- News Update - 

THE STORY SO FAR - DATELINE May 20, 1999

While the show was not cancelled outright, UPN was non-committal about its future. There were no plans to screen the resolution of the third season's heartbreaking cliffhanger. Even the option of a mid-season replacement was no guarantee that The Sentinel would go back into production.

The minute the news was leaked, fans all over the world began bombarding UPN and Paramount with phonecalls, faxes and emails in support of The Sentinel and urging that UPN rethink their decision and give a firm commitment to bring the show back. UPN were forced to pull staff off other projects to handle the phone enquiries and eventually set up a recorded message on a special "Sentinel Hotline" to inform callers that there was no news on the show.

June 15 1998
On June 15, the contracts that the actors had with UPN were set to expire. In recognition of this date, the Support Our Sentinel group pooled money from online fans to initiate a media campaign to inform America of The Sentinel's fate. In addition to the first in a series of planned advertisements about the SOS campaign, a Press Release was forwarded to nearly 500 newspapers, magazines radio and television stations around the country.

This national ad, organised by the "Ad Group", appeared in the LIFE section of USA TODAY on Monday, June 15 and as a consequence the UPN phonelines were flooded and the "hotline" reported that it was full. In addition UPN's email started bouncing back to the recipients.

Halfway through Monday, the offices of Pet Fly, producers of The Sentinel, received an official contract extension from UPN for a further week.

June 22 1998
When the extension expired and UPN had still made no commitment, Paramount Television took steps to ensure the future of the show, by signing series leads Richard Burgi and Garett Maggart for a 13-episode contract. Yet there was still no order for episodes forthcoming.

June 25 1998
Late on the evening of Thursday June 25, word was received by Paramount and Pet Fly that UPN had confirmed The Sentinel as a mid-season replacement. Eight new episodes were ordered with production scheduled to recommence late August 1998.

June 29 1998
UPN acknowledged the success of the fan campaign as a deciding factor in the return of the series, in the press release officially announcing The Sentinel's renewal.

The story was picked up by VARIETY, The Hollywood Reporter, CNN and media outlets around the country.

July 7 1998
To capitalize on this success, the fans followed up the announcement by purchasing a half page in The Hollywood Reporter On July 7 thanking Paramount, UPN and welcoming The Sentinel back into production.

Sep 1 1998
The Sentinel returned to production in Vancouver.

Oct 5 1998
UPN's new fall season began with unimpressive ratings figures. Cancellation of some new programming seemed imminent.

Oct 16 1998
UPN pulls Mercy Point from the schedule after only three episodes and replaces it with the even less impressive America's Greatest Pets and the sitcom Reunited which pulls record low ratings for network television.

Oct 26 1998
The controversial Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer is pulled from the schedule to be officially cancelled on Nov 5. UPN falls back to two episodes of Malcolm and Eddie to fill out Monday nights.

Dec 8 1998
Sentinel production finishes on the eight episodes ordered by UPN.

Dec 9 1998
UPN officially announces The Sentinel to return to its line-up from Monday January 25 (this date was later brought forward a week to Jan 18) at 9pm with an encore presentation of the series pilot. UPN announces to the press that The Sentinel returns due to "popular demand".

Jan 18, 1999
The Sentinel FINALLY returns to UPN with the pilot episode "Switchman", followed a week later by a special encore screening of the fateful cliffhanger "Sentinel Too - Part 1". On February 1st, UPN screens the first of the brand new episodes, "Sentinel Too, Part 2". The campaign continued for renewal and a fifth season.

The decision to renew depended largely on The Sentinel's performance in the Nielsen ratings.

May 20, 1999
A long hiatus, followed by the purchase of only eight new episodes, meant that the series' run from January 18 this year was interspersed with endless reruns. The Sentinel lost its familiar Wednesday night timeslot to another Paramount drama, Seven Days, and instead was forced to battle it out among tough competition on Monday at 9pm, opposite the popular Ally McBeal and Everybody Loves Raymond.

In the Monday slot, following a variety of poorly rated lead-in programs, The Sentinel averaged a 1.7 national rating, and it soon became clear that the network would look unfavorably on this figure come renewal time in May 1999. Sentinel fans protested the tough Monday night slot (often pre-empted by affiliates for sports coverage) and the lack of adequate promotion from the network, but UPN was not disposed to move the show about the schedule in an effort to evaluate its performance in another slot.

In a recent vindication for fans, The Sentinel was pre-empted on April 26 for a highly promoted first run episode of the network's flagship, Star Trek: Voyager, which also managed only to produce a 1.7 national rating -- the lowest ratings performance in Voyager's five year history.

Nevertheless, after only 8 new episodes, UPN finally decided to cancel The Sentinel.

However, almost simultaneous to this announcement, is the news that The Sentinel had been picked up by The Sci-Fi Channel (part of the USA Network), who announced the series will screen at 6pm, five nights a week from September 27, 1999. Undaunted, Sentinel fans continue the campaign to win new episodes or feature movies of The Sentinel on cable or in syndication. While the recent Dr Quinn Medicine Woman fan campaign failed to return the 6 year-old series to episodic production, the cast have reunited for a TV movie to screen during May sweeps.

Sentinel fans are continuing to target Paramount Television, who own The Sentinel, and The Sci-Fi Channel and USA Networks, Inc, who will be screening it. If you'd like to help the campaign to win new installments of The Sentinel, visit our Targets page page for all the contact phone and fax numbers, email and snail mail addresses you need to help the campaign.

And watch for the Latest News.