CEO, said Friday that the network was getting "one of the best shows on the air" and that the deal "marks a new era in UPN's life and direction."

The loss of Buffy didn not, of course, sit too well with the WB, which, in a surprisingly testy statement released over the weekend, accused 20th Century Fox of "self dealing" - essentially selling a top product to a network in which it has a vested interest.  (20th Century is owned by media giant News Corp., which does not have a direct financial interest in UPN but does have a vested interest because it owns a number of UPN affiliate stations, including the local KBHK.)

For viewers, the deal has other ramifications beyond Buffy changing channels.

It is now likely that the WB will cancel Angel and allow it to move to UPN, which has already agreed to pick it up as part of the Buffy agreement.

In addition, 20th Century Fox produces Roswell, which was on the bubble for renewal at the WB and now will almost certainly be dropped.  UPN is said to be interested in picking up that show as well.

New Enterprise

UPN is also expected to announce this week that it has acquired the newest series in the Star Trek franchise - Enterprise - for next season.  (Star Trek: Voyager - now on UPN - ends its series run next month.)  In combination with the WB pickups, that gives the network a fairly solid base on which to build a fall schedule.

The WB, meanwhile, will have large chunks of time to fill come September with its entire Tuesday lineup gone; Roswell off on Mondays; and the possibility that both Popular and Grosse Pointe will be dumped from the Friday lineup.  Back to the top

WANDA - 60/40 FOR A THIRD SEASON

24.04.2001 - Obviously written before the news of Buffy's move to UPN broke, but in last week's (16 April) column E! Online's Wanda said she was "60/40 in favour of it coming back, but it really depends on how the show does this week and next, when we finally get to see some ratings for new episodes."  Back to the top

BUFFY MOVE REPERCUSSIONS?

24.04.2001 - A couple of snippets about how Buffy's move to UPN could affect Roswell's chances of a third season.

From a Variety piece entitled "Buffy loss takes a bite out of WB":

In addition to its Tuesday problem, the WB will have other holes to plug next season.

On Monday's Roswell was all but dead before the Buffy move. It's now buried.

Crashdown cites a news report on the WB and quotes Brendan Fehr as saying "I think we're out of here."  Back to the top

SHOWS ON THE BUBBLE

21.04.2001 - An extract from the Chicago Sun-Times of 12 April:

It's the mean season in TV land.

With only a month to go until the networks announce their fall schedules, the next few weeks will determine which shows survive and which do not.

Ratings play a big role, but they are hardly the only factor.

ABC, for example, must decide whether it can afford to carry one, two or no low-rated, high-prestige shows.  Once and Again might have to contend with Gideon's Crossing for a single hour of schedule space, and neither will be back if the network feels it has come up with something new that holds more promises.

Contract negotiations again this year will determine the fate of Fox's The X Files and uncertainty over whether Buffy the Vampire Slayer will remain on the WB could affect other networks and other shows.

Little is written in stone at this point, and it's hardly an exact science.

NBC just last year axed the steady but unspectacular dramas Prtender and Profiler to make room on Saturday nights for a TV treat called the XFL.

We all know how well that has worked out.

The article then lists the shows than have been confirmed as, or are pretty much dead certs to, return in 2001-02, before looking at each network in turn.

Roswell: This show dodged a bullet last year.  This year it has struggled.  The thinking here is that the only way it comes back is if Twentieth ties its renewal to the WB getting to keep Buffy.  Back to the top

WB "TO LOOK AT THE NUMBERS"

16.04.2001 - A snippet from a feature entitled "Networks make preliminary moves to tune up fall lineup" from the Chicago Tribunal of 11 April:

Roswell...the WB hasn't hinted if the fan favourite series will return in the fall but said it will look at the numbers for the next several episiodes between it makes a determination, [Ronald D.] Moore said.  Back to the top

THURSDAY NIGHT SWITCH?

13.04.2001 - According to E! Online's Wanda column of 9 April, Gilmore Girls is likely to occupy the 9pm Monday slot next season, and "it's starting to look like [Roswell] may end up on Thursdays next season."  Hopefully this will be after Charmed - which currently occupies the 9pm slot - rather than before it, which would also give the series a sizeable audience to hold onto.  Although 7th Heaven pulls in the WB's audience, Gilmore Girls stands a far better chance of retaining that show's audience than Roswell does.  Back to the top

SAVE OUR SHOWS

10.04.2001 - USA Today is running its fourth annual "Save Our Shows" survey.

Roswell won in the voting last year, garnering 42% of the vote and is up again this year's survey.  Other WB shows on "the bubble" are Jack & Jill, Popular and Grosse Pointe.

Voting closes next Monday (16th).  Back to the top

WB SHUFFLES EPISODES

09.04.2001 - The WB has pushed Off The Menu, the episode that was scheduled to air next Monday, to later in the season (apparently it will now be shown as the penultimate episode of season two), with Heart of Mine and Cry Your Name the next episodes to air when the series returns from its hiatus on April 16.  Back to the top

RONALD D. MOORE ON SEASON 3

06.04.2001 - In an interview with Sci-Fi Wire, co-executive producer Ronald D. Moore said that The WB will wait to see how the remaining episodes perform in the ratings during the crucial May sweeps period.  "They'll want to see how those episodes do before they make a decision" about renewing Roswell for a third season, Moore said.

He added, "I really hope that Roswell comes back.  It really deserves to get picked up, and it has a loyal fan following."  Back to the top

ENDANGERED SHOWS

30.03.2001 - The Detroit Free Press carried a feature on Wednesday 28 on endangered TV shows.  Although concentrating on Gideon's Crossing, That's Life, Once and Again and Grosse Pointe, Roswell was mentioned in the 'Four more worth saving' part:

Roswell (WB) - Both a rockateen romance and sci-fi adventure, the offbeat odyssey of space-alien adolescents hiding in plain sight has an enchanting spirit.  Back to the top

SEASON 3 NEWS?

24.03.2001 - With the deadline for Roswell's renewal or cancellation fast approaching, and hot on the news that Gilmore Girls has apparently been renewed, Crashdown is carrying this from a fan:

"Just talked to the program manager at the WB affiliate in Dallas.  I asked about the renewal or cancellation of Roswell.  She said that there is no way that it will be cancelled in fact she remembers seeing a memo that it is renewed."

Thanks to Chris B for posting this to the RoswellUK list.

Sci-Fi Wire currently has a poll asking visitors which endangered series should be renewed.  Roswell is currently in the lead with over 50% of the votes so far.  Back to the top

WB POLL

10.03.2001 - The WB's website currently has a poll where you can vote for which series out of Felicity, Hype!, Roswell and Grosse Pointe you're missing the most.  Unsurprisingly, Roswell is currently the clear the leader.  Back to the top

WANDA ON SEASON 3'S CHANCES

08.03.2001 - Monday's column featured the following snippet:

Will there be a season three for Roswell?

It's looking very likely, but still, it certainly can't hurt to send a few support letters to the WB - and of course, some Tabasco.  Back to the top

ROSWELL FANS PETITION THE WB

03.03.2001 - With the deadline to the WB deciding whether to renew Roswell for next season less than a couple of months away, fans hoping to persuade them have launched an online petition which currently has almost 8000 signatures.  This follows last year's Tabasco sauce campaign in which fans sent bottles of the sauce into the WB.  Back to the top

WB PUTS ROSWELL ON HIATUS

28.02.2001 - The WB has decided to pull Roswell until mid-April.  Despite helping the 9pm Monday timeslot to ratings 21% higher than last season, the series is being replaced by repeats of Gilmore Girls, which the WB hopes will appeal to the WB's Monday night audience.

"We are very excited about this new strategy of airing encore episodes of [Gilmore Girls] after our highest-rated show, 7th Heaven," said Jordan Levin, Co-President, Entertainment.  "Not only are we providing the best night of family-friendly programming on television, we also think this is an excellent way to tap into the larger audience that Gilmore Girls deserves."

New episodes of Roswell will air when the show returns in mid-April and into the May sweeps.  Back to the top

ROSWELL TEAMS UP WITH FANS, PCF

01.02.2001 - Roswell Fans and Pediatric Cancer Foundation Join Forces

From zap2it.com:

Fans of the hit WB television drama Roswell are trying to show the world that they can do much more than ship Tabasco Sauce.  Roswell fans across the [U.S.] are now helping make a young cancer patient's dream come true.  They have joined forces with the Pediatric Cancer Foundation (showcased on the episode A Roswell Christmas Carol which aired on December 18th on the WB at 9pm EST).  The organisation is very touched by the many responses they have received from Roswell fans everywhere in the way of e-mails, letters, donations and toys arriving just in time for the holidays.

The child is scheduled to fly with his/her family to California for a 2 day visit to Disneyland.  The trip will also include a very special invitation from the cast to visit the set of Roswell at Paramount Studios during filming.  The total expense for the trip will cost several thousand dollars, to be funded by the generous donations of dedicated Roswell fans everywhere.  Donations in excess of the cost of granting the wish will be directed toward paediatric cancer research.

If you would like to help, donations should be made payable to Pediatric Cancer Foundation.  Roswell should be written on the check.  Please mail to:

Pediatric Cancer Foundation 405 Tarrytown Road, PMB 572 White Plains, NY 10607-1313.

If you are not able to make a monetary donation, please know that there are many other things you can do to help.  If you would like more information about PCF or this campaign, please direct any questions to PCF@SaveRoswell.com.

Questions and e-mails will be promptly forwarded.  For additional information, please visit http://www.saveroswell.com/pcf.html.  Back to the top

KATIMS ON FANS, HEIGL AND MOORE ON SEASON 3

29.01.2001 - The New York Daily News carried a feature entitled "Fans Plea to The WB" on Friday and despite being ostensibly about fans attempts to get The WB to renew Gilmore Girls and to keep Buffy on the network, Roswell featured highly.

"I'm a huge fan of our fans," Roswell creator Jason Katims said, adding that this wasn't just because they watch the show closely, but because they also have helped keep it alive.

After an obligatory mention for last year's Tabasco sauce campaign, Katims is quoted as saying, "I believe they really were a major feature in helping to ensure the show came back for a second season this years.  They kind of pooled their efforts ... and really demonstrated their passion and love of the show, and that really spoke to the network.

"The network is very sensitive and aware and sort of honours and listens to those kinds of writing campaigns and Internet campaigns," says Katims.  "There's something very specific and particular about the WB, and that's why it's attracted the dedicated fan base."

Roswell web sites offer business-sized cards that say "Watch Roswell on the WB," which fans leave in restaurants and on bulletin boards.

"It's the only network that seems really plugged into teens," says Michele Shapiro, entertainment director of Seventeen magazine.  "We do a lot of WB stars on our covers and a lot of stories inside," she says.

"The WB have made it clear they are servicing a particular audience, and that audience responds to that and appreciates that," says Katims, "it empowers them.  I do think [teens] think of it as a place to go," says Shapiro.  "They can turn on their TV at prime time and see a show that they know is going to have teen stars and be geared toward them."

However, Shapiro says, it's not just teens who are somewhat obsessive.  "A couple of people on our staff will not miss an episode of Roswell," she says.

On the subject of whether Roswell will be back next season, co-executive producer Ron Moore told Sci-Fi Wire, "Everything is just an open question.  It's not a sure thing.  We hope we get a third season.  The ratings are strong, the network is happy with the show, the fan reaction has been great. ... It depends on whether there's a strike or not. ... There are just a lot of open questions."

On the same subject, here's what Katherine Heigl told Fandom's Smilin' Jack Ruby: "I don't know.  I really don't know what will happen.  I think we'll see another season.  I hope to see another season.  It's pretty much up in the air until then."  Back to the top

"NO DECISION YET" SAYS KELLNER

11.01.2001 - At the Television Critics Association press tour last weekend, WB chief exec Jamie Kellner had this to say about Roswell:

"It's doing well.  We haven't made a decision on it.  It's definitely grown above what it was last year."  Back to the top

DANIELS "CONFIDENT" ROSWELL WILL BE BACK

09.01.2001 - From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 8 January 2001:

Roswell (9pm Mondays) has improved dramatically - and I mean that in every sense of the word - as it morphed from an angsty teen drama about aliens to a sci-fi adventure.

"Creatively it's at its strongest yet," said Susanne Daniels, The WB entertainment president.  "That [change] was a network note to try and give the show more of a science-fiction angle.  I feel good about the creative growth and the time period [ratings] growth and I am confident about the show coming back."  Back to the top

MUSTA BEEN THE TABASCO

04.01.2001 - From the New York Times, 8 November 2000:

At the end of the last television season it seemed as if Roswell, the WB dramatic series about alien teenagers on the run from the government, was set to crash like the U.F.O. that allegedly stranded its protagonists on Earth.

Its episodes were watched by an average of 3.6 million people, far fewer than WB had hoped for.  Cancellation seemed a near-certainty.

But one thing Roswell did have was a loyal fan base, which set about a grass-roots campaign to persuade the network to keep the programme on its prime-time schedule.  The fans deluged WB with thousands of letters and bottles of Tabasco sauce, a favourite of the alien characters (who apparently find Earth food too bland).

When WB relented and agreed to keep Roswell around at least into the beginning of this season, ordering 13 new episodes, the campaign was hailed as the likely beginning of a new movement, the start of an aggressive new sort of fan activism.

In the end, the fans might have just taught the network executives a new lesson in patience.  Roswell is averaging nearly one million more viewers per episode this season than last and has moved to 89th place in the overall programme ratings, from 134th at the end of last season.

WB executives said yesterday that they had ordered enough episodes to fill out the rest of this season, for a total of 22.  In an impatient world, sometimes a show just needs a little time to grow.

"That was a 'bubble' show," said Brad Turell, a network spokesman.  "It was a show we may not have picked up, and we're certainly thrilled that we did."  Back to the top

ROSWELL BRIGHTENS FUTURE FOR KIDS WITH CANCER

19.12.2000 - The producers, cast and crew of Roswell have made a donation to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation in the spirit of A Roswell Christmas Carol, which airs Dec. 18 and again on Dec. 29 on The WB network.

"The Christmas story was very much about reaching out and trying to help," Roswell creator said in an article on TheWB.com website.  "The spirit of the episode inspired me and the cast and crew to want to help in whatever small way we could."

The Pediatric Cancer Foundation has been raising funds to aid children with cancer and their families for over 30 years.  In addition, the Pediatric Cancer Foundation makes substantial contributions to research hospitals and institutions towards finding a cure.

Source: zap2it.com.  Back to the top

WB UNCOVERS MORE ROSWELL EPISODES

07.11.2000 - Further to the previous story comes confirmation from Variety of the full season order for Roswell:

The WB believes in aliens.

The network has ordered nine additional episodes of its sophomore sci-fi drama Roswell, giving the show a full season run of 22 episodes.

Roswell garnered solid reviews last season and decent ratings but still barely managed to get renewed for a second year.  The WB ultimately ordered 13 episodes, spurred in part by a strong fan-based campaign to save the show and a decision to emphasize more of the show's sci-fi elements.  Jason Behr, Katherine Heigl and Brendan Fehr star.

So far this fall, Roswell has given the WB its best 9pm Mondy Nielsen numbers since Buffy the Vampire Slayer moved out of the slot in January 1998.  The show's core strength lies with young femmes: It averages a 5.4 rating/18 share in female teens and a 3.6/10 in females 12-34.

Among adults 18-49, Roswell has been averaging a 2.0/5 - an 82% increase over the network's slot average last season.  It has posted similar gains in other key demos.

Not surprisingly, Roswell creator-executive producer Jason Katims said he is "extremely excited" about the full-season order.

"This is just a great feeling, a great boost of confidence for all of us at the show," Katims told Daily Variety.  "We've just gotten a lot of great support from the WB and (producer) 20th Century Fox."  Back to the top

WB PICKS UP REMAINING EPISODES

05.11.2000 - According to Crashdown, citing the Official William Sadler website, the WB has now picked up the series for the remainder of season two.  Back to the top

EW's KEN TUCKER ON ROSWELL

01.11.2000 - According to Ken Tucker, TV reviewer for Entertainment Weekly, The WB should keep Grosse Point, Gilmore Girls and Felicity but cancel Popular, Dawson's Creek and Roswell, about which he said the following:

"I was willing to give this teens from outer space show the benefit of a first season doubt; the acting was good, the concept intriguing.  But after being inundated with "Save Roswell" mail this summer even though the damn thing had been renewed, I've watched the new season closely, and have come up unimpressed.  In their zeal to bolster the sci-fi elements of the show (hey, the X Files crowd is too old and too smart for Roswell) they've sacrificed the one thing that made Roswell compelling - the interaction between the aliens and human teens, as friends, lovers and enemies."  Back to the top

FOUR MORE FOR ROSWELL

24.10.2000 - According to www.brendan-fehr.com, the WB has ordered four episodes for Roswell's second second, making 17 so far.  Back to the top

WB'S DANIELS ON ROSWELL

27.07.2000 - The fans do have a voice; at least they did in the case of saving Roswell.  WB entertainment president Susanne Daniels and network CEO Jamie Kellner admitted this week that the fan campaign of sending in bottles of Tabasco sauce to show support for the show was very effective.  But not all messages were friendly.

"Its not all very nice," said Kellner of some of the fan mail he received.  "SOme of those messages are 'You idiots, you don't know anything about what we like.'"

Daniels said she had to change her email address three times because of hte amount of mail she received.  However, Kellner noted, the extra step of sending the sauce bottles stood out.

"I've gotten a lot of emails and letters," he said.  "I've never gotten anybody to send me stuff that costs money, and it was remarkable."

"The Internet is a viral medium," Kellner said, of how the campaign spread.

While Roswell's future is still dependent on what happens next season, the two execs were much more upbeat about Dawson's Creek.

"I think the show really hit its stride [at the end of last season]," Kellner said.  "With 90210 out of the time period this fall, Dawson's Creek will be the show to watch."

Source: zap2it.com.  Back to the top

SEASON 2 START DATE

09.07.2000 - Roswell's will air on the WB from Monday 2 October at 9pm.  Back to the top

WB RENEWS ROSWELL

16.05.2000 - As the WB's second most popular show behind the already renewed 7th Heaven, Charmed was always likely to get renewed for the 2000/01 season, but Roswell's fate was in more doubt.

Earlier reports that the network would renew only one more new series following Angel's earlier renewal proved unfounded with Roswell returning along with Popular and Jack & Jill.

Roswell has been given at least a further thirteen episodes, and the series will be continuing in the Monday 9pm slot which it has occupied in recent weeks, again following the WB's top programme, 7th Heaven.  Charmed will be airing at 9pm on Thursdays, with the Buffy and Angel double on Tuesdays.

Although it found itself up against stiff competition on Wednesday nights (from Star Trek: Voyager on UPN and The West Wing on NBC), Roswell has certainly benefited from its shift to Monday nights and has been pulling in some of the WB's best ratings in the 9pm slot since the network began.  It currently ranks 125th for all shows, with an average 2.6/4 rating.  Of the WB's other shows that debuted in 1999/2000, only Angel has produced better ratings than Roswell.

The WB's schedule was announced today (16 May) by Susanne Daniels, President, Entertainment and Jordan Levin, Executive Vice President, Programming.

"Stability in scheduling is always something that you strive for and we have accomplished that this season by keeping every one of our anchor dramas in their season-ending timeslots," said Ms. Daniels.  "Roswell and Felicity came into their own creatively and ratings-wise the last eight episodes of the year and they both earned their way onto the schedule.  The Tabasco sauce, e-mail campaigns and demonstrations also got our attention."

Buffy is one of four WB series that will reach the 100 episode mark this season, making it one of seven series to have reached the magic figure in the WB's short history (this season will be its seventh).  "We have believed from the beginning that a new network needs stability in its programmes from year to year, which advantages our audience, advertisers, and studio suppliers," said Ms. Daniels.  "Our schedule this season reflects our emphasis on stability.  Not only with the four series that will reach 100 episodes, but also by returning to the schedule every one of our quality dramas."  Back to the top