Thu Aug 19 17:03:42 EDT 1999
SPACE Loves Crusade but Warns Viewers that There is No White Knight

Canadian viewers have welcomed Crusade with open arms, and two representatives of SPACE: The Imagination Station (Crusade's Canadian home) have called the show a hit. But in postings to SPACE's Babylon 5 forum yesterday, the same representatives urged viewers to enjoy the thirteen episodes they had, because there would be no more.

Responding to questions about Crusade's ratings, Andrew Toth of SPACE had this to say:

The kind of money required to put on a show like Crusade is unfortunately light years outside of our resources.

Crusade has done very well for us in the ratings, it would be what we'd consider a "hit". It has done much better on Space than on some other stations and that is partly due to our audience being really in tune with what's on the station and the fact that we promoted it more than the others. It has done so well, in fact, hat we have been trying to clear another run through the series. Sorry to report, though, that we've hit a brick wall with the distributors and it doesn't look good that we can repeat it. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Andrew Toth/SPACE, RE: what are the Crusade ratings like?, 8/18/99.

Questions about the possibility of SPACE cofinancing a second season of Crusade brought a swift, decisive no from SPACE's Denis McGrath:
No. Not an option at all. For a host of reasons that I could never go into even if I wanted to. Unfortunately, sometimes bad things happen to good shows. And that's what's happened to Crusade. I think, in light of the fact that production has been shut down for months, the cast is released from their contracts, and even the creator has moved on, people need to face up to the fact that 13 episodes of Crusade is all there is ever going to be, and that for the foreseeable future, they won't even be replayed--the rights for reruns have not been cleared.

I can't explain why. I don't know any of the details, but any speculation that this group or that group could finance it and continue just demonstrates how little is understood about the shadowy world of how television gets made. Space can't finance more. Warner won't. There is no white knight. There is no way to 'get it going' again. Crusade is dead.

It's a shame, but there you go. Add it to the pile of worthy shows that never got a chance to do what they could, and move on.
Denis McGrath/SPACE, RE: Financing Crusade and Other Matters, 8/18/99.