Los Angeles -- Under the new regime of programming guru
Stephen Chao, USA Network has canceled basic cable's longest-running original
primetime dramatic series, the racy Silk Stalkings, which debutedin 1991.
The show will end its run with a two-hour special April 18
at 9 p.m. USA still hasn't announced what will replace the sexy series in its 9 p.m.
time slot during the network's "Sunday Night Heat" block of originals.
Silk Stalkings' viewership peaked in late 1995,
when original cast members Rob Estes and Mitzi Kapture were on board. There were two
subsequent cast changes, and the show's ratings declined.
Chao, USA's president of programming and marketing,
said in a prepared statement, "As a network, we are very proud of the many years of
success that Silk Stalkings has enjoyed."
The detective series premiered on USA as a unique
coproduction with CBS' "Crimetime After Primetime." After two seasons, USA
became the exclusive carrier of the original episodes.
Chao has a number of shows in the works that could be
potential replacements for Silk Stalkings, including GvsE, which stands for
"good versus evil." Former Law & Order cast member Richard Brooks
stars in that new series.
