Dr. Quinn: Revolutions
The cancellation of Dr. Quinn caused a massive fan uproar, the likes of which had not been seen since the campaign to save Star Trek in the mid-1960s. CBS decided that instead of producing another season, as the cost involved was deemed too high, it would instead produce a TV movie. In May 1999, one year after its cancellation, CBS aired Dr. Quinn: Revolutions, a television movie special, set in 1877. However, the actual date should have been 1875, two years following the final episode, which would have been in 1873. In this TV movie, Katie Sully, now age 4, is kidnapped, and Dr. Mike and Sully, with help from some townsfolk, embark on a desperate search for their missing daughter in Mexico. Fans were delighted that a special movie was being produced, but they were not altogether impressed with its overall concept. The movie was very different in tone than the rest of the series, incorporating more guns and violence – allegedly in an effort to please the twenty-something male audience demographics. Furthermore, both Jessica Bowman and Chad Allen declined appearances in that episode, due to its content, and William Olvis's entire score was scrapped in favor of more cost-effective music that was completely unlike that of the original series.
Fans were shocked to find a Dr. Quinn episode that did not include the main title sequence or theme. Moreover, the script, acting, and interpretations of the original characters came across as unfamiliar and very unlike their portrayals in the series. Beth Sullivan was so furious with CBS's control over the whole project that she declined any involvement.
It was critically panned and eventually failed in the ratings due to a lack of promotion.
Dr. Quinn would not return again unless CBS decided to give it another go. This seemed highly unlikely, as Joe Lando was not returning as Sully, and Chad Allen, Jim Knobeloch, and Orson Bean were said to have moved on to other projects. Also, in spite of rumors that new contracts were being negotiated with the remaining leads and supporting cast, CBS abruptly pulled the plug, blaming the show's demise on hugely declining ratings due to Lando's brief departure in season five.
Read more about this topic: Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman