Xena: Warrior Princess revival not happening at NBC — for now

If it feels like it’s been a long time since we heard anything about the Xena: Warrior Princess revival over at NBC, that’s because it has. The idea of this project first floated around back in June of 2016, with the talk then being that the show would focus more on the title character’s sexuality than the original version did. (The idea of bringing the show back was first introduced almost two decades ago.)

So why isn’t the show going forward now? Well, much of it simply has to do with the show not being at the level that it needed to be. Speaking per The Hollywood Reporter, Jennifer Salke, NBC Entertainment President, confirmed that with the following:

“Nothing is happening on that right now. We looked at some material; we decided at that point that it didn’t warrant the reboot … I’d never say never on that one because it’s such a beloved title, but the current incarnation of it is dead.”

Our sentiment is that this is a show that could be brought back and be very good, but broadcast television probably isn’t the right place for it. We almost feel like it’d be better suited for a network like Syfy, even if it’s not traditional science-fiction fare, just because of their understanding of genre programming. A night with this show and Wynonna Earp would be especially fun, given that you’d have two straight hours of powerful women kicking butt and taking names. We could also see it being a fun fit on The CW, though they may already have enough action dramas that they don’t quite feel the need for another one at the moment.

As for NBC itself, it doesn’t make much sense for them to bring Xena back given that they’re clearly at the moment going for broad television concepts that are either fairly procedural or focus on something like family that’s easier to relate to than a new version of a cult hit from many years ago starring Lucy Lawless.

Why there’s a whole lot of hope

There really aren’t all too many networks out there these days churning out original concepts. Fox just turned Lethal Weapon into a TV show, CBS has adapted a new version of S.W.A.T, and The CW just remade Dynasty of all things. If Dynasty can somehow get back in the air in some shape or form, we have a whole lot of confidence that almost any show out there can. It just takes the right people involved and getting the right executives to believe in the project.

We still don’t think that this new version of Xena works all that well over at NBC, but there could be some other places here or there who could find a great use for the property. We’ll see if anything comes out of this in the coming years.

Do you think that there is ever a shot to see Xena: Warrior Princess back on television again someday? Share now in the comments below! (Photo: NBC.)