"fans bring back 'the sentinel'"

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Help gtlught to yru by &tsTTv Yahoo! TV Coverage: Feature Story Yahool TV Home "I think they torhred the network," says a beaming Danny Bilson, one of The Sentinel's two co-creators and executive producers. "I mean, I heard stories where they were jamming the phone lines and sending so much.mail that ultimately [UPN] started tumingJhe mail back." "We had 1,500 e-mails in the first 48 hours of cancellation," marvels fellow executive producer Paul De Meo, who with Bilson had previously brought DC Comics' superhero The Flash to TV. "Having an audience that's vocal like thal," says Bilson, "has been really great in the face of cancellation." Series star Richard Burgi gives credit to both ends. "I'd like to think that one ofthe reasons it's back on is that the people who are running the network are flexible. And to be flexible in this day and age is a very necessary qua.lity-to admit you've made a mistake and to look at something that's a good product and to support it as such." The series stars Burgi (center) as police detective James Ellison, a former Army captain who'd been stranded 18 months in a Peruvian jungle. He adapted and survived with the unknowing help of sorne mystical science that gave him super-sensitive hearing, touch, taste, Fans Bring Back "The Sentinel" UPN-The Sentinel Mondays. 9 to l0 p.m. ET 'By Frank Lovece "And now, the senses-shattering conclusion of The Sentinel!" That's what its fans faced iast spring, when the hour-long series about a police detective with super-enhanced senses was abruptly canceled mid-clifflranger. You could almost hear them crying out, in time-honored comic-book fashion: "Noooooooooo!!!" But this is real life, not comics. And the series' media-sawy audience had a weapon more powerful than repulsor rays or super strength: activism. After a telephone, letler and e-mail campaign that even raised money to buy support ads in USA Today and Daily Variety, fans helped convince UPN to bring back The Sentinel. The fourth season began Monday, Jan. 8 with a erun of the pilot episode, followed a week later by part one of the third season's clifftranger finale, guest-starring Star Trek: Voyager Borg-babe let'' Ryan. The first new episode premieres Monday, Feb. 1.

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Page 1: "Fans Bring Back 'The Sentinel'"

7/28/2019 "Fans Bring Back 'The Sentinel'"

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/fans-bring-back-the-sentinel 1/2

Helpgtlught to yru by

&tsTTv

Yahoo! TV Coverage: Feature Story Yahool TV Home

Fans Bring Back "The Sentinel"UPN-The SentinelMondays. 9 to l0 p.m. ET

'By Frank Lovece

"And now, the senses-shattering conclusion of The Sentinel!"

That's what its fans faced iast spring, when the hour-long series about a police detectivewith super-enhanced senses was abruptly canceled mid-clifflranger. You could almosthear them crying out, in time-honored comic-book fashion: "Noooooooooo!!!"

But this is real life, not comics. And the series' media-sawy audience had a weapon more

powerful than repulsor rays or super strength: activism. After a telephone, letler ande-mail campaign that even raised money to buy support ads in USA Today and DailyVariety, fans helped convince UPN to bring back The Sentinel. The fourth season beganMonday, Jan. 1 8 with a rerun of the pilot episode, followed a week later by part one ofthe third season's clifftranger finale, guest-starring Star Trek: Voyager Borg-babe let''Ryan. The first new episode premieres Monday, Feb. 1.

Page 2: "Fans Bring Back 'The Sentinel'"

7/28/2019 "Fans Bring Back 'The Sentinel'"

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/fans-bring-back-the-sentinel 2/2