Chris Carter’s Millennium was cancelled by FOX after three seasons, but both Carter and series star Lance Henriksen support a revival, and fans help could make that happen.
[Update 9/30/21]
What Is It?
This series focuses on ex-FBI agent Frank Black (with an Emmy-worthy portrayal by genre-favorite Lance Henriksen) who was previously a criminal profiler and who has a unique ability to “see” the crime scene from the eyes of the killer. He works as a consultant for the Millennium group solving crimes while also looking for evidence to support the group’s belief that evil forces are coming together as the end of the second millennium approaches and these present a threat to humanity.
Aired: FOX, 1996-99, 3 Seasons Totaling 67 Episodes
Starring: Lance Henriksen, Megan Gallagher, Terry O’Quinn, Brittany Tiplady, Kristen Cloke, Klea Scott
Created By: Chris Carter
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Why Was It Cancelled?
The premiere of this highly-anticipated Chris Carter series delivered one of the highest-rated hours ever for FOX up to that time, though the numbers took a downward turn from there–largely because it was a very dark show for Prime Time. The second season was more of a fan-favorite, though the ratings continued to decline. And apparently the creative team expected cancellation because the Season 2 finale delivered a rather apocalyptic ending. But FOX did end up bring the show back for a third year. The ratings did not improve, though, and Millennium was cancelled at the end of the year, leaving the story on a pretty large cliffhanger. Part of the difficulties it faced in attracting an audience was the fact that it aired on Fridays, though The X-Files had previously done well on that night. But the show was also very dark and intense and did not fit in well with typical Prime Time fare.
How Can a Series This Old Still Be Saved?
A finale of sorts was offered the next season when Frank Black made an appearance on The X-Files in the appropriately titled episode “Millennium”, which aired shortly before the turn of the century. But that failed to provide a satisfying ending and Lance Henriksen would lobby for a continuation of the show for years to follow. A five-issue comic book series was published by IDW starting in 2015 (which comes highly recommended) which offered a nice shout-out to fans as well as another X-Files cross-over. But Henriksen continued to push for a movie or a TV revival to give the story better closure. The group Back to Frank Black has actively stumped for a revival of the show over the years as well.
The X-Files was brought back on FOX for a tenth season in 2016 which proved quite popular, and Henriksen again started to make noise about a Millennium revival. But the X-Files reboot would peter out after a poorly received eleventh season, though interest in a return of Frank Black has not died down. The excellent documentary Millennium After the Millennium was released in 2018, and both Henriksen and Carter give their thoughts on how the show could be wrapped up with a movie or mini-series (which could possibly also lead into a spin-off focusing on Frank’s daughter Jordan). Henricksen even put out a Tweet in October 2020 asking “Would you like to see #Millennium return? Let us know!”.
The twenty-fifth anniversary of the series premiere will be on October 25, 2021 and the show is currently getting some attention because of that. Now is definitely the time for the fans to start making some noise and build up some buzz for the the show in hopes that it might spur an interest in a revival.
What Can the Fans Do?
Would you like to see #Millennium return? Let us know! pic.twitter.com/FmJuktEHiZ
— Lance Henriksen (@lancehenriksen) October 22, 2020
One of the first things that fans can do is to make a push for this show to be available for viewing again. The DVDs are out of print and fetching a pretty high price, it never received the Blu-ray treatment, and it is not currently available for streaming. So those who have never seen it or who might want to revisit it do not have many options at the moment. I’m not certain if the rights for this one shifted to Disney with the purchase of 20th Century FOX Entertainment, but if it did, now is the time to let the new owners know that people want to see this series. Hulu, which is mostly owned by Disney, would certainly be a good location for the series and possibly the revival as well. Shudder, which is a horror-themed streaming service owned by AMC, would be a possible destination as well. More info on how to request the show on these services is at this link.
Getting the original series streaming again, along with continued support from the fans as well as the attention it will get for its 25th anniversary, could help to spark interest in a revival that would provide a suitable wrap up for the show. And there is definitely some financial incentive to adding a conclusion to the original run. The show was cut short at three seasons and 67 episodes, so enough additional eps to get it to 80 would make it more attractive to the syndication market and also provide a more satisfying binge-watch on one of the streaming services. They could put together a thirteen-episode final season, and the payoff down the road in the syndication market would certainly justify the cost. Even a six-episode mini-series that provides a conclusion could make Millennium more attractive as a streaming and/or syndication package. And sure, we are well past the year 2000, but there are plenty of explanations that could be worked in to say that current calendars are not in sync with the true universal timeline.
In order for this to happen, though, there needs to be stronger grass roots support. Millennium fans need to band together, with the Back to Frank Black group possibly leading the charge, and make a strong Call to Action on the social networks. If they can draw some attention, this could perk up interest from the network execs and possibly get something moving. Henriksen is definitely onboard and he will support efforts to lobby for the show, possibly Carter as well. Networks love reboots/revivals and this is a show that deserves a proper ending. If fans step up–and we at CancelledSciFi.com will lend our support–it is still possible this could happen.
Are you a fan of Millennium and would you support efforts for a revival? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
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