Despite first-run success, USA pulls plug on 'Nikita'

Eight episodes yet to air on USA, finale in August

By JOHN DEMPSEY

NEW YORK -- USA Network has canceled “La Femme Nikita,” the weekly action hour that stands as one of the most successful firstrun series in the history of basic cable.

Peta Wilson, the Australian-born actress who stars in the series, is already working on other projects, and Warner Bros. TV, which produces “Nikita,” has disbanded the staff of the show, under executive producer Joel Surnow.

A USA spokesman said there are still eight episodes yet to be cablecast by USA, and the final one will get on the air sometime in August.

Audience levels for the show had fallen off, but not drastically. In calendar 2000 Nielsen ratings of the new episodes of “Nikita” in their first play Sundays at 10 p.m. were averaging a 1.9 rating in USA homes compared to a 2.1 rating for the new hours in their first run in 1999.

USA and Warner Bros. confirmed that the series would not be back but would not discuss the reasons for the cancellation.

“Nikita” was shepherded through its first two seasons by the previous regime at USA headed by president of programming Rod Perth.

But even after Perth resigned 23 months ago, the new programming operation under Stephen Chao continued to commission further episodes of the series.